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chutney a little too dry?

17 years ago

Hi all!

Although I don't do the kind of canning anymore that most of you here do, I did make a recipe of cranberry chutney last week because the recipe I use is very easy and very quick.

The last two times I have made the recipe, I thought it was a little dry. I made sure I only cooked it the 20 minutes called for in the recipe.

Should I add a little more orange juice? Here are the ingredients:

3 c. fresh cranberries

1 c. chopped onion

1 c. each raisins and currants (I used part dried cranberries)

1 c. cider vinegar

3/4 c. sugar

3/4 c. packed brown sugar

1 TB orange peel

1/2 c. fresh orange juice

1 t. each salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves

Thanks for your help.

Teresa

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Comments (10)

ksrogers
17 years ago
Orange juice or even a little more cider vinegar can help a bit
readinglady
17 years ago
If you want to keep the same flavors, add 2 parts cider vinegar to 1 part orange juice, which is the original ratio. If you just need a bit, 1/4 cup cider vinegar to 2 tablespoons orange juice should do it.

Carol
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teresa_nc7
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks very much! I thought I could just add more oj, but I did not think about adding more vinegar too. Your help is why I came here :o)
moogies
17 years ago
Teresa - that recipe sounds really good!

What are the rest of the instructions/processing time?

Thank you- Kathi
annie1992
17 years ago
Teresa, it looks like I'm too late, I'd also add the mix of orange juice and vinegar if you like the original flavor of the chutney.

It's nice to see you over here, though, I hope you "hang around".

Annie
teresa_nc7
Original Author
17 years ago
Kathi,
Here are the directions for the chutney:

Mix all in a large non-reactive pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and simmer, stirring, for 20 minutes.

Put while hot into hot jars, seal, process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes. Remove, let cool, check seals. Store in a cool dry place, or in the refrigerator if not canning.

Makes about 5 cups.

Teresa
moogies
17 years ago
Teresa - thank you!!

Kathi
readinglady
17 years ago
Since the directions don't mention sterilizing the jars, you might want to go 10 minutes instead of 5. I like 10 minute processing anyway. Nothing scientific, but I seem to get a stronger seal.

Carol
teresa_nc7
Original Author
17 years ago
Yes, I always have my jars boiling away in a large pot to sterilize them, so the 5 minutes works for me. But it's good to know I could go longer if I need to.

I think many canning recipes these days assume you know to use hot jars that have been sterilized, but that is asking for trouble if you ask me.
readinglady
17 years ago
You're right. A lot of canning recipes assume, especially older ones posted online.

A lot of people don't realize you only need to use sterilized jars if the processing time is less than 10 minutes. Many canners (myself included) find it easier not to worry about it and just do the 10 minutes with hot, clean jars. It helps if you're doing more than one batch in the boiling water bath.

Thanks for the cranberry chutney. I've copied-and-pasted this one. That combination of cider vinegar and orange juice sounds really good.

Carol

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