With an abundance of peaches and blueberries in our area, I was struggling with what to do with them to make the most of what’s available.
I had dried peaches, made peach jam, blueberry jam, peach pie filling, frozen some with sugar, frozen blueberries and then came across recipes for Peach Chutney and Blueberry Chutney.
We had never used much chutney but I decided to try the recipe and after a few changes to the original recipes, our family can’t seem to get enough of it. We’ve shared a taste with everyone who has visited us this week and so far, everyone who’s tried it has asked for a jar. It’s been a hit on pulled pork, fried chicken strips and even biscuits! We’ve also served it with crackers and cream cheese and that would make a great quick appetizer any time! I’ve canned quite a bit of both peach and blueberry chutney in half pint jars.
Both, along with an apple curry chutney will be includd in gift baskets for friends for Christmas.
For both of these recipes, adjust the spices to suit your desires. We like our food hotter than most so the amount of jalapeno peppers may be too much for you. If in doubt, start with fewer, and add more if needed.
Blueberry Chutney
(makes 2-1/2 – 3 pints but can easily be doubled if you want more)
4 cups blueberries
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
3 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
3 tablespoon chopped or thinly sliced ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced (more or less to suit you tastes)
Add all ingredients to a large pot. Make sure the pot is large enough for the ingredients to simmer without boiling over. Simmer, stirring often til as thick as you’d like it. I simmer mine for about 1-1/2 hours.
Put into jars as you would for any canning procedure. Process in water bath for 10 minutes.
Peach Chutney
(makes 7-1/2 – 10 pints depending on how thick you cook it down)
4 quarts peaches, pitted, peeled and chopped
3 cups brown sugar
2 cups white sugar
1 cup raisins
2 cups chopped onion
1/4 cup mustard seed
4-6 tablespoons finely sliced, peeled fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4-10 jalapeno peppers, sliced (remove seeds if you want less heat . . we leave them in)
4 cups cider vinegar
Combine all ingredients in a pot that’s plenty large enough that it won’t boil over. Simmer til thick, stirring real often. It tends to want to stick if you get the heat too high or if you don’t stir it enough.
Fill hot jars, leaving 1/4″ head space. Remove air bubbles. Adjust lids and rings. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
