Peaches Are In Season So We Are Canning Peach Salsa And Peach Butter

Since our family at home is down to three, these small batch recipes are perfect. My favorite book is: Food In Jars: Preserving In Small Batches Year Round By Marisa McClellan. Please refer to this book for any canning questions.

Earlier this week I made my favorite peach salsa.

Makes 4 1 Pint Jars (I prep one more in case there is more)

6 cups peeled, pitted, and chopped peaches.   (about 4lbs)

1 1/2 cups chopped red onion (about 1 large onion0

1 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar

1 Cup chopped red bell pepper (about 1 large pepper)

3/4 Cup granulated sugar

3 jalapeno peppers, minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Prepare a boiling water bath and 4 regular mouthed 1 pint jars according to the water bath canning process. Place the lids in a small saucepan, cover them with water, and simmer over very low heat.

Combine the peaches, onion, vinegar, chopped red pepper, sugar, jalapeños, garlic, cumin, and cayenne in a large pot.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, until the salsa no longer looks watery. Taste and add additional jalapeno or vinegar, if necessary.

Ladle the hot salsa into the prepared jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. 

When the processing time is up, remove the canning pot from the heat and remove the lid. Let the jars sit in the pot for an additional 5 minutes. This helps to prevent the salsa from reacting to the rapid temperature change and bubbling out of the jars.

I hope that you enjoy this salsa. I just love all the freshness from the local farms all chopped up. Such beautiful color!

Oven-Roasted Peach Butter

Makes 3 half pint jars

3 pounds peaches (I recommend blanching and peeling prior to roasting unless you don't mind the skins, mine did not release on this batch)

1 to 2 cups of granulated sugar or as needed

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a boiling water bath and 3 regular mouth half pint jars (+1 extra just in case) according to the water bath canning process. Place the lids in a small saucepan, cover with water and simmer over very low heat. (Keep in mind that there are hours of roasting ahead so you may want to wait to start this)

Cut the peaches in half and remove the pits. Arrange them cut side down in a single layer in a non reactive baking dish (glass or ceramic). Roast for 30 minutes or until the skins are loose. 

Remove the baking dish from the oven and remove the skins from the peach halves and discard. Using a fork, mash the softened peaches in the baking dish. Reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees. Return the mashed peaches to the oven and bake for an additional 2-3 hours, checking often to stir and prevent burning, until all the wateriness is gone and they are dark in color.  

When the peaches have broken down sufficiently, taste the fruit and stir in 1 cup of sugar. Taste and add more sugar to taste. Stir in the lemon zest and juice. 

Fill the hot jars with 1/2 inch headspace, wipe the rims, add the lids and rings, and process for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.