2 lb tart baking apples
3 lb green tomatoes
1 lb onions
8 oz dark brown sugar
1 pint brown (malt or cider) vinegar
1 pint water
1 root ginger or 1 teaspoon dried ginger
1/2 level teaspoon cayenne (red) pepper (more if you like it spicy, but be careful)
teaspoon salt to flavor (personal choice)
Peel, core, and slice the apples. Slice tomatoes thinly; peel and chop the onions. Peel and grate the ginger root. Place in a LARGE thick-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil. Turn low to simmer until there is no surface liquid. Stir occasionally to make sure that the bottom of the pan is not burning. The mixture will be a brown puree with "bits" in it. It should taste sweet but spicy, with a hint of caramel.
Place clean, empty jelly jars in hot water to warm them before you pour in the hot mixture. Carefully remove the hot jars from the water and fill to the brim with the chutney. Seal firmly immediately and leave to cool. Label. Let stand for a couple of weeks before using. Will keep on a pantry shelf for a long time—there is vinegar and brown sugar to act as preservative—and, if you have followed the directions, a vacuum will have formed when the jar cooled down and the mixture shrank slightly.
This chutney is delicious with a full-bodied cheese such as sharp cheddar. In Great Britain it was eaten by the farm workers with a chunk of cheese and crusty bread, washed down with a tankard of ale—mhmm! You may even like to think of a nap in the sun by the hay stack till lunch settles.
