Cosy Blankets and Chutney

The longer evenings are drawing in and with them a feeling of needing to be snug and warm. Not quite time for a log fire but a cosy blanket is welcome. A time to knit, read and paint a picture or two.

Before winter sets in I like to be busy storing away my jars of preserves.

With that in mind I’ve been making chutney. One of my recipes is my husband’s favourite. It’s dark, sweet and a little fruity with raisins, apples and brown sugar. Although I love making it I prefer a more piquant taste so I made up another recipe. That way we’re both happy.

Here’s the recipe for the dark chutney.

Dark Sweet Chutney

1kg Courgettes
600g Tomatoes
200g Apples
700g Onions 
1 red Chilli Pepper
2 cloves Garlic, crushed
110g Raisins
600ml Malt Vinegar
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Mustard Powder
1 tablespoon Paprika
450g Brown Sugar
half teaspoon Celery Salt
2 teaspoons Mustard Seeds

Wash, trim and chop all vegetables into small pieces.
Put all ingredients into a large stainless steel pan and stir well to combine.
Bring slowly to the boil then leave to gently boil for two hours.
It will gradually thicken. This can be hastened if the pan has no  lid on but this makes a lot of condensation and vinegary aromas around the house. I prefer to put the lid on but not let the contents boil over.
Stir from time to time to ensure it doesn't stick.
After an hour, carefully wash and thoroughly rinse jars and lids. It makes approximately six jam jars of chutney. Never use damaged or rusty lids which will react with the vinegar.
Place the rinsed jars into the oven and heat on a low temperature until the chutney is ready.
Wipe the lids with kitchen paper or a very clean teatowel and put somewhere warm to dry (a shelf over a radiator, for eg.)
Place a board on the work surface next to the stove covered with newspaper and a layer of kitchen paper. A thickly folded teatowel will do if a board's not available.This will prevent the jars touching a cold surface which would cause them to crack.
You will need a clean ladle and a funnel which will fit into the tops of the jars to keep them clean. A jam funnel is ideal.
When the chutney is ready and the jars are hot remove them one at a time from the oven using a cloth and fill immediately. Leave a small gap at the top of the jar. Screw the lid on tightly straight away.
As the jars cool they will seal if everything was kept hot during the filling and the lids were tightly screwed on. As the chutney cools you will hear a popping sound when a vacuum forms at the top of the jar and pulls the lid on securely.
Leave to cool for 24 hours, then label with the date.
Store in a cool dark cupboard.

I was happy to be in the kitchen with the rain lashing the windows. It was a couple of days since I was able to snap a few beauties in the garden. Asters, sedums and fuschias are putting on a show now and attracting a few butterflies.

I brought some asters in to enjoy in the house while I wasn’t able to wander around outside.

Wild strawberries are still popping up their little jewels of berries for the birds to eat. I discovered one half eaten the other day.

There is always something of interest in the garden. New shoots developing, buds, seedheads and fading flowers or delicate feathers left behind by beating wings.

Another week has flown by. I hope you too are finding plenty of satisfying things to do.

Thank you to all those lovely readers who read the blog last week and enjoyed the sketches of my 1960s clothes. Your kind comments were much appreciated.

Bye for now. With you again soon.