Move over Martha...

A very industrious bug bit me yesterday, and quite frankly I'd be very happy to be at home today still being bit that by that bug and churning out jams and chutneys and whatever 'homely' things I can get my hands onto.

It all started on Sunday when I did a quick once-over the fridge to see what was needed in the grocery shopping. There, stuck at the back of the fridge was the bag of kiwifruit that Marty had sworn black and blue he was going to eat and enjoy! They were on special, 8 for $2 - bargain, and although I'll eat the odd one here and there, I'm not the world's greatest fan. But a week on, there they sat taunting me with their 'uneatenness'. So, I reached up onto the shelf for the Edmond's Cookbook for a kiwifruit chutney or jam recipe. It seemed an obvious starting point, and they certainly didn't disappoint. AND, it was easy!

My 8 kiwifruit were peeled and chopped, I even had a couple of old apples in the fridge that got used up in the recipe. However, presumption is the mother of all f%#k ups, and I presumed there was malt vinegar in the pantry. There wasn't and chutney-making was halted until Marty got home. I did have red wine vinegar, but learning my previous lesson with presumptions, I didn't presume that it would be a perfectly apt substitute. I couldn't get hold of the expert at the time, so back to waiting. As a good housewife I used this time productively to hang out washing, wash dishes and prepare the meat for dinner. And then rewarded my good behaviour with a glass of red! On his arrival, he informed me that yes red or white wine vinegar would have been fine and that malt vinegar was just what was 'in' at the time of the recipe. Good to know.

Chutney making resumed. The base of ingredients - spices, onions, apples, vinegar - were set to a gentle boil until they thickened and soften and then the kiwifruit was added. After an hour of cooking, it was set aside to cool, and I must admit that it tasted pretty good when I sampled a little before it went into the jar. I will definitely give a teaspoon a go tonight with my dinner, and we have a jar of it that will be a nice accompaniment to cheeses, or even a curry.

All this industry has got my fingers itching and I'm looking forward to the next fruit or vegetable that comes in excess. I'm hoping for some peppers and chillies so I can give Jamie's Cheeky Chili Chutney a go, and I can't wait to get the tomato plants into the garden so that next year we can make some more sun dried tomatoes, but also some tomato chutneys and sauces.

Now I'm going to spend the afternoon looking up other interesting things to preserve and make, and maybe another visit to the supermarket to get some more kiwifruit if it tastes good. Would love to try it with the white wine vinegar so that the actual chutney can retain some of the green of the kiwifruit, as opposed to it all turning a darker shade of brown. I'll explore the options before I succumb to green food colouring!

Ciao
xoxo