Sri Lankan date and lime chutney.A spoon of this lip-smacking chutney is always a welcome addition to your meals. I’ve been known to finish a bottle of this date and lime chutney within a few days.It’s on my plate of rice, on bread rusks or on a few spoons on my palm to mouth as I go about my work, trust me it’s that good.

Learn how to make Plum Chutney/Relish ~ Sweet, spicy and tart yellow plum chutney/relish made using jaggery, unrefined sugar First time I tasted plums were when I did my under graduation course in Dharwad, a beautiful city in north Karnataka. I was instantly drawn to these ruby red plump fruits the moment I my eyes spotted them piled high in a wooden carts and bamboo baskets. The old lady selling this fruit offered me one as soon as she spotted me walking towards her cart and gave me bright smile with red Paan stained teeth. I looked at the round, plump fruit sitting on my palm and took out the clean tissue from my colourful cotton sling bag hanging loosely from my shoulder and cleaned the plum. The ruby red plum looked glossier with all that rubbing with tissue paper and I just couldn’t resist it anymore. My teeth sunk deep into the glossy red plum and bit into the tiny brownish seed in the centre. The sweet nectar with a hint of tartness from the juicy flesh along with the crunch from the firm peel with every bite made me fall in love with this divine fruit and from then onwards Plums became one of my most favourite fruits to snack on whenever my stomach refused eat the hostel food, especially in late monsoon months. Plum Chutney/Relish served with Dosa When I moved to the UK, the availability of fresh and seasonal fruits in farmers market made me behave like a kid in candy store to DH’s amusement. Having a life partner who equally enjoys gorging on fruits for snacks was a boon as we went on our quest for discovering the farmer’s market which sold the best tasting freshest fruits and vegetables year around. Whenever we travelled to new places, we never missed an opportunity to visit the farmer’s market and came back home with all fresh produce that was on offer. Being a vegetarians, these farmer’s market selling wide variety of fruits have come to our rescue in few places where vegetarian food on offer were less inviting. From sweet strawberries to crunchy nectarine and peach, from juicy pomegranates to tasty cherries, from tart plums to creamy persimmons, from variety of apples and oranges to juicy melons and grapes made us fall in love with wide variety of seasonal fruits. For someone who gets bored of eating same things again and again, the wide variety of fruits are really a blessing! Plum Chutney/Relish ~ Sweet, tart, spicy and delicious The unbridled pleasure of eating fresh fruits in their natural form beats out juicing them. I am firm believer in eating fruits in their original/natural form and hence hardly use fruits in milkshakes, smoothies, juice or such things which involves squeezing their life out. It doesn’t mean I don’t drink fruit juices or alike. I do…a lot! I resolve to making fruits juices or smoothies when I have eaten the same fruit for days after days and in the end I kind of go in to depression when I see the same fruit sitting prettily in fruit basket! On that day the said fruit gets a makeover and starts to look much different from its original self. Juicy Plums Plum Chutney or Plum Relish One of my favourite ways to use the fruits is in savoury preparation where the sweet juicy fruit beautifully embraces the heat from spices. I try and use minimal ingredients so that the taste of main ingredient still stands out and shines through with every bite you take. The cooking techniques used is fairly simple and fuss free and thus making the recipe more approachable for those who are taking baby steps in the world of cooking and doesn’t scare them away with innovative ways of using ingredients. One such recipe which is quick to make, simple to follow and absolutely delicious to taste is Chutney/Relish. Plum Chutney/Relish with Dosa From green, purple, red, to yellow coloured skins, plums come in a wide variety of colours and sizes. From being sugary sweet to tantalisingly tart, the perky plum comes in several guises but every single variety of these beautiful glossy fruits tastes every bit as good as they look. Although August is the month when they are harvested, these days they are available almost year around to gorge on these delicious fruits. Plum Chutney/Relish ~ Sunshine in a jar! We bring two large boxfuls of these plump plums every fortnight when they are in season from our town’s farmer’s market and relish them with gust. This time however DH got over excited and came back home with 3 large boxfuls of these juicy fruits in deep ruby red colour and sunny yellow colours. After eating basketful of plums to our heart’s content, we still had few more which needed to be used very quickly or else threatened to rot in few days time. Food waste is something I just can’t stand and hence decided to use these golden beauties in cooking. Chutney or relish is something that can never turn bad and that’s how this delicious Plum Chutney/Relish recipe was born. Plum Chutney/Relish ~ Irresistible and delicious The recipe for Plum Chutney/Relish is quite simple with few easily available ingredients, but the end result is one the best tasting chutney/relish which keeps fresh for weeks when stored in refrigerator. Such recipes are life savers for busy weekdays when you are dead tired to lift the spoon, let alone cook from scratch! These days I make a batch of different chutney/relish on weekends and pop them in refrigerator for busy weekdays as they go well with any dosa, idli, chapatti or any Indian flat bread. This Plum Chutney/Relish can also be used in simple wraps or in Pitta bread pockets with few salad leaves and fresh vegetables for crunch. The sweetness jaggery, heat from green chilli and tartness from plums makes this recipe of Plum Chutney/Relish a sure winner when it comes to taste. The whole spices used give it a pleasant flavour and aroma. Try it with any variety of plums and see how your taste buds tingle with joy! Juicy Plums for Plum Chutney/Relish Ingredients for Plum Chutney/Relish Jaggery for Plum Chutney/Relish Plum Chutney/Relish ~ Spoonful of golden goodness! Plum Chutney/Relish (Sweet, spicy and tart yellow plum chutney/relish made using jaggery) Prep Time: 5 mins Cooking Time: 15 mins Recipe Level: Easy/Beginner Spice Level: Medium Makes: About 1½ cups Shelf Life: 2-3 weeks when stored in refrigerator in an air tight jar Serving Suggestion: With dosa, idli, chapatti or any Indian flat bread (read notes) Ingredients: 7-8 or 2 cups Yellow or Red Plums, deseeded and cut into ½ inch pieces ¼ cup Jaggery or Brown/ Muscovado Sugar (As per taste) 3-4 Green Chillies, finely chopped ½ inch Ginger, peeled, chopped and crushed to rough paste 1¼ tsp Salt (As per taste) Spices Used: ½ tsp Haldi/Turmeric Powder 1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds 1 tsp Saunf/Fennel Seeds For Tadka/Tempering: 1 tsp Mustard Seeds 2 tbsp Oil Plum Chutney/Relish served with Dosa Method: Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds to it. When mustard starts to sizzle and pop, add finely chopped green chillies and fry them for half a minute. Next add chipped plums and sauté them on medium flame for about 5 minutes or until the plums release their juice. Mix in ginger paste, jaggery, turmeric powder, cumin seeds and fennel seeds and give it a good stir. Keep stirring the Plum Chutney for 3-4 minutes on medium flame and mash pieces in between using the back of wooden spoon. By now the Plums should get cooked and look little runny and glossy. Add salt to taste and adjust the seasonings as per taste. Let it cook for another 3-4 minutes on medium flame so that the excess moisture released from the plum evaporates and the Plum Chutney/Relish thickens a bit. Turn off the gas and let the chutney/relish come to room temperature. Transfer the Plum Chutney/Relish into clean and sterilised air tight glass jar and pop it into refrigerator and use it as and when required. It will stay fresh for 2-3 weeks. Plum Chutney/Relish Sia’s Notes: Adjust the quantity of jaggery depending on how tart the plums are. More tart means more jaggery to mellow the acidity level. Ditto with the green chillies used in the recipe. Use more if you like your chutney to have bit more of heat. You can use any variety of plums for this recipe; red, purple, green or yellow. You can also use strawberries instead of plums. This Plum Chutney/Relish is wonderfully delicious and goes well with dosas, idli, chapatti, or with any Indian flat bread. You can also serve it as dip for crisps, papads or nachos as a starter or finger food. I use this Plum Chutney/Relish as Sandwich spread and filling for veggie wraps with few salad leaves and it also makes a wonderful salad dressing.

The other week I communicated with Johnny from Kitsch n Flavours about his apricot & chamomile tart, which gave me the idea to make apricot chutney. Originally I wanted to make apricot & ch…

