In the UK, we rarely have a glut of peaches. However, I couldn’t resist purchasing some beautifully ripe one’s last week. I devoured them joyfully, with the juice trickling down my chin. I expect there is an elegant way to eat peaches, but nothing can beat that guilty pleasure of taking a bite from a perfectly ripe peach.

I held back on a few for a fermented peach salsa experiment.  

Ripe peaches give this quick fermented salsa a beautifully silky texture – a good backdrop for the heat of the chilli. You can add less chilli if you prefer, or more for the brave of heart.  

Make sure your peaches are truly ripe for this otherwise you will be depriving yourself of something wonderful. Once you slice into them, you should give them a twist and the stone or ‘pit’ should fall away. If you find yourself hacking round the stone with a knife, the peach isn’t ripe enough.  

You can substitute peaches for nectarines, and you don’t even have to ferment it, but once fermented it takes on a deeper, grown up quality and lengthens its shelf life.  If you don’t ferment it, eat it within 2 days - and probably make a half batch.

However, fermenting only takes 2-3 days. After which time you can transfer it to the refrigerator, and it will last for two or three weeks – and you get the healthy probiotics too.

This will liven up a cheese plate, adds interest to a salad and would probably be eagerly enjoyed at a summer BBQ or garden party. Anyway, you get the idea – this one’s a winner.

INGREDIENTS

4 ripe peaches, pitted

2 teaspoons Himalayan pink salt

1 small red onion

1 red or yellow pepper (bell pepper)

1 fresh red chilli

A handful of a mix of fresh coriander leaf, basil and mint

1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger

1 teaspoon fresh grated garlic

2 tablespoons agave or apple concentrate

The zest and juice of 5 limes

The contents of 3 capsules of acidophilus probiotics (or ½ teaspoon of probiotic powder)

METHOD

Cut the peaches into ¼ inch dice and put them in a bowl. Sprinkle with salt and allow their juices to extract a bit. Add to it some finely sliced or diced red onion, pepper and fresh chilli. Chop or chiffonade the coriander, basil and mint, grate in the fresh ginger and garlic and add the agave or apple concentrate.  Gently stir it through with the zest and juice of 5 limes. Then finally stir through the contents of 3 capsules of acidophilus probiotics or ½ teaspoon of probiotic powder.

This will fill a 0.3 litre fermenting jar, or you can use a jam jar, removing the lid to let the gasses escape every 24 hours. After 2-3 days transfer the salsa to the refrigerator.