Monday, August 25, 2025

Joey's Pineapple Peach Salsa


 
 Every summer, I always look forward to diving deep into the canning season, preserving all of my favorite Jersey produce. Of course I can never get enough of my Jersey corn and tomatoes, but the other favorite is PEACHES! I love to do jars of peaches in syrup, peach jam, spicy peach chutney, and of course I can't let the summer end without making jars of fabulous peach pie filling. 
 But just when I thought I was finished with all of my peach canning, I went to my favorite farmers market, and the peaches looked so gorgeous and so fabulous, I just knew I had to find yet another something to make. And then I thought, "wait.. why have I never canned peach salsa??" THIS was the thing I had been missing!!
 So then I wondered how I could switch it up a little, just to add a little spin to make it fun and new. I looked at a few of the other ingredients I happened to have on hand. And then I thought aha! Pineapple! Here's the thing.. I always like to keep fresh pineapple at the ready because I use it just ALL the time. Very often, when I'm making jam, I like to pair different fruits together, and the one fruit that goes with literally everything is .. you guessed it.. pineapple!! Not even kidding.. I've paired it with all kinds of berries, mangoes, tomatoes, and even fresh basil (yes, pineapple basil jam is amazing!) And so I figured... since I had made pineapple peach jam before, why not put them together again to make salsa! Perfect. 
 Next thing you know, I had a giant pot simmering on the stove, and it turned out to be one of my favorite things I've ever made! So much so that I ran out of it in less that two weeks, and needed to make another batch. Who knows, I might even need to make a third one! Either that, or I need to make bigger batches!
 So if you like a fruity salsa that's both spicy and sweet, give this one a try. It's great on everything! Yes, of course, you can serve it with a bowl of tortilla chips... or on a cracker with a schmear of cream cheese... but it's also fabulous on grilled chicken.. or pork chops... or better yet.. try it poured over some air fryer salmon. Absolutely DELICIOUS! Time for another trip back to my favorite farmers market!
 
 
 
4 cups fresh peaches, diced
2 cups fresh pineapple, diced
2 cups tomatoes, diced
2 cups red, yellow, and/or orange bell peppers, finely diced
2 jalapeño peppers, finely diced
1 red onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup lime juice
1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tbs ground cumin
1 tbs paprika
2 tbs corn starch (or Clear Jel if canning)

Place all ingredients in a large stock pot over medium heat. 
Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. 
Let it continue to simmer for about 20 minutes. 

For canning:
Fill pint jars leaving 1/2 inch head space. 
Use the waterbath or steam canning method to process for 15 minutes. 
Note- this exact recipe was not officially tested, but was based on an officially tested canning recipe. 


Tips:
The peaches, pineapple, and tomatoes should be a slightly larger dice, the peppers and onions should be more finely diced, and the parsley and garlic should be very finely minced. I also included the jalapeño seeds. I just think it tastes better that way. But hey, you do you!
If you're canning, you definitely need to let it simmer for a good 20 minutes. It helps remove the air that is in the peaches, which leads to more successful canning endeavors. Also, cooking it down really mellows the heat factor. Time will do that too. After a while, the heat will dissipate quite a bit. So if you want to keep the heat, go a little heavier with the crushed red pepper flakes and maybe add a little cayenne pepper. 
Yes, I know I didn't explain all the canning how-to. If you'd like to learn, Youtube is your best friend. 
You can also read all you need to know from the National Center For Home Food Preservation. 

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