Green Tomato Chutney

As I indicated in a previous post, I received a bonus crop of Tomatoes albeit green from seeds that had set themselves in the garden.  So in the spirit of "Waste not, Want not", I decided to make use of them and turn them into a preserve for the pantry shelf.

Yesterday I harvested them as the weather is changing and it has been colder the past couple of days so I brought them in.

Today I set too and started processing them.  The recipe I am using is an old one and you do have to start it off the night before.  Please note that it is quite normal for the colour of the preserve to change.  The preserve will not remain green, but will go a browny colour.  This is all quite natural.

Ingredients:

5 1/2lb of Green Tomatoes (I did not have full quantity so padded out with paler red tomatoes from supermarket)

Approx 1lb onions sliced and chopped

3 teaspoons of salt

1-3/4 pints vinegar.  I used malt vinegar.

6oz Sultanas.  I used the Golden Sultanas from my local Asian Supermarket.

1lb soft brown sugar.  

1/2 teaspoon of pepper.  I tend to use white pepper

You will need approximately 7 standard jars.  I always tend to do extra just in case.

Method:

I prepped my green tomatoes by cutting them into slices, but you could cut it into chunks.  Then I set too and prepared 1lb of onions also slicing these and ended up in tears as a result.  I always do when I prepare onions.  I was crying like a baby by the time I had finished.  I then sprinkled on 3 teaspoons of salt and mixed this into the tomato and onion mix.  This is to encourage the tomatoes and onions to lose some of their liquid.

In a large pan either a Maslin pan (the proper name for a preserving pan) or a Stock pot, measure out the malt vinegar, then add the sugar and stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar has dissolved in the vinegar.  Then bring the vinegar and sugar mixture to a boil.  

Before adding the Sultanas, roughly chop them and then add to the vinegar.  Bring back to a gentle boil.  Once this is achieved, then take the bowl of salted onion and tomato and drain it.  No need to wash.  The salt was only added to take some of the juices away.  Add to the vinegar and sugar mixture then add the pepper.  

Bring back the mixture to a gentle boil, keeping it at a simmer.  Cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the chutney has thickened and there are no pools of vinegar on the top of the preserve. Please keep stirring every so often as it prevents catching on the bottom of the pan.  I use a heat diffuser on my gas burner to minimise this, but occasionally have been caught out.  If it burns it will taint the rest of the chutney and it will have a burnt taste.  I tend to chuck the lot if this happens. 

About three quarters of the way through cooking, I then usually wash and sterilise my jars.  I either pop them in the oven or I use a pot of hot water on the top of the stove.  More often or not I use the oven, but you can put them in the dishwasher too.  My cooker is a gas cooker and I normally sterilise the jars on Gas Mark 1.  I leave the jars until I need them.  I do pop my lids in a little water and keep it on low until ready to use.

Once satisfied that the chutney is the consistency you want it to be, (no vinegar puddles) and nice and thick (draw a wooden spoon along the bottom of the pan, should leave a groove that does not immediately cover up).  The chutney is ready at this point.  Turn off the hot plate/gas burner.

Using an oven glove/tea-towel, I then get my jars out of the oven, usually placing them on a couple of wooden boards to act like trivets.  I then get a jug and using a ladle fill my glass jug. I also use a jar funnel which is popped onto each jar in turn to save on splashing the mixture.  I find it a lot easier using a jug to fill my jars.  Once the chutney is to the top of the jar, to the neck where the twisting rings of the jar are, I fill the jars until all the mixture has been decanted.  Sometimes there is a little bit left over in which case if it is not very much you could try adding a little more to each jar.  I then using a wooden skewer to de-bubble the jar.  Then pop on the warmed lids.  Pop the jars out of the way somewhere they will not be disturbed.  Leave until jars are cool.  As this is a hot pack method I get the lids on as quickly as I can.  The heat helps remove any air in the jar and once this is achieved the middle of the lids to the jars will be hard and you cannot depress them.  If the lid depresses you can at this stage water bath the jars for about 10 minutes from boil to help tighten the lid.  Sometimes the lids only go hard after the jars are cold.

Once the jars have stood until cold (usually overnight with me), I then label the jars with the contents and the date.  Sometimes I also pretty the jars up with fabric circles and ribbon, especially so if giving away as gifts.

Place on your Pantry Shelf (or cupboard shelf).  I usually leave vinegar preserves for at least 6 weeks for the chutney to mature. Use throughout the year.  Chutneys often keep over a year quite safely.

Never made chutney before.  Give it a go, it like pickles are not complicated to make.  There is nothing more satisfying than having a go and ending up with a few jars of home made preserve for your pantry shelf or cupboard.  If you end up with too many, you can always give them to friends as family as a small gift.

Goes well with cooked meats of any kind, cheeseboards, a Ploughman's Platter.  You can use in stews and casseroles as well.

Making this has brought back happy memories as this is one of the Chutney's my Nan always used to make and is a firm favourite of mine.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

xx

P.S.  I just finished processing this and I just had to dip my finger in.  It tasted good even now without the maturation period so I think that this will be a good one for Christmas.  Six jars, two of which were larger than standard. The recipe said about seven jars so well pleased with this.

Still having problems loading photos so will add them when they have completed whatever it is they are doing.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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