Cooking School – Preserving 101! The markets, home gardens and stores are simply bursting with fresh and ripe fruit and vegetables at this time of year. Not only am I getting tons of gorgeous produce in my CSA box each week, I can never resist buying huge loads of colorful, berries, stone fruit or squash from the Farmer’s Markets. To top it all off my mother-in-law and friendly neighbors keep bringing tons of homegrown cucumbers, tomatoes and zucchini harvested from their overflowing gardens. I always have a problem saying no! So it is not surprising that I have a surplus amount of produce at this time of year. Does this sound familiar to you? My solution to all this surplus produce is preserving – making jams, jellies, chutneys and preserves is something we have gotten used to doing every year. Although it’s just the three of us, our consumption on these items is rather high. Every weekend we enjoy long and relaxing breakfasts with warm rolls, organic butter, eggs and homemade jams and preserves. While I am the type who spreads my jam or preserve thinly on my buttered rolls, Tom and Soeren dollop thick layers enjoying the fruity taste. The cooler seasons also has me making more hearty roasts and piquant types of dishes and there is nothing better than having some delicious homemade spicy chutney or a fruity jelly to serve with it. Moreover, giving away colorful jars of jelly and jam as gifts in the holiday season always adds a special touch. We’ve been doing this every year for the past four years, this year however we were rather creative with a few of our experiments. As I looked into my pantry for that recently made fig and ginger preserve the jars of jams, jellies, preserves and chutney all lined on the rack, gleamed at me. At this moment I was struck with the idea to write this post. I have often heard some of my friends tell me they have no time to go through the process of making jams or chutneys at home. It’s a lot easier than one thinks. There are however, certain points and tips one has to consider. With this post I hope not only to offer a comprehensive column focusing on preserving and making jams, jellies, chutneys and relishes, I am also going to be sharing several of our favorite recipes. Jams, Jellies Marmalades, Preserves and Conserves This is the ideal way to preserve fruit. Sugar is the main ingredient that preserves the delicious summer fruits of choice. Exactly that is what a all of these start with: delicious, succulent and ripe fruit. Jams are made by crushing or grinding, whole fruit. They usually have a thick consistency due to high pectin content. Jellies are made using the juices of the fruit. It is much stiffer that a jam and if cut it will hold its shape. Marmalade is a jelly with pieces of cut fruit in it. Often citrus fruit like oranges, lemon or lime are the basis of a marmalade. Preserves is usually interchangeable with jam, but it often applies to cooked and gelled whole fruit, which includes a significant portion of the fruit. Conserves are made using a mixture of fruit, not necessarily fresh, and also contains nuts and citrus fruits. Chutneys and Relishes Chutneys originated in India and comes from the East Indian word chatni, which means "strongly spiced," Chutneys are basically condiments which usually consists of a mix of chopped fruits, vinegar, spices and sugar cooked into a chunky spread. Relishes are hardly cooked and use much less sugar. It is made by coarsely chopping fruit or vegetables, giving it a crunchier bite. Although both chutneys and relishes are interchangeable, often chutneys are made using fruit and relishes using vegetables. Sterilizing Your Jars and Lids Whether you are making a jam, relish, chutney or a marmalade one thing that needs the highest priority before you start is that everything you use, needs to be scrupulously cleaned. The pan, spoons and most importantly the jars should be scrubbed cleaned and wiped dry. Boil jars and lids to sterilize them to prevent bacteria from getting into the jam/chutney and spoiling it. How To: Place your empty jars, upright, without lids and open side up in a large clean pot. In a tea kettle bring water to a boil, and then pour enough water in the pot, filling the jars with the hot water. The jars should be covered with water. Bring the water to a boil and continue boiling for 10 minutes. In the meantime lay out clean kitchen towels on your counter. Using tongs take the jars out and allow to drip dry. Place the lids in the hot water and leave them in the hot, not boiling, water until ready to use. For best results with your fruity jams or preserves, it’s best to work with approx. 1 to 2 kgs of fruit at a time. Using more than that makes it difficult to handle in a home kitchen and it also becomes difficult to get the jam to set as it does not boil fast enough. With 2 kgs of fruit I often yield approx 6 jars of 450g-sized jars. Making Of Jams, Jellies, Preserves and co. can be made with or without using pectin. Pectin is needed to allow the thickening or gelling of the jam. It is created from a compound, protopectin, during the ripening of fruit and during the cooking of under-ripe fruit. All fruits contain some pectin. Large amounts of pectin can be found in apples, gooseberries, plums and citrus peel. Fruit like rhubarb, blueberries, strawberries or cherries have very little pectin. If using fruit with little pectin and you do not want to add commercial pectin, the jams, preserves and co. will thicken or gel only if it is combined with other pectin rich fruit or powdered or liquid pectin is incorporated in it. Jams and co. made without added pectin will require longer cooking time and you might notice a slightly different taste from those with added pectin. They also yield a less finished product. You will find that most recipes call for powdered or liquid pectin. Purchase pectin fresh every year as old pectin may result in poor gels. When preparing a jam, jelly & co. with powdered or liquid pectin, it is vital to carefully follow the directions accompanying the pectin product. Generally 50-125 ml of liquid or 2 teaspoons of dried pectin to each 450g of fruit is sufficient. The order of combining ingredients depends on the type of pectin used. For successful preparation of pectin-added jams and co., accuracy of timing is very important. Begin counting time when the mixture reaches a full rolling boil. Sugar is another important ingredient in jams and co. You can use any type of white sugar however; I find finer types of sugar dissolve more quickly. I often use gelling sugar, which is specifically used for preserves and contains pectin, in my jams and co. It is very important to make sure that the sugar has dissolved in the simmered fruit before it is brought to the boil. If not the jam may become crystallised and sugary. The amount of sugar needed for gelling basically depends on the amount of pectin present. If you have used fruits with plenty of pectin, use 1½ times the amount of sugar to fruit. If there is just enough pectin, use equal amounts of sugar and fruit. The easiest way to test the consistency of the jam or jelly is by placing a saucer into the freezer for a few minutes, then spoon about ½ teaspoon full of the jam onto the saucer. Place the saucer back into the freezer for approx. 30 seconds. If the sample is firm to the touch and has your required spreadable texture then it is done. It can now be removed from the heat. Chutneys and relishes I love them - the best is that the variety seems endless. The combinations and alterations can be varied according to personal taste and the ingredients available. They can be sweet, sour, hot or mild. One of the big advantages to both chutneys and relishes is that they improve with age. If properly stored they will remain in good condition for several months or years and you will be rewarded with spectacular bursts of new flavor. Vinegar, spices and sugar are all the things that make chutney or relish nice. As vinegar is the most important ingredient, it is vital that a good quality is used. I love using white wine vinegar, but you can use apple cider or a champagne vinegar too. Although any kind of granulated sugar can be used, I prefer brown or Demerara sugar as it gives the final product a wonderful rich and dark color. However, you can also achieve the darker color by simply cooking the chutney a little longer. Spices really make the chutney or relish nice. Your imagination is required here. Use whole spices rather than powdered. If you just want the flavor of the spice in your chutney then slightly crack or bruise them and tie them in a spice bag. Then cook along with the rest of the ingredients. Finally remove and discard. However, I often prefer having the spices in my chutney and just throw the amounts loose in the pot. Good chutney is relatively smooth in texture and it will have a rich mellow flavor. The best way to achieve this is to cook it long and slow. Ideally, it should be left to mature for at least three months. Relish on the other hand is cooked for a lot less and the texture is crunch, with bits of coarsely chopped vegetables. Whatever you preserve one thing is for sure nothing will satisfy you more than opening a jar of freshly preserved summer! I hope you will find this Preserving 101 helpful and refer to it whenever you require more information. You will find it conveniently in my sidebar category “The Know Hows of Food” under the section “How To…”. Now if I have gotten you into the mood here are a few of our favorite recipes. Recipes Apricot Chutney Ingredients Printable version of recipe here. (makes 3 200ml jars) 600g ripe apricots 1 red chili, slit in half, seeds removed and finely chopped 3-4 Shallots, finely chopped 1 tablespoon black mustard seeds 1 teaspoon coriander seeds 1/8 l white wine vinegar 100 g Demerara sugar Salt 1/2 bunch fresh coriander leaves, coarsely chopped Method Place the whole apricots in a large pot. In a tea kettle bring water to a boil. Pour over the apricots until they are covered. Allow to sit for 30 seconds to 1 minutes. Then take them out, one at a time, peel, cut in half, remove pit and coarsely chop. Add all of the remaining ingredients, except for the fresh coriander leaves. Pour in about 100ml of water and bring the entire mixture to a rolling boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chopped coriander leaves. Fill the chutney immediately into sterilized jars (as described above) and tightly screw the lids shut. Turn the jars upside down and allow to cool. Notes: Tastes great to cheese, lamb, and poultry. Will keep in the fridge for 4 weeks Cucumber Zucchini Relish Ingredients Printable version of recipe here. (makes 4 250ml jars) 2 large cucumbers, very finely chopped 2 large zucchini, very finely chopped 250g onions, very finely chopped 1 garlic clove, mashed 200 ml white wine vinegar 200g Demerara sugar Salt Method Place all the ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil, stirring regularly. Keep the mixture at a boil, regularly stirring for approx. 10 minutes. Immediately fill in the relish into the sterilized jars (as described above)and tightly screw the lids shut. Turn the jars upside down and allow to cool. Notes: Is perfect on burgers, hot dogs, fish and steaks Will keep in the fridge for 4 weeks Spicy Raspberry Jam Ingredients Printable version of recipe here. (makes 5 200 ml jars) 900g raspberries, washed, dripped dry on kitchen towel 2 red chilies, slit in half, seeds removed and very finely chopped 100ml Cassis Liqueur 500g gelling sugar (I used Dr. Oetker's Extra Gelling Sugar 2:1) Method Place the raspberries in a large pot, cover with sugar, pour in the cassis liqueur and add the chopped chili. Allow to steep for 15 minutes to release the juices. Bring the mixture to a boil. Now start timing and keep the mixture at a rolling boil for 3 minutes stirring all the time. Check to see if the mixture gels using the saucer test mentioned above. If not keep at a boil for another minute and then check again. Fill the jam in sterilized jars (as described above), leaving 3 mm space at the top of the jar, turn upside down and leave for 5 minutes. Then store in your pantry Mirabelle Silver Edge Lavender Preserve Ingredients Printable version of recipe here. (makes 5 200 ml jars) 1 kg mirabelles (or yellow plums), cut in half, pits removed then quartered 2-4 sprigs silver edge lavender, tied tightly into a bouquet garni 500g gelling sugar (I used Dr. Oetker's Extra Gelling Sugar 2:1) Method Place the mirabelles in a large pot. Put the lavender bouquet garni into the pot and cover with the sugar. Stir well to coat the fruit with the sugar and to release the juices. Bring the mixture to a boil under constant stirring. Now start timing and keep the mixture at a boil for a good 3 minutes, constantly stirring and crushing the fruit gently. Remove the bouquet garni and discard. Check to see if the mixture gels using the saucer test mentioned above. If not keep at a boil for another minute and then check again. Skim off any foam. Fill the jam in sterilized jars (as described above), leaving 3 mm space at the top of the jar, turn upside down and leave for 5 minutes. Then store in your pantry. Fig Ginger Preserve Ingredients Printable version of recipe here. (makes 5 200ml jars) 950g fresh figs, stems removed and peeled 30g fresh ginger, very finely chopped 5 tablespoons orange juice 500g fine sugar 1 packet (25g) commercial pectin Method Place the figs and ginger in a large pot. Pour in the orange juice and mix. Mix the powdered pectin and sugar and then add to the figs. Bring the mixture to a boil under constant stirring. Now start timing and keep the mixture at a boil for a good 3 minutes, constantly stirring and crushing the fruit gently Check to see if the mixture gels using the saucer test mentioned above. If not keep at a boil for another minute and then check again. Skim off any foam. Fill the jam in sterilized jars (as described above), leaving 3 mm space at the top of the jar, turn upside down and leave for 5 minutes. Then store in your pantry. Plum Cinnamon Preserve Ingredients Printable version of recipe here. (makes approx. 3-4 200 ml jars) 1.3 kg red plums, cut into quarters, pits removed 120 ml water 1 kg sugar 1 stick cinnamon 1 tablespoon lemon juice 85 g commercial pectin Method Place plums, cinnamon, lemon juice and water in a large pot and bring to a rolling boil, stirring often. Cover and reduce heat to low and allow the mixture to simmer for 10 minutes, until the fruit softens. Stir often. Add the sugar, returning the heat to medium-high and bring back to a boil, stirring constantly. Incorporate the pectin, stirring constantly. Boil for another minute, then remove from heat. Skim off any foam. Place the cinnamon stick in the jar then fill the jam in sterilized jars (as described above), leaving 3 mm space at the top of the jar, turn upside down and leave for 5 minutes. Then store in your pantry. Berry Cherry Jam Ingredients Printable version of recipe here. 300g black cherries, halved and pitted 220g blackberries 200g raspberries 1 tablespoon lemon juice 150g sugar 56g natural fruit pectin Method In a large pot mix the cherries, berries, lemon juice and pectin. Over a medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil, mashing the fruit with a wooden spoon. Boil for a further minute. Add the sugar and continue cooking, stirring often until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam. Fill the jam in sterilized jars (as described above), leaving 3 mm space at the top of the jar, turn upside down and leave for 5 minutes. Then store in your pantry. Verdict It's all about mixing, tasting and experimenting. Jams, jellies, chutneys or relishes. There is not much of a science to it, just a few basic guidelines. You do not need special equipment, just a large pot that you use mainly for your jam/chutney making. You will find these recipes are fairly easy and will offer you a wonderful array of summer flavor throughout the year. All photographs and written content on What's For Lunch, Honey? © 2006-2008 Meeta Khurana unless otherwise indicated. | All rights reserved | Please Ask First

