Allotments 4 All

I am a complete beginner at making chutney/jam, etc and need everything explaining, I'm afraid, including stuff about jars and seals (Can I use old ones?)
All marrow chutney recipes welcome! I've got quite a few marrows now which I need to use up

Irish marrow chutney - the best recipe!  I use my overgrown courgettes for this.  It is the only chutney I do, cos I like it so much! It is best kept to mature for several months before opening
Place all ingredients except the sugar in a large pan and bring to the boil, stirring all the time. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 1/2-2hrs, [or until the chutney is thick and the consistency of jam] stirring occassionally.  Add the sugar about 3/4 of the way through and stir to dissolve.  Stir  more frequently for remainder of the cooking time to prevent the chutney scorching.

Spoon while still hot into prepared jars. Seal with airtight, vinegar-proof covers
Makes about 7lb
3lb marrow/courgette, peeled, quartered lenghtways, seeded and diced
3lb cooking apples, peeled cored and chopped
8oz onions, peeled and chopped
1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed
4oz sultanas
4oz raisins
4oz dried apricots
4oz preserved ginger, finely chopped or 1 tabsp ground ginger
2oz almonds blanched and chopped
4tabsp mustard seeds
1tabsp chillies, seeds removed and finely chopped or ground chillie powder to taste
1tabsp salt
1tabsp ground cinnamon
1tsp ground cloves
1tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2pints malt vinegar
5tabsp Irish whiskey
1 1/2 lb sugar
cooking time: approx 2hrs

That sounds amazing.

The great thing about chutneys is that you can use whatever is in glut..

I did a version of the River Cottage Glutney with marrow, plums and apples..
Peanuts reciepe look fantastic and I second the approach of stirring more at then end - nothing worse than burning it after two hours of cooking. 

1kg marrows/overgrown courgettes, unpeeled but cut into dice no bigger than 1cm (discard seeds from really large marrows) OR 1kg pumpkin, peeled, seeds and soft fibres discarded, and diced no bigger than 1cm
1kg red or green tomatoes, scalded, skinned and roughly chopped OR 1kg plums, stoned and chopped
1kg cooking or eating apples, peeled and diced
500g onions, peeled and diced
500g sultanas or raisins
500g light brown sugar
750ml white wine or cider vinegar, made up to 1 litre with water
1–3 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tsp salt

for the spice bag
1 thumb-sized nugget of fresh or dried ginger, roughly chopped
12 cloves
12 black peppercorns
1 generous tsp coriander seeds
a few blades of mace

Put the vegetables and fruit in a large, heavy-based pan with the sultanas or raisins, sugar, vinegar and water, chilli flakes and salt.

Make up the spice bag by tying all the spices in a square of muslin or cotton. Add the spice bag to the pan, pushing it into the middle.

Heat the mixture gently, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar, and bring slowly to the boil. Simmer for 2–3 hours, uncovered, stirring regularly to ensure it does not burn on the bottom of the pan. The chutney is ready when it is rich, thick and reduced, and parts to reveal the base of the pan when a wooden spoon is dragged through it. If it starts to dry out before this stage is reached, add a little boiling water.

Pot up the chutney while still warm (but not boiling hot) in sterilised jars with plastic-coated screw-top lids (essential to stop the vinegar interacting with the metal). Leave to mature for at least 2 weeks – ideally 2 months – before serving.

Never thought of adding whisk(e)y to the chutney! Done it with marmalade. Poured one as a reward afterwards(!)

Interesting how we often get chutney threads at this time of year!! Hugh F-W's got a good one which he calls "Glutney", ie. use up whatever you've got plenty of.

OOps! Posts crossed!

(Also interesting how recipes called by the "main" ingredient manage to slip in an equal quantity of apples! My Green Tomato Chutney - made every year for the past few decades - has as many apples as tomatoes. Just as well this year, when we're inundated with them!!)

As to jars etc..

I just use old olive jars or pickle jars or anything with a good twist on top really - you dont have to buy fancy new stuff.
Make sure they are squeaky clean and sterilised.  I sterilise by cleaning with very hot soapy water and then in the oven for 20 mins. 

Ooh thankyou for the Irish Chutney recipe. That's the one for me I think... and as I speak I have 3ibs of marrow all chopped and ready for more chutney making tomorrow. I just hope I have enough jars...

well..have done it - 2 hrs into simmering, it tastes very odd - both vinegary and sugary at the same time - is this how it shd taste and will it get better afetr storage?

Yeah pretty much.  ;D

It will get better with time - I'd treat yourself with it on Boxing day!

okay. Fingers crossed. Thankyou all very much!

Chutney definitely improves with keeping.  We've been introducing my Irish Maroow Chutney (but made with courgettes) to many of our French friends, and they just love it.  They have never met chutney before and they can't get enough of it. Last night, we had a  big shared meal here for about 20 people, after one of our musical evenings, and one person had brought  a beautifully cooked and sliced joint of pork which he'd cooked like duck confit, i.e. in duck fat.  It was so good, and what made it was my chutney, made in 2008!  The flavour had really matured. Yes it is sweet, compared to ,say, a Branston pickle taste but it was such a perfect contrast to the meat.  It adds to the richness of any cold meat/salame/charcuterie.

I ve put it all at the back of the fridge to mature - wll this be too cold. It's warm in our house elsewhere

Chutney is a preserve, and as such should be perfectly fine at "normal room temperature" in a SEALED jar. Once the jar is opened, I keep mine in the 'fridge, other than that a dark cupboard is perfectly adequate. I'd expect chutney to mature more slowly in the 'fridge. If you've got space in the 'fridge it shouldn't be a problem, but I don't think it's really necessary ... people were making chutney long before 'fridges were invented  ;)

thankyou  :)

I've just started this and have dropped a clanger! :'( :'(

I put the sugar in 1/4 way through instead of 3/4 way through.

Am I headinf for a disaster? If so is there anything I can do before 5.15 (estimated end time)?

Regards

Bluecar (or currently Blue language)

I make glutney and always put the sugar in with everything else at the beginning and heat very slowly stirring until the sugar is all disollved. Cant see what difference it makes putting it in later. It will be fine.

Thanks Weequinie.

That's a relief. It's starting to thicken up now and the vinegar smell is starting to change to a more sweeter smell, Fingers crossed.

Bluecar

I think that the idea of putting the sugar in later is to let everything else cook and soften first. Once the sugar is in it is more likely to "catch" or burn on the bottom of the pan if not stirred often enough. 
If you have a flat topped wood burner you can let it simmer on there as the heat is evenly distributed.

I make loads of Irish marrow chutney and use it for little gifts and raffle prizes. Unfortunately I overestimated its popularity at the allotment show this year  ;)! never mind more for us!