I've always loved pickled peaches; my mother kept jars of them in the pantry, to serve with baked ham. For some reason, they were a standard supermarket item in the fifties.
But the commercial kind were nothing compared to the homemade pickled peaches I made last week. If I were a canner, I'd be putting up a few pecks of them today. But since I'm not, I'll be making them for the next couple of weeks, and eating them while they're in season. They're so easy!
Peel a dozen or so fairly ripe but not soft peaches by immersing them in boiling water for about half a minute. Run them under cold water and the skins should slip right off. Cut off any brown spots.
Put 3½ cups of sugar and a cup and a half of plain white vinegar into a heavy-bottomed pot. Add a cup and a half of water and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Gently slide the peaches into the brine (you will probably need to do this in a couple of batches) and allow them to cook for about 4 minutes, turning them from time to time; you don't want them to get too cooked. Put the cooked peaches into a large bowl.
When all the peaches are cooked the brine should have turned a lovely light pink. Bring it back to a boil and pour it over the peaches. Add 10 whole cloves, a couple sticks of cinnamon and a small knob of ginger that you've peeled and sliced.
Allow the liquid to cool to room temperature, then cover and put the bowl into the refrigerator for a day or two to cure. Turn the peaches from time to time, or weight them down to keep them submerged.
Serve the whole peaches with any roasted meat.