This is an old French recipe and embodies the best of French country cooking -- simple and flavorful. By keeping the pits in the recipe, the flavor of the apricots is deepened and just a touch of almond is imparted. Makes approximately 6 cups.

Inlê Groente / Bottled Vegetables

Learn how to make Plum Chutney/Relish ~ Sweet, spicy and tart yellow plum chutney/relish made using jaggery, unrefined sugar First time I tasted plums were when I did my under graduation course in Dharwad, a beautiful city in north Karnataka. I was instantly drawn to these ruby red plump fruits the moment I my eyes spotted them piled high in a wooden carts and bamboo baskets. The old lady selling this fruit offered me one as soon as she spotted me walking towards her cart and gave me bright smile with red Paan stained teeth. I looked at the round, plump fruit sitting on my palm and took out the clean tissue from my colourful cotton sling bag hanging loosely from my shoulder and cleaned the plum. The ruby red plum looked glossier with all that rubbing with tissue paper and I just couldn’t resist it anymore. My teeth sunk deep into the glossy red plum and bit into the tiny brownish seed in the centre. The sweet nectar with a hint of tartness from the juicy flesh along with the crunch from the firm peel with every bite made me fall in love with this divine fruit and from then onwards Plums became one of my most favourite fruits to snack on whenever my stomach refused eat the hostel food, especially in late monsoon months. Plum Chutney/Relish served with Dosa When I moved to the UK, the availability of fresh and seasonal fruits in farmers market made me behave like a kid in candy store to DH’s amusement. Having a life partner who equally enjoys gorging on fruits for snacks was a boon as we went on our quest for discovering the farmer’s market which sold the best tasting freshest fruits and vegetables year around. Whenever we travelled to new places, we never missed an opportunity to visit the farmer’s market and came back home with all fresh produce that was on offer. Being a vegetarians, these farmer’s market selling wide variety of fruits have come to our rescue in few places where vegetarian food on offer were less inviting. From sweet strawberries to crunchy nectarine and peach, from juicy pomegranates to tasty cherries, from tart plums to creamy persimmons, from variety of apples and oranges to juicy melons and grapes made us fall in love with wide variety of seasonal fruits. For someone who gets bored of eating same things again and again, the wide variety of fruits are really a blessing! Plum Chutney/Relish ~ Sweet, tart, spicy and delicious The unbridled pleasure of eating fresh fruits in their natural form beats out juicing them. I am firm believer in eating fruits in their original/natural form and hence hardly use fruits in milkshakes, smoothies, juice or such things which involves squeezing their life out. It doesn’t mean I don’t drink fruit juices or alike. I do…a lot! I resolve to making fruits juices or smoothies when I have eaten the same fruit for days after days and in the end I kind of go in to depression when I see the same fruit sitting prettily in fruit basket! On that day the said fruit gets a makeover and starts to look much different from its original self. Juicy Plums Plum Chutney or Plum Relish One of my favourite ways to use the fruits is in savoury preparation where the sweet juicy fruit beautifully embraces the heat from spices. I try and use minimal ingredients so that the taste of main ingredient still stands out and shines through with every bite you take. The cooking techniques used is fairly simple and fuss free and thus making the recipe more approachable for those who are taking baby steps in the world of cooking and doesn’t scare them away with innovative ways of using ingredients. One such recipe which is quick to make, simple to follow and absolutely delicious to taste is Chutney/Relish. Plum Chutney/Relish with Dosa From green, purple, red, to yellow coloured skins, plums come in a wide variety of colours and sizes. From being sugary sweet to tantalisingly tart, the perky plum comes in several guises but every single variety of these beautiful glossy fruits tastes every bit as good as they look. Although August is the month when they are harvested, these days they are available almost year around to gorge on these delicious fruits. Plum Chutney/Relish ~ Sunshine in a jar! We bring two large boxfuls of these plump plums every fortnight when they are in season from our town’s farmer’s market and relish them with gust. This time however DH got over excited and came back home with 3 large boxfuls of these juicy fruits in deep ruby red colour and sunny yellow colours. After eating basketful of plums to our heart’s content, we still had few more which needed to be used very quickly or else threatened to rot in few days time. Food waste is something I just can’t stand and hence decided to use these golden beauties in cooking. Chutney or relish is something that can never turn bad and that’s how this delicious Plum Chutney/Relish recipe was born. Plum Chutney/Relish ~ Irresistible and delicious The recipe for Plum Chutney/Relish is quite simple with few easily available ingredients, but the end result is one the best tasting chutney/relish which keeps fresh for weeks when stored in refrigerator. Such recipes are life savers for busy weekdays when you are dead tired to lift the spoon, let alone cook from scratch! These days I make a batch of different chutney/relish on weekends and pop them in refrigerator for busy weekdays as they go well with any dosa, idli, chapatti or any Indian flat bread. This Plum Chutney/Relish can also be used in simple wraps or in Pitta bread pockets with few salad leaves and fresh vegetables for crunch. The sweetness jaggery, heat from green chilli and tartness from plums makes this recipe of Plum Chutney/Relish a sure winner when it comes to taste. The whole spices used give it a pleasant flavour and aroma. Try it with any variety of plums and see how your taste buds tingle with joy! Juicy Plums for Plum Chutney/Relish Ingredients for Plum Chutney/Relish Jaggery for Plum Chutney/Relish Plum Chutney/Relish ~ Spoonful of golden goodness! Plum Chutney/Relish (Sweet, spicy and tart yellow plum chutney/relish made using jaggery) Prep Time: 5 mins Cooking Time: 15 mins Recipe Level: Easy/Beginner Spice Level: Medium Makes: About 1½ cups Shelf Life: 2-3 weeks when stored in refrigerator in an air tight jar Serving Suggestion: With dosa, idli, chapatti or any Indian flat bread (read notes) Ingredients: 7-8 or 2 cups Yellow or Red Plums, deseeded and cut into ½ inch pieces ¼ cup Jaggery or Brown/ Muscovado Sugar (As per taste) 3-4 Green Chillies, finely chopped ½ inch Ginger, peeled, chopped and crushed to rough paste 1¼ tsp Salt (As per taste) Spices Used: ½ tsp Haldi/Turmeric Powder 1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds 1 tsp Saunf/Fennel Seeds For Tadka/Tempering: 1 tsp Mustard Seeds 2 tbsp Oil Plum Chutney/Relish served with Dosa Method: Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds to it. When mustard starts to sizzle and pop, add finely chopped green chillies and fry them for half a minute. Next add chipped plums and sauté them on medium flame for about 5 minutes or until the plums release their juice. Mix in ginger paste, jaggery, turmeric powder, cumin seeds and fennel seeds and give it a good stir. Keep stirring the Plum Chutney for 3-4 minutes on medium flame and mash pieces in between using the back of wooden spoon. By now the Plums should get cooked and look little runny and glossy. Add salt to taste and adjust the seasonings as per taste. Let it cook for another 3-4 minutes on medium flame so that the excess moisture released from the plum evaporates and the Plum Chutney/Relish thickens a bit. Turn off the gas and let the chutney/relish come to room temperature. Transfer the Plum Chutney/Relish into clean and sterilised air tight glass jar and pop it into refrigerator and use it as and when required. It will stay fresh for 2-3 weeks. Plum Chutney/Relish Sia’s Notes: Adjust the quantity of jaggery depending on how tart the plums are. More tart means more jaggery to mellow the acidity level. Ditto with the green chillies used in the recipe. Use more if you like your chutney to have bit more of heat. You can use any variety of plums for this recipe; red, purple, green or yellow. You can also use strawberries instead of plums. This Plum Chutney/Relish is wonderfully delicious and goes well with dosas, idli, chapatti, or with any Indian flat bread. You can also serve it as dip for crisps, papads or nachos as a starter or finger food. I use this Plum Chutney/Relish as Sandwich spread and filling for veggie wraps with few salad leaves and it also makes a wonderful salad dressing.

Learn how to make Plum Chutney/Relish ~ Sweet, spicy and tart yellow plum chutney/relish made using jaggery, unrefined sugar First time I tasted plums were when I did my under graduation course in Dharwad, a beautiful city in north Karnataka. I was instantly drawn to these ruby red plump fruits the moment I my eyes spotted them piled high in a wooden carts and bamboo baskets. The old lady selling this fruit offered me one as soon as she spotted me walking towards her cart and gave me bright smile with red Paan stained teeth. I looked at the round, plump fruit sitting on my palm and took out the clean tissue from my colourful cotton sling bag hanging loosely from my shoulder and cleaned the plum. The ruby red plum looked glossier with all that rubbing with tissue paper and I just couldn’t resist it anymore. My teeth sunk deep into the glossy red plum and bit into the tiny brownish seed in the centre. The sweet nectar with a hint of tartness from the juicy flesh along with the crunch from the firm peel with every bite made me fall in love with this divine fruit and from then onwards Plums became one of my most favourite fruits to snack on whenever my stomach refused eat the hostel food, especially in late monsoon months. Plum Chutney/Relish served with Dosa When I moved to the UK, the availability of fresh and seasonal fruits in farmers market made me behave like a kid in candy store to DH’s amusement. Having a life partner who equally enjoys gorging on fruits for snacks was a boon as we went on our quest for discovering the farmer’s market which sold the best tasting freshest fruits and vegetables year around. Whenever we travelled to new places, we never missed an opportunity to visit the farmer’s market and came back home with all fresh produce that was on offer. Being a vegetarians, these farmer’s market selling wide variety of fruits have come to our rescue in few places where vegetarian food on offer were less inviting. From sweet strawberries to crunchy nectarine and peach, from juicy pomegranates to tasty cherries, from tart plums to creamy persimmons, from variety of apples and oranges to juicy melons and grapes made us fall in love with wide variety of seasonal fruits. For someone who gets bored of eating same things again and again, the wide variety of fruits are really a blessing! Plum Chutney/Relish ~ Sweet, tart, spicy and delicious The unbridled pleasure of eating fresh fruits in their natural form beats out juicing them. I am firm believer in eating fruits in their original/natural form and hence hardly use fruits in milkshakes, smoothies, juice or such things which involves squeezing their life out. It doesn’t mean I don’t drink fruit juices or alike. I do…a lot! I resolve to making fruits juices or smoothies when I have eaten the same fruit for days after days and in the end I kind of go in to depression when I see the same fruit sitting prettily in fruit basket! On that day the said fruit gets a makeover and starts to look much different from its original self. Juicy Plums Plum Chutney or Plum Relish One of my favourite ways to use the fruits is in savoury preparation where the sweet juicy fruit beautifully embraces the heat from spices. I try and use minimal ingredients so that the taste of main ingredient still stands out and shines through with every bite you take. The cooking techniques used is fairly simple and fuss free and thus making the recipe more approachable for those who are taking baby steps in the world of cooking and doesn’t scare them away with innovative ways of using ingredients. One such recipe which is quick to make, simple to follow and absolutely delicious to taste is Chutney/Relish. Plum Chutney/Relish with Dosa From green, purple, red, to yellow coloured skins, plums come in a wide variety of colours and sizes. From being sugary sweet to tantalisingly tart, the perky plum comes in several guises but every single variety of these beautiful glossy fruits tastes every bit as good as they look. Although August is the month when they are harvested, these days they are available almost year around to gorge on these delicious fruits. Plum Chutney/Relish ~ Sunshine in a jar! We bring two large boxfuls of these plump plums every fortnight when they are in season from our town’s farmer’s market and relish them with gust. This time however DH got over excited and came back home with 3 large boxfuls of these juicy fruits in deep ruby red colour and sunny yellow colours. After eating basketful of plums to our heart’s content, we still had few more which needed to be used very quickly or else threatened to rot in few days time. Food waste is something I just can’t stand and hence decided to use these golden beauties in cooking. Chutney or relish is something that can never turn bad and that’s how this delicious Plum Chutney/Relish recipe was born. Plum Chutney/Relish ~ Irresistible and delicious The recipe for Plum Chutney/Relish is quite simple with few easily available ingredients, but the end result is one the best tasting chutney/relish which keeps fresh for weeks when stored in refrigerator. Such recipes are life savers for busy weekdays when you are dead tired to lift the spoon, let alone cook from scratch! These days I make a batch of different chutney/relish on weekends and pop them in refrigerator for busy weekdays as they go well with any dosa, idli, chapatti or any Indian flat bread. This Plum Chutney/Relish can also be used in simple wraps or in Pitta bread pockets with few salad leaves and fresh vegetables for crunch. The sweetness jaggery, heat from green chilli and tartness from plums makes this recipe of Plum Chutney/Relish a sure winner when it comes to taste. The whole spices used give it a pleasant flavour and aroma. Try it with any variety of plums and see how your taste buds tingle with joy! Juicy Plums for Plum Chutney/Relish Ingredients for Plum Chutney/Relish Jaggery for Plum Chutney/Relish Plum Chutney/Relish ~ Spoonful of golden goodness! Plum Chutney/Relish (Sweet, spicy and tart yellow plum chutney/relish made using jaggery) Prep Time: 5 mins Cooking Time: 15 mins Recipe Level: Easy/Beginner Spice Level: Medium Makes: About 1½ cups Shelf Life: 2-3 weeks when stored in refrigerator in an air tight jar Serving Suggestion: With dosa, idli, chapatti or any Indian flat bread (read notes) Ingredients: 7-8 or 2 cups Yellow or Red Plums, deseeded and cut into ½ inch pieces ¼ cup Jaggery or Brown/ Muscovado Sugar (As per taste) 3-4 Green Chillies, finely chopped ½ inch Ginger, peeled, chopped and crushed to rough paste 1¼ tsp Salt (As per taste) Spices Used: ½ tsp Haldi/Turmeric Powder 1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds 1 tsp Saunf/Fennel Seeds For Tadka/Tempering: 1 tsp Mustard Seeds 2 tbsp Oil Plum Chutney/Relish served with Dosa Method: Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds to it. When mustard starts to sizzle and pop, add finely chopped green chillies and fry them for half a minute. Next add chipped plums and sauté them on medium flame for about 5 minutes or until the plums release their juice. Mix in ginger paste, jaggery, turmeric powder, cumin seeds and fennel seeds and give it a good stir. Keep stirring the Plum Chutney for 3-4 minutes on medium flame and mash pieces in between using the back of wooden spoon. By now the Plums should get cooked and look little runny and glossy. Add salt to taste and adjust the seasonings as per taste. Let it cook for another 3-4 minutes on medium flame so that the excess moisture released from the plum evaporates and the Plum Chutney/Relish thickens a bit. Turn off the gas and let the chutney/relish come to room temperature. Transfer the Plum Chutney/Relish into clean and sterilised air tight glass jar and pop it into refrigerator and use it as and when required. It will stay fresh for 2-3 weeks. Plum Chutney/Relish Sia’s Notes: Adjust the quantity of jaggery depending on how tart the plums are. More tart means more jaggery to mellow the acidity level. Ditto with the green chillies used in the recipe. Use more if you like your chutney to have bit more of heat. You can use any variety of plums for this recipe; red, purple, green or yellow. You can also use strawberries instead of plums. This Plum Chutney/Relish is wonderfully delicious and goes well with dosas, idli, chapatti, or with any Indian flat bread. You can also serve it as dip for crisps, papads or nachos as a starter or finger food. I use this Plum Chutney/Relish as Sandwich spread and filling for veggie wraps with few salad leaves and it also makes a wonderful salad dressing.

Use unripe fruit in a zingy baked chicken or a spicy mixed tomato chutney

mango chutney recipe, amer chutney recipe, mango spread recipes, mango relish recipes, how to prepare sweet and sour mango chutney, khatti mithi am ki achar. amaer achaar recipe, aam ki launji, am ki murabba,

mangue, piment, gingembre, raisins secs, sucre, vinaigre de xérès, sel

Mandarin Orange Prosecco Preserves

I like to use this jelly as a condiment. It's always a conversation piece—everyone wonders about the "green" ingredient! This beautiful jelly is so easy to make and I often use it as a gift-giving item for the holidays. —Ruth Glick, Dalton, Ohio

