Pickled Peaches
Dede loved pickled peaches and all manner of preserves. Every year, there was a garden of fruits and vegetables. In the summer, my family would put up quart upon quart of green beans, peaches, and canned tomatoes, and in the fall, golden pears in syrup and muscadine preserves. He’d seal the lids tightly with his strong hands and place them in rows on shelves in the basement. The name of this recipe reminds me of the tongue twister, “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.” Dede would often recite similar silly phrases, play word games, and come up with whimsical names for foods: “cat head” was a large biscuit. “Wasp’s nest” was loaf bread. “Floppy motus” was gravy. And Jell-O was appropriately called “nervous pudding.”
Recipe information
Yield
makes about 2 quarts
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Score each peach at the blossom end with an X. Make an ice-water bath by filling a large bowl with ice and water.
Step 2
Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat and blanch the peaches for 30 seconds (the skin should begin to peel away at the X). Transfer immediately to the ice-water bath.
Step 3
Using a paring knife, peel the skin from the peaches. Halve and pit the fruit and rub with lemon juice to prevent browning.
Step 4
In a large, heavy-duty pot, combine the vinegar, sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice, and ginger and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves, about 15 minutes. Place the peaches in the hot syrup and decrease the heat to low. Simmer until the peaches are tender when pierced with the point of a knife, but not too soft, about 10 minutes.
Step 5
Meanwhile, place a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Sterilize two 1-quart canning jars and lids in boiling water, following the manufacturer’s instructions (or see Boiling-Water Canning, page 279). Remove the jars from the water and place upside down to drain on the prepared rack. Remove the lids from the water and dry with a clean towel. Turn the sterilized jars right side up on the rack, using tongs or a kitchen towel to protect your hands. When they are cool enough to handle, dry them with a clean towel. Set aside.
Step 6
Fill the hot jars according to the procedure for Raspberry Jam (page 289), and process them in a boiling-water canner for 20 minutes. Store the unopened jars at room temperature for up to 1 year. Once the peaches are opened, store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
variation
Step 7
For refrigerator preserves, skip the boiling-water canner and refrigerate for up to 1 month.
