Sunshine in a Jar

     Hi there you beautiful readers. The last days of summer vacation are upon us and I'm milking for all its worth. I have been canning for the whole month of August. Although it may seem like a lot of work, it will be totally worth it in the winter months. Speaking of winter, think about those dreary days where the sun hides behind the grey clouds, the snow is no longer white and beautiful but greyish black with frozen road sludge embedded in its crevices of ice and slush, the trees are bare and their boughs are heavy encased in ice. Sounds great, right?

Lonely car trapped on the lake

Well, I whipped up a piece of sunshine that can be a relief in those dismal days. I'm calling it Sunshine in a Jar. It is a combination of peach, mango, vanilla, and ginger. I made it into a butter instead of a jam. It tends to be a bit easier to make and it will spread on anything you want.

     I was given some really ripe mangoes and they had to be used immediately. I also had around 6 pounds of peaches sitting on my table waiting for human consumption. I thought, why not combine them. Peaches and mangoes work wonderfully together and they make for an excellent mix for jams and jellies.

     First off I cut the mangoes in quarters and removed the pit. I did not peel them because I found a cool trick that makes this a breeze. Take a tall cup, like a pint glass, and place the mango lengthwise along the trim. Place the mango peel side to you, and flesh side on the cup and push down all the way and now you have an empty peel and all of the mango fruit in the cup. Super cool huh! You can check out this technique on Lifehacker It totally saves on the frustration of peeling, coring, and getting that sticky juice all over yourself and the counters. Throw these delicious nibbles in a crock pot set on low.

     Next up, I took the peaches and sliced the bottoms with a quick X with a knife and blanched them in boiling water for one minute. Then immediately threw them into ice cold water and waited a few minutes. When cooled you can take the peaches and go back to your X mark and the skins peel right off.

X marks the spot!

Toss the peaches in, but only for a minute!

Next remove the pits and quarter the peaches and toss them into a crock pot. Add 4 cups of sugar and stir together. Now you can add any spices you want to the mix, or you can just leave it. I added 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, and 2 teaspoons of ground ginger. I stirred it together and let it sit on low in the crockpot for a few hours. Cock the lid on the crock pot so it is able to let steam out. We want to reduce the liquids and thicken up the mix. Therefore, we need the steam to have a place to get out.

     After the fruits have been cooking in the crock pot for a while, you will see the fruits will be breaking down and are soft. This is where you bring your trusty hand blender in. Take a hand blender through the mix a few times and get rid of all the chunks. You want to blend it to the consistency of applesauce. Taste check the mix and add additional seasonings if you want to right now. Let the mix cook down to at least half its volume. You can also test it with a spoon. Dip a cold metal spoon in the mix and let it drip back in. If it is runny you need to cook down some more, if it falls in a sheet you are ready to can it. Look here for more info on the spoon test.

Blended, not stirred

My mix was ready after about six hours on low in the crockpot. Now it's time to bottle them up. Get the water bath ready, wash some jars and place them in the water bath to get hot before filling the jars. When you are ready, take the jars and pour in the fruity goodness up to 1/4" head space, assemble lids and bands and place in the water bath. process for 10 mins (check for changes in processing with altitudes) Here is a handy pdf of how to can at higher altitudes.

After processing, set the jars down in a place they won't be disturbed for 12-24 hours. After that, you can check the seals and store in your pantry. If a jar didn't seal you can set it in your fridge and eat right away. (you can store this safely in a fridge for about a month).Trust me, it probably won't
last long. Finally, you have officially canned a bit of sunshine! You will appreciate the golden flavor and hints of warmth when the temperatures drop and you'd rather crawl back into bed.

Mmmmm!

Recipe for Sunshine aka Peach-mango butter (makes 6 half pints)

3 mangoes, pitted and sliced
8 large peaches, pitted and skins removed
4 cups of sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger

Wash, peel, and pit fruit. Put all ingredients in slow cooker for 5-7 hours, stirring occasionally. When thick enough, fill prepared jars up to 1/4" head space. Adjust 2 piece lids and water bath for 10 minutes. Remove from water bath and set on counter for 12-24 hours. Check seals, and refrigerate unsealed jars.