Making your own chutneys

Chutneys are one of the more popular perennial wares that you’ll find in farmers markets, food fayres, and shops alike. What you might not realise is that with minimal effort you can create some of your own fantastic flavours in your own kitchen.

There are numerous benefits to making your own chutney. For one, it’s a great way to make your fruits and vegetables last much longer than they usually would – homemade chutney can last for several months at the very least. In addition, it’s the ideal way to use up excess or misshapen fruits and vegetables, or those which are about to go out of season. This is because they all get chopped up so you won’t notice any imperfections, as you would if you ate the individual fruits and vegetables as normal.

Be selective

That said, it’s important to be selective when it comes to choosing your fruits and vegetables. Consider the fact that you’re effectively pickling the food, so if you don’t think it’ll taste nice with a slightly strong, vinegary taste, then steer clear. However, it’s a matter of personal taste. Most fruits and vegetables can be turned into pickles and chutneys, so take your pick! The only stipulation would be that whatever you go for, choose fruit and vegetables that are reasonably good quality, rather than those that are soft or bruised.

There are many different recipes and flavour combinations which you can try; there are too many to list here, so search around (or experiment!) until you find one that appeals to you. It’s important that you use the correct amounts of each ingredient as stipulated by the recipe, or your chutney could turn out far too strong.

Most chutney recipes should follow a similar guideline, which involves boiling the fruits or vegetables, combining spices, sugar and vinegar, then bottling it up.

Sterilise everything

Throughout the entire chutney making process, it’s crucial that you use equipment that is as sterile as possible. If you plan to make a business out of chutney production then you might want to consider investing in some specialist equipment, but otherwise some careful sterilisation of your utensils, pans and glass jars should be enough. Remember that in these jars you’ll be storing fairly wet foodstuffs for several months at a time, which is usually the ideal hiding place for bacteria to grow. As such, you’ll need to ensure that everything is as clean as possible; if you start off with no bacteria, then your chutney will last for even longer!

If you follow these simple steps, by the end of the afternoon you can have your very own delicious jar of homemade chutney. Seal it securely then store it in a cool, dark place until you’re ready to eat it. The best chutneys rest for two to three months before you even consider trying them, but that’s a matter of personal taste and experimentation!

In summary, making your own chutney at home is a very cheap and economical way to use up surplus fruits and vegetables – not to mention the fact that it’s surprisingly simple. Try it. Maybe we’ll be seeing you selling your own varieties at a farmers’ market sometime soon!