Peach Chutney

This weekend, hubby and I threw caution to the wind (ok, really just a very hot day weeding in the garden) and went picking blueberries and peaches instead.  What, you don’t think that sounds better?  I guess I can officially say being a migrant worker is better than weeding.

Actually, we didn’t pick the peaches.  Instead, we went looking for “seconds” at the farm stands down in Columbia County, inspired by the picture in this local blog post.  We found them at Golden Harvest Farm in Valatie, NY. For $9, we got a full peck of “utility” peaches! Utility peaches aren’t perfect but they are completely edible.  Some are just overripe, some are underripe and in some the skins aren’t perfect, but for our purposes, they were just what we needed. Considering that the “good” peaches were $17 a peck, we felt great about our purchase!

Especially for our purposes.  With that peck of peaches, we decided to make lots of peach chutney for this winter to eat with the samosas and Indian food we like on cold days with the overripe peaches.  With the rest, K wanted to can peach halves to have “fresh fruit” this winter to bring to work.

To make 7 pints peach chutney, you need:

• 4 quarts finely chopped, peeled, pitted peaches
• 2 – 3 cups brown sugar
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup mustard seed
• 2 tbsp ginger (I used ground ginger)
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 5 cups vinegar

To make a smaller amount, you can cut the recipe accordingly.  We sorted through the peaches and picked out the most overripe peaches we had, cutting out any rotten parts.  This came out to about 2 quarts, so I cut the recipe in half.

To make the chutney, combine all the ingredients in a large pot and simmer until thick.  Such a simple recipe!  Stir frequently to prevent sticking, but after it’s thickened to the consistency you like, ladle the hot chutney into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.  Remove air bubbles, adjust the 2-piece caps, and process for 10 min. in a boiling-water canner.

Voila, chutney!