Rhubarb Chutney

Those who know me well will know about my great love of condiments.  It’s serious. Jam, jelly, mustard, pickles… and of course, chutney. I frigging love chutney. I suppose it goes hand in hand with my love of cured meats, but that’s another story.

Canning season got off to a good start today with my first batch of chutney. Usually this is something I make in the late summer or early fall with spoiled plums, green tomatoes, or just about anything laying around that hasn’t been consumed yet. However, this year I decided to get things rolling early, (plus, I’m nearly finished with everything from last year already,) with a batch of rhubarb chutney.

The rhubarb in my dad’s garden is massive. It looks prehistoric. The plant is huge, and we were all concerned that it might be plotting a hostile take-over of the garden. I knocked it back by nearly 20 pounds yesterday, and with a few other odds and ends, put together a not-to-bad pot of chutney. I’m almost over my pork overload from the Rib-off, and have set my sights on serving this with ham, roast pork, or bacon and eggs.

Rhubarb Chutney

-1.5 cups brown sugar

-2/3 cup cider vinegar

-2 Tablespoons fresh ginger

-4 cloves garlic

-2  large onions

-1 teaspoon cumin

-1 teaspoon ground cloves

-1/2 teaspoon cayenne

-2 Tablespoons mustard seeds

-2/3 cup raisins

-8 cups rhubarb

Saute the onion and garlic, (finely chopped) with the spices until the whole thing smells like Christmas dinner. Add the rhubarb, raisins, sugar and vinegar and cook until the rhubarb is soft and falling apart. Pour into hot sterilized jars and seal by placing in boiling water for at least five minutes.

Chutney is a beautiful thing because there is always room for interpretation.  Be brave!