When summer hands you a harvest of ripe, juicy peaches, preserve that bounty in this fantastic Peach Salsa - it's a hit of sweet, spicy, smoky deliciousness that will have your taste buds hopping. What a fantastic treat to open a jar of this in the depth of winter, to bring back the taste of summer.
Beautiful, ripe, luscious peaches - no fruit embodies summer more. When you can find a source of these heavy, juicy, tree-ripened golden fruits, you have found a little taste of heaven. All those times of trying (yet again) to buy peaches in the off-season, only to be disappointed by tasteless woody flesh, are forgotten as you bite into a sweet juicy summer-ripe fruit; a peach as peachy as it is intended to be.
We picked up two cases of fantastic, perfect B.C. peaches and have been eating ourselves into glorious peach comas. I needed to confiscate one of the boxes just so I could make a couple batches of this addictively delicious peach salsa and another of our favourite chutney.
If you're a regular salsa lover, I think you'll really enjoy this fruity version. It hits all the right notes: delightfully tangy, slightly smoky, with a good spicy kick and a gentle natural sweetness from the peaches. It's great, of course, for dipping with tortilla chips and wherever else you might use a tomato salsa (I'm looking at you, tacos!), but you haven't lived until you've dolloped peach salsa onto grilled chicken, fish, or pork chops, or topped a burger with it. Or try stirring a spoonful into a bowl of tomato soup, a bean salad, or serve it with fried or scrambled eggs. Heavenly.
Making salsa to preserve for the winter requires a bit of time, but I consider it my therapy. There's something oddly calming and satisfying about chopping and dicing all the ingredients by hand. It is a morning well spent. I put on some of my favourite music and get myself into the zone. The reward at the end is seeing all those beautiful jars lined up, glowing like jewels. A treasure to be enjoyed all winter (as long as I hide some of those jars away so they can make it that long).
This salsa involves simmering the base, and then you just stir in the diced peaches raw before filling the jars so they stay intact and golden without cooking down to a mush. The processing time cooks the peaches inside the jars, and you end up with a beautifully textured salsa that retains all that fresh peachiness.
It tastes as good as it looks, believe me! Let's dig in.
* * * * *
Canned Peach Salsa
Ingredients
- 10 large ripe peaches ~4 lbs/1.8kg (8 cups peeled, pitted, and finely diced)
- ¾ cup (180ml) lime juice, fresh (6-7 limes) or bottled, divided
- 5 large fresh tomatoes ~2½ lbs/1.15kg (4 cups peeled, seeded, and chopped)
- 2 large orange or yellow sweet bell peppers, or one of each, ~2½ cups finely diced
- 2 medium onions, finely diced ~2 cups
- 2 large jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely diced ~½ cup
- 6 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon hot red pepper flakes/chili flakes/crushed red pepper
- 1½ tablespoons (4½ teaspoons) smoked paprika (mild)
- 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt
- ¾ cup (180ml) white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl filled with ice cold water. Once the water is boiling, drop in half the peaches and let them boil for 60 seconds, then remove them with a slotted spoon right into the cold water. Blanch the rest of the peaches the same way. Don't discard the water.
- After a short cool-down in the cold water, you can easily slip the skins off the peaches with your hands. Cut the peaches in half around the pit, twist the two halves in opposite directions to separate them, then remove the pit. Slice the peaches thinly, then dice them into small bits about as big as corn kernels. Toss them with ½ cup (120ml) of the lime juice as you cut them, and set them aside. (The lime juice prevents browning and adds flavour.)
- Blanch the tomatoes in the same water: reheat the water, cut an X into the bottom of each tomato (to allow the skins to expand and loosen), then drop them into the boiling water and let them boil for 60 seconds. Remove them, drop them into the cold water, and then peel off the outer skins and cut out the cores. Cut the tomatoes in half horizontally (around their equators), then use your finger to scoop out and discard the juices and seeds from each section. Set the tomato halves, cut side down, onto a plate to drain, then chop them coarsely.
