I made a half batch of the original brine recipe and made some adaptations for timing and changed up a few of the spices. I found with the leftover brine I had enough to put up a half pint of blueberries since the brine was so tasty. Here is the recipe which can be used for peaches or blueberries!
Christa made the original recipe she posted today here is what she said about it:"Recipe has been tested, and the results are great! Don't let the name fool you, the vinegar brine really brings out the spicy flavor, reminding me of apples made with cinnamon red hots. Delicious!"
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| Pickled peaches and blueberries! |
3 lbs firm peaches; peeled, pitted and halved
3 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups white vinegar
2 inch cinnamon stick
1 t. whole cloves
1 t. juniper berries
Preparation : Prepare 2 pint jars, lids, and
rings. Sterilize the jars and keep them in the hot water till its time for
processing. Make sure to fill your water bath canner and get the water to a
simmer.
Cooking: In a large stainless steel or enameled dutch oven combine sugar and vinegar and bring to a boil, stirring till sugar is dissolved. In a spice ball or bag tie up the cinnamon, clove, and juniper berries. Add spices and peaches to brine. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until peaches are cooked but no too soft, stirring peach tenderly so you cook every side. Cover and let stand in a cool place but not the frig for 3 hours. Stir the peach 2 to 3 times during that time.
Return peaches to the heat and bring them up to a boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and remove spice ball.
Filling the jars: On a dishtowel place your hot jars and using your funnel in each jar using a slotted spoon put the mixture into the jars leaving 1 ½” headspace. Using a ladle then fill the jars leaving ½” headspace. Remove air bubbles and refill to the proper headspace with the liquid brine if necessary. Taking a clean papertowel wet it with warm water and wipe the rims of the jars removing any food particles that would interfere with a good seal. Using your magic wand extract the lids from the hot water and place them on the now cleaned rims. Add your rings to the tops of each of the jars and turn to seal just "finger tight".
Cooking: In a large stainless steel or enameled dutch oven combine sugar and vinegar and bring to a boil, stirring till sugar is dissolved. In a spice ball or bag tie up the cinnamon, clove, and juniper berries. Add spices and peaches to brine. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until peaches are cooked but no too soft, stirring peach tenderly so you cook every side. Cover and let stand in a cool place but not the frig for 3 hours. Stir the peach 2 to 3 times during that time.
Return peaches to the heat and bring them up to a boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and remove spice ball.
Filling the jars: On a dishtowel place your hot jars and using your funnel in each jar using a slotted spoon put the mixture into the jars leaving 1 ½” headspace. Using a ladle then fill the jars leaving ½” headspace. Remove air bubbles and refill to the proper headspace with the liquid brine if necessary. Taking a clean papertowel wet it with warm water and wipe the rims of the jars removing any food particles that would interfere with a good seal. Using your magic wand extract the lids from the hot water and place them on the now cleaned rims. Add your rings to the tops of each of the jars and turn to seal just "finger tight".
Processing: Make sure your rack is on the
bottom of the canner and place the jars in the water bath making sure that the
water covers each of the jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add hot water to the canner if
it doesn't measure up. Cover the pot and turn up the heat under the canner and
wait for the water to start boiling. Once the water has come to a boil start
your timer for 20 minutes. When complete turn off the heat and remove the cover
and let the jars sit for another few minutes. Remove the jars and place them
back on the dishtowel in a place that they will sit overnight to cool. Do not
touch or move them till the next morning.
Sealing: Some time in the next hour your jars will be making a "pinging" or "popping" noise. That is the glass cooling and the reaction of the lids being sucked into the jar for proper sealing. Some recipes may take overnight to seal. Check your lids and reprocess any jars that did not seal.
Sealing: Some time in the next hour your jars will be making a "pinging" or "popping" noise. That is the glass cooling and the reaction of the lids being sucked into the jar for proper sealing. Some recipes may take overnight to seal. Check your lids and reprocess any jars that did not seal.
