Peach chutney

After being gone for 3 weeks, there is a ton of things that need to be done around the house. It seems like I spent the whole week cleaning and getting things in order so I was pretty excited when the weekend finally came around. Although after being gone for 3 weeks, there is also a ton to do in the kitchen, especially during the summer when fruits and veggies are in season in Canada.

For the last couple of years I have been canning a lot of fruits and veggies. I started small by canning some pickles and now my pantry is not big enough to contain all the canned goods I prepare. Normally I start in late July early August, but since I was gone at the time, I now had to make up for lost time so this weekend I made some sweet relish, peach chutney, mango chutney and some barbecue sauce. Fortunately for me, my parents and my aunt and uncle were nice enough to donate some veggies for my canning adventure which made it a little easier on the wallet.

I first tried this recipe last summer because I had some extra peaches. My husband was not impressed. He said he never cared for chutney, but I asked him to try it anyways. He tried it and loved it. Actually both of us really like it and every time we made pork chops, we pretty much ate a whole jar and we ran out really quickly. So this year I had to do a few batches just to make sure that we would have enough to make it through the summer.

If you like spicy food, you can use more than one jalapenos peppers and keep the seeds to give it extra punch. This chutney also makes a nice hostess gift for the person who has everything!

Bon appetit!

Peach Chutney
(inspired from Epicurious.com)

1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 large sweet red pepper, thinly diced
1 onion, thinly diced
1 small jalapeno pepper, finely diced (for more heat keep the seeds)
1/3 cup raisins
2 teaspoons ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
2 pounds firm fresh peaches, blanched

To blanch the peaches, score the skin of the peaches in a x shape.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and drop the peaches in there. Keep the peaches in the water until the skin starts to peel (about 20 seconds).

Drop the peaches into a pot of ice cold water for a few minutes (to stop the cooking process).

Once the peaches have cooled, peel the skin, then cut the peaches into small cubes.

Put the vinegar and both sugar into a large pot, place over medium heat and bring to a boil.

Add the red pepper, onion, jalapeno, raisins, garlic, ginger and salt and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the peaches and simmer for an additional 5-10 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare 7 clean 250 ml mason jars on a rack in a boiling water canner; cover jars with water and heat to a simmer (180°F/82°C). Set screw bands aside. Heat sealing discs in hot water, not boiling (180°F/82°C). Keep jars and sealing discs hot until ready to use.


Pour the chutney into the jars (within 1 cm of head space), cap and place mason jars into the canner.

When canner is filled, ensure that all jars are covered by at least one inch (2.5 cm) of water. Cover canner and bring water to full rolling boil before starting to count processing time. At altitudes up to 1000 ft (305 m), process –boil filled jars – 15 minutes.

When processing time is complete, remove canner lid, wait 5 minutes, then remove jars without tilting and place them upright on a protected work surface. Cool upright, undisturbed 24 hours; DO NOT RETIGHTEN screw bands.

After cooling check jar seals. Sealed discs curve downward and do not move when pressed. Remove screw bands; wipe and dry bands and jars. Store screw bands separately or replace loosely on jars, as desired. Label and store jars in a cool, dark place. For best quality, use home canned foods within one year.

Enjoy!