What's in Season in October
Aubergine, Apples, Beetroot, Blackberries, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celeriac, Celery, Chestnuts, Chicory, Chillies, Courgette, Cucumber, Elderberries, Kale, Leeks, Lettuce, Marrow, Onions, Parsnips, Pears, Peas, Potatoes, Pumpkin, Radishes, Rocket, Runner Beans, Spinach, Spring Greens, Spring Onions, Summer Squash, Swede, Sweetcorn, Swiss Chard, Tomatoes, Turnips, Watercress, Wild Mushrooms, Winter Squash.
Chutney is a great way to use up vegetables and fruit at the end of the season that you don’t want to see go to waste. It’s a perfect way to experiment with different flavours and if you don’t like the end result you can use the chutney as a base to cook stewing meat in the slow cooker adding beer or wine and stock cubes.
For the following recipe, I have literally collected vegetables and fruit together that have either been gifted to me and I have excess and ingredients that need using up rather than seeing them go to the food waste bin or compost.
The basic ratio I use for chutney is 1:6 wine/cider vinegar and sugar to the total weight of vegetable and fruit.
Other chutney combinations you could do try -
Apple and Sultanas
Beetroot and orange
Green Bean and Courgette
Pear and Ginger
Tomato and Chilli Chutney
Green Tomato Chutney
Ingredients:
- 2kg diced green tomatoes
- 600g diced cucumber
- 100g finely sliced green chillies
- 2 tsp of mustard seeds (optional)
- 500g diced onion
- 300g sliced celery
- 500g halved green grapes
- 650 kg demerara sugar
- 325ml red wine vinegar
- 325ml cider vinegar
Method:
- In a large heavy based, non-reactive pan lightly fry the onions, green chillies and mustard seeds for 5-10 minutes to soften without adding colour.
- Place the tomatoes, cucumber, celery and grapes in the pan with half the vinegar
- Bring to the boil then gently cook for about 1 ½ hours stirring from time to time, until the liquor reduces and thickens.
Editor's note - at this stage you could transfer to a slow cooker on high setting for 5 hours.
Meanwhile sterilise your jars
Pre- heat the oven to 140°C
Please note - to sterilise Kilner jars with rubber seals then it’s best to remove the rubber seal and boil that in water. This is because rubber doesn’t tend to react well to being dried in hot air. The jar (minus the rubber seal) can be placed in the oven with no problem.
- Add the salt, sugar and the rest of the vinegar to the chutney, stirring well until the sugar dissolves. Continue cooking until the mixture has thickened
- Pot into sterilised jars while the chutney is still warm. Drain the lids through a colander. Tighten the lids to seal the jars and leave for 6 weeks to mature.
