Dry Creek Peach & assorted (Scotch Bonnet, bird, Thai) pepper Chutney
First day back working the farm. The drive up took longer than I expected due to construction in two spots on 101N, so there was already a line of people waiting to buy when I showed up. Luckily they were all regulars, and just wanted cases of peaches and nectarines.
Today was the busiest day ever in the history of the farmstand. I worked solidly without even time to sit down the entire afternoon. It was so much fun. At the end of the day I get paid in peaches and produce which is so worth it. I didn't have time to take any pictures I was that slammed! Gayle and Brian sent me home with a pile of extra goodies- like kitchen garden produce and a bottle of prosecco with Bellini mix to celebrate the highest grossing day.
We have 2 kinds of yellow peaches- Suncrest (all yellow) and Red Top (kissed with a rosy blush to the cheeks), both quintessential summer yellow peaches with good texture, high sugar content and a nice acid balance to round out the profile. The 2 white peaches- Arctic Gem (floral and sweet) and Sugar Lady (ethereal & perfumed) are fabulous. If you have a sweet tooth, you'll like the white ones.
In addition to the peaches, the Fantasia nectarines are back! So ugly to look at, yet amazing flavour with a dense flesh that holds it's shape. It's almost mango-like in its profile. Most people pass on these because of the mottled and crusty exterior, but they have a cult following, where people drive up to Healdsburg specifically to buy these flavour explosions. Today a lady bought some first thing and then came back to buy more before the end of the day because her family had already finished the first batch 8^)
When she said that she was back to buy more, everyone else who was present in the store also bought nectarines, since she was proof that they were that good. lol
The Howard Miracle plums are headed to Chez Panisse this week to be served as their fruit plate option. So I took a batch home, since what's good enough for Chez works for me too.
We do tastings of all the different stone fruit, it's like a wine flight and with each one I'll talk about what they're tasting, information about the varieties and options for serving each. Is it good plain? in a pie, fruit salad, grilled on the BBQ etc. As I serve the various types, there are bits that don't really make a good impression on a customer- maybe a blemish or brown spot but still fine to eat (anything that's mouldy or fermented goes directly into the trash). I keep a bag under the counter and sweep those pieces into it, so as to keep the tasting area clean and fresh. At the end of the day I generally have enough bits to make a BBQ sauce or chutney, which works out great. I like to keep it simple, so I've created a fairly minimal recipe that works out well with what I've got.
Ingredients:
4 lbs peaches & nectarines chunked
1 C Vinegar
2 tsp Salt
6-8 Scotch bonnet (whole)
6 bird chilli peppers
6 Thai peppers
2 Tbs spice chi
2 C white sugar
6 ginger medallions (thick)
1 large Walla Walla onion, sliced
1/2 cup cranberries
Method:
1. Combine vinegar, sugar, salt and spices. Heat till boiling & stir till dissolved. Add peaches, ginger, onion, peppers and cranberries, drop temperature and simmer till it is thick and golden brown. Stir occasionally during cooking- reduced in volume by about 1/3 which takes about 45 min-1hr.
2. Pour into clean, hot jars leaving 1/2-inch headspace; close jars. Process in a water bath 15 minutes. (I don't generally bother with the canning step since I know I'm going to be cracking this open the first chance I get...) If you do the canning step correctly, this can be kept for a year unopened. Enjoy!