Spicy Pickled Peaches and Pears.

     Peach season is still going strong here in Ontario- the peaches this year are beautiful. I have been buying seconds at a nearby market for $12.00 for a half bushel. The last time I went I decided to buy a 1/2 bushel of pears as well. Sometimes I buy things without thinking. As I brought home all this beautiful fruit- my husband asked me- "What are you going to do with it all?" Oh.......right.........so, I Googled 'What to do with a ton of peaches' and 'What to do with a ton of pears'. I found some fantastic recipes for pickled peaches and pickled pears, so I got to work. The peaches were scalded, peeled, pitted and halved. The pears were peeled, quartered and cored.

The basic syrup I used for both was;

8 cups granulated sugar
2 cups brown sugar
6 cups white vinegar
2 cups apple cider vinegar
4 cups water

     This makes quite a bit of syrup, but I used almost the entire 1/2 bushel of pears- so needed to have quite a bit to cover the fruit as it cooked.

Spices I used in both the peaches and the pears were
Cinnamon Sticks
Whole Cloves
Whole Allspice
Directions said to make a spice bag- but I really like those spices- so didn't bother with that extra step. If you do make a spice bag, you have more control over how spicy your mixture becomes.

     I boiled the syrup for about 20 minutes before I added the fruit. I cooked the fruit(pears needed to be soft- so they were cooked longer than the peaches) Then I turned off the stove and let them sit overnight to plump. In the morning, I strained out the fruit, boiled the syrup again, then packed the fruit in jars with a stick of cinnamon and a couple each of both the cloves and allspice. I then poured the boiling syrup over them. After wiping the rims and sealing the jars- I put them in the boiling water canner for about 10 minutes.
     We had ONE peach left over from jarring....I split it with my youngest son. Made my eyes water- but had an INCREDIBLE depth of flavour. I am buying another 1/2 bushel of peaches with the intention of pickling ALL of them. They will make wonderful gifts and look so pretty in the jars. I am thinking they might mellow after a couple of months- so they will be perfect just in time for Christmas.