Chutneys

No Cook Apple Chutney

Chop very finely the apples, dates, onions and sultanas. Mix with the sugar and seasoning and add the vinegar. Leave in a bowl for at least 24 hours, stirring occasionally, before bottling and storing in a cool place.

Cooked Apple Chutney

Gill’s recipe for cooked apple chutney sounds straightforward too:

Cover chillies with cold water and soak overnight. Put all other ingredients into saucepan with half the vinegar and gradually bring to the boil. Add the remainder of the vinegar, boil up sharply for about half an hour then add the chilli liquid.

Beetroot Chutney

For those of you who acquired a bag of beetroot at the harvest suppers recently, Maggie also sent in a great sounding Beetroot Chutney recipe.

Boil the beetroot for 1½ hrs. Allow it to cool then peel and grate or mince the beets with the apples and onions. Add all other ingredients and boil until soft, stirring frequently.

Marrow Chutney

I had already set about my big marrow for various meals, so sadly missed testing out Maggie’s “dead easy” Marrow Chutney recipe, but here it is for those of you who have one or two around still.

Put all ingredients except the sugar into a pan and boil for 30 minutes. Add the sugar until the mixture thickens. Pour the mixture into warmed jars, allowing it to cool before sealing.

It’s been quite a busy time in the Whitsend kitchen, dealing with the harvested remnants from the fruit and vegetable garden, not to mention the acquisition of a huge marrow from the harvest supper auction – those from my garden were hardly worth the effort, but this one had greater potential!

The kitchen had another visit too from the Apple man (as we now call him), laden with Sunset and Upton Pine apples for eating (available in the village shop, I believe) and Reverend Wilkes and Lord Derby apples for cooking. How wonderful that growers like Brian Martyn are reviving these locally traditional varieties and how timely was the arrival of Gill Cole’s recipe for an uncooked apple chutney, forwarded to me by Maggie Stanbury. I’ve just tried making some, and even though I guess I ought to let it mature a little, it tastes delicious right now!

I just love seeing those jars of preserved garden goodness lined up on my shelves, fulfilling I suppose, some animal instinct for being well stocked up and prepared for the winter to come.

Do enjoy stocking your larder with a chutney or two, and if you have a favourite chutney recipe, please do pass it on to us all via the Whistler or the Village Website. Very many thanks to Gill and Maggie for theirs. Next time, I must tell you what I did with my harvest supper marrow …

Mrs Trewhitless