Peach and Almond Butter

What does 40 lbs of peaches give you?  12 jars of peach and almond butter, and 9 jars of peach chutney!  This is my second round of canning peaches…I hope you are not getting tired of peaches.  I was intrigued by a recipe I found in a book (I’m so sorry…I can’t remember the name!!) that combined peaches, ground almonds, and almond extract to make a fruit butter.  I have only had apple butter, and I had to try this one. I tried to limit the amount of almond extract I used because I feel that sometimes too much can make things taste a bit fake.  I think the results are pretty good, if not a bit too sweet for my taste.  If I was to make this again, I think I would definitely reduce the about of sugar.  If anyone is interested in making this, I will try to figure out what book this recipe came from.

I know by now your weekend is about half way through right now, but I do hope all of you have a great weekend.  I promise I will not subject you to another peach posts on Monday!

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Peach Chutney

Chutney has never really been a part of my life.  Not that I don’t like chutney, it just wasn’t something we ever really had.  I’m not sure if it is a regional condiment, and no one growing up in SoCal used it, or if it was just never a tradition in my family.

Whatever the reason for eating chutney, I never really had a desire to make the stuff.  My opinion was that it was funky tasting, too sweet, and weird (though I had never tried it…).  When I got The Joy of Pickling, however, I saw a recipe for Peach Chutney that I couldn’t resist.  I’m actually finding it hard to turn down any peach recipe that I run across due to the fact that its peach season in Colorado and I am trying to stow away as many peaches as I can before they leave.

I honestly don’t know why I never let myself try this stuff before. The smell really hits you first, and fills the entire house while its cooking.  It smells delicious, if not a little overwhelming when standing right over it.  The taste is deliciously sweet, tangy, and spice all at the same time.  I can’t wait to try some of this stuff on a roast.  Yummy!

Oh!  And I just have to say…I found these new jars at the grocery store with a pretty design on the lids and labels.  I was getting so tired of the  fruit motif, which was all I could find for this size…I am so glad they have improved the design!

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