[maloneranger]

Thanks to both madcat and Mrs Bee for their responses to my questions which were somewhat off-topic from the original question.

I’m a newbie, so I don’t know if it’s OK to continue with this, on this thread, but here goes.

madcat - thanks for all the details. However, am I right in assuming that the darkening occurs from the top down as time progresses?

madcat – you appear to think that the darkened “vintage” chutney  is very good; is that correct?

Mrs Bee – since you take considerable steps to prevent darkening, do you think that darkened chutney is “spoiled” and not good to eat? Or does it just not look good, especially if only partly darkened?

[Beetroot queen]

I would spend less time looking at it and more time eating it. Homestly if it tastes ok, use it. 

[madcat]

It just gently changes colour, there is no tide mark or anything and tastes fine.  BQ is right, dont worry about it.  Mrs Bee is a professional - a certified outstanding professional no less - so she has to make sure everything looks worth the money.  I just worry that it tastes good and the resident gannets love it.

[Beetroot queen]

I do think people can get too hung up on age, and how it looks, it looks homemade and tastes amazing i bet 

[Mrs Bee]

Mrs Bee – since you take considerable steps to prevent darkening, do you think that darkened chutney is “spoiled” and not good to eat? Or does it just not look good, especially if only partly darkened?
[/quote]

When you are making chutney you want it to age because that makes all the flavours mingle and mellows the effect of the vinegar which can be a little on the sharp side whebn the chutney is first made.

I think of chutney as a maturing wine and the chutney I make for the home can be several years old and tates really good like an aged wine.  ( for selling I do things differently than the ones for home because of the rules and regs etc).

What you don't want to happen to your chutney while you are waiting for it to mature is for the liquid to start evaporating and dry out, which is why you want the very best seal that you can get.

The darkening is usually sign that chutney is starting to dry out. It will still be fine to eat. If it is just for yourself don't get too hung up about it going dark. If you used a reputable recipe with the correct amounts of vinegar and sugar, and potted it into hot sterilised jars while everything is hot you will be fine.

If you are new at all this don't fret too much just have a go. If you want to PM me I can send you  a list of recipe books that I have used for more years than I care to admit to.

 

[compostqueen]

I opened a jar of last year's Beetroot a la Delia today and it was in perfect condition. A reassuring pop as I opened the jar was the sound I wanted to hear   

[maloneranger]

First of all, my apologies to Beetroot queen and others for hijacking this thread. 

Some background. I have been making apple chutney for about 15 years, using my mother’s very old recipe. I love its taste and also the smell in the kitchen when it’s being made -  this very evocative. My first season’s pots were very poorly sealed and lost over a quarter of their weight and darkened a lot. After that, I learned to seal the pots with metal caps, and now I only see some darkening after over a year. This darkening occurs from the top down, and there has been no visible “shrinkage” due to evaporation.

I agree that taste is the most important factor, and this darkening doesn’t bother us at home. I do not intend to sell it, but occasionally I give some away. In these circumstances, I want to offer pots that have a uniform colour. That is one reason for my interest.

The other is that I was a food scientist in a previous life. Fruit and vegetable processing was not my area of expertise, but I am very curious about what is going on here, and why. I do know that browning reactions are very important for appearance, taste and odour in many foods, and these reactions are varied, very complex and not fully understood. I have wondered if the darkening was a result of evaporation, reactions with air (oxygen), some other factors, or a combination of factors. However, this is starting to sound like a science project rather than making chutney. 

Thus, I am very grateful to Mrs Bee for sharing vast practical experience, and for the offer of a list of recipe books, which I may take up in the future.   

However, this year the scientist in me wins out. Thus, I propose to get better scales and calibrate them. Then I will weigh newly sealed pots and monitor their weights over the coming years to see if weight (water) is lost by evaporation as darkening increases. 

[On reflection, I find it hard to believe that this question has not been studied by the likes of Campden Research, and the answer is lying in some library].

[BobE]

Blimy

[Growster...]

Our chutney is made from green toms, onions, vinegar, sultanas and a bit of curry paste, and only about a desert spoonful of sugar per quart.

It lasts well over a year, and I like a spoonful in half a cup of tomato puree with pasta...

[BobE]

Happy birthday Growster 

[Mrs Bee]

It just gently changes colour, there is no tide mark or anything and tastes fine.  BQ is right, dont worry about it.  Mrs Bee is a professional - a certified outstanding professional no less - so she has to make sure everything looks worth the money.  I just worry that it tastes good and the resident gannets love it.

That is kind of you to say so Madcat.

Whilst I certainly try to make sure it looks worth the money, it is still the taste that is the most  important thing with me too. If it doesn't taste really good I won't get the repeat custom.

Also if I make something that isn't that popular, we get to eat it so it is doubly important that my resident gannets love it too.

And if I may I woiuld like to share a chutney tale about resident gannets....
Son loves all things chilli.... has nagged me for a while to make chilli jam. I did so to shut him up. He loves it but keeps telling me I should appeal to the masochistic chilli market and make some really hot stuff.

So I replaced just over half the quantity of the medium strength chillis with the little red birdseye chillis.
Son enters the kitchen  yesterday to try  out the new recipe, ( I didn't warn him that it was going to be hot, hot, hot) and sat back and listened to the squeals.

THis recipe is hot enough, apparently, and gives the burn.   What sort of chutney maker am I?  One with the occasional wicked streak Especiially after spending all day in a roasting hot kitchen on  one of the hottest days this year. :blink: :blink:

[Growster...]

Happy birthday Growster 

That's very kind of you Bob, thank you!

Slightly snozled but well able to type a big "Ta"!

[Mrs Bee]

What sort of a chutney maker am I today...... a hot, steamy, frazzled one.

Oh yes, and a knackered one. 
Ratatouille chutney in  one pan and nectarine, lime and star anise jam in the other and the ruddy kitchen was like a sauna.

Temperature a steamy 32C it was like working in a sauna. Sweat soaking my tee shirt and my feet and ankles swollen like footballs.

I really need my head testing...... better wait until it cools down first tho'. :blink: :blink:

Think i need a bucket full of ice for me feet.... and for the Pimms.

[BobE]

And if I may I woiuld like to share a chutney tale about resident gannets....
Son loves all things chilli.... has nagged me for a while to make chilli jam. I did so to shut him up. He loves it but keeps telling me I should appeal to the masochistic chilli market and make some really hot stuff.

So I replaced just over half the quantity of the medium strength chillis with the little red birdseye chillis.
Son enters the kitchen  yesterday to try  out the new recipe, ( I didn't warn him that it was going to be hot, hot, hot) and sat back and listened to the squeals.

After he recovered what did he say?     Brilliant story for future GFs though 

[Mrs Bee]

He was actually grinning all over his face Bob.

He said that the flavour was great and it had a good amount of burn! 'A proper burn'.

But he didn't come back for another spoonful

I am pretty sure the hot stuff will sell tho' 'cos several people have asked if I make a really hot chilli jam.
Blinking masochists some folk.

Perhaps I should make some more with Scotch bonnet chillies or perhaps some ghost chillies!

Will have to get a gas mark before I embark on those