Sweet Autumn Fruit Chutney
My easy recipe for Sweet Autumn Fruit Chutney with figs, plums, and apples is so delicious. Lightly spiced, it is perfect served on a cheeseboard or with cold meats. With free printable labels!
Autumn, or fall, is truly my favourite season. One moment it is stifling hot and humid, as the summer draws to a close, and then one morning you wake up to clear, crisp, cool blue skies and the leafy, mossy smell of fallen leaves in the air.
That means in the kitchen it’s time for making Sweet Autumn Fruit Chutney! Scroll down to get the recipe as well as some free printable labels that I’ve designed for you.
What is Autumn Fruit Chutney?
My Autumn Fruit Chutney recipe is infinitely variable, but at heart it is a combination of late summer and autumn fruit and veg, cooked with vinegar and spices to a delicious condiment.
It’s also an excellent way of clearing out the fridge when you’ve been a little overzealous with your market shopping (guilty as charged), or when you have fruit trees producing more than you can handle.
What fruits should I use to make sweet fruit chutney?
I like the combination of figs, plums, apple and grapes but there is no reason at all you can’t switch that out with other seasonal fruit and veg – just make sure the fruit is first cooked until soft before you add the sugar, otherwise, any skins may toughen.
You can switch up the spices to your own tastes – I like a bit of heat so I put in plenty of chillies, but feel free to leave it out if that’s not your thing.
How do I serve Sweet Fruit chutney?
I like to eat my chutney really simply with big chunks of crumbly aged cheddar and fresh white bread – add a thick slice of ham and and a pickled onion and you have the makings of a delicious Ploughman’s Lunch.
You can always serve chutney as part of cheeseboard, with cold meats, spread it on sandwiches or serve it alongside an Indian inspired curry feast!
Free Printable Labels!
Yes! A beautiful label makes all the difference when it comes to giving away your delicious jars of chutney as gifts (it is PERFECT as a Christmas present).
Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the download links!
Autumn = Pickle, Relish and Chutney Season
All summer I spend my preserving days making jams, and jellies, but as soon as that first feeling of autumn comes into the air I know that it is time for my real favourites – chutneys, relishes and pickles.
The stalls in Munich’s Viktualienmarkt are suddenly overflowing with mountains of mushrooms, piles of pumpkins, figs, apples, pears, plums. The abundance of the harvest is everywhere, perfect for preserving for the winter months ahead.
These cool sunny days of September and October are the days that I really live for- still warm enough to be out in a t-shirt, but cool enough at night that your mind starts turning to all the delicious food treats in the months ahead. So what are you waiting for? Get into the kitchen and start cooking! J.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is it safe to store chutney without a water bath?
Yes! The amount of vinegar and sugar in chutney combined with the long cooking time will preserve it without water bath canning. Be sure to use clean, sterilised jars and lids with a coating for best results.
Can I use other fruit to make this Sweet Autumn Fruit chutney?
Sure! Mix and match depending on what is available, but keep the weights and amounts of sugar and vinegar the same.
How long can I store chutney?
Because of the vinegar, salt and sugar content, chutney stores for two years or more, when kept in a cool, dark place. In fact, it will ripen and get better as it goes along!
How Do I get the Chutney Neatly into the jars?
This is something I am positively evangelical about. After years of trying to pour chutney and jams into jars from jugs, or spooning it in, I finally got a jam funnel and have never looked back. Game changer! There’s a link in the recipe card to one I recommend.
Fancy trying some more chutney and relish recipes?
- My super delicious Spicy Red Pepper Jelly with no pectin is always a winner.
- Peach and Tomato Chutney is fantastic with chicken.
- My classic recipe for Tangy Redcurrant Jelly is great for beginners.
- Beetroot and Orange Relish pairs perfectly with goat’s cheese.
- If you’re a keen forager, why not try my Rosehip and Apple Jelly?
A beautiful printable label will make your Sweet Fruit Chutney the perfect gift!
Download by clicking on the image or on this link.
Let me know if you like the labels in the comments below or by sharing your photos on Instagram and tagging @jaywadams or #daysofjay
Fruit Chutney Recipe Card
Sweet Autumn Fruit Chutney
My easy recipe for Sweet Autumn Fruit Chutney with figs, plums, and apples is so delicious. Lightly spiced it is perfect served on a cheeseboard or with cold meats.
Ingredients
- 1 kg mixed late summer or autumn fruits: plums, figs, apples, etc
- 200 g seedless grapes
- 250 ml white vinegar
- 50 ml balsamic vinegar
- 250 g onions, roughly chopped
- 2.5 cm fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped or grated
- 2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
- 250 g white sugar
Instructions
- WASH AND CUT FRUIT: Begin by washing, deseeding and de-stoning all of the fruit. Using a sharp knife, cut all the fruit into small and roughly even chunks of about 1 cm.
- BRING TO BOIL: Put all the fruit and the chopped onions into a large non reactive saucepan (stainless steel or enamel), pour over the plain vinegar (use whatever you have, cider, malt, wine vinegars are all OK) and the balsamic vinegar. Stir in the ginger, mustard seeds, salt, allspice, chilli flakes and coriander seeds, and bring the mixture to the boil over a medium heat.
- SIMMER UNTIL SOFT: When the mixture is at a boil, turn down the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent the fruit from catching on the bottom of the pan for roughly 30 minutes, until the fruit is soft.
- STERILISE JARS: Meanwhile, wash four 250ml (8 oz.) jars in hot soapy water, put them in a baking dish and heat them in the oven at 100°C / 215°F / Gas Mark ½ to sterilise. Wash the lids with hot soapy water and set aside on a clean cloth to dry.
- ADD SUGAR: When the fruit is soft, pour in the sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved. You'll notice the mixture has become beautifully glossy and shiny. Now turn up the heat to medium and cook, stirring often to prevent the mixture from burning, for 15-20 minutes until the chutney is thick and rich. If any of the fruit is not breaking down, use the wooden spoon to gently crush it.
- POUR INTO JARS: When the chutney has thickened, remove from the heat the divide between the hot sterilised jars. A jam funnel is truly the best investment you can make here as it makes pouring the jam or chutney into the jars much easier (See below for link).
- SEAL AND COOL: Seal with the clean lids and leave to cool before, before labelling clearly with the type of chutney and the date (you would be amazed how easy it is to forget what is in all these jars!) and store in a cool, dry place.
- SERVE: This chutney is perfect for eating immediately but is much better when left to mature for at least a couple of weeks.
Notes
A note on sterilising jars / canning – I have for many years found this method of preserving perfectly acceptable and safe for cooking jams and chutneys. If you would prefer to water bath can this chutney that is also fine.
Recommended Equipment
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Nutrition
Serving: 2tsp | Calories: 37kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.03g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Sodium: 49mg | Potassium: 41mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 26IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.1mg
Tried this recipe?I’d love to hear how it went! Please leave a review or a star rating and let me know how it was! Use the hashtag #daysofjay on Instagram so I can see your delicious creations.
