Green Tomato-Apple Chutney
Wednesday, 22 October 2008
B's tomato plants did great but he still had lots and lots of green tomatoes when all was said and done. The first batch I received turned into delicious green tomato apple salsa. We ate it so fast there was no time for photos. The second batch became Green Tomato and Apple Chutney. The recipe, adapted from the Ball Blue Book Guide To Home Canning, Freezing & Dehydration, Volume 1, assumes you are using red tomatoes but green is fine to use. The apples I used were Honeycrisp because those are our favorites. As for vinegar, please read the label and make sure that the acidity is 5%. I've seen 4% on the store shelves and this isn't acidic enough for water-bath canning use.
Canning is easy but time-consuming. The bulk of your time making the chutney will be in the chopping. However, you cook this so long that the pieces break-down a good deal. So use the food processor to give everything a rough chop. This really cut my time (no pun intended, however appropriate). The rest of the time is waiting for the mixture to cook down and thicken. Filling, topping and boiling jars is the least labor-intensive part of the entire process.
What I used:2 1/2 quarts chopped, cored green tomatoes
1 quart peeled, cored, chopped apples
2 cups chopped peeled and seeded cucumber
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 cups chopped red bell pepper
1 1/2 cups raisins
3 1/2 cups brown sugar
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large jalapeno pepper, half-seeded, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups white vinegar
1 cup apple cider vinegar
Combine all ingredients in a large saucepot. Cook slowly until thick, about 1/1/2-2 hours. As mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking. Ladle hot chutney into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 10 minutes in a boiling water canner. This batch made 14 1/2 pints. There was at least another 1/2 pint remaining but we wanted some to eat immediately. Put it on everything. I love condiments and consider them almost an entree. So this chutney has been on roasted pepper sandwiches, toast, eggs, rice, turkey meatloaf, etc. It's got zip from the chili and zing from the vinegar. Delicious!
