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Late last month, we received a case of mighty tasty peaches and nectarines from the Washington State Stone Fruit Association as part of their 鈥淐anbassador鈥� program. As a 鈥淐anbassador,鈥� I agree to can something and write about it and, in turn, they send me cases of fresh fruit to use 鈥� a mutually beneficial relationship which kicked off with a case of sweet cherries in June.

We ate quite a lot of them out of hand 鈥� in fact, our older son ate so many that I had to threaten to take away his dessert to get him to put the brakes on before he suffered any ill effects. Thus far, the power of dessert is unparalleled when it comes to 鈥渞easoning鈥� with our children. Usually, it鈥檚 the only thing that works. I also made a delicious peach cobbler with biscuit topping and a delectable, gluten-free peach crisp but a case contains rather a lot of fruit and it quickly became apparent that some canning was in order.

Chutney was our go-to choice since we use quite a lot of it in the course of the year. The combination of sweet, spicy and pickled goes so well with curries, fritters, meats, and more. We鈥檝e made loquat chutney, apple rhubarb chutney, sweet cherry chutney and plum chutney 鈥� all delicious. But this was our first time using nectarines and the results were very fine.

How can you really go wrong with perfect, sweet, ripe nectarines, fresh ginger, garlic, jalape帽os, bell pepper, onion, and peppercorns plus plenty of vinegar and sugar to turn it into something that is both zingy and also shelf-stable. This recipe also calls for a few other spices and some Darjeeling tea, which struck me as a novel way to add even more flavor.

I have to thank my college friend, Lexy who lives in New York and works in publishing for sending me a copy of Kevin West's beautifully written, wonderfully thorough book, 鈥淪aving the Season: A Cook鈥檚 Guide to Home Canning, Pickling, and Preserving鈥� from which this recipe hails.

It鈥檚 a cookbook that reads more like a memoir and is nicely rooted in place 鈥� in this case, Greenvalley, Calif., where he lived when he wrote it. It鈥檚 joined the ranks of my favorite canning and preserving cookbooks, along with 鈥溾�澨齜y Marisa McLellan and 鈥溾�� by Sherri Brooks Vinton.

If you鈥檝e never canned anything before or just need a little refresher, check out my 听before you dive in.听

Nectarine or Peach Chutney
听From Kevin West's delightful book,
听Makes 4 pints
听
听5 pounds yellow peaches or nectarines, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
听3 cups organic or turbinado sugar
听2 cups apple-cider vinegar
听3/4 cup raisins
听1 cup chopped Vidalia onion
听1 sweet banana pepper or 1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
听2 or 3 fresh green jalape帽os, diced, or adjust to taste
听2 cloves garlic, minced
听2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger root
听2 teaspoons freshly grated turmeric, or 1/2 teaspoon ground
听4 tablespoons mustard seeds
听1 teaspoon garam masala (a ground spice mixture containing pepper, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, coriander, nutmeg, cumin, and star anise)
听2 teaspoons Darjeeling tea (or 4 tea bags)
听
听1. Combine all the ingredients in a deep pot and bring to a boil, stirring a few times. Lower the heat to a simmer and reduce the mixture for up to an hour, until all the excess liquid has boiled away and what remains is thick and jammy. Taste it and adjust the seasonings to your liking. I am wimpy about spice so I tend to err on the mild side of things but you may like it hot in which case, you may want to add more chilis.
听
听2. Ladle the hot chutney into four prepared pint jars, leaving 录-inch headspace. Wipe the rims with a damp, clean cloth, top with the jar lids, add the rings and turn until tight but do not overtighten then process in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes. For best flavor, let the chutney cure for a month before you eat it.

听Related post on The Garden of Eating: Apple Rhubarb Chutney