The Diva That Made Kiwifruit Ginger & Chili Jam

What would you do with 10 overripe kiwifruit? As many of you know, I go a little canning crazy at harvest time. This season, I made about fifteen different pickles, chutneys, relishes and sauces! ←Crazy diva! On the list were kiwifruit and red pepper pickles, which I thought would be adorable for the holidays. I found the recipe in Oded Schwartz’s excellent book, Preserving.

I put “10 hard unripe kiwifruit” on the shopping list when I sent my boyfriend to the store. Mistake! What I got was 10 very ripe kiwi-fruit and the excuse, “That was all they had.” You can only make pickles with unripe fruit so I went back to another store and got them and made the pickles.

What to do with the very ripe kiwifruit?

Suggestions from my Twitter friends were to make jelly, acqua fresca, smoothies, etc. I wanted something to go with savory dishes so I decided to make a kiwifruit, ginger and chili jam. I’d never heard of such a thing, but thought the combination of flavors would be delish! Guess what? I was right! And it was my boyfriend’s top pick of all the things I canned! He was all, “Good thing I got those kiwifruit!”

This kiwifruit jam is really easy to make and tastes great with pate, soft rind cheeses like Brie, Camembert, Fromage d’Affinois, etc.—also yummy with pork and poultry, especially duck. My boyfriend likes to eat it with a spoon, but that’s not for everyone.

Kiwifruit, Ginger & Chili Jam

• 2 lbs of kiwi-fruit pulp, chopped coarsely
• 1/2 lb julienned ginger
• 1 c sugar
• juice and finely grated zest of one lime
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 red chilies or to taste

Place all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and cook until thick, about an hour, stirring carefully so it doesn’t burn. Pour into sterilized jars and seal. You can also keep it in the refrigerator.

Kiwifruit & Red Pepper Pickle

from Preserving by Oded Schwartz

• 2 lbs hard, unripe kiwi, peeled and cut into large chunks
• juice of 1 lemon
• 3 red peppers, cut into wide strips
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 4 c cider or white wine vinegar
• 3/4 c honey
• 1/2 c light brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp black peppercorns
• 2 tsp juniper berries
• 1 tsp allspice berries

Put the kiwi chunks in a glass bowl and sprinkle with the lemon juice. Mix gently, and let marinate for 15 minutes. Sprinkle the red peppers with the salt and leave for 15 minutes.

Put the vinegar, honey, sugar, and spices in a noncorrosive saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil hard for 10 minutes, until the syrup is slightly reduced.

Rinse the peppers under cold running water and drain well. Add to the boiling syrup. Bring back to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the kiwi to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes longer.

Using a slotted spoon, lift the kiwi and peppers out of the pan and carefully pack them into hot sterilized jars. Boil the syrup hard for about 10 minutes, until slightly reduced again. Pour the boiling syrup into the jars, then seal. The pickle will be ready to eat after 1 week, but improves with age. Makes about 3 pints.

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