Learn how to make Plum Chutney/Relish ~ Sweet, spicy and tart yellow plum chutney/relish made using jaggery, unrefined sugar First time I tasted plums were when I did my under graduation course in Dharwad, a beautiful city in north Karnataka. I was instantly drawn to these ruby red plump fruits the moment I my eyes spotted them piled high in a wooden carts and bamboo baskets. The old lady selling this fruit offered me one as soon as she spotted me walking towards her cart and gave me bright smile with red Paan stained teeth. I looked at the round, plump fruit sitting on my palm and took out the clean tissue from my colourful cotton sling bag hanging loosely from my shoulder and cleaned the plum. The ruby red plum looked glossier with all that rubbing with tissue paper and I just couldn’t resist it anymore. My teeth sunk deep into the glossy red plum and bit into the tiny brownish seed in the centre. The sweet nectar with a hint of tartness from the juicy flesh along with the crunch from the firm peel with every bite made me fall in love with this divine fruit and from then onwards Plums became one of my most favourite fruits to snack on whenever my stomach refused eat the hostel food, especially in late monsoon months. Plum Chutney/Relish served with Dosa When I moved to the UK, the availability of fresh and seasonal fruits in farmers market made me behave like a kid in candy store to DH’s amusement. Having a life partner who equally enjoys gorging on fruits for snacks was a boon as we went on our quest for discovering the farmer’s market which sold the best tasting freshest fruits and vegetables year around. Whenever we travelled to new places, we never missed an opportunity to visit the farmer’s market and came back home with all fresh produce that was on offer. Being a vegetarians, these farmer’s market selling wide variety of fruits have come to our rescue in few places where vegetarian food on offer were less inviting. From sweet strawberries to crunchy nectarine and peach, from juicy pomegranates to tasty cherries, from tart plums to creamy persimmons, from variety of apples and oranges to juicy melons and grapes made us fall in love with wide variety of seasonal fruits. For someone who gets bored of eating same things again and again, the wide variety of fruits are really a blessing! Plum Chutney/Relish ~ Sweet, tart, spicy and delicious The unbridled pleasure of eating fresh fruits in their natural form beats out juicing them. I am firm believer in eating fruits in their original/natural form and hence hardly use fruits in milkshakes, smoothies, juice or such things which involves squeezing their life out. It doesn’t mean I don’t drink fruit juices or alike. I do…a lot! I resolve to making fruits juices or smoothies when I have eaten the same fruit for days after days and in the end I kind of go in to depression when I see the same fruit sitting prettily in fruit basket! On that day the said fruit gets a makeover and starts to look much different from its original self. Juicy Plums Plum Chutney or Plum Relish One of my favourite ways to use the fruits is in savoury preparation where the sweet juicy fruit beautifully embraces the heat from spices. I try and use minimal ingredients so that the taste of main ingredient still stands out and shines through with every bite you take. The cooking techniques used is fairly simple and fuss free and thus making the recipe more approachable for those who are taking baby steps in the world of cooking and doesn’t scare them away with innovative ways of using ingredients. One such recipe which is quick to make, simple to follow and absolutely delicious to taste is Chutney/Relish. Plum Chutney/Relish with Dosa From green, purple, red, to yellow coloured skins, plums come in a wide variety of colours and sizes. From being sugary sweet to tantalisingly tart, the perky plum comes in several guises but every single variety of these beautiful glossy fruits tastes every bit as good as they look. Although August is the month when they are harvested, these days they are available almost year around to gorge on these delicious fruits. Plum Chutney/Relish ~ Sunshine in a jar! We bring two large boxfuls of these plump plums every fortnight when they are in season from our town’s farmer’s market and relish them with gust. This time however DH got over excited and came back home with 3 large boxfuls of these juicy fruits in deep ruby red colour and sunny yellow colours. After eating basketful of plums to our heart’s content, we still had few more which needed to be used very quickly or else threatened to rot in few days time. Food waste is something I just can’t stand and hence decided to use these golden beauties in cooking. Chutney or relish is something that can never turn bad and that’s how this delicious Plum Chutney/Relish recipe was born. Plum Chutney/Relish ~ Irresistible and delicious The recipe for Plum Chutney/Relish is quite simple with few easily available ingredients, but the end result is one the best tasting chutney/relish which keeps fresh for weeks when stored in refrigerator. Such recipes are life savers for busy weekdays when you are dead tired to lift the spoon, let alone cook from scratch! These days I make a batch of different chutney/relish on weekends and pop them in refrigerator for busy weekdays as they go well with any dosa, idli, chapatti or any Indian flat bread. This Plum Chutney/Relish can also be used in simple wraps or in Pitta bread pockets with few salad leaves and fresh vegetables for crunch. The sweetness jaggery, heat from green chilli and tartness from plums makes this recipe of Plum Chutney/Relish a sure winner when it comes to taste. The whole spices used give it a pleasant flavour and aroma. Try it with any variety of plums and see how your taste buds tingle with joy! Juicy Plums for Plum Chutney/Relish Ingredients for Plum Chutney/Relish Jaggery for Plum Chutney/Relish Plum Chutney/Relish ~ Spoonful of golden goodness! Plum Chutney/Relish (Sweet, spicy and tart yellow plum chutney/relish made using jaggery) Prep Time: 5 mins Cooking Time: 15 mins Recipe Level: Easy/Beginner Spice Level: Medium Makes: About 1½ cups Shelf Life: 2-3 weeks when stored in refrigerator in an air tight jar Serving Suggestion: With dosa, idli, chapatti or any Indian flat bread (read notes) Ingredients: 7-8 or 2 cups Yellow or Red Plums, deseeded and cut into ½ inch pieces ¼ cup Jaggery or Brown/ Muscovado Sugar (As per taste) 3-4 Green Chillies, finely chopped ½ inch Ginger, peeled, chopped and crushed to rough paste 1¼ tsp Salt (As per taste) Spices Used: ½ tsp Haldi/Turmeric Powder 1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds 1 tsp Saunf/Fennel Seeds For Tadka/Tempering: 1 tsp Mustard Seeds 2 tbsp Oil Plum Chutney/Relish served with Dosa Method: Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds to it. When mustard starts to sizzle and pop, add finely chopped green chillies and fry them for half a minute. Next add chipped plums and sauté them on medium flame for about 5 minutes or until the plums release their juice. Mix in ginger paste, jaggery, turmeric powder, cumin seeds and fennel seeds and give it a good stir. Keep stirring the Plum Chutney for 3-4 minutes on medium flame and mash pieces in between using the back of wooden spoon. By now the Plums should get cooked and look little runny and glossy. Add salt to taste and adjust the seasonings as per taste. Let it cook for another 3-4 minutes on medium flame so that the excess moisture released from the plum evaporates and the Plum Chutney/Relish thickens a bit. Turn off the gas and let the chutney/relish come to room temperature. Transfer the Plum Chutney/Relish into clean and sterilised air tight glass jar and pop it into refrigerator and use it as and when required. It will stay fresh for 2-3 weeks. Plum Chutney/Relish Sia’s Notes: Adjust the quantity of jaggery depending on how tart the plums are. More tart means more jaggery to mellow the acidity level. Ditto with the green chillies used in the recipe. Use more if you like your chutney to have bit more of heat. You can use any variety of plums for this recipe; red, purple, green or yellow. You can also use strawberries instead of plums. This Plum Chutney/Relish is wonderfully delicious and goes well with dosas, idli, chapatti, or with any Indian flat bread. You can also serve it as dip for crisps, papads or nachos as a starter or finger food. I use this Plum Chutney/Relish as Sandwich spread and filling for veggie wraps with few salad leaves and it also makes a wonderful salad dressing.

My soul does a little happy dance as the last official day of summer arrives and we move into March and early autumn. Its my favourite time of year hands down. I prefer April as it gets even cooler and the light softens as the days get shorter. I start dreaming about more robust dishes

Imagine Carmen Miranda’s fruit filled hat. Then imagine preserving it. That’s pretty much how it all started. There was a large display of champagne mangoes at Whole Foods. And beyond the mangoes, there was a cart, big and wooden, with a tent shaped roof. All the tropical fruits were displayed there. Coconuts, pomelo, small extremely... Read more »

I just can't seem to help myself; every time I walk through Chinatown those cases of perfectly ripe mangoes just keep calling to me and I end up walking home with another. I needed to

Coś dla zwolenników powideł, śliwek i bucht ze śliwkami bo takie śliwki mogą mieć szerokie zastosowanie :-) Śliwki pieczone z wanili...

Ingredients: 4 cups finely diced ripe mango 4 cups finely diced fresh pineapple 5 cups sugar 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons light rum (optional) 1 6 oz box liquid pectin Directions: Add th…

Zesty, refreshing and fragrant lemon jam with three simple ingredients.

