Peach Salsa

We were blessed with a couple of bushels of peaches recently.And what a delicious blessing it was! I turned a bunch of the peaches into jam, which is my family's number 1 favorite jam. (Blackberry follows a close second.)

And today, I made this amazingly fresh, sweet and spicy salsa. I liked it so much that I made another batch and canned it.

Here's the recipe:

 

5 cups of diced peaches

1 cup of diced tomatoes

1 diced bell pepper

1 cup diced onion

3 jalapenos, minced

3-4 cloves garlic, minced*

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp ground cumin

2 Tbs honey

 

*Be sure to use freshly minced garlic. That jarred stuff just doesn't pack enough punch!

 

Combine everything and enjoy! You could eat this with chips, over grilled meat, or with a spoon like me!

 

If you do wish to can this, just ladle it into hot sterile jars and process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes. Makes 3 pints.

Our favorite pickles

We grow a lot of veggies around here, and therefore do a lot of canning. This is our favorite way to eat cucumbers. The kids love them because they are very sweet and tangy. I like them piled on a big, juicy burger!

This recipe makes a lot & can easily be halved or fourthed (is that a word?).

Ingredients:

8 cups white vinegar

9 cups sugar

3 Tbs pickling spice

about 3 dozen 5" cucumbers, washed & sliced

Bring vinegar, sugar & spice to a boil in a large pot. Add cukes. Pack into hot, sterile jars & process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes. Makes about 10 pints.

*You could add other yummy ingredients like sliced onions & peppers, but if I did, I'm afraid it would result in anarchy.

P.S. Pickling spice can be found in the spice aisle & it looks like this: