Mango Chutney

 Red Mangoes

 

Canning season began with  (at least for me) an unusual fruit. The mangoes in the market looked especially appealing this spring and I remembered of all those disappointing jars of store-bought mango chutneys that I have sampled over the years. "Surely," I thought to myself, " I could do a bit better than those. It's worth a try."  So, try I did.

Thane Prince offered an easy recipe in her Jellies, Jams and Chutneys. Preserving the Harvest.

MANGO CHUTNEY

(makes about 4 1/2 pounds)

1. 1 1/2 pounds mixed dried fruits (such as apricots, figs, dates, peaches and dark raisins)
2. 3 pounds mangoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
3. 1 1/2 pounds light brown or muscovado sugar
4. 2 large onions, chopped
5. 6 plump garlic cloves,chopped
6. 2 ounces fresh ginger, peeled and grated
7. 1-2 dried red chiles, crushed
8. 1 tablespoon salt
9. 4 cups cider or distilled malt vinegar

Cut any of the larger dried fruit into 1/2-inch pieces

Transfer all of the dried fruit to a large heavy nonreactive pot and stir in the remaining ingredients

Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until the chutney is thick, stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Ladle the hot chutney into jars and process in a water bath for 30 minutes. (If you are  6000 feet above sea level, add 15 minutes to the processing time.)

This makes a rather tart chutney. So, if you like yours a bit sweeter feel free to add a bit more sugar.

Yes, I did think it better than those commercial products.