Learn how to make Plum Chutney/Relish ~ Sweet, spicy and tart yellow plum chutney/relish made using jaggery, unrefined sugar First time I tasted plums were when I did my under graduation course in Dharwad, a beautiful city in north Karnataka. I was instantly drawn to these ruby red plump fruits the moment I my eyes spotted them piled high in a wooden carts and bamboo baskets. The old lady selling this fruit offered me one as soon as she spotted me walking towards her cart and gave me bright smile with red Paan stained teeth. I looked at the round, plump fruit sitting on my palm and took out the clean tissue from my colourful cotton sling bag hanging loosely from my shoulder and cleaned the plum. The ruby red plum looked glossier with all that rubbing with tissue paper and I just couldn’t resist it anymore. My teeth sunk deep into the glossy red plum and bit into the tiny brownish seed in the centre. The sweet nectar with a hint of tartness from the juicy flesh along with the crunch from the firm peel with every bite made me fall in love with this divine fruit and from then onwards Plums became one of my most favourite fruits to snack on whenever my stomach refused eat the hostel food, especially in late monsoon months. Plum Chutney/Relish served with Dosa When I moved to the UK, the availability of fresh and seasonal fruits in farmers market made me behave like a kid in candy store to DH’s amusement. Having a life partner who equally enjoys gorging on fruits for snacks was a boon as we went on our quest for discovering the farmer’s market which sold the best tasting freshest fruits and vegetables year around. Whenever we travelled to new places, we never missed an opportunity to visit the farmer’s market and came back home with all fresh produce that was on offer. Being a vegetarians, these farmer’s market selling wide variety of fruits have come to our rescue in few places where vegetarian food on offer were less inviting. From sweet strawberries to crunchy nectarine and peach, from juicy pomegranates to tasty cherries, from tart plums to creamy persimmons, from variety of apples and oranges to juicy melons and grapes made us fall in love with wide variety of seasonal fruits. For someone who gets bored of eating same things again and again, the wide variety of fruits are really a blessing! Plum Chutney/Relish ~ Sweet, tart, spicy and delicious The unbridled pleasure of eating fresh fruits in their natural form beats out juicing them. I am firm believer in eating fruits in their original/natural form and hence hardly use fruits in milkshakes, smoothies, juice or such things which involves squeezing their life out. It doesn’t mean I don’t drink fruit juices or alike. I do…a lot! I resolve to making fruits juices or smoothies when I have eaten the same fruit for days after days and in the end I kind of go in to depression when I see the same fruit sitting prettily in fruit basket! On that day the said fruit gets a makeover and starts to look much different from its original self. Juicy Plums Plum Chutney or Plum Relish One of my favourite ways to use the fruits is in savoury preparation where the sweet juicy fruit beautifully embraces the heat from spices. I try and use minimal ingredients so that the taste of main ingredient still stands out and shines through with every bite you take. The cooking techniques used is fairly simple and fuss free and thus making the recipe more approachable for those who are taking baby steps in the world of cooking and doesn’t scare them away with innovative ways of using ingredients. One such recipe which is quick to make, simple to follow and absolutely delicious to taste is Chutney/Relish. Plum Chutney/Relish with Dosa From green, purple, red, to yellow coloured skins, plums come in a wide variety of colours and sizes. From being sugary sweet to tantalisingly tart, the perky plum comes in several guises but every single variety of these beautiful glossy fruits tastes every bit as good as they look. Although August is the month when they are harvested, these days they are available almost year around to gorge on these delicious fruits. Plum Chutney/Relish ~ Sunshine in a jar! We bring two large boxfuls of these plump plums every fortnight when they are in season from our town’s farmer’s market and relish them with gust. This time however DH got over excited and came back home with 3 large boxfuls of these juicy fruits in deep ruby red colour and sunny yellow colours. After eating basketful of plums to our heart’s content, we still had few more which needed to be used very quickly or else threatened to rot in few days time. Food waste is something I just can’t stand and hence decided to use these golden beauties in cooking. Chutney or relish is something that can never turn bad and that’s how this delicious Plum Chutney/Relish recipe was born. Plum Chutney/Relish ~ Irresistible and delicious The recipe for Plum Chutney/Relish is quite simple with few easily available ingredients, but the end result is one the best tasting chutney/relish which keeps fresh for weeks when stored in refrigerator. Such recipes are life savers for busy weekdays when you are dead tired to lift the spoon, let alone cook from scratch! These days I make a batch of different chutney/relish on weekends and pop them in refrigerator for busy weekdays as they go well with any dosa, idli, chapatti or any Indian flat bread. This Plum Chutney/Relish can also be used in simple wraps or in Pitta bread pockets with few salad leaves and fresh vegetables for crunch. The sweetness jaggery, heat from green chilli and tartness from plums makes this recipe of Plum Chutney/Relish a sure winner when it comes to taste. The whole spices used give it a pleasant flavour and aroma. Try it with any variety of plums and see how your taste buds tingle with joy! Juicy Plums for Plum Chutney/Relish Ingredients for Plum Chutney/Relish Jaggery for Plum Chutney/Relish Plum Chutney/Relish ~ Spoonful of golden goodness! Plum Chutney/Relish (Sweet, spicy and tart yellow plum chutney/relish made using jaggery) Prep Time: 5 mins Cooking Time: 15 mins Recipe Level: Easy/Beginner Spice Level: Medium Makes: About 1½ cups Shelf Life: 2-3 weeks when stored in refrigerator in an air tight jar Serving Suggestion: With dosa, idli, chapatti or any Indian flat bread (read notes) Ingredients: 7-8 or 2 cups Yellow or Red Plums, deseeded and cut into ½ inch pieces ¼ cup Jaggery or Brown/ Muscovado Sugar (As per taste) 3-4 Green Chillies, finely chopped ½ inch Ginger, peeled, chopped and crushed to rough paste 1¼ tsp Salt (As per taste) Spices Used: ½ tsp Haldi/Turmeric Powder 1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds 1 tsp Saunf/Fennel Seeds For Tadka/Tempering: 1 tsp Mustard Seeds 2 tbsp Oil Plum Chutney/Relish served with Dosa Method: Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds to it. When mustard starts to sizzle and pop, add finely chopped green chillies and fry them for half a minute. Next add chipped plums and sauté them on medium flame for about 5 minutes or until the plums release their juice. Mix in ginger paste, jaggery, turmeric powder, cumin seeds and fennel seeds and give it a good stir. Keep stirring the Plum Chutney for 3-4 minutes on medium flame and mash pieces in between using the back of wooden spoon. By now the Plums should get cooked and look little runny and glossy. Add salt to taste and adjust the seasonings as per taste. Let it cook for another 3-4 minutes on medium flame so that the excess moisture released from the plum evaporates and the Plum Chutney/Relish thickens a bit. Turn off the gas and let the chutney/relish come to room temperature. Transfer the Plum Chutney/Relish into clean and sterilised air tight glass jar and pop it into refrigerator and use it as and when required. It will stay fresh for 2-3 weeks. Plum Chutney/Relish Sia’s Notes: Adjust the quantity of jaggery depending on how tart the plums are. More tart means more jaggery to mellow the acidity level. Ditto with the green chillies used in the recipe. Use more if you like your chutney to have bit more of heat. You can use any variety of plums for this recipe; red, purple, green or yellow. You can also use strawberries instead of plums. This Plum Chutney/Relish is wonderfully delicious and goes well with dosas, idli, chapatti, or with any Indian flat bread. You can also serve it as dip for crisps, papads or nachos as a starter or finger food. I use this Plum Chutney/Relish as Sandwich spread and filling for veggie wraps with few salad leaves and it also makes a wonderful salad dressing.

A chutney to accompany Christmas cold cuts, created especially for Online Fashion Week

This flavour packed sweet chilli jam is the champion of ALL jams! Makes a lovely homemade gift, and pairs perfectly with cheese.

Over 45 recipes for homemade jams and jellies

With tongue-tingling peppers, pears, tomatoes and more, this versatile chutney is a mouthful of flavor. Serve it alongside your favorite meat entree...as a sandwich spread...over cream cheese for an appetizer...or even with chips as a salsa-style dip.—Deb Thomson, Grand Island, Nebraska

Make the most of those sweet, winter seasonal fruits by preserving some with this easy and delicious Clementine Rum Marmalade. Great on toast and dessert, there's no end to the ways to use this preserve.

A blog about cooking and baking at home. Recipes, homemade, homecooked, homecookedmeal, Malaysian, cooking recipes, baking recipes, foodie, foodlover

This lightly spiced marrow chutney recipe is a great way of preserving the seasonal vegetable year-round and is particularly delicious with a sharp, crumbly cheese.

Mangos add just the right amount of sweetness to this warm, spicy chutney.

When I was very young, I watched my grandma make this jam in the kitchen. As I sneaked blueberries to snack on, she picked me up and told me that if I wanted any more, I'd need to learn to make this jam! —Jill Drury, River Forest, Illinois

Orange Jam recipe, Mandarine jam recipe, Orange jam without pectin, Easy orange jam, How to make orange jam recipe, How to prepare ornge jam, Orange jam recipe with stepwise picture instructions, Orange recipes, Orange preserve recipe, Home made orange jam

This sweet Fresh Fig Chutney with raisins and apples is the perfect accompaniment for white meat, cheese platters and charcuterie boards.  Seasoned with warming spices like nutmeg, cloves and ginger, it also makes for a wonderful DIY Christmas gift idea for your foodie friends.

A simple weeknight sauce - perfect for your burger, sandwich, pizza, steak or chicken

