Thursday 3 September 2015

Summer squash chutney

In a bid to avoid the mountain of housework, I decided to make a chutney this morning. I had harvested the remaining yellow pattypan squashes and felt that the best use for them would be a chutney. I have also used our own apples and green Romano peppers.


4 medium/large pattypan squash (I'd tell you the weight but I dropped my scales and they broke!)
3 apples (I used eating, but Bramley would be good)
4 green peppers
4 tomatoes
2 large onions, mfinely chopped
3 cloves garlic, grated
A 2" chunk of ginger, grated
2 tsp mixed spice
250g sultanas
200g brown sugar
750ml cider or white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Oil



Soften the onions in the oil, add the garlic and ginger. When softened, pile in the finely diced vegetables, seasoning, sultanas, vinegar and mixed spice. Leave to simmer for at least 2 hours. The liquid should have all but gone, leaving a more syrupy coating to the fruit and veg. It will thicken as it cools. 

Decant into sterilised jars, warmed in the oven. It should last for up to six months stored in a dark, cool place, without processing, so perfect for Christmas presents, correctly labelled.



I still need to make marmelades and jams. I also saw some sloes so might have a go at sloe gin and the Arancello I made last year was so delicious that I have to make some more! 

24 comments:

  1. Nice looking chutney, I was going to make some more but we still have a few jars left so shall wait, I have never grown the patty pan squashes may have to give them a go next year, Hubby makes Sloe gin although he dosent pick until after the first frost suppose to improve the flavor :-)

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  2. Yes I read that about sloes, but I'm worried that if I wait that long someone will have picked them before I get there! I will try pricking them with a pin instead and see if that works. I done even really drink anything except wine, but these home made 'liqueurs' have won me over!

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  3. That sounds like a nice recipe - I've been saving a load of jars to make some home-made chutney this Autumn. Isn't it lovely to have time to potter?! Jx

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    1. Pottering is great especially when you have something to show for it at the end! :) the recipe was a combination of various other ones I had found online.

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  4. So you do not do that boiling canning water bath stuff.
    This sounds like something I could do.
    I make a lot of Japanese styled quick pickled veggies.
    But I keep them in the frig and eat them right away.

    cheers, parsnip

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    1. If I was planning on keeping the chutney for longer I would process it fully, but from everything I've read up on, six months (if properly stored) should be fine. Both my parents were microbiologists so were well versed on microbes!

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  5. Making chutney is something I need to do next, well it would use up some of my green tomatoes and all the apples that are bouncing down off our trees. You got me imagining cheese and chutney sandwiches now ... and it's bedtime!!

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  6. It must be so satisfying to make chutney with your own produce. My patty pans failed miserably. I will keep the recipe so hopefully sometime in the future I will give it a go.

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  7. Sounds delicious. I have some baby butter nut squash that will probably remain small so I may use them up.

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  8. I used this recipe as a base for what turned out to be such a good chutney that we wanted to eat it by the bowl full! And the aroma in the house while it was cooking was almost unbearably heavenly!!!
    I started with almost ten cups of cubed pattypan squash; cut up palm sized down to thumbnail size thrown in whole. Three apples, one huge onion, and about a cup of tomatoes. I skipped the green pepper and used a half dozen assorted banana, jalapeño and chile peppers from my garden. (They gave it just the right amount of mild heat.) For spices, I went for a predominantly cardamom flavor, about two tablespoons, because I had a lot on hand which I had previously ground up from pods. I used about a teaspoon of each cinnamon and allspice. It was well worth the prep time. Thanks for the recipe!

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  9. I have been tasked with making chutney for The Gardens of Easton Lodge,a privately owned garden with extensive kitchen garden open to the public 10 times a year. The chutney, jams etc will be raffled in the forthcoming Open Sundays 2020. Green & yellow courgettes were made with a River Cottage recipe. Now to try yours for the patty pan squash! It's July so apples may have to be bought but the tomatoes will come from those destined for the anaerobic digester at the local tomato place...scrumped basically! I buy all my tomatoes, cucumber & peppers there so I don't think they will object. Enjoyed reading your story (2015). What are you doing these days,I wonder. Hope it's going well for you.

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