Canning Nectarine Chutney

For my third Official Canbassador project, I made Nectarine Chutney using the beautiful big nectarines sent to me from the Washington State Fruit Commission. This chutney turned out SO good! Best way I can describe the taste is it tastes like a slightly sweet steak sauce... it's wonderful on pork (we ate some with pulled pork and it was yummy!) I'm sure it would go equally as nicely with chicken or beef, or any number of dishes, including the Ball recommended refried beans.

Here's what I did...
First I peeled, pitted and sliced 8 cups nectarines

I combined the sliced nectarines with 2 tsp. salt in my large stainless steel bowl and let it sit for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in my large, stainless steel saucepan, I mixed together...

2-1/2 cups lightly packed brown sugar

1-1/2 cups red wine vinegar

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

I brought this mixture to a boil over medium high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. I stirred in the nectarines and returned the mixture to a boil, then reduced the heat and boiled gently, stirring frequently, until the nectarines were transparent, about 15 minutes.

I used a slotted spoon to remove the cooked nectarines from the saucepan and transferred them to a bowl, setting aside to add back in later.

To the mixture left in the saucepan, I added...1 cup finely chopped onions

¾ cup lime juice
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 chili pepper (jalapeno, hot banana, etc.) finely chopped
2 Tbsp. chopped crystallized ginger
¼ tsp. ground cloves
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

I brought this mixture to a boil over medium high heat, then reduced the heat and boiled gently, stirring occasionally, until the onions were tender, about 10 minutes.

I returned the nectarines to saucepan and boiled gently over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture was thick enough to hold its shape on a spoon, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile I prepared my canner, jars, and lids.

I ladled the hot chutney into hot, sterilized pint jars, leaving a ½ inch headspace. I removed any air bubbles and adjusted headspace, if necessary, by adding hot chutney.

I wiped the jar rims with a damp cloth and tightened my lids on to fingertip tightness.

I processed the jars in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes, ensuring they were completely covered with water. I brought them to a boil and processed for 15 minutes. After processing, I removed the jars from the canner and set them on a folded dish towel on the counter to cool... and to listen for the PING of each successfully sealed jar! LOVE the PING!

For a printable copy of this recipe, click here.