Green Tomato Chutney

The drought and near-record temperatures this summer didn't do wonders for our first garden.  Our cucumbers, zucchini  herbs, and peppers all were total busts.  We did have our cherry tomato plants ultimately produce toward the end of the summer.  But this weekend as we were weeding and raking and preparing for the change in weather, there were tons of unripe tomatoes still on the vines.

I searched the internet and found a recipe for tomato chutney using unripe tomatoes.  My thrifty nature jumped all over this idea.  Plus, this blog has forced me to try new things.  Add those two things together, and you've got a Midwestern guy making chutney!

This process was pretty painless.  Pick off the stems from all the tomatoes and cut them into smaller pieces.  If you have full-sized green tomatoes, you will also want to cut out the white core.  Then in a saucepan add the following:

• 1 pound green tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 medium white onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice*
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar

 *If you don't have allspice, you can use equal parts nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves.  That's what I did.  Cover and let this simmer for 30 minutes.  Remove the lid and let it cool.  Then put it into a jar and refrigerate.

It's quite tasty, I must say.  I immediately tried it on some toast.  But you can use it in any number of applications.  Many times people will use it to top a piece of chicken or other roasted meats.  But you could also use it as a condiment for quesadillas or even hot dogs.

It is sweet from the brown sugar, acidic from the green tomatoes, and floral from the spices.  It's hard to describe.  But I would say it's worth a shot.  It's a heck of a lot better than just letting all those green tomatoes go to waste!