‘USE THEM UP’ FEIJOA CHUTNEY RECIPE
Written by Kylee Newton for KiwiHarvest.
Like everyone in New Zealand, well in the North Island it seems, when Feijoa season arrives there’s an abundance. If you don’t have your own fruiting tree in your garden then someone close by, a neighbour, friend or loved one, seems to have plenty to share.
But what to do with a glut of feijoa’s so you don’t overdose on them in one sitting? Use them up by preserving them to give them longevity. That way you can eat them the whole year through, plus the jars make great gifts for those feijoa lovers in your life.
Makes 8-9 jars. You will need:
2.5 kg feijoas
850g onions
600g soft brown sugar
500ml white wine vinegar
2 tsp yellow mustard seeds
1 tsp black/brown mustard seeds
1 tsp sea salt
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp freshly cracked black pepper
½ tsp chilli flakes, optional
1 large orange
Method:
Peel the feijoas with a potato peeler and chop into 1cm dices. Peel and finely chop the onions. Place into a very large low sided, heavy based pot and stir through the brown sugar and then the vinegar. Place on a high heat to start it bubbling.
Gently crush the yellow and black/brown mustard seeds together in a pestle and mortar and add to the pot with the salt, bay leaves, black pepper, and chilli flakes, if using. Finely zest in the peel of the orange then slice in half and squeeze in the juice, omitting the pips as you go.
Sterilise your jars, by washing, rinsing the jars and lids before placing them and in a warm oven of 100°C for at least 20 minutes before the chutney is ready.
Rapidly simmer the chutney on a medium high heat for 40-60 minutes, stirring intermittently, to reduce and thicken. When it starts to get thicker and stickier it will want to stick on the bottom, so stir more frequently towards the end to prevent this from happening.
Once you see a trail made from your spoon on the bottom of the pot it should be thick enough to jar. This time will vary dependant on your equipment and heat source, patience is key with chutney. Fill the jars from the oven, with a ladle or heatproof jug, close to the rim of the opening, about 1-2mm, and seal immediately. Will keep unopened for up to 12 months, once open, refrigerate and eat within 3 months.
Ownership and rights of recipe and photographs are accredited to Kylee Newton. Kylee Newton permits Kiwi Harvest the use for PR purposes only within the #Collective campaign. Permission for use outside this usage must be requested in writing and terms accepted by Kylee Newton.