Whether praising peaches, exalting raspberries or ogling apricots, I’d have to say I gush over seasonal fruit. What I don’t grow well (and that’s a big category this year), I try to buy locally. I just received a box of fruit from the Washington Sate Fruit Commission, a cardboard treasure chest layered with summer’s finest jewels: peaches, plums, and Italian prunes. (Told you I gush.)
Inspired by a visit to Sweet Preservation and pressured by the waning days of summer and the said box before me, I knew it was time to jar up some sunshine for my winter reserves. Such variety and bounty called for making a favorite: Late Summer Chutney.
First of all, what the heck is chutney? To quote the dictionary, it’s a relish of East Indian origin, often compounded of both sweet and sour ingredients, as fruits and herbs, with spices and other seasoning. Me, I define it as a fruity condiment your pantry (and plate) should not be without.
Chutney is one of the easiest preserves to make, you basically, wash, chop, add, stir, wait, cook, and can. I love chutney as an accompaniment to meats and cheeses, on sandwiches, tossed in salads or naked by the spoonful (naked referring to the chutney). And as with most of my cooking, there’s a lot of room for improvisation. Mix and match fruit, add more of what you like and less of what you don’t (though I would stick to the vinegar and sugar proportions).
RECIPE: Late Summer Chutney
Ingredients:
- 1 pound apples
- 1 pound peaches
- 1 pound pears
- 1 pound plums/prunes
- 2 onions
- 1.5 cups of golden raisins
- 1 orange: zest and juice
- 2 cups of cider vinegar
- 2 cups brown sugar
- spices
- 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamon
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes (Like heat? Add more.)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 inches grated fresh ginger
- pinch of salt
- grind or two of black pepper
Preparation:
- Mince onions, add to pot, cook on low until translucent or caramelized.
- Core and remove seeds
- Chop fruit into uniform bite sizes, add to pot, stir.
- Add all of the remaining ingredients and stir.
- Bring up temperature, stirring to dissolve sugar and blend thoroughly
- When combined, turn off heat and let it cool, stir, and refrigerate overnight
- Next day, simmer until fruit is tender but still holding shape and mixture thickens, about 15-20 minutes.
- Place in jars, leaving half inch head space, press down chutney with spoon to remove air bubbles
- Lid, and seal in hot water bath. I usually seal for 10 minutes.
I peel the apples and pears, but not the stone fruit. Peach and plum skins are relatively tender, plus they turn the chutney a beautiful red color.
Right: The heated chutney before being cooled and placed in the fridge. Left: Overnight the fruit gets a little pickled (who doesn’t), firms up and takes on a new color.
I used to cook chutney to death, like a lumpy pastier version of Major Grey’s chutney. Not so any more, I simmer the fruit until all of the ingredients are incorporated and standing liquids have mostly evaporated. This makes for a fresher tasting, crunchier chutney–part side dish, part condiment, all delicious.
The finished product is summer in a jar, a jar you can open at will. Make a batch and capture some sun; you’ll need it this January.
Chutney love indeed indeed; Boz pining for peaches, hankering for apples and letting me know about it.
I’m still eating my way through a giant batch of peach chutney I made last year. This mixed fruit variety looks intriguing indeed! In addition to chutneys, another condiment I recommend making is a good plum sauce. I made some earlier this summer and it is awesome! I think I’m going to make another batch with the fruit from another plum tree that needs to be picked soon.
Sandy, did you say plum sauce? Makes me want to go out for Moo-shu pork. What’s your recipe?
mmmm…. I’m a big fan of sweet and savory. Your chutney has me thinking.
Just made some mango chutney last weekend and bought more so I could whip up another batch today. I agree chutney’s fabulous on just about anything including but not limited to a spoon. Ha.
Chutney–YES! I have been picking plums this morning in anticipation of lovely plum chutney! I have to say, Tom, that discovering your blog has been a true highlight of this summer—seriously!
The recipe and photos look fabulous! Makes my mouth water!
Chutney lovers unite, and thanks for all the nice comments. And Pam, wow, you made my cloudy Labor Day morning, thank you. I’ll have to give plum chutney a try–sounds grrrr-eat.
Tom
Your post is a godsend; we get so many fruits from the orchard that I get overwhelmed and run out of ideas; this is perfect! Thank you I had no idea chutney was that simple to execute!
