Peach or Pineapple Cucumber Marmalade

"Did a 2-day festival in Mansfield, MO at the Baker Heirloom Seed Fest, and the peach version was a huge hit. Object lesson: Whenever you give samples of something, make sure you have a lot of that item to sell...I was out of the peach version in less than two hours and I still had 2 days to go." Recipe submitted by Dawn McPherson.

Recipe Ingredients:

2 cups finely-chopped cucumbers
2 cups peaches, blanched to removed skin, then seed removed* or 2 cups shredded/chopped pineapple (canned okay).
6 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup of lime juice, (about 3 limes, juiced).
2 tablespoons grated lime peel (if necessary, lemon will serve)
1 bottle liquid fruit pectin
Paraffin for sealing

Cooking Directions:

1. In big saucepan combine cucumbers, sugar, juice and peel. Mix well, add coloring, boil one minute over high heat, stirring constantly.
2. Remove from stove, stir in pectin.
3. Skim off foam, stir and skim 5 minutes to cool a bit.
4. Ladle quickly into jelly glasses and cover with 1/8 inch hot paraffin.

Makes about 5 jelly glasses.

*I put them in a bowl and squish them with my hand and through my fingers so the pieces are small and there is just the right amount of smoosh.

Tip: Peaches and pineapple are hard to set up and you have to be sure they do, so here's what you do. Take a small saucer and put it in the freezer for at least 1 hour. After the mixture has boiled for 1 minute, reduce your heat and add your pectin. Mix thoroughly and let sit for 1 or 2 minutes. THEN, take a spoonful and put it on the frozen saucer and replace in freezer for 1 minute. Remove from freezer and drag you finger through the mixture. If it leaves an open path, not closing quickly, your jell will set. If not, you need to add another packet of pectin and retry set-up testing. When it is ready to put in your hot jars, skim foam from top. Invert lid-tight jar on tea towel and do not touch until completely cooled. Test top for seal by touching center of lid, it should not pop back.