Talkback: Grow your own chutney

Posts

• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  May 2010

  Sounds great & I had no idea one could grow turmeric in this country!
  Where can I buy tubers for planting?
  Is it possible to use the tubers from the (Thai or Indian) green grocers?

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  May 2010

  Just found a bag of Red Baron lurking in my cupboard so am going to plant and keep fingers crossed for own onions to make this and a green tomato chutney this year...thanks for the prompt

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  May 2010

  You can get fresh turmeric in Indian and Thai greengrocers - it's surprisingly easy to grow. I got mine last year from the Grenada Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show.
  
  Red Baron still fine to plant, just keep the sets well watered if you live somewhere that hasn't had much rain.

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  May 2010

  last year my wife made lots of homemade chutney, from all vegetables and fruit grown on our plot, useing green and red tomatoes, chillies, cues, and beetroot, its great to open a jar on Christmas day, thoughts of summer come flooding back.

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  June 2010

  Thanks for the recipe Lila, I'm not growing runner beans this year, but have 12 dwarf french bean plants, I presume it would work just as well with french beans? For the past two years I've made beetroot chutney,from a recipe I got off the internet, my husband loves it so much it doesn't last very long. I made the mistake of taking a couple of jars to our daughter-in-law now our son who hates beetroot cannot wait for this years harvest.

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  June 2010

  Dahlia lover, can you share the beetroot recipe (or a link to it)? Sounds lovely.
  I think French beans would also work with the Delia recipe.

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  June 2010

  Hi Lila, I cannot find the link to the site for the beetroot chutney, so here is my recipe, I tend to tweak recipe's and with this one I've reduced the amount of sugar and added honey instead and I've also added cinnamon. The amounts given will fill 4/5 jars of approx.300g. Adjust the amounts according to how much beetroot you have available. The original receipe says to pre-cook the beetroot by boiling for 45 mins, but I roast mine covered in foil gas mk 4 for about 1 hour.
  
  600g cooked beetroot
  300g onions (I use red)
  240g cooking apples
  80g demerera sugar
  3tbl honey
  1/2tsp dried ginger
  1/2tsp cinnamon
  2tsp salt
  160ml malt vinegar
  
  Dice the beetroot,onions and apples small and put all the ingredients into a large stainless steel or other non-corroding type of pan leaving at least an inch of space at the top for froth and bubbles. Bring the mixture to a strong boil stirring regularly to disolve the sugar. Cover and simmer gently for approx 45mins stirring occasionally. Seal in sterilised jars. I'm not sure how long you can store them for, as I said earlier mine don't last longer that a couple of month's. This year I'm growing more beetroot, I've 40 plants in the ground already and just about to sow some more, hopefully this should make sufficient chutney to stock my larder through winter. Hope you enjoy the chutney.

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  June 2010

  Yum! Thanks for that. Am growing lots of beetroot too.

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  June 2010

  I always have lots of chillis left over chilli jam is delicious with cold ham in the winter or amazing with a cheese board. I also freeze them whole and put some in a olive oil to make my own chilli oil gifts for friends.

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• Gardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147

  June 2010

  I have three large blueberry bushes and had fruit from them all last year. However, this year only one has any fruit. They all have been pruned in the same way - does anyone have any ideas for the possible reason

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