Autumn Apple-Pear Chutney

This deeply spiced chutney is one of the last things I make each fall. I love it alongside roasted root vegetables and in place of applesauce with Hanukkah latkes. I don't typically peel pears, but if yours have tough, pebbly skin, you might want to peel them.

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 20 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 50 mins
• Calories: 122 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups white sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 ½ cups dried cherries
• 2 cups cider vinegar
• 1 large yellow onion, minced
• 1 lemon, seeded and chopped
• 1 ½ pounds apples - peeled, cored, and diced
• 1 ½ pounds pears - peeled, cored, and diced
• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Move jars to a folded kitchen towel or wooden cutting board to cool completely before checking seals. Any unsealed jars should be refrigerated and eaten promptly. Store sealed jars in a cool, dark place. Sealed jars are shelf-stable at least 1 year.

Step 2

Submerge 6 empty half-pint jars on a rack in a large pot of water. Cover and bring to a rolling boil, then reduce heat to low to keep jars warm until ready to fill.

Step 3

Combine apples, pears, onion, vinegar, sugar, cherries, lemon, mustard seeds, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and cloves in a wide, nonreactive 4-quart pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Once it bubbles, reduce heat to medium; simmer gently, stirring often, until mixture is thickened and a spoon drug through leaves a trail that doesn't fill in immediately, about 1 hour. Toward the end of the cooking, make sure to stir every minute or so to prevent scorching. Remove from heat.

Step 4

Working with one jar at a time, remove empty jars from canning pot. Using a wide-mouth funnel, carefully ladle jam into jars, leaving 1/2 inch for headspace. Use a clean wooden chopstick to work air bubbles out of jars. Check headspace again and add more chutney if necessary to bring to 1/2 inch from the top.

Step 5

Wipe jar rims, apply lids and rings (not too tightly), and return jars to canning pot. Cover pot and return water to a rolling boil. Process for 10 minutes. Turn off heat, remove pot lid, and let jars stand in the cooling water 5 minutes to help ensure a good vacuum seal.