I was pleasantly surprised on our return from two weeks away to discover that my tomato plants had survived fairly well intact.  There was 1.5 kilos of tomatoes waiting to be picked! (in fact they are still producing even though it’s nearly November!)

Rainbow Tomatoes

We eat a lot of cherry tomatoes because they are convenient for our lunch boxes.  So I had planted a mix of tomato seeds called “Rainbow Tomatoes” – yellow, orange, pink, and red baby plum and cherry tomatoes which look amazing in salads.  So these weren’t the type I’d normally make chutney with, but I had a glut of them to use up so thought it was worth a try!  You can substitute your preferred variety of tomato or even used canned tomatoes if you like.

The chilli plants had also been being pretty productive whilst we were away so I added a few of them in for a bit of a kick – but they’re optional if you aren’t so into hot things!

Rainbow Tomatoes Chopped

Recipe (makes 4-5 jars):

• 900g Rainbow Tomatoes (or your preferred tomatoes)
• 700g Bramley apples (peeled and cored weight – I used 3 medium apples)
• 4 medium chillies (you can adjust the amount to your taste)
• 400g granulated sugar
• 150g sultanas
• 1 onion, diced
• 350ml malt vinegar
• 5 tsp ginger
• 5 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp salt

Method:

Chop the tomatoes in half and the apples into similar sized pieces.  Remove the stems from the chillies and cut into quarters.

Rainbow Tomato Chutney (before cooking!)

Put all the ingredients in a large pan and cook for around 2hrs over a medium heat, stirring often.  When the mixture looks like a chutney consistency, ladle into sterilised jars and seal.

Rainbow Tomato Chutney

You can open the jar right away but I prefer to leave it to mature for a month or two before opening.

Did you get a glut of anything this year? Have you been making jams or chutneys?