PREP: 1 hour PROCESS: 20 minutes MAKES: 9 pints
1¼ cups sugar
5 cups water
1 2-lb. pineapple
3 lb. peaches
3 lb. pears
1 lb. dark sweet cherries
1 lb. seedless green grapes
1. For syrup, in a large saucepan cook and stir sugar and the water over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Keep hot but not boiling.
2. Wash fruit. Using a large sharp knife, slice off the bottom stem end and the green top from the pineapple. Stand pineapple on one cut end and slice off the skin in wide strips from top to bottom; discard skin. To remove the eyes, cut diagonally around the fruit, following the pattern of the eyes and making narrow wedge-shape grooves into the pineapple. Cut away as little of the fruit as possible. Cut pineapple in half lengthwise; place pieces cut sides down and cut lengthwise again. Cut off and discard center core from each quarter. Chop pineapple. Measure 3 cups pineapple. Peel, pit, and cut peaches into cubes. Measure 8½ cups peaches. Peel, core, and cut pears into cubes. Measure 6½ cups pears. Halve and pit cherries. Measure 2½ cups cherries. Remove stems from grapes. Measure 3 cups grapes.
3. In a 4- to 6-qt. pot combine pineapple, peaches, pears, cherries, and grapes. Add 5¼ cups hot syrup (there might be syrup left over); bring to boiling. Remove from heat.
4. Ladle hot fruit and syrup into nine hot sterilized pint canning jars, leaving a ½-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims; adjust lids and screw bands.
5. Process filled jars in a boiling-water canner 20 minutes (start timing when water returns to boiling). Remove jars from canner; cool on wire racks. (Canning tips, pages 461–466.)
Cinnamon-Spiced Fruit Cocktail: Prepare as directed, except add 3 inches stick cinnamon to the syrup as it heats; remove before adding to fruit mixture.
PER ½ CUP FRUIT COCKTAIL, PLAIN OR VARIATION: 108 cal., 0 g fat, 0 mg chol., 1 mg sodium, 27 g carb., 2 g fiber, 1 g pro.