Green Tomato Chutney

 
Green Tomato Vine
Winter is closing in here in the United Kingdom. I had a couple tomato plants left with some lovely looking fruit on them, but it is just too cold now and the dark nights too long for them to ripen. Despising waste, I harvested the green tomatoes and composted the plants.

Green Tomatoes
The question is what to do with all these green tomatoes... The answer has got to be green tomato chutney of course, lovely with cheese and oat cakes.

Here is the recipe. A word of warning, the house will smell of vinegar for days. 

Ingredients:

- 700g Finely Diced Green Tomatoes
- 360ml Malt Vinegar
- 1/8tsp English Mustard Powder
- 200g Demerara Sugar
- 3/8tsp Cayenne Pepper Powder
- 70g Diced Apples (cored and peeled)
- 1/8tps Ground Ginger Powder
- 70g Finely Diced Onions
- 10g Grated Fresh Ginger Root
- 1/8tsp Sea Salt
- 70g Saltanas or Rasins

Mix all the ingredients together in a saucepan and slowly bring to the boil, stirring frequently.

Green Tomato Chutney

Once boiling, turn the heat down to a gentle simmer and leave the lid off so the liquid can slowly reduce. Simmer for about two hours in total on low heat, stirring occasionally.

Be careful, however. At around the 1 hour and 45 minute mark, start paying careful attention to the pot. You do not want it to get too dry. The mixture will start to thicken. You will know it is finished when you scrape your spatula across the bottom of the pan and liquid doesn't seep straight back in. Please see the little video below of my finished chutney ready to jar, not too dry and not too wet.

Finally, add your chutney still hot to a sterilised preserving jar. Store it away for three months in a dark kitchen cupboard. Then, enjoy alongside your favorite hard cheese. Yum!

I didn't have the right sized jar for my batch. That should make no difference to the ultimate flavour. It's all down to patience now.

Green Tomato Chutney

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