Cranberries and Canning...
As is my Thanksgiving tradition, I make cranberry chutney for friends and neighbors. My super classy vessel of choice is a ziplock plastic screw top jar. I would like to get a head start on my cooking by canning the chutney.
Has anyone had luck processing chutney or cranberries without having to alter their recipe? I'd rather not add any pectin (powdered or liquid), but i'm not sure if the cranberries, apples, pecans, raisins, etc. will be enough to preserve.
Thank you!
Anna
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8 Comments:
I've had great success canning chutney. I use a recipe similar to this one of Martha's. You won't need pectin because cranberries, like other tart fruits such as granny smith apples, have plenty so no worries about thickening. I just follow my recipe and the instructions I have in the Ball canning book for processing chutney and it's all good! What a nice idea though!
Otabenga at 11:04AM on 11/02/09
Woohoo! That's what I was thinking, re: cranberries and pectin. I'm going to be able to get started early this year!
Thanks again!
mcanna at 12:42PM on 11/02/09
My only recommendation would be to use a tested recipe, not one of your own invention. Especially if you'll be giving the chutney as gifts, it's very important to take food safety seriously. The Ball Blue Book has lots of delicious recipes.
emgroff at 1:18PM on 11/02/09
I'm with @emgroff on the food safety issue. Obviously you can tinker with flavor elements, but when it comes to things like the level of acidity or salt or anything that affects the preservative effects, you want to stick to a proven formula.
dbcurrie at 1:35PM on 11/02/09
You do need to be sure you have an adequate level of acidity and/or sugar if you're canning. Cranberry sauce alone is safe to can, but I'd examine official recipes and make sure you're not adding more non-acid ingredients than they do.
lemonfair at 6:31AM on 11/03/09
Alternatively, you could freeze your chutney until Thanksgiving.
lemonfair at 6:32AM on 11/03/09
I second @lemonfair's comment about ensuring you have the proper acidity and/or sugar levels. But just compare your preferred recipe to a chutney in the Ball canning book and you'll have the answer. BTW there's a vendor at my farmers market who sells canned jams that use half as much sugar as most recipes and lo and behold, they taste more of fruit and less of sugar! The point being canned jams may not need as much sugar as believed.
Otabenga at 10:29AM on 11/03/09
Marissa over at Food in Jars has a class coming up on water bath canned cranberry chutney. I didn't have time to look for a recipe, but she would be a great resource.
larkspurKC at 2:40PM on 11/03/09