Pickled Peaches (Dolly Parton's recipe)

By bobcat

Ingredients

• 4 cups sugar
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon peeled, coarsely chopped ginger
• 8 cinnamon sticks
• 2 teaspoons whole cloves
• 4 pounds peaches

Preparation

Step 1

Put a large pot of water on to boil. Prepare a large bowl with ice and water. Combine sugar, vinegar, ginger, cinnamon sticks and cloves with 2 cups water in another large pot. Cover and bring the mixture to a boil stirring often, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the pot from the heat and set aside. Parboil the peaches in batches by submerging them in the boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and drop into the ice water. When cool enough to handle, remove the skins. Halve and pit the peaches. Transfer the peaches to the sugar-spice mixture and place the pot over low heat. Cover and simmer until the peaches are heated and tender when pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Use a slotted spoon to pack the peaches quickly into hot sterilized pint-size jars, filling them within 3/4 inch of the rim. Pour the boiling syrup into the jars to cover the peaches by 1/4 inch. Place 2 cinnamon sticks and a few cloves in each jar. Remove any air bubbles by sliding a nonmetallic spatula between the jar and the peaches 2-3 times. Clean the rim and threads of the jar with a damp cloth. Center a heated lid over the band and screw it down firmly and evenly. Place the jar into a canner or hot water bath for 30 minutes. Remove the jar and set on a towel to cool for 12-24 hours. The canned peaches will keep up to 1 year in a cool, dark place.