I'm in a Pickle and It's So GOOD!

When I was a kid, my mother would serve pickled peaches at dinner sometimes.  They were so good!  I bought a jar from the grocery store a number of years back, but they tasted terrible!  A couple of weeks ago, a friend brought me a jar of pickled peaches using the recipe her mother-in-law used.  I had an instant flashback to family dinners when I was young.  In my mind, I could see all of us sitting around the kitchen table having Sunday dinner.  The peaches were amazing!  I ate half the jar in one sitting!  I begged her for the recipe and she shared it with me.  She gave me permission to share it with you!  Her name is Jackie and she has started her own business called Cricket's Cupcakes & Sweets in Lawrenceville, Ga.  If you ever need cupcakes or some other dessert, you need to call Jackie.  Everything she makes is delicious!  She has some major skills!  She's also on Facebook, so check out her page and like it!  I'm so lucky to have her as a friend!




Pickled Peaches

4 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 cup distilled white vinegar
3 whole cloves or 1 tsp. ground cloves or 3 drops of doTERRA Clove essential oil
3 cinnamon sticks
5-6 large peaches or 10-12 medium sized peaches
3 qt sized sterilized jars

Peel and slice the peaches to the desired size. Pack the peaches in the jars.  Boil all the remaining ingredients (no peaches) with the spices for at least 5 minutes to form a syrup.  Pour the hot syrup (pickling liquid) over the packed peaches in the sterilized jars.  If you have left over syrup. you can process them as well in the hot bath.  Don't throw away the spices. Pack them with the peaches in the jars.

HOT BATH:

Sterilize your jars first. Pack the peaches in the sterilized jars and pour the hot pickling liquid in the jars of peaches. Close and clean the rims with wet cloth. I put water in a stock pot and place a steamer basket in the bottom to lift the jars off the pot.  I also removed the stem from the basket.  Cover the jars with water.  Bring the water to a boil with the jars in the pot. Boil for 15 minutes for small jars (1 pt) and 25 minutes for large (1qt) jars.