Roast the sweet red peppers over a flame or under the broiler till the skin is burned almost black. Let stand 5 minutes, then wrap in a plastic bag and let stand for 15 minutes. Quarter lengthwise, scrape off the skin and remove the seeds. Set the peppers aside.

Combine the peaches or apricots, plums, 3 cups of the vinegar, and the water in a large non-reactive kettle and simmer until soft, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In another non-reactive kettle, this one very large, combine the remaining vinegar, sugars, and corn syrup and bring to a boil, stirring. Add the fruit mixture, ginger, salt, mustard seeds, onion, hot peppers, garlic, cinnamon sticks and the skinned sweet peppers. Simmer, covered, for 5 minutes, then uncover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring now and then. Remove the cinnamon stick.

Press the mixture through a chinoise or food mill. Return to the kettle and boil gently, stirring, until the sauce has thickened, about 15 minutes (it will thicken a little more while cooling).

Process in BWB in half-pint (10 minutes) or pint (15 minutes) jars, leaving 1/2″ headspace.

Allow the flavors to meld in the jars for at least 2 weeks, better a month, before serving. This one definitely improves with a month or two of waiting — it’s worth it.