"With Pomp, Power & Glory the world beckons vainly, In chase of such vanities why should I roam?While Peace & Content bless my little thatched cottage,And warm my own hearth with the Treasures of Home."*Beatrix Potter

Saturday 1 November 2014

Warm Days & Chutney.

We have had an unseasonably warm October in our little part of the world, so we have been spending time cleaning up the garden ready for Winter.
I love to admire the outside bare beauty of our countryside this time of year.
Our wonderful holly trees are abundant with berries turning from orange to red, perfect for our little birds & Christmas decorating.
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These were the last of our pears, now they are in some chutney I made & also the fruit bowl.
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Garden Chutney.

We emptied the greenhouse of the last of the tomatoes & picked the last pears, rhubarb & apples to make chutney for Christmas.
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The first batch was made with tomatoes & rhubarb.
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The rhubarb always makes a smooth chutney ideal for sandwiches.
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The second batch was made with tomatoes, apples & pears.
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I do love the jewel colours this combination made.
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This made a colourful chunky chutney to go with cold meat.
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The jars cooling ready for the pantry shelves.
It feels so good to use up everything in the garden & to not waste a thing.
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Fruit Chutney Recipe.

2 medium onions
3 lb of mixed fruit { pears, apples, rhubarb,tomatoes, plums }
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon of spice
1 teaspoon of dry mustard
1 lb of brown sugar
4 oz of chopped dried dates
1 pint of malt vinegar

Chop up the fruit & onion & place in a jam pan with everything else.
Bring to the boil & then simmer until the chutney goes thick, around 3/4 of an hour.
Keep stirring so it does not stick to the pan.
I always test by dragging my wooden spoon along the bottom of the pan to see if it is thick enough.
Pot in to clean jars & top with plastic coated lids or old glass kilner lids.

This recipe gets better the longer you leave it.
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The hens enjoying the twins sunflower heads.
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A little rabbit enjoying food in the ground with little robin red breast next to him.
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I made some pinwheels again & tried cheese & chutney from last year this time.
It is such a good way to use up last years canned goods & find nice combinations for Christmas.
We will have all eight children here with partners too this Christmas so I will have to find easy things to cook.
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Our dear friends & the twins Godparents had a three week trip to New England.
They brought us back some wonderful gifts, the calendar brought back fond memories of our trip to Old Sturbridge Village 12 years ago.
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I harvested our hydrangea's, they dry so quick in our kitchen with the warm wood stove.


We still have an abundance of apples in the garden so I made a pudding with them & also some plums from the freezer.
One tree is still laden with beautiful apples which turn red as the season changes.
It was delicious served warm with cream.


Thank you dear friends for all your kind words, I really enjoy your comments.

Fondly Michelle
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28 comments:

  1. It is wonderful to see how you use the fruits of your labor, literally! It is very gratifying to grow your own food, preserve it, and then prepare it in different way for your family. In our modern society we miss out on that gratification because it is just too easy and too quick to just buy it at the store! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Thank you Cathy for your lovely comment, I do love making handmade things.
      Fondly Michelle

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  2. Hi Michelle.. So nice to visit with you and always love your cozy posts.. You are so busy and is so inspiring.. Love your UK ways and find it funny that I love your magazines and you love the US.. We visited the same village several years ago..I will send you the recipes or post them for the apple jelly.. xo

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    1. Hello Faye,
      Thank you for your lovely comment, I do love England so but also love so many American things.
      Thank you for sending the recipe.
      Fondly Michelle

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  3. Thank you for the beautiful post.
    Thank you for the recipe. :-)

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  4. Oh, what a lovely post! The fruit looks delicious and the recipe sounds amazing - thank you for sharing :)

    Have a blessed Sunday! Hugs!

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    1. I make the same recipe many times through the year, it is simple & always tastes so good.
      Fondly Michelle

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  5. I was delighted to read you had also visited Sturbridge Village! We visited there just three years ago, and I am still in awe of all the collections & history. I hope we can go again someday. Thank you kindly for sharing your welcome recipes!

