This recipe enables you to make something with early pears or apples. It also works well for windfalls, because you can cut out the bruised parts.
Ingredients:
10 lbs apples, pears or crabapples diced into small cubes
2 soft mangoes or 3 tomatoes plus 1 cup orange juice
2 limes or lemons (juice them, and save the peel)
2 green onions
1/4 cup salt
2 habanero peppers (use something less spicy for weaker chutney!)
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon coriander seed
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon whole black pepper seeds
(Optional: 1 keiffer lime leaf)
Directions
- Clean and sterilize a dozen pint jars.
- Combine the mangoes or tomatoes, the juice, onions, salt, and peppers in a blender and blend till smooth.
- Mix all the herbs together dry. Break the bay leaves up into individual pieces.
- Using a sharp paring knife, cut the rind of the citrus away from the bitter white pith. Compost the pith.
- Prepare all the jars: put a small piece of lemon or lime rind into each one, add the herb blend.
- Put the apple or pear bits into the prepared jars.
- Fill the jars with the liquid to within 1/8" of the top of the jars. Wipe off any spills, put the lids and bands on them, and process them for canning using high-acid protocols.