Learn how to make Plum Chutney/Relish ~ Sweet, spicy and tart yellow plum chutney/relish made using jaggery, unrefined sugar First time I tasted plums were when I did my under graduation course in Dharwad, a beautiful city in north Karnataka. I was instantly drawn to these ruby red plump fruits the moment I my eyes spotted them piled high in a wooden carts and bamboo baskets. The old lady selling this fruit offered me one as soon as she spotted me walking towards her cart and gave me bright smile with red Paan stained teeth. I looked at the round, plump fruit sitting on my palm and took out the clean tissue from my colourful cotton sling bag hanging loosely from my shoulder and cleaned the plum. The ruby red plum looked glossier with all that rubbing with tissue paper and I just couldn’t resist it anymore. My teeth sunk deep into the glossy red plum and bit into the tiny brownish seed in the centre. The sweet nectar with a hint of tartness from the juicy flesh along with the crunch from the firm peel with every bite made me fall in love with this divine fruit and from then onwards Plums became one of my most favourite fruits to snack on whenever my stomach refused eat the hostel food, especially in late monsoon months. Plum Chutney/Relish served with Dosa When I moved to the UK, the availability of fresh and seasonal fruits in farmers market made me behave like a kid in candy store to DH’s amusement. Having a life partner who equally enjoys gorging on fruits for snacks was a boon as we went on our quest for discovering the farmer’s market which sold the best tasting freshest fruits and vegetables year around. Whenever we travelled to new places, we never missed an opportunity to visit the farmer’s market and came back home with all fresh produce that was on offer. Being a vegetarians, these farmer’s market selling wide variety of fruits have come to our rescue in few places where vegetarian food on offer were less inviting. From sweet strawberries to crunchy nectarine and peach, from juicy pomegranates to tasty cherries, from tart plums to creamy persimmons, from variety of apples and oranges to juicy melons and grapes made us fall in love with wide variety of seasonal fruits. For someone who gets bored of eating same things again and again, the wide variety of fruits are really a blessing! Plum Chutney/Relish ~ Sweet, tart, spicy and delicious The unbridled pleasure of eating fresh fruits in their natural form beats out juicing them. I am firm believer in eating fruits in their original/natural form and hence hardly use fruits in milkshakes, smoothies, juice or such things which involves squeezing their life out. It doesn’t mean I don’t drink fruit juices or alike. I do…a lot! I resolve to making fruits juices or smoothies when I have eaten the same fruit for days after days and in the end I kind of go in to depression when I see the same fruit sitting prettily in fruit basket! On that day the said fruit gets a makeover and starts to look much different from its original self. Juicy Plums Plum Chutney or Plum Relish One of my favourite ways to use the fruits is in savoury preparation where the sweet juicy fruit beautifully embraces the heat from spices. I try and use minimal ingredients so that the taste of main ingredient still stands out and shines through with every bite you take. The cooking techniques used is fairly simple and fuss free and thus making the recipe more approachable for those who are taking baby steps in the world of cooking and doesn’t scare them away with innovative ways of using ingredients. One such recipe which is quick to make, simple to follow and absolutely delicious to taste is Chutney/Relish. Plum Chutney/Relish with Dosa From green, purple, red, to yellow coloured skins, plums come in a wide variety of colours and sizes. From being sugary sweet to tantalisingly tart, the perky plum comes in several guises but every single variety of these beautiful glossy fruits tastes every bit as good as they look. Although August is the month when they are harvested, these days they are available almost year around to gorge on these delicious fruits. Plum Chutney/Relish ~ Sunshine in a jar! We bring two large boxfuls of these plump plums every fortnight when they are in season from our town’s farmer’s market and relish them with gust. This time however DH got over excited and came back home with 3 large boxfuls of these juicy fruits in deep ruby red colour and sunny yellow colours. After eating basketful of plums to our heart’s content, we still had few more which needed to be used very quickly or else threatened to rot in few days time. Food waste is something I just can’t stand and hence decided to use these golden beauties in cooking. Chutney or relish is something that can never turn bad and that’s how this delicious Plum Chutney/Relish recipe was born. Plum Chutney/Relish ~ Irresistible and delicious The recipe for Plum Chutney/Relish is quite simple with few easily available ingredients, but the end result is one the best tasting chutney/relish which keeps fresh for weeks when stored in refrigerator. Such recipes are life savers for busy weekdays when you are dead tired to lift the spoon, let alone cook from scratch! These days I make a batch of different chutney/relish on weekends and pop them in refrigerator for busy weekdays as they go well with any dosa, idli, chapatti or any Indian flat bread. This Plum Chutney/Relish can also be used in simple wraps or in Pitta bread pockets with few salad leaves and fresh vegetables for crunch. The sweetness jaggery, heat from green chilli and tartness from plums makes this recipe of Plum Chutney/Relish a sure winner when it comes to taste. The whole spices used give it a pleasant flavour and aroma. Try it with any variety of plums and see how your taste buds tingle with joy! Juicy Plums for Plum Chutney/Relish Ingredients for Plum Chutney/Relish Jaggery for Plum Chutney/Relish Plum Chutney/Relish ~ Spoonful of golden goodness! Plum Chutney/Relish (Sweet, spicy and tart yellow plum chutney/relish made using jaggery) Prep Time: 5 mins Cooking Time: 15 mins Recipe Level: Easy/Beginner Spice Level: Medium Makes: About 1½ cups Shelf Life: 2-3 weeks when stored in refrigerator in an air tight jar Serving Suggestion: With dosa, idli, chapatti or any Indian flat bread (read notes) Ingredients: 7-8 or 2 cups Yellow or Red Plums, deseeded and cut into ½ inch pieces ¼ cup Jaggery or Brown/ Muscovado Sugar (As per taste) 3-4 Green Chillies, finely chopped ½ inch Ginger, peeled, chopped and crushed to rough paste 1¼ tsp Salt (As per taste) Spices Used: ½ tsp Haldi/Turmeric Powder 1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds 1 tsp Saunf/Fennel Seeds For Tadka/Tempering: 1 tsp Mustard Seeds 2 tbsp Oil Plum Chutney/Relish served with Dosa Method: Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds to it. When mustard starts to sizzle and pop, add finely chopped green chillies and fry them for half a minute. Next add chipped plums and sauté them on medium flame for about 5 minutes or until the plums release their juice. Mix in ginger paste, jaggery, turmeric powder, cumin seeds and fennel seeds and give it a good stir. Keep stirring the Plum Chutney for 3-4 minutes on medium flame and mash pieces in between using the back of wooden spoon. By now the Plums should get cooked and look little runny and glossy. Add salt to taste and adjust the seasonings as per taste. Let it cook for another 3-4 minutes on medium flame so that the excess moisture released from the plum evaporates and the Plum Chutney/Relish thickens a bit. Turn off the gas and let the chutney/relish come to room temperature. Transfer the Plum Chutney/Relish into clean and sterilised air tight glass jar and pop it into refrigerator and use it as and when required. It will stay fresh for 2-3 weeks. Plum Chutney/Relish Sia’s Notes: Adjust the quantity of jaggery depending on how tart the plums are. More tart means more jaggery to mellow the acidity level. Ditto with the green chillies used in the recipe. Use more if you like your chutney to have bit more of heat. You can use any variety of plums for this recipe; red, purple, green or yellow. You can also use strawberries instead of plums. This Plum Chutney/Relish is wonderfully delicious and goes well with dosas, idli, chapatti, or with any Indian flat bread. You can also serve it as dip for crisps, papads or nachos as a starter or finger food. I use this Plum Chutney/Relish as Sandwich spread and filling for veggie wraps with few salad leaves and it also makes a wonderful salad dressing.

Also known as "go home peaches, you are DRUNK." Which is what I wanted to name the post, but you know, search engines and stuff, so Maple Whisky Peaches it is. The Maple Whisky Peaches made my house smell AMAZING, yes, so good I need to shout at you. Think; rich malt spirits with sweet peaches

Recipe from The Thanksgiving Table by Diane Morgan

These colorful fruit jellies are simple to make and fun to eat.

This heavenly beetroot chutney recipe from William Drabble is packed with beetroot, apple and dill seeds - perfect for cheese and cold cuts

