Pams Pickled Peaches Or Pears Food

PICKLED PEACHES

Steps:

• Toast pickling spice and crushed red pepper in a dry medium saucepan over high heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add water, vinegar, sugar, and salt and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add peaches and simmer just until tender, about 20 minutes. Remove peaches from liquid with a slotted spoon, reserving liquid, and set aside just until fruit is cool enough to touch.
• Pinch the skin from peaches-if the skin pulls off easily-and discard. (If the skins cling, don't fret-the peaches will be beautiful and tasty that way as well.) Transfer peaches to a sealed container, cover with the reserved liquid, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. The peaches will keep for 1 week tightly sealed in the refrigerator.

OLD FASHIONED SPICED PEACHES

Steps:

• Put the vinegar, sugar, water, and spices into a large non-reactive pan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil covered for 5 minutes, then uncover and boil a further 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile peel and slice your peaches.
• Add the peaches to the pot and bring back to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes.
• Fill sterile jars with the peaches and liquid, leaving 1/2 inch free space at the top. Boil in a water bath canner for 5 minutes (pint jars) or 10 minutes (quart jars) Note: if you live above 1,000 feet altitude you will need longer boiling times, see this chart

PICKLED PEACHES WITH SWEET SPICES

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and drop in peaches. After 30 seconds, transfer to a bowl of ice water, then drain and skin. Place in a bowl and toss with lemon juice.
• Tie 1 tablespoon cloves, the allspice and the cinnamon stick in a cheesecloth or muslin bag. In a pot large enough to accommodate all the peaches, combine vinegar, water, sugar, spice bag and vanilla bean and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Skim off any foam that rises. Add peaches to the pot and continue to simmer 3 to 5 minutes, until a toothpick can easily penetrate down to the pit. Remove from heat.
• Using tongs, carefully remove each peach from pot and transfer to a bowl. When cool enough to handle, cut in half and remove pits. Stud each half with a clove and return to pot. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• The next day return pot to stove and flip over the peach halves. Squeeze spice bag over the pot to extract fragrant brine, and discard bag. Bring peaches back to a boil and turn off the heat.
• Pack peaches into hot, sterilized jars. Pour in syrup, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Cut vanilla bean into halves or thirds and put a piece into each jar. Seal jars, allow to cool and refrigerate for up to 2 months.

SPICED PICKLED PEARS

Steps:

• Put the vinegar, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and allspice berries into a large pan over low heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to a simmer.
• Meanwhile, start peeling the pears, keeping them whole and with stems attached. Stud each pear with 2 or 3 cloves and add to the hot vinegar. Simmer the pears very gently for 15 to 25 minutes, until they are tender but not too soft. Remove with a slotted spoon and pack them into warm, sterilized jars (see p. 21).
• Bring the spiced vinegar syrup to a boil and boil for 5 minutes, then strain it over the pears. Cover the jars with vinegar-proof lids (see p. 22). Keep for at least 1 month before using. Use within 1 year.
• Different spices can be used - try cardamom and coriander, with a flake or two of dried chile.
• Plunge 2 1/4 pounds of peaches into a pan of boiling water for 1 minute, then remove. Immerse them in cold water briefly, then peel. Proceed as for the pear recipe, but simmer the peaches for only 3 to 4 minutes.
• Prick 2 1/4 pounds of crab apples all over with a needle or skewer (this will prevent the skins bursting). Use well-colored ornamental varieties.

PAM'S PICKLED PEACHES OR PEARS

Steps:

• 1. Drain, reserve juice. Put 1/2 c juice in saucepan. Pack fruit slices or halves in a clean quart canning jar.
• 2. To the juice in the saucepan add vinegar and sugar, add salt and mixed pickling spice (I take out most of the red pepper flakes before using). Heat on low to dissolve sugar and simmer for a few minutes til you can taste the spices in a sample. Turn off heat, let cool a minute and strain the hot juice into the jar over fruit. (WHEN YOU POUR THE SYRUP OVER THE FRUIT, YOU CAN LEAVE THE SPICES IN FOR A MORE SPICY TASTE.)
• 3. Put on the lid and let cool on the counter, then refrigerate for at least a day or two before eating to allow spices to permeate the fruit.
• 4. Because these are NOT water processed or sterilized, they must be stored in the fridge. They are best eaten within a week or two. If you leave the spices in the syrup, you may want to remove as many bay leaves or whole cloves as possible to keep those spices from overwhelming the other flavors.

PICKLED PEARS

Steps:

• Soak pears in water& fruit fresh/lemon juice to keep from browning.
• Tie pickling spice, ginger and cloves in a spice bag.
• Prepare liquid-combine spice bag, sugar, water, vinegar and lemon slices in a large stainless or enamel pot.
• Bring to a boil, cover and boil for 5 min.
• Add enough pears to create a single layer in liquid and poach for 7 min-drain with slotted spoon and place in a large bowl.
• Repeat until all pears are poached.
• Pour the liquid over poached pears, cover and let stand 18-24 hours in a cool spot.
• Remove pears and discard spice bag and lemons.
• Bring liquid to a boil.
• Pack pears into clean, hot jars.
• Pour boiling liquid to cover leaving 1/2 inch head space.
• Remove bubbles and seal.
• Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes at altitudes up to 1000 feet.

SPICED PICKLED PEARS

Steps:

• Place all the ingredients, except pears, in a large, heavy-based pan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil.
• Put pears in an earthenware bowl and pour boiled liquid over. Cover and leave over-night.
• Strain off the liquid and boil for 10 - 15 minutes, to reduce the volume to about 425 ml.
• Pour back over fruit and set aside for 12 hours.
• Bring fruit and liquid to boil and cook for one minute.
• Remove pears with a slotted spoon and pack into clean, hot and dry preserving jars.
• Bring syrup back to boil and pour over pears.
• Seal jars immediately and allow to cool.

PICKLED PEACHES

Steps:

• Score each peach at the blossom end with an X. Make an ice-water bath by filling a large bowl with ice and water.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat and blanch the peaches for 30 seconds (the skin should begin to peel away at the X). Transfer immediately to the ice-water bath.
• Using a paring knife, peel the skin from the peaches. Halve and pit the fruit and rub with lemon juice to prevent browning.
• In a large, heavy-duty pot, combine the vinegar, sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice, and ginger and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves, about 15 minutes. Place the peaches in the hot syrup and decrease the heat to low. Simmer until the peaches are tender when pierced with the point of a knife, but not too soft, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Sterilize two 1-quart canning jars and lids in boiling water, following the manufacturer's instructions (or see Boiling-Water Canning, page 279). Remove the jars from the water and place upside down to drain on the prepared rack. Remove the lids from the water and dry with a clean towel. Turn the sterilized jars right side up on the rack, using tongs or a kitchen towel to protect your hands. When they are cool enough to handle, dry them with a clean towel. Set aside.
• Fill the hot jars according to the procedure for Raspberry Jam (page 289), and process them in a boiling-water canner for 20 minutes. Store the unopened jars at room temperature for up to 1 year. Once the peaches are opened, store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
• For refrigerator preserves, skip the boiling-water canner and refrigerate for up to 1 month.

NANA'S SOUTHERN PICKLED PEACHES

Steps:

• Combine the sugar, vinegar and water in a large pot, and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Press one or two cloves into each peach, and place into the boiling syrup. Boil for 20 minutes, or until peaches are tender.
• Spoon peaches into sterile jars and top with liquid to 1/2 inch from the rim. Put one cinnamon stick into each jar. Wipe the rims with a clean dry cloth, and seal with lids and rings. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes to seal, or consult times recommended by your local extension.