PEACH, JALAPEÑO AND MINT SALSA
Where I live in southern Ontario, we're lucky enough to have fabulous peach orchards in the nearby Niagara area. I can never resist buying baskets and baskets of peaches at the market when they're in season. This recipe is a terrific way to capture their fragrant flavor in a savory salsa.
(Excerpted from The Complete Book of Pickling
by Jennifer MacKenzie, published by 2009 Robert Rose Inc.)
Makes about ten 8-ounce(250 mL) or five pint (500 mL) jars
10 cups finely chopped peeled peaches (2.5 L) 2 cups finely chopped onions (500 mL) 1 1⁄2 cups finely chopped red or yellow bell peppers (375 mL) 1⁄4 cup minced seeded jalapeño peppers (50 mL) 1 tbsp minced garlic (15 mL) 1⁄2 cup granulated sugar (125 mL) 11⁄2 tsp pickling or canning salt (7 mL) 1 tsp ground cumin (5 mL) 1⁄4 tsp ground cinnamon (1 mL) 1 cup white vinegar (250 mL) 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint (25 mL)
Source ,Amazon.com: The Complete Book of Pickling: 250 Recipes fro...Step 1
Prepare canner, and sterilize jars and lids.
Step 2
In a large pot, combine peaches, onions, red peppers, jalapeños, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, cinnamon and vinegar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring often, for about 20 minutes or until onions are translucent and salsa is slightly thickened. Stir in mint.
Step 3
Ladle hot salsa into hot jars, leaving 1⁄2 inch (1 cm) headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace as necessary by adding hot salsa. Wipe rim and place hot lid disc on jar. Screw band down until fingertip-tight.
Step 4
Place jars in canner and return to a boil. Process for 20 minutes. Turn off heat and remove canner lid. Let jars stand in water for 5 minutes. Transfer jars to a towel-lined surface and let stand for 24 hours. Check lids and refrigerate any jars that are not sealed.
Step 5
Tips:
-Consider par-boiling the peaches to remove the skins.
-If you use 8-ounce (250 mL) jars, they may not all fit in your canner at once. Let extra jars cool, then refrigerate them and use them up first. To avoid this problem, I like to pack some in pint (500 mL) jars and some in 8-ounce (250 mL) jars. That way, I also have different sizes and can open the size I know I'll use up within a few weeks.
Serving Suggestion: Serve on grilled pork chops, a pork roast or grilled fish.
