Name: Eating Apples Chutney Recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 3.5 kg Eating Apples (unprepared weight); 1.3 kg sugar; 700 g sultanas; 350 ml white wine vinegar; 350 ml red wine vinegar; 350 ml apple cider vinegar; 2 tbsp mustard seeds; 800 g onions (peeled & diced); 2 tbsp lemon juice

This delicious apple chutney is so useful if you have a bushel from your garden. These apples create more juice as opposed to cooking apples, so I have adapted it to work. And they make great personalised gifts for Christmas hampers.

For the last 8 years (or there abouts), one of my Christmas traditions is to make my own gifts.

Here's just a few of the things I've made in the past: chocolate salami, malteser or digestive biscuit tiffins, plum jam, luxurious ketchup.

Oh and sweet chilli Christmas chutney.

There's a few reasons I love making homemade gifts.

I can stay at home with my pooch, Hans while I do it. I can make it ahead early and I don't get caught up in time wasting Christmas queues. I also get to recycle jars I've saved up over the year (and family save them for me).

In fact, I get so much enjoyment out of giving that shortly after moving in to our house in 2014, I planted two apple trees in the garden.
Although it's worth noting that most recipes floating around the web are for cooking apples.

I learnt this from my very first attempt and was left with a lot of juices, but it was my own personal batch.

And two years after planting, my first apple trees finally started to produce fruit. The quantity seemed quite feeble, but the following year, I was able to work with them as it was closer to a bushel! But, I bet most people know someone who have an apple tree going to waste or somewhere in a public place. Although I'm quite wary of the latter.

SO WHY NOT BUY THEM?

Sometimes I do ask myself this. It's certainly much more time consuming to make my own. But if you're like me, I just can't stand waste. There's also something far more personal from making your own batch which I think is an action of love compared to mass produced.

THINGS YOU'LL NEED

Other than the ingredients below, here's a few basics I use to cook a batch.

Jam pan
How to sterilize jars in the oven
lids and labels or print your own.
Onion goggles (you'll thank me!)

GIFT IDEAS

Although a single jar of chutney may seem like very little, I like to place in a presentation gift bag with the finest store bought crackers I can find (so they last longer) and tie with curling ribbon, which I curl with scissors. Or you could create a set for people, like a chutney, jam and crackers.

However, when it comes to the people we love dearest (our parents), that's when I go to town and place in hamper baskets and make several treats, including Christmas cake, etc.

I encourage them to crack it open early to enjoy their feast throughout Christmas and not just the 25th and onwards.

https://tastefullyvikkie.com/2015/09/22/the-best-sweet-chilli-christmas-chutney-recipe-a-christmas-hamper-gift-countdown/

LEAVE TO MATURE & SHELF LIFE

Here's one I made two years ago (above) for that Christmas. Many people suggest making them 6 months in advance for the flavours to mature and leave in a dark place.

I've almost always done this, but can't say that I've been able to taste the difference. I also tend to eat it within two years, too, but you'll need to judge for yourself.

Also, there's absolutely no need to store it in the fridge until you've opened it for the first time.

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