- Prepare the rest of the vegetables: Core and seed the bell peppers and finely dice them. Finely dice the onions. Core and seed the jalapeños and finely dice them. Mince the garlic.
- Place all the chopped vegetables except the peaches into a large heavy-bottomed pot.
- Add the cumin, red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, salt, vinegar, and remaining ¼ cup (60ml) of the lime juice. Bring the mixture to a boil. Then reduce the heat slightly and continue to cook it at a low boil, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring often to prevent scorching, until some of the liquid has evaporated and the mixture is slightly thickened.
- Remove the pot from the heat.
- Stir the cornstarch into the chopped peaches, then add the peaches to the cooked vegetable ingredients, stirring well to combine everything. (Don't cook it again, so the peaches stay fresh and chunky - they will cook as the jars are processed.)
- Ladle the peach salsa into sterilized pint (500ml) canning jars, filling them to within ½ inch (1cm) of the top. Run a butter knife down the sides to release any trapped air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean damp cloth, top with the hot, sterilized snap lids, screw on the lid rings so they are finger tight (only as tight as you can get them using just your thumb and index finger).
- Then process the jars in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes (10 minutes if you use smaller half pint/250ml jars).
How to Process Jars for Canning
- Set the jars into a canner with a rack or into a large deep stock pot with a clean dishcloth laid flat in the bottom. Put in only as many jars as will fit easily. You may need to do several batches. Pour hot water into the pot until it covers the jars by about 1 inch (2.5cm). Bring to a boil. Cover the pot, and turn the heat down a bit so the jars continue to boil vigorously but don’t boil over. Start timing and boil them for 15 minutes. Then remove the jars with canning tongs and set them onto a towel on the counter. (The towel prevents the temperature shock that come from hot jars set onto a cold counter.) Don’t disturb them until they are completely cool. Check the seals: if the jar lids have been sucked down so they don’t move when you press a finger into the center of them, the jars are sealed. If the lids are still slightly bulged upward and you can move them up and down when you press with a finger, they didn’t seal and should be stored in the fridge to use up within the next month or two.
- Tighten the rings on the sealed jars and store them in a cool dark place for up to several years.
- Leave the jars for at least one week for the flavours to fully develop, before consuming.
Notes
Nutrition
Guten Appetit!
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Deborah Ross
This looks absolutely delicious, I'm hoping to score some more of our Ontario peaches, we've been pigging out on them as well, fresh, pies, crumbles and loaves! It's a great idea to add the peaches just before processing to ensure that beautiful texture. I will make sure to do that. I do the same thing when I make antipasto adding the jumbo shrimp at the end. I can't wait to try your recipe and I'm really looking forward to seeing your peach chutney recipe. I love chutneys with Indian fare and pork roast, Etc.
I don't always comment, but I ALWAYS enjoy your blog so much, Thank you for the great recipes and your always interesting commentaries. Cheers!
Margaret
Thank you so much, Deborah, it really made my day to read your comment. It is such a boost to know there are readers out there who come back again to visit and read my ramblings and support my little blog, That connection through cyberspace brings me such pleasure and makes it more fun for me to write this blog.
I must apologise for not responding sooner - we have been away to the mountains for an impromptu getaway this week - our first outing since Covid started, and it was a much needed break (I stayed off my phone and blog). My peach chutney recipe is lighter and fruitier than traditional Indian or British chutney, maybe not the same as you're looking for, but I'll try to get the recipe up soon. I hope to score some more fresh peaches this season yet, too. I'm going to use your tip for the shrimp in the antipasto too, the next time I make it - thanks! Thanks again for reading ❤ and happy cooking (and peach eating!).
Karen
How long is the salsa good once opened?
Margaret
I've had the opened jar in the fridge for 2 months before and it was still totally fine (covered with its lid). I can't vouch for how much longer than that it will keep (refrigerated), because it's not lasted any longer than that for us. Because it has enough acidity, it should still be good as long as it's kept refrigerated, there's no mold on it, and it still looks and smells good. Your nose and eyes are the best judge. 🙂
Irene
Just getting organized to make a second batch of Peach Salsa. It is so delicious!!! My husband is inhaling it. I also used your Never Fail Dill Pickle recipe. Your oven method was soooo easy. I will never use a water bath method again. Thank you!! Do you think I could use the oven method for sealing the jars for the Salsa?
Margaret
So glad to hear the peach salsa is a hit in your house. I do admit that it does tend to become a bit addictive - but it's a good kind of addiction! And it makes me happy to hear that you like the oven dill pickle method. I love it, too! But I would hesitate to use it for the Peach Salsa, as you need that time at a full boil in the water bath processing to cook the peaches and thicken up the cornstarch in the salsa. With all the fruit and vegetables in there, it's also hard to determine if it has as high a level of acid as the dill pickles do.
Wishing you lots of fun in the kitchen and lots of enjoyment with canning - it's such a rewarding thing to do, isn't it?
Char
Hi!! I'm wondering how many jars (250 ml) the peach salsa recipe makes: for one batch.
Thankyou
Margaret
Hi Char, the recipe makes 7 pint jars, so that would be about 14 half-pint (or 250 ml) jars in total - it's a big batch, but then it's all done in one go, I figure (the jars make great gifts during the winter).
Bee
I like a very mild salsa. Can I reduce the amount of peppers in this recipe to make it mild?
Margaret
Yes, absolutely. Just make sure to remove the seeds and membranes from your jalapeno peppers (or omit them altogether, but they do add a more complex spiciness, and aren't too strong without seeds), and only use 1 teaspoon of dried red pepper flakes, or even just 1/2 teaspoon. You can always stir a bit of hot sauce into the jar of salsa when you open it if you find you want it spicier later. After a week or two, the flavour does mellow out in the jar as the spiciness seeps into the peaches and distributes itself evenly among the ingredients. Hope you enjoy! It's a nice, fruity salsa - tastes like summer!
Joselyn Sebright
I made this salsa. It's hands down my favorite. The only thing I changed is I added brown sugar after I opened it. It really brings it up to the next level. Do you think when I make this again this year. I can add the brown sugar in before canning?
I think some of my peaches were in the tart side. So the brown sugar really makes it sweet. I love it!
Margaret
Thanks so much for the feedback 🙂 . Yes, I think you absoloutely could add some brown sugar before canning it. It's great to be able to personalize it to your own tastes, and I can see how the sweetness of the peaches would make a difference to the recipe. Happy canning!
Dorothy
I look forward to trying this recipe - However - Please clarify. My understanding is you never store jars with the rings on them. This gives a false seal. If a lid does not have a good seal it will eventually loosen. Having the ring on it gives a false sense of safe food.
Margaret
Hi Dorothy, It is recommended to store jars without rings, but only because it makes it easier to detect any broken vacuum seals. Most sites do recommend to keep the rings off for storage. I prefer to store my jars with rings as I keep some of them in boxes and I don't want the snap lids to get bumped and knocked loose. This is just my personal preference and how I've done it for years. I am not recommending it for others - they should do what they feel safest with. I don't have any problems spotting broken vacuum seals as I always inspect a jar thoroughly before opening it. After canning I make sure to dry the tops of the jars well before reapplying the rings for storage, and I make sure to keep the rings quite loosely screwed on so they don't affect the jar seal, but just protect it a bit more. Here's an article refering to it: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/store/store_home_canned.html#:~:text=It%20is%20recommended%20that%20jars,clean%20and%20thoroughly%20dry%20first.
Hope you like the Peach Salsa as much as we do. Happy Canning!
Gretchen
How long will it last in containers in a fridge?
Margaret
You'd have to boil the salsa for about 10 minutes after you add the cornstarch and the raw peaches, as they'd normally be cooked during the processing. Then the salsa should last for several months in the fridge.
