Green Tomato Chutney
Green Tomato Chutney
This isn't a recipe handed down from my mom, although not for lack of trying on her part! Mom always aspired to have a productive vegetable garden, but there was one small problem. Vegetable gardens require attention. And between weekends and summer holidays spent boating, whether in local waters or somewhere else in the world, hers simply didn't get enough of it. An effective sprinkler system might have helped, but alas, it wasn't to be!
Fast forward a generation, and I've somehow become the keeper of a rather substantial vegetable garden, with tomatoes in abundance. And, as any enthusiastic tomato grower knows, there comes a point in the season when you're left wondering what on earth to do with all those green tomatoes!
Enter my best friend, Monica. A few years ago, she gifted me a jar of her homemade green tomato chutney. One taste and that was it. Green tomato chutney was officially on my calendar for the following year!
When chutney-making season finally rolled around, I reached out to Monica for her recipe. As it turned out, this wasn't some treasured family recipe passed down through generations. Nope. She'd simply done an internet search! LOL!
Well, that left me with a bit of a challenge. There are countless green tomato chutney recipes out there, and they're certainly not all created equal. Fortunately, I'd saved a little of Monica's chutney and paid particular attention to two ingredients: apples and golden raisins.
And then there was the flavour. I've always enjoyed the idea of chutney, but the store-bought versions I've tried tend to be a little too strongly spiced for my liking. I prefer something gentler, with a lovely balance of sweetness and spice, where the flavours complement rather than compete with one another.
So, with Monica's chutney as my inspiration, I set about creating a version that was just right for us.
And here's a fun little discovery!
Paul and I were recently at one of our favourite restaurants in Courtenay, sharing a charcuterie board. Among the delicious assortment of salamis, cheeses and crusty bread was a little serving of homemade green tomato chutney.
Now, I'd always associated chutney with curry dishes. But paired with a lovely cheese, a slice of salami and some crusty bread? Oh my goodness! What a revelation!
So, while this recipe may have started as a way to make good use of an abundance of green tomatoes, it's become something I look forward to making every year. And thanks to that little restaurant discovery, we've found a whole new way to enjoy it.
Who knew that a jar of green tomato chutney could have such an interesting journey from garden to table? ❤️
Special Note: This was posted in 2026 - i didn’t take pictures of the canning process so please follow thw instructions from my other pickles :).
Ingredients:
2 lbs green tomatoes
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 medium tart apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1 1/2c light brown sugar
1c cider vinegar
1c golden raisins (sultanas)
1 tspsalt
1tsp fresh ground ginger
zest one lemon
juice 1/2 lemon
Instructions:
Chop up the tomatoes and add to a large thick bottomed roast pan (think turkey size)
Add all the remaining ingredients
Place over medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer.
Simmer until reduced to desired consistency.
A Tip: While simmering, prep the jars. Get them boiling in a hot water bath. Boil for 10 minutes right before canning. Note: I get the jars boiling right away and once up to boiling temperature, I turn off the heat while the chutney reduces and then when the chutney is close, I turn the beat back on to get the 10 minutes of sterilization…so that I’m not waiting for the jars to be ready while the chutney is getting too thick.
After filling the jars (500ml/1pint jars), process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Start the timer once the kettle has come to a boil.
