Fruit Cocktail
Although peaches are typically ripe before pears, there is an overlap when both are available at the market at the same time, usually mid- to late August (here in western Canada at least). This is the perfect time to make fruit cocktail. This canned fruit is one of my husband’s favourites. On many days his lunch has a jar of fruit cocktail in it. It’s also great to have around for the young kids. They love this fruit combination and let me tell you, it’s far superior to the store-bought varieties. It does take a bit of work, what with all the peeling, chopping and coring, but in the middle of the winter it’s a perfect after-school snack. This recipe is adapted slightly from the National Center for Home Food Preservation (nchfp). Although this recipe is adapted slightly, it still falls within the safety guidelines outlined by the nchfp. I like grapes so I added a few more grapes and adjusted the pear quantity down to compensate for the additional grapes. I also substituted some of the granulated sugar for honey.
Fruit Cocktail
Yields 7- 500 ml jars
Ingredients
3 lbs peaches (9 to 12 peaches)
2 ¾ lbs pears (5 to 6 pears)
2 lbs green seedless grapes (3 ½ to 4 cups)
1 10 oz jar maraschino cherries
4 cups water
2½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup liquid honey
Directions
Place water in boiling water canner. Heat to a simmer. Place 7 clean, warm 500 ml mason jars on a rack in canner. Cover with simmering water. Place SNAP LIDS® in a bowl full of warm water. Keep both jars and lids warm until ready to use.
Fill a large bowl with 2 gallons of ice cold water. Add ½ cup lemon juice to the water. Set aside.
To remove peach skins, fill a large bowl with ice water. Set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place 4 or 5 peaches in the boiling water. Boil 1 minute, remove peaches with a slotted spoon and place them in an ice water bath. Skins will easily slide off. Slice peach and remove pit. Cut sliced peaches into ½ cubes and place in the bowl of lemon water to prevent browning. Repeat this process until all the peaches are peeled.
Pears can easily be peeled with a peeler. Once peeled, remove stem and core. Cut into ½ inch cubes. Place in lemon water. Repeat for all the pears.
Wash grapes, remove stems and set aside along with one jar drained maraschino cherries.
To make the syrup, heat water, sugar and honey to a gentle boil. Keep warm until ready to use.
Drain fruit and add to the heated syrup, mix in grapes. Return to a boil and boil gently for 5 minutes. Ladle hot fruit into jars to within 1 inch of the top of the rim. Ensure an equal amount of peaches, pears and grapes for each jar. Add 2 maraschino cherries per pint. Fill jars one at a time, cover with syrup to within ½ inch of top of rim. Remove air bubbles and re-adjust headspace. Wipe jar rim. Place SNAP LID® and screw band on jar. Tighten until fingertip tight. Place in canner on rack. Repeat until all jars are full.
Add enough hot water to the canner to ensure jars are covered by 1 inch of water. Place lid on canner. Bring to a full rolling boil. Boil 20 minutes (adjusting for altitude). Turn off heat. Remove lid and wait 5 minutes. Remove jars with a jar lifter, without tilting, to a protected countertop.
Cool upright 24 hours. After cool, check that the jars are sealed. Sealed jar lids curve downward. Clean, dry and label with contents and date.
TIP: Fruit-to-syrup ratio is not an exact science. You may be short or over on the syrup. If you need more syrup, make more. If you have more than you need, try using it in your homemade lemonade.
TIP: Sweetness is an individual thing. If you prefer less sugar, add less sugar, more honey and more water. There should always be some sugar added but it can be as little as 1/10th sugar to 1 water ratio.
TIP: Don’t be surprised if the maraschino cherries lose their vivid red colour during the processing stage. It’s very common. They still taste just the same.
TIP: Try adding pineapple, mango or kiwi to the mix. Remember to keep the same overall quantities of fruit that the recipe calls for. Nothing says you can’t add other fruit. Berries may colour the juice so I would not suggest adding those (unless you like the idea of coloured juice).
TIP: It is never advisable to change a canning recipe unless you are still following the safety guidelines and it is not recommended at all for someone new to canning.
*Altitude adjustment for boiling water method
Altitude in feet Increase processing time by
1001 to 3000 5 minutes
3001 to 6000 10 minutes
6001 to 8000 15 minutes
8001 to 10000 20 minutes
