Following storm Alex the rain hasn’t stopped pouring. ‘il pleut des cordes’ (it’s raining cords it falls straight down like a rope/cord or even like the string of an instrument).
With a distinct lack of sunshine the tomatoes are not ripening so I’m left with a lot of green tomatoes. Time for some autumnal green tomato chutney. Not sure how these tiny bullet tomatoes will work in a chutney but we’ll have a go. Here is the recipe online BBC Good Food
I’m cooking indoors/outdoors in the cider house as it’s raining. We usually cook particularly strong-flavored dishes outside. The plan is to have an improved outdoor kitchen for the summer. Boiling vinegar for chutneys tends to leave a lingering whiff for days, so it’s fab to have an outdoor space to cook in.
In the gallery below you can see how I layered the onions, salt, and tomatoes and stored overnight. Not sure if this process added anything to the flavor of our green tomato chutney? I usually use Monty & Sarah Don’s recipe in their book Fork to Fork. The internet offered a quick response rather than rummaging around in the loft (office) where everything has been packed up (again) as we work on the electrical cabling under the floor.
Green Tomato Chutney Recipe Gallery
Verdict: The look and feel of the green tomato chutney is lovely. The taste and texture for me was too bitty. I’m not sure I’m a fan but Simon and lots of our family love to eat this chutney with cheese over the winter months. I filled three litre jars with the stuff so plenty to sample.
Links here for more Notes From Le Chassaing recipes and general foodie posts.
In renovation news: The roofs and gutters are ‘mid repair’ so the rain is literally pouring into the barn pending the winter Tyvek cover. This is NOT the same weather we enjoyed last October (mildly disappointed). I’ve managed to re-route the gutter rain away from the walls of the house. The house itself is snug and dry with the fire on daily. It’s not particularly cold but the rain just makes you feel that it’s time for the fire to be on.
The final summer vegetables have been harvested just leeks, potatoes, and sprouts growing and enjoying the rain. I have brought in the pumpkins, and squashes as I fear if I leave them much longer I won’t be able to lift them! HUGE veg.
