Green Tomato Chutney

Jan312012

Up until two years ago I watched in angst as the first frost of fall hit and took out all our green tomatoes. We just didn’t know what to do with them so we’d let them sit on the vine and die in the freeze. To make things worse we could never get our tomatoes to start ripening until mid to late August. The first freeze can be as early as October 15th. There were always plenty of green tomatoes.

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One solution I came across was making them into a chutney. I read up on several different variations and synthesized them into what I think (and Mommy Sha gives a rousing second) is a tasty green tomato chutney recipe. We can the chutney but you can also freeze it.

Ingredients:

Makes about 6 pints

5 lbs green tomatoes
1 lb onion (sliced)
1 Tbs sea salt or kosher
1 Qt. vinegar – white, apple cider or a mix
1 lb brown sugar
1 1/2 cup raisins
NM Green Chile to taste or any thing else w/ heat (I like an undertone of heat)
4 Apples
4 Tbs Mustard seed
2 Tbs Fennel seed
2 Tbs Cinnamon
2” ginger root
6oz can tomato paste

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Directions:

1. Cut up the tomatoes, apples & onion.

Cut up the tomatoes, apples & onion

Green Chile to taste or any thing else w/ heat

2. Peel and slice the ginger.

3. Combine everything in a big pot .

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4. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, cook uncovered for about 3 hours. Stirring regularly (10 mins?) unless you want a black charred mass at the bottom of the pot. (Ask me how I know this :P)

The remaining sauce will be thick and coat a spoon when you are done.

Opps! Looks like I needed to do a little more stirring!

Can or store in freezer.

Ready for canning!

Next week we will cover the ‘how to’s’ of canning. Stay tuned!

Boiling the canned chutney

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This post is part of the Hearth-n-Soul blog hop. Click on the badge to see all the other participants for this week’s blog hop!

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6 Comments

Grumpyrumblings

Posted January 31, 2012 at 7:09 am | Permalink

Nom!

Jeff @ Sustainable Life Blog

Posted January 31, 2012 at 11:35 am | Permalink

This looks like a great recipe and possibly a problem i’m going to have this year (hope to plant a garden) . How long do you process in boiling water canner?

- Mike
  
  Posted February 3, 2012 at 6:52 am | Permalink
  
  I think it’s 20 mins. We have to do it longer cause of the altitude. I look it up on the ball canning site every time.
  
April Harris

Posted February 3, 2012 at 5:09 am | Permalink

Your green tomato chutney sounds so delicious. I like the addition of the apple and chili. Thank you for sharing this great preserving post with the Hearth and Soul hop.

Penniless Parenting

Posted February 6, 2012 at 10:21 pm | Permalink

Ooo— looks good!!! I love tomatoes, and I had a patch of volunteer tomatoes that grew near my house but some tomatoes there never ripened… I should have thought to make chutney with them.

- Molly
  
  Posted February 7, 2012 at 6:20 am | Permalink
  
  We’ll need to remember to repost this one in the early fall when everyone is wondering what to do with all their green tomatoes!