Peach Chutney is a wonderful accompaniment to grilled chicken, pork or seafood and adds a touch of sweetness with a kick.
You’ll Need:
4 quarts (16 cups) of very finely chopped prepared Peaches– about 20 medium size peaches
2-3 c. Brown Sugar
1 c. Raisins
1 medium onion, finely diced
1/4 c. Mustard seed
2 Tbs. Ground Ginger (dry)
2 tsp. Salt
1 clove Garlic, minced
1 hot red pepper, finely chopped (seeds and all)**
5 c. White Vinegar
Combine all ingredients into a large stockpot over high heat, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until thick and bubbly, stirring frequently to prevent fruit from sticking to pot.
While the chutney is simmering, wash 14 half pint jars (Or 7 Pint Jars), rinse well and place them on a cooling rack that has been placed on a large cookie sheet. Place them in a 200F oven for at least 10 minutes. Generally, when we can we leave the jars in the oven (with the oven on) and grab them as we fill them. Alternatively, you could also use the dishwasher method, which is to run the jars in an otherwise Empty dishwasher through the Rinse cycle) so they are Hot. We prefer to use the Oven method because the jars are sterilized, hot and dry when filling them.
Add water to a boiling water canner and bring to a boil. (Be sure that you have the insert in the bottom of the pan to prevent the jars from sitting direct on the bottom of the canner).
Ladle Hot Chutney into the HOT jars, leaving 1/4″ headspace. Remove air bubbles using a not metallic spatula and adjust the 2 piece caps. Process for 10 minutes in the boiling water canner, be sure that the water is 1″ OVER the top of the caps and that it’s boiling rapidly Before you start calculating the time.
Remove the jars one at a time with a rubber jar lifter. Tilt it gently to the side to drain off any excess water and to allow any air bubbles to rush to the top of the jar (to the headspace). Place the jars in a warm draft free area. Generally speaking, since it’s usually summertime when we can- it’s over 100F outside, we have our air conditioning on and place the jars on a towel on the counter top and then cover them with a towel so they can cool slowly and complete the seal. The tops will ping on their own as they seal (up to 12 hours). You can check the seal (after 12 hours has passed!) by pressing the center of the lid, if it “bounces” or has “give” to it, it did not properly seal. You have 2 options, either re-process the chutney, or store it in the fridge and use within 7-10 days.
Shelf Life: Jars can be stored 12-18 Months in a COOL, Dark Place. Never store jars in a warm or well-lit area as this drastically reduces their shelf life.
**If using really hot peppers, be sure to wear gloves when chopping it up or you could end up with burned hands.
Also, if you’re new to canning, check out this helpful tutorial: Step By Step Canning for the Beginner
