Mango Chutney

I am on a definite roll with the success of trying new home canned products. This year alone at least six new home canned products have found their way into my pantry, all of them receiving my family's seal of approval. A lot of this comes from being able to assess a recipe and know first if the ingredients are the right match and second knowing whether or not the product can be safely canned.

I was browsing through one of my canning books when a recipe caught my eye. It was for mango chutney and something about it just begged for me to try it. Chutneys are similar to salsas except they have a rich, smooth, mellow, sweet-sour taste whereas salsas tend to have a fresh, lively flavour. They compliment spicy and strong flavoured foods. The texture ranges from chunky to smooth while their spiciness ranges from mild to hot. Apples and onions are the base ingredients in traditional chutneys but sometimes dates or raisins are added as well.

Mangos & Gingerroot

Cases of mangoes were on sale last week for $7.99. The problem was we knew were away Tuesday through Thursday then Friday through Sunday but the sale for mangoes ended Thursday. So I had my husband pick up a case of slightly under ripe mango then put it in the pantry where it is both cool and dark where I hoped they would be fine until I could get them processed. Four of twelve mangoes went to the kids, two for each set of parents of the grandbabies. Apparently youngest grandbaby age 6 months loves mangoes!

Pictured are the mangoes and gingerroot. One thing I really don't like about produce bought in the grocery store are those stupid stickers on every piece of fruit. Honestly! They are a pain to remove and certainly not very environmentally friendly. An easier solution would be to teach the staff to recognize the various types of produce just like they did in the old days!

Prep

Mangoes have a large, flat, whitish pit so they are a bit more difficult to prepare. When quartered the mango flesh needs to be cut away from the pit because it does not peel off freely. It is a bit messy. A step-by-step method for preparing mangoes can be found here or use any method that get the desired results. One mango will yield about 1 cup of prepared fruit.

Gingerroot has a thin bark type covering. Peel this away to use for this recipe. Slice the peeled gingerroot into thin slices then slice again to form thin slivers. Cut across the slivers to form finely chopped pieces of gingerroot.

The mango chutney smelled heavenly and looked beautiful while it was cooking. It affirmed my suspicions that this would be a keeper recipe!

Mango Chutney

Pictured are 4 - 250 ml (half-pint) jars of mango chutney packed in the cutest, squatty Ball jars as well as enough left over for tomorrow night's dinner. I have to tell you I love fancy canning jars but I only have a few. The reason being is some of these fancy jars are not really all that practical or economical. Still I will buy a 4 pack of fancy jars just to try them out. Sometimes I will buy more but that won't be the case with these Platinum Ball jars. Sure they are cute but I could only get four jars in the BWB canner. There wasn't even enough room to add a regular 250 ml jar! This makes these jars suitable for mainly small batch canning at best. The replacement platinum lids are more expensive than the normal gold ones so the next time I use these jars they will be getting regular wide mouth lids. Since they are so squatty you don't get a really good view of the product but they will look nice on the table without having to pour into a bowl. Finally they are more expensive but they really are eye catching for gift giving.

Mango Chutney
source: Topp, E. and Howard, M. Small-Batch Preserving. 2001. Richmond Hill, Ontario. Pp. 218.
modifications: by myself October 30, 2008

3 medium cooking apples
2 large mangoes
½ medium sweet red pepper
1½ c organic granulated sugar
1 c finely chopped Spanish onion
½ c Sultana raisins
½ c white vinegar
¼ c finely chopped gingerroot
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp curry powder
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp sea salt

Peel, core and chop apples. Peel and chop mangoes. Chop pepper and finely chop onion and gingerroot. Place all in a large saucepan. Add raisins, sugar and vinegar. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 20 minutes or until the fruit is tender and the mixture is thickened. Stir in the lemon juice and seasonings. Cook an additional 5 minutes. Ladle into hot, sterilized jars leaving ½ - inch headspace. Wipe rims. Adjust two piece lids. Process 250 ml (half-pint) jars 10 minutes or 500 ml (pint) jars 15 minutes in boiling water bath canner.

Yield: 1.25 L (5 cups)