Beetroot Chutney

Deciding not to make things for Christmas Hampers and then changing my mind in late October has left me with less time than usual for getting things done.
But I came up with an idea for using something that's still plentiful in the garden.....Beetroot.
Not sure if I've ever made Beetroot Chutney before but it's certainly not a regular so I searched through recipe books to find one that sounded good and didn't involve many extra ingredients.
The Best Kept Secrets of the WI Jams, Pickles and Chutneys book had this...................


BEETROOT AND GINGER CHUTNEY
Their recipe used 3lb of beetroot and quite a lot of raisins and  made 6lb+ of chutney, I didn't want that much so altered it a bit. I used red onions and red and white vinegar to keep the colour.

2lb Beetroot, cooked
1¼ lb  onions chopped small
1lb cooking apples, peeled cored and chopped
6oz Sultanas
Just under 1½ pints vinegar 568ml + 284ml =  852 ( I used a bottle of red wine vinegar and then made up the amount with white vinegar)
2 tablespoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
20 oz granulated sugar

Peel and cut the cooked beetroot into chunks.
Put the onion and a little of the vinegar into a large preserving pan and cook to soften.
Add the sultanas and the prepared apple and a little more vinegar and cook again until apple is soft.
Add the beetroot, ginger, salt and half the remaining vinegar, simmer gently until starting to thicken.
Add the sugar and remaining vinegar stirring until the sugar has dissolved and continue cooking until thick again. (Total cooking time about two hours).

It turned out looking like this and tastes good already so should be even better by Christmas.

When I used to make chutney to sell someone once asked me how it was that my  chutney was all different colours? I must have looked puzzled because they said that whatever ingredients they used their chutney always came out brown like Branston pickle.
But I use different types of vinegar and white or red onions depending what the other ingredients are. Simple really but a bit more expensive, but if most of the ingredients are home grown or free then it isn't so bad.

The cost to make this was
Beetroot - free
Apples    - free
Sultanas - about 38p
Onions about 40p
Red wine vinegar 80p
White vinegar  about 35p
Ginger and salt - pennies
Sugar about 36p

Total of £2.29 if I've added correctly

This made 6 various sized jars enough for hampers and some for me.

Thank you for all the comments yesterday and hello to a new follower or maybe two, I've lost count but I hope you enjoy reading

Back Tomorrow
Sue