Peach Salsa!

I made it and it is delicious. Yummy peach salsa. Thanks again to the Corner Pocket for the inspiration. I'd love to taste Chef Wade's salsa, but until then I have six half-pint jars put up and the rest in a bowl in the 'fridge. Lewis and I ate some last night and I'm sure the rest will be history after lunch.

To get the peaches, I went to the Williamsburg Farmers Market about 1 p.m. yesterday for their Tuesday market. When I didn't see any peaches or peppers, I headed on down the road to check out Heidi's Homegrown, which is the farmers coop that recently moved to Bacon Street (across from Williamsburg Shopping Center/Food Lion) from their truck stand at the entrance to the Williamsburg Pottery. If you haven't been there yet, make a trip soon for produce from James City County and nearby county farms. I'm a little partial to the JCC farmers after having written an Arcadia Images of America series book about the county and having a heart for the bygone days of farming for a living here. These peaches were from the Jensen's Farm. I talked to the elder Mr. Jensen when I was writing the James City County book. The family was among the Scandinavians who resettled here from the Midwest in the late nineteenth century to found Norge. Get the book! Learn about the pre-Colonial Williamsburg days around here!

So, back to the salsa. I found a recipe online and followed it as best I could. I had to make some substitutions here and there, and I'll tell you about those below.

Peach Salsa

6 c. chopped fresh peaches
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped red bell pepper
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1 med. hot banana pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 c. loosely packed chopped cilantro
1/4 c. white wine vinegar
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
Juice of one fresh lime
1/2 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

To peel the peaches, cut an X in the base of each peach and drop them in boiling water for 30 seconds. Quickly remove them to a pan of cold water to "shock" them and let them chill for another 30 seconds. The peel should slide off easily. If really ripe, shorten the water baths. If the peaches are hard, the peel won't come off as easily. (I left some peel on a couple of peaches. No one will ever know -- unless they read this. The fiber is good for you.)

Next chop the peaches into small "salsa-size" cubes. Also chop the onion and peppers into similar sized cubes. Fair warning: wear rubber gloves or hold peppers with a paper towel when cutting and seeding to protect hands from being burned. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, combine peaches, onion, bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, hot banana pepper, cilantro, white wine and balsamic vinegars, lime juice, sugar, garlic, cayenne pepper, and cumin. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer over low heat for approximately 15 minutes or until salsa reaches your favorite "salsa-consistency." Stir frequently while cooking to prevent sticking or scorching.

(NOTE: Don't feel like you have to be a slave to the proportions. Turns out I only had 5 cups of peaches, so I added an extra cup of peppers (1 orange, 1 extra banana, and 1 extra jalapeno!). Also, I didn't have any white wine vinegar, so used red. I also didn't have a lime, so used lemon juice, but I wouldn't recommend that substitution. Lime juice would have added that special something, I think.)

Remove from heat and ladle hot salsa into clean, hot, canning jars, filling to within 1/4-inch of jar tops (headspace). Wipe rims and threads with a clean damp cloth, place lids on jars and screw on bands. Process in boiling-water for 15 minutes Remove jars and allow them to cool undisturbed and away from drafts. After 24 hours test lids for proper seal. For best flavor, allow salsa to cure for a minimum of 2 weeks. Refrigerate salsa after opening.

The original recipe that I found said that it would yield 4 pints. As I said above, I ended up with about 3 1/2 (6 half-pint jars and about one more cup that I held aside for immediate consumption.

Now, hop in your car and head to Heidi's for some Jensen's peaches. Did you really have anything better to do on such a hot day?