It’s peach season! Hallelujah! And a few weeks back, Kearna shared with us how to can peaches the easy way. Thanks Kearna! It’s always great to have a step by step set of directions on this age-old way of putting up food for the winter.

How many of you can? I sure do…not only is it frugal, it’s an incredibly rewarding way to preserve food for your family’s winter use. This past week, I broadened my canning horizons and made my first batch of peach salsa. Oh. My. Goodness. Have you had peach salsa before? Well, today, I’d like to share my recipe with you so you can capitalize on peach season and put some up for winter before the prices on peaches skyrocket.

This recipe can actually use peaches in any state: fresh, canned, or frozen. I used my fresh peaches I got from a local orchard via our grocery store (16.99/20 pound box). It yields approximately 9 pints of salsa, depending on the size of your peaches. So, here we go!

Peach Salsa

Ingredients:

• 20 freestone peaches, peeled and pitted
• 2 cups finely diced Walla Walla sweet onion
• 1/2 diced cilantro
• 5-7 T. mild hot sauce

Supplies Needed:

• Large mixing bowl
  
• Water-Bath Canner with Rack
• Canning Jars
• Canning lids and rings
• Jar lifter
• Sharp knife

Step 1: Wash your peaches.

And wash them well. Peaches generally have a lot of pesticide on them (unless they are organic), so scrubbing them with a soft cloth is a good idea.

Step 2: Peel and pit your peaches.

As Kearna described, this involves a process of blanching and then chilling you peaches. Place your clean peaches in a pot of boiling water for about 30-60 seconds, and then immediately plunge them into an ice water bath to halt the cooking process. The peels should then just slip off into your hands. Once peeled, cut the peaches in half to remove the pit. And please make sure to purchase freestone peaches…the pit in the middle should easily pop out when you half them.

Step 3: Dice your ingredients.

Start with the peaches. My 20 ended up filling about half of a large roasting pan. Dice according to your desired texture. If you like it really chunky, make ‘em big. If not, make ‘em small. Dice your 2 cups of onion and 1/2 cup of cilantro.

Step4: Mix it all together.

Add your hot sauce (or if you wanted to use jalapenos instead, dice about 2 of them for this recipe) and mix it thoroughly. At this point, you can use this salsa fresh for chips and dip or like I did last night with chicken breast and quinoa on a bed of salsa. Oh, glory.

Step 5: Cook your salsa (OPTIONAL if you want to can it)

By cooking your salsa, you create a “hot pack”, which tends to can better than a cold pack. Cook on the stove for just about 2 minutes, until the peaches soften a bit. This allows you to pack more of the salsa in the jars and the salsa won’t float to the top when processing.

Step 6: Can your salsa (if desired).

Because Kearna did such a great job of telling us how to can peaches, I’ll refer you back to her post here. I used a water bath canner as opposed to a steam canner, and process the jars for 15 minutes. Make sure you check an altitude chart to see if you need to process longer.

Making your own salsa is both delicious and less expensive than buying it at the store. And you can alter the recipe to your preferences. Take advantage of this amazing peach season and get a batch going in your kitchen!