Cooking School – Preserving 101! The markets, home gardens and stores are simply bursting with fresh and ripe fruit and vegetables at this time of year. Not only am I getting tons of gorgeous produce in my CSA box each week, I can never resist buying huge loads of colorful, berries, stone fruit or squash from the Farmer’s Markets. To top it all off my mother-in-law and friendly neighbors keep bringing tons of homegrown cucumbers, tomatoes and zucchini harvested from their overflowing gardens. I always have a problem saying no! So it is not surprising that I have a surplus amount of produce at this time of year. Does this sound familiar to you? My solution to all this surplus produce is preserving – making jams, jellies, chutneys and preserves is something we have gotten used to doing every year. Although it’s just the three of us, our consumption on these items is rather high. Every weekend we enjoy long and relaxing breakfasts with warm rolls, organic butter, eggs and homemade jams and preserves. While I am the type who spreads my jam or preserve thinly on my buttered rolls, Tom and Soeren dollop thick layers enjoying the fruity taste. The cooler seasons also has me making more hearty roasts and piquant types of dishes and there is nothing better than having some delicious homemade spicy chutney or a fruity jelly to serve with it. Moreover, giving away colorful jars of jelly and jam as gifts in the holiday season always adds a special touch. We’ve been doing this every year for the past four years, this year however we were rather creative with a few of our experiments. As I looked into my pantry for that recently made fig and ginger preserve the jars of jams, jellies, preserves and chutney all lined on the rack, gleamed at me. At this moment I was struck with the idea to write this post. I have often heard some of my friends tell me they have no time to go through the process of making jams or chutneys at home. It’s a lot easier than one thinks. There are however, certain points and tips one has to consider. With this post I hope not only to offer a comprehensive column focusing on preserving and making jams, jellies, chutneys and relishes, I am also going to be sharing several of our favorite recipes. Jams, Jellies Marmalades, Preserves and Conserves This is the ideal way to preserve fruit. Sugar is the main ingredient that preserves the delicious summer fruits of choice. Exactly that is what a all of these start with: delicious, succulent and ripe fruit. Jams are made by crushing or grinding, whole fruit. They usually have a thick consistency due to high pectin content. Jellies are made using the juices of the fruit. It is much stiffer that a jam and if cut it will hold its shape. Marmalade is a jelly with pieces of cut fruit in it. Often citrus fruit like oranges, lemon or lime are the basis of a marmalade. Preserves is usually interchangeable with jam, but it often applies to cooked and gelled whole fruit, which includes a significant portion of the fruit. Conserves are made using a mixture of fruit, not necessarily fresh, and also contains nuts and citrus fruits. Chutneys and Relishes Chutneys originated in India and comes from the East Indian word chatni, which means "strongly spiced," Chutneys are basically condiments which usually consists of a mix of chopped fruits, vinegar, spices and sugar cooked into a chunky spread. Relishes are hardly cooked and use much less sugar. It is made by coarsely chopping fruit or vegetables, giving it a crunchier bite. Although both chutneys and relishes are interchangeable, often chutneys are made using fruit and relishes using vegetables. Sterilizing Your Jars and Lids Whether you are making a jam, relish, chutney or a marmalade one thing that needs the highest priority before you start is that everything you use, needs to be scrupulously cleaned. The pan, spoons and most importantly the jars should be scrubbed cleaned and wiped dry. Boil jars and lids to sterilize them to prevent bacteria from getting into the jam/chutney and spoiling it. How To: Place your empty jars, upright, without lids and open side up in a large clean pot. In a tea kettle bring water to a boil, and then pour enough water in the pot, filling the jars with the hot water. The jars should be covered with water. Bring the water to a boil and continue boiling for 10 minutes. In the meantime lay out clean kitchen towels on your counter. Using tongs take the jars out and allow to drip dry. Place the lids in the hot water and leave them in the hot, not boiling, water until ready to use. For best results with your fruity jams or preserves, it’s best to work with approx. 1 to 2 kgs of fruit at a time. Using more than that makes it difficult to handle in a home kitchen and it also becomes difficult to get the jam to set as it does not boil fast enough. With 2 kgs of fruit I often yield approx 6 jars of 450g-sized jars. Making Of Jams, Jellies, Preserves and co. can be made with or without using pectin. Pectin is needed to allow the thickening or gelling of the jam. It is created from a compound, protopectin, during the ripening of fruit and during the cooking of under-ripe fruit. All fruits contain some pectin. Large amounts of pectin can be found in apples, gooseberries, plums and citrus peel. Fruit like rhubarb, blueberries, strawberries or cherries have very little pectin. If using fruit with little pectin and you do not want to add commercial pectin, the jams, preserves and co. will thicken or gel only if it is combined with other pectin rich fruit or powdered or liquid pectin is incorporated in it. Jams and co. made without added pectin will require longer cooking time and you might notice a slightly different taste from those with added pectin. They also yield a less finished product. You will find that most recipes call for powdered or liquid pectin. Purchase pectin fresh every year as old pectin may result in poor gels. When preparing a jam, jelly & co. with powdered or liquid pectin, it is vital to carefully follow the directions accompanying the pectin product. Generally 50-125 ml of liquid or 2 teaspoons of dried pectin to each 450g of fruit is sufficient. The order of combining ingredients depends on the type of pectin used. For successful preparation of pectin-added jams and co., accuracy of timing is very important. Begin counting time when the mixture reaches a full rolling boil. Sugar is another important ingredient in jams and co. You can use any type of white sugar however; I find finer types of sugar dissolve more quickly. I often use gelling sugar, which is specifically used for preserves and contains pectin, in my jams and co. It is very important to make sure that the sugar has dissolved in the simmered fruit before it is brought to the boil. If not the jam may become crystallised and sugary. The amount of sugar needed for gelling basically depends on the amount of pectin present. If you have used fruits with plenty of pectin, use 1½ times the amount of sugar to fruit. If there is just enough pectin, use equal amounts of sugar and fruit. The easiest way to test the consistency of the jam or jelly is by placing a saucer into the freezer for a few minutes, then spoon about ½ teaspoon full of the jam onto the saucer. Place the saucer back into the freezer for approx. 30 seconds. If the sample is firm to the touch and has your required spreadable texture then it is done. It can now be removed from the heat. Chutneys and relishes I love them - the best is that the variety seems endless. The combinations and alterations can be varied according to personal taste and the ingredients available. They can be sweet, sour, hot or mild. One of the big advantages to both chutneys and relishes is that they improve with age. If properly stored they will remain in good condition for several months or years and you will be rewarded with spectacular bursts of new flavor. Vinegar, spices and sugar are all the things that make chutney or relish nice. As vinegar is the most important ingredient, it is vital that a good quality is used. I love using white wine vinegar, but you can use apple cider or a champagne vinegar too. Although any kind of granulated sugar can be used, I prefer brown or Demerara sugar as it gives the final product a wonderful rich and dark color. However, you can also achieve the darker color by simply cooking the chutney a little longer. Spices really make the chutney or relish nice. Your imagination is required here. Use whole spices rather than powdered. If you just want the flavor of the spice in your chutney then slightly crack or bruise them and tie them in a spice bag. Then cook along with the rest of the ingredients. Finally remove and discard. However, I often prefer having the spices in my chutney and just throw the amounts loose in the pot. Good chutney is relatively smooth in texture and it will have a rich mellow flavor. The best way to achieve this is to cook it long and slow. Ideally, it should be left to mature for at least three months. Relish on the other hand is cooked for a lot less and the texture is crunch, with bits of coarsely chopped vegetables. Whatever you preserve one thing is for sure nothing will satisfy you more than opening a jar of freshly preserved summer! I hope you will find this Preserving 101 helpful and refer to it whenever you require more information. You will find it conveniently in my sidebar category “The Know Hows of Food” under the section “How To…”. Now if I have gotten you into the mood here are a few of our favorite recipes. Recipes Apricot Chutney Ingredients Printable version of recipe here. (makes 3 200ml jars) 600g ripe apricots 1 red chili, slit in half, seeds removed and finely chopped 3-4 Shallots, finely chopped 1 tablespoon black mustard seeds 1 teaspoon coriander seeds 1/8 l white wine vinegar 100 g Demerara sugar Salt 1/2 bunch fresh coriander leaves, coarsely chopped Method Place the whole apricots in a large pot. In a tea kettle bring water to a boil. Pour over the apricots until they are covered. Allow to sit for 30 seconds to 1 minutes. Then take them out, one at a time, peel, cut in half, remove pit and coarsely chop. Add all of the remaining ingredients, except for the fresh coriander leaves. Pour in about 100ml of water and bring the entire mixture to a rolling boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chopped coriander leaves. Fill the chutney immediately into sterilized jars (as described above) and tightly screw the lids shut. Turn the jars upside down and allow to cool. Notes: Tastes great to cheese, lamb, and poultry. Will keep in the fridge for 4 weeks Cucumber Zucchini Relish Ingredients Printable version of recipe here. (makes 4 250ml jars) 2 large cucumbers, very finely chopped 2 large zucchini, very finely chopped 250g onions, very finely chopped 1 garlic clove, mashed 200 ml white wine vinegar 200g Demerara sugar Salt Method Place all the ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil, stirring regularly. Keep the mixture at a boil, regularly stirring for approx. 10 minutes. Immediately fill in the relish into the sterilized jars (as described above)and tightly screw the lids shut. Turn the jars upside down and allow to cool. Notes: Is perfect on burgers, hot dogs, fish and steaks Will keep in the fridge for 4 weeks Spicy Raspberry Jam Ingredients Printable version of recipe here. (makes 5 200 ml jars) 900g raspberries, washed, dripped dry on kitchen towel 2 red chilies, slit in half, seeds removed and very finely chopped 100ml Cassis Liqueur 500g gelling sugar (I used Dr. Oetker's Extra Gelling Sugar 2:1) Method Place the raspberries in a large pot, cover with sugar, pour in the cassis liqueur and add the chopped chili. Allow to steep for 15 minutes to release the juices. Bring the mixture to a boil. Now start timing and keep the mixture at a rolling boil for 3 minutes stirring all the time. Check to see if the mixture gels using the saucer test mentioned above. If not keep at a boil for another minute and then check again. Fill the jam in sterilized jars (as described above), leaving 3 mm space at the top of the jar, turn upside down and leave for 5 minutes. Then store in your pantry Mirabelle Silver Edge Lavender Preserve Ingredients Printable version of recipe here. (makes 5 200 ml jars) 1 kg mirabelles (or yellow plums), cut in half, pits removed then quartered 2-4 sprigs silver edge lavender, tied tightly into a bouquet garni 500g gelling sugar (I used Dr. Oetker's Extra Gelling Sugar 2:1) Method Place the mirabelles in a large pot. Put the lavender bouquet garni into the pot and cover with the sugar. Stir well to coat the fruit with the sugar and to release the juices. Bring the mixture to a boil under constant stirring. Now start timing and keep the mixture at a boil for a good 3 minutes, constantly stirring and crushing the fruit gently. Remove the bouquet garni and discard. Check to see if the mixture gels using the saucer test mentioned above. If not keep at a boil for another minute and then check again. Skim off any foam. Fill the jam in sterilized jars (as described above), leaving 3 mm space at the top of the jar, turn upside down and leave for 5 minutes. Then store in your pantry. Fig Ginger Preserve Ingredients Printable version of recipe here. (makes 5 200ml jars) 950g fresh figs, stems removed and peeled 30g fresh ginger, very finely chopped 5 tablespoons orange juice 500g fine sugar 1 packet (25g) commercial pectin Method Place the figs and ginger in a large pot. Pour in the orange juice and mix. Mix the powdered pectin and sugar and then add to the figs. Bring the mixture to a boil under constant stirring. Now start timing and keep the mixture at a boil for a good 3 minutes, constantly stirring and crushing the fruit gently Check to see if the mixture gels using the saucer test mentioned above. If not keep at a boil for another minute and then check again. Skim off any foam. Fill the jam in sterilized jars (as described above), leaving 3 mm space at the top of the jar, turn upside down and leave for 5 minutes. Then store in your pantry. Plum Cinnamon Preserve Ingredients Printable version of recipe here. (makes approx. 3-4 200 ml jars) 1.3 kg red plums, cut into quarters, pits removed 120 ml water 1 kg sugar 1 stick cinnamon 1 tablespoon lemon juice 85 g commercial pectin Method Place plums, cinnamon, lemon juice and water in a large pot and bring to a rolling boil, stirring often. Cover and reduce heat to low and allow the mixture to simmer for 10 minutes, until the fruit softens. Stir often. Add the sugar, returning the heat to medium-high and bring back to a boil, stirring constantly. Incorporate the pectin, stirring constantly. Boil for another minute, then remove from heat. Skim off any foam. Place the cinnamon stick in the jar then fill the jam in sterilized jars (as described above), leaving 3 mm space at the top of the jar, turn upside down and leave for 5 minutes. Then store in your pantry. Berry Cherry Jam Ingredients Printable version of recipe here. 300g black cherries, halved and pitted 220g blackberries 200g raspberries 1 tablespoon lemon juice 150g sugar 56g natural fruit pectin Method In a large pot mix the cherries, berries, lemon juice and pectin. Over a medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil, mashing the fruit with a wooden spoon. Boil for a further minute. Add the sugar and continue cooking, stirring often until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam. Fill the jam in sterilized jars (as described above), leaving 3 mm space at the top of the jar, turn upside down and leave for 5 minutes. Then store in your pantry. Verdict It's all about mixing, tasting and experimenting. Jams, jellies, chutneys or relishes. There is not much of a science to it, just a few basic guidelines. You do not need special equipment, just a large pot that you use mainly for your jam/chutney making. You will find these recipes are fairly easy and will offer you a wonderful array of summer flavor throughout the year. All photographs and written content on What's For Lunch, Honey? © 2006-2008 Meeta Khurana unless otherwise indicated. | All rights reserved | Please Ask First

Chutney de Mango. Uno de mis favoritos. Y una receta perfecta para preparar en estas, como aperitivo o como acompañante de un buen solomillo.

Pretty pink ginger (and the color is all-natural)!