Breanna
Do you add any pickling salt?
Margaret
You can substitute pickling salt for the fine sea salt. Both work well because they have no additives which can alter the recipe, they are just pure salt. (Table salt has anti-caking additives which can affect the recipe, changing the taste and making it cloudy or discoloured.)
Jackie Linklater
Hi there... absolutely love your recipes. Zuchinni salsa is our favorite as well as your never fail dill pickles.
I really want to try this recipe. I was wondering if the peaches can be swapped for nectarines. I just really prefer nectarines to peaches. I appreciate your thoughts.😊
Margaret
Hi Jackie - sorry! I somehow missed your comment. Thanks for the feedback on the other recipes 😊
Yes, you absolutely could use nectarines instead of peaches. They'd taste delicious in here, too. I realize you've probably already made the salsa by now, so I hope you are enjoying it. Nectarine salsa sounds delicious.
Jackie Linklater
Hi there. Yes I did use nectarines and the salsa turned out wonderful.
Margaret
Awesome! So glad to hear it 😊
I'll have to try it, too, next year, as good nectarines are so flavourful.
Becky Knudson
Now that I've made the peach salsa (and loved the taste), I'm reading warnings against using cornstarch in canned salsa from extension websites.
please advise.
thank you
Margaret
Yes, there are some sources that say you shouldn't use cornstarch in canning as it can clump and interfere with heat distribution, and other sources say it is safe to use both flour and cornstarch in canning. It seems you can always find sources for both sides of a question online. I have always used a bit of cornstarch to thicken certain recipes, like relishes or fillings. I always make sure it is thoroughly mixed into the ingredients to disperse it fully, like in this recipe where it's stirred into the peaches before adding it to the rest of the ingredients, so there's no chance of clumping. It's also a very small amount in relation to the other ingredients. I feel safe in using it, but you'll have to make the decision for yourself. You can always make the salsa without any cornstarch - it'll just be a bit more watery. Happy canning! 😊
Susan R
Hello. I love your recipe. I am going to make another batch with more heat! But I want to know if I can use my frozen peaches instead of fresh. And can u substitute clear jel (cooking kind) for the cornstarch?
Margaret
I think the frozen peaches should work fine. However, I've never used clear jel, so I can't advise you if it would work. I'm thinking it would be worth a try, if you follow the amounts recommended with its instructions.
Shelley
Second batch in the canner now. The first batch I made last week I did on my own. My husband tried the tester jar and said, "That is surprisingly delicious!" I thought, "I sure hope so, it took me a long time in the hot kitchen and made 5 pints."
So today he was home and the kids were at school and it is the hottest day of the summer out there. No yard work today. We just finished a new batch and it seems to be hotter then the last one but that was tested before the peaches went in. We also added corn that was cooked on the cob.
Looking forward to testing these batches.
With his help we cut way down on the prep time.
Made 6 pints the second batch.
Thanks so much for this recipe. We have been making many peaches recipes as we had a bumper crop of peaches on our 2 4 year old trees.
Happy Canning!
Margaret
Oh, you are SO lucky to have peach trees!!!!! I wish we could grow them here. Luckily we can get good peaches from the Okanagan shipped here by the end of summer. I love the visual you described of your canning day. Right now I'd be glad of some hot days here! Great idea to add the corn - a match made in summer heaven, I'm sure. I'm really glad you like the peach salsa - it is surprisingly delicious. People always love it when I serve it to them - they're surprised at first, then ask for more!
Angie
Hi, I Love this recipe and plan on making it, but I think you have an error. You called your peaches tomatoes, unless you were looking at the wrong recipe?
I want to make sure it's right before I try it.
Margaret
Hi, no there's no error😊, the recipe uses both peaches and tomatoes. You'll need 10 large peaches and 5 large tomatoes for the salsa. I hope you like the recipe - it's a real hit here with anyone who tries it. 😍 Happy Salsa Making!