#EatSmallFruit Quick Pickled Peaches Recipe

Saturday, June 17th, 2017, I’ll have the opportunity to be an ambassador for the sweet, for the tiny, and for the peachy. I am a proud supporter of the Gold Dust peach. The brilliant growers of Masumoto Family Farms, in collaboration with Real Food Real Stories, and food startup incubator KitchenTown in San Mateo, California (and soon to be in the Mission as well) have teamed up to promote big things for small peaches. You should learn more about #EastSmallFruit campaign and the Gold Dust peach.

Gold Dusts are particularly excellent for pickling: the flesh is firm, they’re petite (so they fit better in a jar), and their acidity plays nicely with vinegar, sugar, and spices.

Here are a few recipes to get you started with some quick refrigerator pickled peaches. The National Center for Home Food Preservation has great data on canning peaches for shelf storage. Peach out!

Cinnamon Clove Pickled Peaches (Based on a recipe from The Perfect Peach: Recipes and Stories from the Masumoto Family Farm)

• Per pint jar, 1 pound of Matsumoto Gold Dust peaches (about 4-5)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 whole cloves

Ginger Lime Pickled Peaches

• Per pint jar, 1 pound of Matsumoto Gold Dust peaches (about 4-5)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 1/4-inch slices fresh ginger
• 2 2-inch slices fresh lime zest

Honey Lemon Tea Pickled Peaches

• Per pint jar, 1 pound of Matsumoto Gold Dust peaches (about 4-5)
• 3 tablespoons light honey
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup strong brewed black tea
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 2-inch slices fresh lemon zest

Vanilla Mint Pickled Peaches

• Per pint jar, 1 pound of Matsumoto Gold Dust peaches (about 4-5)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon peppermint oil

All pickled or canned peaches must first be peeled. Boil a large pot of water and ready a large ice batch. Working in batches of about 8 peaches at a time, boil the peaches for one minute, then drop them into the ice bath until they’re cool enough to handle.

Peel the peaches and cut them in half. I recommend you save the stones and drop them into a short bottle of vodka for later enjoyment.

Stack the peaches into a pint-sized canning jar cut-side down. The peaches should be well-packed but not squished up to the shoulders of the jar. (Note that you can double the recipe and make these by the quart as well.)

Now, make the brine. Combine all of the remaining ingredients in a small saucepan, stirring and scraping the bottom to dissolve the sugar. Bring it to a rapid boil, then pour the hot brine over the peaches to cover them completely.

Screw on the lid and the band and let the peaches cool to room temperature. Move them to the refrigerator and eat after 5-7 days. These peaches will keep, covered in brine and refrigerated, for at least a month.

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