CHUTNEY CHORES - TWO RECIPES

REQUEST FOR TOMATO CHUTNEY RECIPE

I made two different recipes, first one from a tatty cutting which is from The Telegraph, in a column by Xanthe Clay. Not sure of date of her column.

(comes from Tom Bradbury, who was chef at the Cornwall Hotel Spa and Estate)

cutting from The Telegraph

Makes 2 jars

Tomato and sultana chutney

 5 fl oz/140 ml cider or white wine vinegar

5 oz/140g caster sugar

2 shallots, diced (I used small onions)

1 clove garlic, crushed

half teaspoon fennel seeds (from the garden)

half teaspoon coriander seeds

half teaspoon pepper (I used black)

3 tablespoon tomato puree

1lb 2 oz/500g tomatoes, washed and chopped (not peeled)

1 bay leaf

2oz/50g golden sultanas

1 teaspoon thyme, chopped

1 teaspoon black onion seeds (or I used black cumin)

and I added a chopped chilli from the garden - not very hot

Put vinegar, sugar, shallots, garlic, fennel, coriander seeds, pepper and a little salt in pan.  Bring gently to boil, cook till 'syrupy'.  (mine did not get very syrupy)

Add tomato puree, chopped tomatoes, bay leaf, sultanas and reduce heat to gentle simmer.

Cook until thick, then bottle in sterilised jars.

A favourite book of mine

TOMATO AND MARROW CHUTNEY

Page 156, Preserves for all Occasions, by Alice Crang (Penguin, First published 1944)

My second lot of Chutney made quite a lot more, but I used 4 lb tomatoes and 1 lb courgette, 2 lb onion, three quarter pound sugar, plus  salt, spice, chilli and half pint of vinegar.  The method is similar, please get in touch for more info. if you need it

Nice illustrations too

SNAILS CHOMP ON JUICY TOMATOES

SNAILS AND SLUGS RAMPAGE ON LONDON TOMATOES

I have found that snails in particular love eating tomatoes.  

Their favourites, like mine, are the juicy, soft skinned ones.

Juicy and sweet Mortgage Lifter

I try and find the pesky critters in the greenhouse and tread on them, with a certain amount of glee.

This year they have beaten me to it, and had feasts on lots of the best tomatoes.

Snails had a feast

GOT A LOT 

Anyway, despite the snail army, we have a very good crop of tomatoes, due no doubt to the very hot and sunny days this August. 

I have found that as usual I grew too many plants, carried away by the selection of packets of seeds I got cheap, cheap.

Picked on the allotment

Even with too many plants, which I had no pots for, I decided to plonk them on the allotment with not many caring gestures, waterings or feeds, and even so the little darlings have rewarded me with lots of fruits.

NEGLECTED TOMATO PLANTS

This seems to prove that even if you neglect a plant that is said to need staking, regular feeding, watering, cutting back, pulling off leaves and removing 'robbers', and just leave them to nature, you still might get a good crop.  Depends on the weather, I am sure.

Chutney nearly ready to 'jar'

CHUTNEY TIME

I don't like making chutney, it is a fiddle, and takes ages.  Also I never can find enough jars.  So the tomato chutney is a real labour of bother.  Got about 6 jars in the end, and they will be good for the cold days to come

TOMATO BLIGHT

You may remember that last year, with constant rain and cold days, we had dreadful blight.  This year, hoorah, no blight!  Got mildew on the courgettes, though