Lady M's Green Tomato Chutney
Ingredients • 8 lbs/3.6 kg green tomatoes• 6.25 lbs./ 2.8 kg apples, pared and chopped (Lady M often used what was on hand: gnarly old green cooking apples with the bad bits cut away.) I used local Jonathan apples. I also did not "pare" or peel my apples. • 2.5 cups/375 g chopped onion• 2.5 cups/375 g raisins• 4 lbs./ 64 ounces/1.8 kg brown sugar (I used 3.75 lbs. of granulated sugar and added ¼ cup/60ml molasses to get the brown sugar flavor.)• 5 cups/1.25 liters vinegar• 3 tablespoons salt• ¼ cup/60 g fresh grated ginger, plus a hunk of fresh ginger tied up in a cheesecloth while cooking• 4 cinnamon sticks• 5 tablespoons/55 g mustard seeds• 12 fresh garlic cloves, minced Instructions1. In a very large, non-reactive pot or Dutch oven, combine all the ingredients. Place the ginger tied into the cheesecloth into the pot as well.2. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.Reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the chutney has thickened, about 1.5 to 3 hours. Your green tomato chutney is done when it reaches a thick, jam-like consistency, the color of the mixture turns a glossy brown, and a wooden spoon drawn across the bottom of the pan leaves a visible trail that only slowly fills in with liquid. Be patient when cooking your green tomato chutney: this process can take anywhere from an hour to three hours or more, (depending on the amount of water in your fruit) and requires you to stir frequently to prevent scorching on the bottom of the pan as it thickens.3. Remove the pot from the heat and discard the cinnamon sticks, remove ginger chunk and cheese cloth bag. 4. Ladle the hot chutney into sterilized jars, leaving a ¼-inch of headspace. (Check hot-water-bath process times based on your elevation, and always follow tested guidelines from reliable sources like the National Center for Home Food Preservation.) 5. If you can wait, let the chutney marry in the jar for a couple weeks before eating it so that the flavors can fully combine and develop.
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