Green Tomato Chutney

The Head Chef decided to make Green Tomato Chutney with the unripe produce from the mini vegetable patch in our garden. Combined with apples we had picked, onions, raisins, a bunch of spices and the inevitable vinegar.

Ready, Steady, Chop!

After a mountain of pealing and chopping I got the opportunity to take some lovely, crisp, in-pot photos.

Sorted

Soon the whole house smelled of boiling vinegar.

Stirred Not Shaken

Then it’s into the sterilised jars.

Phew!

Finally the best label competition followed by waiting for a couple of months for the chutney to mature.

Oh, It's So Hard To Judge

Guess what all my family will be getting for presents this Xmas…

Yahoo Chutney,Thanks Santa...

Chunky Chutney

We finally got round to making some Chutney the other night. I tried to think of a witty headline but the only word that rhymed was Putney (do correct me if I'm mistaken) and that's not funny at all. We used Delia’s Stalwart recipe called Old Dowerhouse Chutney. I’m sure there’s a pub quiz expert out there that can tell me what a Dowerhouse is too, but here we are primarily concerned with food and its making.

Stoned Plums

This recipe is really easy - I stoned the wild plums and cut up an appropriate amount of unripe apples, which my mum had thinned from her tree. Then I left the rest to the head cook, simple! Sarah prepared the rest of the ingredients and cooked it for ages – the house reeked of vinegar, it probably helped to clean the inside of the windows too.



I Predict A Riot of Colour, Texture and Flavour



We wanted it quite chunky apparently; and I must say it looked fantastic in the big brass pan. Then we put it in old (but clean) jam-jars. Now we have to be patient for a couple of months as it cures/matures or something.

The Finishing Touches

The finishing touches were supplied by the children, they make the best and most imaginative labels, many of which are nigh-on indecipherable by time we get to eat the produce (actually, that's not fair at all) but the pictures do help a lot.



Now Just Be Patient!