Green Tomato Chutney

See Amanda Hesser’s recipe in The Cook and the Gardener. I start with her basic ingredients: 6 peeled, sliced apples (for the pectin) to 4 lbs. of peeled, cubed green tomatoes (I peel them with a vegetable peeler), fresh ginger, raisins, onions, garlic, 3 cups raw sugar, 2 cups red wine vinegar, peppercorns and allspice and then embellish and adjust according to what I have in the garden.

Sometimes I’ll replace some of the tomatoes with summer squash; this year I’ll add tomatillos, perhaps figs or pears, cloves and coriander.

Throw everything together in a large pot (keep out a cup of vinegar) and cook over low heat for an hour, add the reserved vinegar and simmer until it has the consistency of jam — it will take another hour at the very least. Ladle into sterilized jars and process for 20 minutes in boiling water bath.

Serve as a condiment on a Ploughman’s Platter–it is fabulous with cheddar or goat cheeses.  Add it to Red Pepper Coulis, to stews and soups and tagines!