Single hen

[superjules]

I've just been given a load of apples . I've done apple and plum chutney in previous years from a recipe on the waitrose website, but as this is going to be made to sell at the school Christmas fair I wanted to keep costs down for additional ingredients (I'm treasurer of the pta! ) so i was wondering if anyone has any tried and tested just-apple-on-it's-own-with-no-other-fruit chutney recipes.

[Chook n Boo Mum]

Hi Superjules,

 

Recipe I made the other day (and my friend's husband has devoured most of the jar I gave them already!) is from the Good Housekeeping Complete Book of Preserving.

 

3lb Cooking apples;peeled, cored & diced

3lb Onions; skinned & chopped

1lb Raisins or Sultanas

Grated rind & juice of 2 lemons

1.5 lb Demerara sugar

1 pt Malt Vinegar

 

Put everything in preserving pan, heat gently, stirring until sugar has dissolved, then bring to the boil. Reduce heat & simmer uncovered for about 3 hours, stir occasionally until mixture is of thick consistency, with no excess liquid remaining.

Spoon into preheated jars, cover & seal in usual way. Makes about 6lb.

 

I used value sultanas & onions & it turned out just yummy, with little cost! Also recycled jars, begged from everyone who has any will keep the costs down, although I'm sure the words "Grandma" & "egg sucking" are coming to your mind right now!

 

Good luck with the fundraising!

 

Sha xx

[superjules]

Great, thanks Wildmum. Sounds good. I love chutney!

 

I started peeling, coring and chopping the apples last night as I was told they were windfall, but they're fine, hardly any brown bits. I can see my maslin pan is going to be working overtime for the rest of the week though, there's tonnes of them! I think I may need to find some other apple preserve recipes too.

 

You can be sure I'll be using "value" or "basics" ingredients, I defy anyone to tell the difference in the finished product! I collect jars all year round (have you seen how much lakeland charge for empty jars? ), and my friends keep them for me too - the best ones are the little pesto/mint sauce/horseradish sized ones as we can get away with charging £1.50 per jar and people don't mind paying it, whereas if we put double the amount in a proper sized jar and try to charge double for it people are not so keen!

[Chook n Boo Mum]

I know what you mean about the price of jars - having exhausted my store of "sensible" sized jars, I'm now onto the pasta sauce sized ones, which are too huge to use quickly, and having decided to do a home-made Christmas this year, they are also too huge to put with a couple of others to make up a goodie bag /hamper (does that make me mean?! )

I went into Lakeland last week & bought 2 boxes of diddy jars & lids & that was over £16.00 - I nearly had heartfailure! So much for not bowing at the altar of commercialism - ooops fell of the soapbox!!

 

Having started on the route of home-made pressies, I got some cotton yarn, & have started knitting dishcloths to put in some of the hampers - I've had mixed responses; 2 friends have ordered one each, and another has offered a lift to the local loony bin! She thinks I'm nuts!! My "mad" side is finally allowed to come to the fore - the chooks have seen to that !

 

I found this recipe the other day for Apple Mint Chutney, which if you have mint still healthy in your garden, would be easy enough - I haven't tried it yet as I have to go & raid my mum's mint patch first!! I might also be doctoring the spices a little to suit the cupboard contents!! Let me know if you try it & how it turns out.

http://www.cookitsimply.com/recipe-0010-0329u3.html

 

Good luck with the chutney making,

 

Sha xx

 

p.s. the big jars don't get wasted though, we have a jar tombola at Christmas for our Scout group & you wouldn't believe what we've stuffed into jars in the past....!!

[Karen & co.]

That recipe sounds ideal We have a baking apple tree in the garden and the local hospice is asking for home made jams chutneys etc. to sell for fund raising All we have to do is make it with a small lable saying what is in the jar etc, they make up their own lables and sell them on

 

Karen x

[Lesley]

I make an apple and orange chutney which is great for Christmas hampers - I'll try to remember............

[Karen & co.]

I make an apple and orange chutney which is great for Christmas hampers - I'll try to remember............

 

 

Yes please

 

Karen x

[Chook n Boo Mum]

Me too please...!

