The allure of a large box of California peaches at Costco was just too much to resist, so I brought one home; knowing all too well that I would never be able to eat them all before they went mushy. What to do?
Peach Barbecue Sauce? Nice, yes, but I had just put up a rather large batch of my regular sauce, so no. Peach Butter? I already had a half-dozen half-pints in the pantry.
Hmmm, guess it’s gotta be salsa!
INGREDIENTS
•1/2 cup white vinegar
•6 cups pitted, peeled peaches
•2 cups diced sweet onion
•8 oz jalapeños, chopped*
•1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
•2 tbsp honey
•2 (large) cloves garlic, chopped ~2 tbsp
•1 tbsp dried parsley
•1 tsp dried basil
•1 tsp cumin
•1/2 tsp caraway seed
•1/2 tsp Cayenne
•1 tsp Aleppo pepper
•1 sprig fresh rosemary
*I left the seeds in mine. If you want a milder salsa, remove the seeds and membranes from your jalapeños, and do remember to wear gloves while handling them; trust me, you do not want to rub your eyes after cutting jalapeño.
Stir all the ingredients together in a large pot over medium high heat and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer for five or ten minutes, stirring often, until the salsa has thickened nicely.
Ladle the salsa into prepared canning jars, using a wooden skewer to settle the salsa in the jar and remove any air pockets, leaving 1/4 inch head space.
Cover the jars and process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
Remove and allow to cool on a rack. That sound of the lids ‘popping’ means that the jars are sealed.* You’ll end up with about nine half-pints.
Store the cooled jars in your pantry and use as you would any salsa; with corn chips, over quesadillas, it is especially nice with shrimp tacos – details on that to come Monday.
*All thanks to the very nice folk at the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving for the basic recipe and processing guidance.