Peaches, tasty peaches

I am finally taking the time to post what I made with that huge box of peaches from last weekend.

First off, while I enjoyed Gardner Farms, I would do something differently when/if I go back for peaches. They essentially poured the peaches from the picking bucket into the box. I would move them myself next time. They moved them so fast that most of them got at least a little bruise which caused ~25% of them to mold before I got to them. If I had placed them in the box myself, individually rather than by pouring them, I think the number would be closer to 5%.

Anyways, I proceeded to make peach salsa. Unfortunately, I could not find the recipe I used last year. Most peach salsa recipes are for a peach base, whereas the one I used last year was about half tomato and half peach based. With that in mind, I made my own recipe and then proceeded to pressure can it. It could probably be done with a boiling water bath, but this ensured that it would be ok. Here is my recipe:

Peach Salsa

8 cups pureed peaches

8 cups pureed Roma tomatoes

4 large red peppers (pureed)

2 green poblano peppers (pureed)

3 green habanero peppers (pureed)

6 tbsp local honey - in Georgia, my favorite is Tupelo honey.

1.5 tbsp cumin

2 tbsp granulated garlic

1 tbsp cayenne pepper (dehydrated and made from last year's garden)

1 cup vinegar (half white, half apple cider)

3 bunches of cilantro

1/2 cup sugar

Puree all things that begin large, and stir together. Cook together until it is the consistency of a thinner salsa. Pressure can in pint jars at 15 lbs pressure for 15 minutes. This made 11 pints for me. Cooking down more/less will change the amount you get.

A note on the tupelo honey, from wisegeek.com

Tupelo honey includes table and baking grades of honey made from the blossoms of the tupelo gum tree, nyssa aquatica. Thetupelo gum tree grows in flooded forest areas in states such as Florida, Louisiana, Georgia and Virginia as well as along the Mississippi River, but tupelo honey is mainly only produced commercially in areas along the Choctawhatchee, Apalachicola and Ochlockonee rivers. Tupelo honey made from the white tupelo gum tree, nyssa ogeche, is top quality table honey and is valued for its uniquely delicious flavor and its inability to granulate.

We bought some local Tupelo honey a few years back at a festival from a local honey producer. It is amazing in its taste and flavor, and we haven't bought much else in the last few years. This will be something that we will miss when we leave the south.

I also made peach Barbecue Sauce. I used the recipe in the Big Book of Canning/Preserving, and it is the only recipe online that I could find. It made about 5 pints and came out a little spicy. I think my homemade cayenne spice gives more kick than most store bought cayenne.

Today, I picked up some Georgia Peaches (and more tupelo honey!) at the Farmer's Market, and a pie is in the oven. I'm taking it with me to share tonight at a thing for work. I'm sure we will all enjoy it.