 

Sha x

[superjules]

Wildmum, last year we were short on jars but tesco value mint sauce came to the rescue. It varies in price through the year from between 4p to 11p, it's currently 9p a jar. Tip it down the sink (I promise the food police won't come and arrest you!), and rinse the jars out with bicarb solution (sterilise as usual after) to get rid of that toothpaste smell! The labels come off really easy too and the lids are normally plain white, but I usually put a circle of wrapping paper over the lid and tie it with some curly ribbon to make it look pretty.

[Chook n Boo Mum]

Crumbs, I hadn't even thought of that, but what a good idea! Will have a look when I next go in....oh that will be on the way to school this afternoon!

 

Sha x

[BeckyBoo]

That's a FAB idea! I hadn't thought of that either! And I'm always on at the mums at school to save their baby food jars for me, when I run out I can feel a trip to Tescos coming on!

 

Mrs B

[superjules]

Woohoo, I made the chutney and it tastes yummy already . Thanks to wildmum for the recipe. I added a teaspoon each of allspice, ginger, cinnamon, and mustard seeds and just used the vinegar I had in the cupboard, cider vinegar and white wine vinegar (well, recipes are just guidelines really, aren't they??!! ). I'm just going to pot it up now.

 

I've got apple butter reducing in the slow cooker today (with the lid off) but I've still got loads of apples left. I'm also going to try apple and blackcurrant jam (got some leftover blackcurrants languishing in the freezer) once I've cleaned up my maslin pan - that's the only part of preserving I don't enjoy!

[Chook n Boo Mum]

Glad the chutney's good, I've got a batch on the go as I type, I used the spiced vinegar which is still (I think!) on special offer in Tesco, so haven't added any extra bits.

 

Have emptied the 10 jars of mint sauce straight down the loo - that stuff is horrendous! My guilt evaporated quicker than the chain pulled I can tell you Felt more guilt about leaving 5 jars sitting on the shelf for the unsuspecting bod to purchase as a legitimate buy!

 

Have a batch of apple jelly to measure up & sugar now - thank goodness for the little jars!

 

Sha x

[superjules]

Have emptied the 10 jars of mint sauce straight down the loo - that stuff is horrendous! My guilt evaporated quicker than the chain pulled I can tell you Felt more guilt about leaving 5 jars sitting on the shelf for the unsuspecting bod to purchase as a legitimate buy!

 

I agree, it's vile stuff - must be the quickest way to ruin a perfectly good lamp chop. Do you think anyone actually uses it? Even Jasper won't touch it - the dog who thinks of sheep poo as a gourmet snack!

 

I now have 11 jars of chutney sitting on my worktop - 1 for me , 1 for the lady who gave me the apples and the rest for school !

[Chook n Boo Mum]

Have just topped the last of my 9 jars of chutney - almost the last of my recycled jam rather than pasta sauce jars, so the jelly will have to go into my new diddy jars!

 

It's a beautiful shade of pink, I added the juice of a lemon & a few s"Ooops, word censored!"ings of rind to counteract some of the sweetness. Hope it turns out ok, but as you said a recipe is a guideline.....

 

Now for the pan - oh joy oh bliss!!!

 

How much do you sell the diddy jars for? Did you say £1.50? Might take a stall at the school fair & sell off the excess. Pretty bow & a tiny bag...mmmm...grey cells are on the go again!

 

Sha x

[Chook n Boo Mum]

.....and a bakers dozen jars of apple jelly, with just a hint of lemon....scrummy!! Am a happy bunny!!

 

Am off to a snatched lunch with DH, BIL & DD's godfather then race off to watch DD in a netball match - the first she's managed to tell me about BEFORE the event (she's been in 2 so far!!)

 

Sha xx

[superjules]

Your chutney and jelly sounds wonderful. Enjoy the netball match!

 

We start off selling the little jars at £1.50 each or 3 for £4, you get a feel for how well they are selling after the first hour and adjust prices if necessary. We make a big effort with the presentation, christmassy wrapping paper or material tied with ribbon or raffia over the lids, nicely labelled with computer printed labels bearing the pta logo, ingredients list, storage instructions and a serving suggestion.

 

I'm currently rummaging through my jam and preserving books to find more recipes with apple, I've found apple and blackcurrant jam, apple and blackberry, and on the internet, dutch apple preserve which sounds like posh pie filling! Might have a go at some of those later in the week.