Tom,
You know I am a chutney freak!
I am working on a tomato chutney right now with end of summer tomatoes!
Your fruit version looks DIVINE!
Stace
Oh Tom I’m so glad they came through! I emailed them weeks ago and told them they needed to send some to you. They said they were at the end of the season and out of funds. Glad they scraped some up! The chutney looks divine as ever. xo, Annette
Love your “Chutney Love” post. I am writing about Plum and Lavender Chutney, a recipe from the HerbFarm Cookbook. I came across your blog this a.m. Love your images and will need to make some of your chutney soon. Thanks for the post! Kathy
Stacey– tomato chutney — a new one to try as well as Kathy’s plum-lavender chutney. They sound pretty darn fine. I’ll have to try them –thanks!
And Annette, thanks for the shout-out!
YUM! Thanks so much, I see I need to take a look around you blog. There are certainly more good things just like this one.
[…] will be making some chutney for my pantry. I’m thinking about trying the recipe posted by Tom at tall clover farm with a few of my own improvisations. Of course lavender will be one of […]
Ahhh the love of Chutney, I have been making and selling North Carolina Chutney for about two years now, we also market it as ” The Other BBQ Sauce” as you see it is basically the same but made with lovely peaches and apples instead of tomato base, such a great article, ahhh, does my heart good…
What kind of vegetarian sandwiches might you serve this on? Grilled eggplant? Roasted portabello? Would you serve it as a compliment to a rice based pilaf?
Debra, I think you’re on to something, this chutney would be great on grilled eggplant and roasted portabello. And if you eat fish, I mix it in tuna salad, too. I have added it to rice pilaf, mixing it in for a fruit-infused side.
What a lovely combo of grand ingredients in this lovely home made chutney, Tom!
I love the spices you have used in here! I will make this tasty recipe!!
Yummmmm,..Many hand waves from rainy & chilly Brussels to you!
Hi
Like really like this blog. Following you from the blog hop.
http://abundanceyeah.blogspot.com/2010/09/many-flavors-of-salsa-jalapeno-carrot.html
You’d probably like Scandinavian fruit soups. Very similar to your chutney, but using mostly dried fruits, tapioca, and no pepper! My Norwegian grandmother used large pearl tapioca (hard to find, these days), and her secret ingredient was a tablespoon of cider vinegar, added at the end.
Annette, that cold soup sounds delicious. I’m off to explore the possibilities online–thanks!
I’ve never made any chutney of any kind before, but I’ve got to say, that looks like something special – but this … this might put me over the edge …
[…] September: Make summer chutney […]
[…] a few jars of my remaining provisions in the form of homemade salsa verde, orange marmalade, and summer fruit chutney. She was delighted, but really expected nothing in […]
[…] way to use that bowl of fruit than by making some late summer chutney? I’ve wanted to make this recipe ever since I saw it at Tall Clover Farm last year. (Great blog by the way. You should read […]
[…] September 8th, 2011 · No Comments #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { height: 30px; width:50%; padding-top:1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; height: 30px; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; } I’m a man who’s a fan of things to can, a preserve practitioner ready to bottle up summer sweet things at a moment’s notice or as availability allows. So when the folks at the SweetPreservation.com asked me to be a CANbassador, delivering a case of succulent plums, peaches and nectarines along with the question, “What can you do with these?” my brain simmered like a stock pot of steaming chutney. […]
[…] Summer Fruit Chutney Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: blueberries, canning, home canning, homemade, Jams, plums, preserves, sweet preservation […]
Great recipe! Do you think it would work with all apples?
Thanks,
Maria
Hi Maria, thank you!
And yes, you can use any apple really, but if you want something less sweet, more tart use Granny Smith, Bramley’s Seedling, or Gravenstein. Sweet apples work well too, as the vinegar acts as a good foil to sweetness. I like Jonagold, Golden Delicious, and Braeburn. Good luck, hope this helps. Tom
Could you please comment on the approximate yield of this recipe? Pints or half pint jars needed?
Thank you! Sounds like a divine recipe!
Hi Peggy, I usually get to 8-10 pints based on my heavy weighing hand. I say a pound for each different fruit, but it’s a forgiving recipe and you can add a little more of each if you like without any problem.