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    1. I too hope we will go back one day, there was so many interesting things there.
      Fondly Michelle

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  6. Querida Michelle, su mensaje es encantador y una gran lección para todos, ya que nos enseña cómo hacer nuestros propios productos alimenticios de la manera más natural, a eso se suma la satisfacción de saber que estamos dando a nuestra familia lo mejor y eso es algo muy importante.
    Un abrazón para toda la familia.
    M. Carmen.

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    1. Thank you Carmen, I translated your comment.
      Fondly Michelle

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  7. Dear Michelle, I have been following your lovely stories and pictures ever since I found out about you from the Tasha Tudor website around her birthday ~ you are just delightful and your home, your little ones, your delicious baking are all such a treat to read. I often wish I could sit down in front of your fire in your kitchen and join you for tea ~ this is the next best thing! Our Autumn here in the northeast has been beautiful this year ~ this morning it is windy and chilly perfect for the beginning of November ~ Thank you for sharing your world with us ~ it is such a treat! Warm regards, Sandy

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    1. What a lovely comment Sandy, you are welcome any time for tea.
      I am so glad you are enjoying the blog.
      Fondly Michelle

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  8. Chutney is such a wonderful thing to make from scratch, and even more so if you grow the ingredients. I am still putting up batches, and not only will they make good eating after they have matured, they find their way into my home made Christmas hampers of goodies for presents.
    What a lovely parcel you received from your friends after their New England visit!
    ~~~waving~~~

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    1. Hello Deborah,
      Some of my chutneys & jams will make it in to Christmas gifts too. I would love to see what chutneys you are doing.
      Fondly Michelle

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    2. I will only be able to share images of the finished jars! I'm afraid I got so into chutney mode that I completely forgot to take pictures as I went along! Oh, well, next year!
      ~~~waving~~~

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    3. I did that the other day Deborah & completely forgot to take photo's.
      I would love to see all your jars.
      Fondly Michelle

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  9. Hello Michelle, here in Italy we had a great October, warm and sunny. It 's wonderful what you can do with the gifts of your garden, you're really very good and I thank you for the recipe. Hugs and many kisses . Mirtilla

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    1. Thank you Mirtilla for your lovely comment, it feels so good to grow & eat your own food.
      Fondly Michelle

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  10. Dearest Michelle,
    All of the pictures of the chutney making, goodies and the out doors are so cozy comfy! :-)
    I have never tried to make chutney yet, but now I realize that I shall want to have a go at it next year! It looks ever so appetizing! (Come to think of it I don't believe I have ever had the opportunity to taste it yet either ) but now I am interested to be sure!! :-D
    Sending Hugs, Many warm blessings, Linnie

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    1. Hello Linnie,
      We had friends stay with us from Ohio last year & she had never heard of chutney, do you have it in your part of America. It is very easy to make although the cooking vinegar does make you cry.
      Fondly Michelle

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  11. The chutney looks delicious. And I love that there are different recipes to use, depending on what fruit and veggies one might have. I've never actually made chutney, but my grandmother always did. I would love to try it.
    Your photos are lovely!
    God bless!

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    1. Hello Jennifer, I find chutney much easier than jam or canning, it's a lot quicker too.
      Fondly Michelle

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  12. Your chutney looks so good! I will have to try to make some.
    Blessings~ Mrs. H

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    1. Thank you for you kind comment.
      Fondly Michelle

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  13. Oh! What a warm and comfy post! Im hoping to get back to gardening next year when the baby is bigger....I would love to make these chutneys as well!
    I LOVE Your books from Old Sturbridge Village! Im hoping to visit there myself!
    Always so nice to come visit you here!~ heather

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    1. Hello Heather,
      Oh I know what it is like to try & garden with little one's. I use to have the twins in their pram but not for long as they wanted out! So we had a couple of sparse years.
      Hope you get to Sturbridge.
      Fondly Michelle

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