Rockledge Garden’s farmer’s market green tomato chutney: We have just been sampling our Farmer’s market green tomato chutney and were catapulted back in time!
To a time in England, at the end of the summer when the last of the tomatoes just won’t ripen and there are green ones dangling enticingly from the slowly dying plant. Here in Florida it appears that the tomatoes are so impatient to grow, that from the start they just can’t ripen enough.
When ever it is that you find yourself with a whole bunch of green tomato before or after the season, green tomato chutney is the perfect solution for capturing their subtle tomato flavour. This particular recipe is our basic solution. However, you can add and remove ingredients at will. The English are often found making their green tomato chutney with the expectation of the Christmas holidays and the turkey, cheeses, etc., that come along with it. This will mean the addition of more clove, garlic, cinnamon and all those other warming spices.
For now, this is our basic Rockledge gardens farmer’s market green tomato chutney and we hope you are encouraged to have fun with it and perhaps invent your own family recipes.
Ingredients – makes 14 x 8oz jars
- 2.5 Kg green tomatoes, quartered
- 500 grams spring onions, thinly chopped
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 250 grams raisins
- 250 grams cranberries
- 500 grams cooking apples (we only had 2 in the house so made it up with some of Vi’s apple sauce)
- 1 teaspoon ground clove
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon anise seeds
- 500 grams brown (or white) sugar
- 1.25 litres red wine vinegar
- First wash and dry the tomatoes then slice thinly and place them into a large saucepan.
- Add all of the other ingredients and bring to a boil.
- Boil for 20 minutes, stirring often. Then reduce the heat so that the chutney is simmering.
- Simmer for up to 2 hours and stir often and carefully because as you lift the chutney from the bottom of the pan, it will spit.
- Continue cooking until the chutney has thickened and is reduced by about 1/3rd.
- Pour into sterilized jars and seal as if for jam.
We tested our chutney and created a Rockledge Gardens farmer’s market sandwich using Busy Bee’s Bakery whole wheat bread, lettuce, tomato and onion picked at The Farm, some mozzarella and a good dollop of our Rockledge Gardens farmer’s market green tomato chutney and …… OH WOW!!!!
