mega chutney!

[Ferricks]

So - a gathering of 17lb of marrows on Friday enforced some creativity over the weekend (and some sharing with friends & family) and I played about with a chutney recipe to use what I could without going to the shops.

This was the recipe as it ended up (and even without maturing it tastes honestly amazing):

2kg courgettes / marrow (you could use any squash) peeled and diced in 1cm pieces
3 tomatoes that were lying about skinned and chopped and 1 over-ripe plum from the back of the fridge, stoned and chopped
3 old oranges from the fruitbowl - these really lightened the chutney
1.2kg apples (mix of bruised and good- granny smiths and braeburn)
1kg onions, peeled and roughly chopped
600g mixed fruit
750g white granulated sugar
1.2l white wine vinegar (you could use any 5% vinegar)
400ml water
2 teaspoons dried chilli flakes (this is nowhere near enough to add heat in this quantity - so adjust If you like a nip to your sandwich)
1½ teaspoons salt
Spice bag –1½ teaspoon each cloves, black peppercorns and about 1½ inches of bruised ginger

METHOD
1. Place all ingredients into a large, heavy pan. Make up spice bag by tying the spices into a square of muslin (I actually used a bit of sleeve from an old shirt - scalded with boiling water). Add to the pan, pushing it to the middle.
2. Heat gently, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Bring to the boil slowly then simmer on low heat for HOURS, stirring regularly to stop it burning on the bottom of the pan.
3. The chutney’s ready when rich, thick and reduced, and parts to reveal the base of the pan when a wooden spoon is dragged through it. If it starts to dry out before this stage, add a little boiling water.
4. Place in sterilised jars with plastic-coated screw-top lids while still warm, but not boiling hot.

Notes:
This makes a LOT of chutney - approx. 15 good sized jars and you need a big preserving pan to fit this quantity in, it's not one for a normal soup pot.
Because I made such a lot it took about 4 hours to cook through properly and I got to bed at 3 a.m. - so be warned. Also - do not rush the process, cooking slowly is important to flavour, texture and preservation.
It's economical to make and you can adjust to what you have in - just keep the acid / sugar balance with the salt & spices to make sure the correct preservation takes place.

[pseudonym]

Sounds lovely, I do like a good chutney with a pork pie.

[Arzosah]

Sounds great, Ferricks!

Can I ask you ... sterilising jars and plastic covered lids... I look on the internet for the proper method, sure, but you're somebody I "know" on the web already ... how do you sterilise your jars?

[Ferricks]

Sounds great, Ferricks!

... how do you sterilise your jars?

My instructions below refer to re-used shop bought jars (jam / dolmio etc) but could apply across the board.

1st - make them SPARKLING clean (like in a fairy advert clean)
2nd - cover a baking / roasting / rigid metal tray with a CLEAN tea towel and sit the jars on it upright,
3rd -pop them in the oven at 150C and leave in there for a minimum of 20 mins (some say 10 mins etc., but I generally pop in when the chutney / jam's reducing and leave until they're needed to err on the side of caution)
4th - remember to sit a big enough wooden board or trivet out where you're going to pot the preserve so that you can transfer the very hot jars onto this when needed so that you're not faffing around with a baking tray of scalding hot jars with nowhere to sit it!
5th - do NOT touch the inside of the jars once they are out of the oven, otherwise you need to re-sterilise AND you'll get burnt!

Lids... well there's a complication! I recycle original jar lids cheerfully for chutney - again there are different schools of thought on this. I am of the opinion that if the lining of the lid is undamaged and untainted it is fine, i.e. it isn't scratched, mould damaged, rusty or smells of caper vinegar from it's last incarnation. Some feel that you will never get a "proper seal" with this method - but I'll come to that! An important note is that chutney lids MUST be plastic lined as the vinegar will corrode pure metal lids. I have yet to find a recycled jar lid without the spongy plastic lining needed, but just keep your eyes peeled in case.

I sterilise my lids by putting in a colander in a saucepan and pouring a full kettle of boiling water on them and leaving for a min or two (this when about to use them). I then remove the colander and set to the side to air dry. I've found over the years this is the best way not to burn yourself with tongs or other such articles getting the lids out of the water!

Fill your jars to the very top with hot chutney. If needed clean any spilled preserve off the threads on the jar with a clean, dry cloth. Tighten the correct, sterilised lid on (careful to keep level and thread correctly). Invert the jar (use care and oven gloves!) and sit on your board to await the "pop" of a seal! By inverting the jar you are sterilising the headspace between the chutney and the lid with the hot chutney itself, so increasing your chances of success. When you've finished potting up grab a cuppa - you'll find that the wee "reject if pops" dimple in the jar lids will become indented again as the chutney cools and a vacuum is formed - now the seal is complete! Press the lids down to check!

(any jars that don't seal during this process just get vacuum bagged and frozen in portions)

In my experience baby food jars NEVER reseal - I really mean this. So keep them for jams and jellies where using a wax and cellophane top rather than the original lid will be fine.

'hope it helps! - if you want ANY help just give me a shout.

[Arzosah]

Fantastic, Ferricks, thats *exactly* what I wanted, thank you so much! The rowan berries look ready, and there are strawberries and blackcurrants in the freezer. That'll do nicely

[triffid]

A few of our courgette plants had spilled into the onion patch and 'hidden' some courgettes which have of course marrowed themselves. Now I've lifted the onions I've picked a fair few courgettes/marrows which will be ideal for your chutney recipie. Thanks for that.

[2ndRateMind]

Here' a link about sterilising: http://thehungerstop.blogspot.co.uk/200 ... -such.html