Homemade Peach Salsa

 Proverbs 31:14 - She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.

While on our way home from the flea market, read more about it HERE, Derrick and I stopped at an orchard that had a country store. There we sampled some peach salsa they had made. It was delicious!! We decided to make some of our own when we got home.

We went to the grocery store and got all of the ingredients we needed. (Recipe Source: Food.com)  This recipe makes 4 pint jars of salsa.

Ingredients:

6 cups chopped peaches (about 3 pounds) 

3 large fresh tomatoes

1 ½ cups chopped red onions 

4 medium jalapeno peppers , seeded and finely chopped 

1 large sweet red pepper , seeded and finely chopped 

½ cup finely chopped cilantro 

½ cup white vinegar 

2 tablespoons liquid honey 

3 garlic cloves , finely chopped 

1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin 

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper 

** We ended up using 4 peaches and 5 tomatoes, so the salsa wouldn't be so peachy. It still made the salsa taste sweet and delicious!! :)

Directions:

1. Sterilize 4 pint jars, then place upside down in a 325 F oven for about 15 minutes.
2. Blanch peaches, cool in cold water, peel, pit and chop to measure 6 cups.
3. Blanch tomatoes and cool with cold water, peel, remove seeds and cut into chunks.
4. In a large stainless or enamel cooking pot, combine peaches, tomatoes, onion, Jalapeno peppers, sweet red pepper, cilantro, vinegar, honey, garlic, cumin and cayenne pepper.
5. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. If the mixture is too sloppy or soupy, boil for a few minutes longer so that some of the liquid evaporates and the mixture thickens.
6. Adjust seasonings to taste.
7. Add more cayenne pepper if you desire a spicier taste.
8. Ladle salsa into hot jars to within 1/4 inch of top for headspace.
9. Remove air bubbles by sliding a rubber spatula between the glass and salsa.
10. Re-adjust the headspace to 1/4 inch.
11. Wipe jar rim to remove any stickiness.
12. Center lid on top of jar; apply screw band just until finger tight.
13. Place jars in a hot bath in a canner and process for 35 minutes.
14. Remove jars and place on a towel, then cover with another towel to cool slowly.
15. Jars are sealed when the lids pop and are curved down, (concave).
16. Label jars and store in a cool, dark place.
17. NOTE: You can substitute and use 6 cups of fresh, chopped pineapple for a different flavor.

Chopped jalapeno peppers with the chopper we got at the flea market for 50 cents!

Our first canning experience was a success..yay!!