Autumn Chutney

   


SO many pears and delicious squashy things around at this time of the year...

I was inspired by a recipe posted by a local produce merchant I subscribe to. There was a recipe for a Pear Chutney.... After some googling and a trip to the grocery store I was prepared.





In the pot went:



3 lbs of Pears with skins on, cubed

2 cups of apple cider vinegar

*my family loves vinegar-y foods, more than is good for us. You can cut this down a bit but please keep in mind if you plan on canning or processing this chutney acidity is what will keep it microbe free!

1 1/2 C brown sugar, plus a healthy squeeze of honey.
* the recipe called for 2 cups of brown sugar, but again, honey is naturally antibacterial, and I ran out of sugar.

a big handful of GOLDEN raisins
*will make the chutney, get some of these instead of dark ones while you are in the bulk section buying the....


candied ginger. Again, the recipe called for 1/4 cup. I eyeballed this as about 8 or 9 chunks. minced up really small

half a large, stinky yellow cooking onion that made me cry, minced

2 Tsp mustard seeds (if you are hesitating, put them in anyways)

1/2 a teaspoon of cinnamon and ground cloves
I would cut down the cloves a little if you dont like your chutneys extra strong!

Ok, so it all goes into a pot

 and it cooks...

and cooks
until it is thick and saucy looking.
and when it wasn't thickening, I added a nice grainy cooking apple to sauce and thicken it up

In the meantime, you will need to wash your 250 ml jars, put them on a cookie sheet and put them in a COLD oven. Then turn the oven on to 350, no higher or the jars might crack while you fill them hot. It's like I have learned all of these things the Stephanie Way before (read: the hard way)

 I decided that my chutney needed closer to 2 hours of cooking to chutney-fy instead of one. You and I may differ on what chutney should look and taste like. I also left the skins on my pears, because I like my preserves THICK, and not sloshing around in the jar looking messy. If you are new to this skins = pectin and texture. I wanted it to be more like a compote than a sweet, runny mango chutney.


Cold Jars:

Hot Jars:

Yes, and that large canning pot you conveniently keep at hand like I do? Fill 'er up 2/3 of the way and bring it to a boil - if you've done this before you know it takes a while to get to a roll. Make sure to salt the water, raise the temperature

I threw the seals in a pan to soften. Take the jars out of the oven about 2 minutes before filling them. Don't fill when they are sizzling hot - I learned that this is only okay for high risk foods and not for anything with a sugar structure you need intact like jelly or jam or sauce.




Down to a science:

Fill

Lift and Lid

Tighten bands

Process 20 minutes in hard boiling canner

Remove into wire rack

Cool

Listen (to your seals 'taking', and the nice loud POP!)

Show it off, or stuff it in a stocking.

Delicious with an antipasto plate, pork dishes, or on a piece of toast with a hard sharp cheese. Such a cool unique taste!

*this is not an official canning guide, if you are not familiar with the process please read a good book like Bernardin's guide to canning where you can learn all about pH levels and botulism!*