Grape chutney 2.0

Seasonal health and safety disclaimer: Allow at least 24 hours between collecting chestnuts (above), and chopping the chillies for this recipe.

Ruby's Red Hot Grape Chutney

A big saucepan of Red grapes, ripped in half and seeds removed (best to do this in front of a couple of soccer matches on the tv)
Juice of 3 lemons
Juice of 2 limes
Half a cup each of cider and red wine vinegar
Chilies, deseeded, roughly chopped* and whizzed in a blender with the lemon / lime juice
A cup of sugar
A big slug of maple syrup (I have a giant vat of the stuff to use up)
2 handfuls of raisins
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 large onions, chopped and lightly fried before adding
3 shallots
2 red sweet pointed peppers, chopped

Cook til sludgy, pour into warmed washed jam jars.

*see health and safety disclaimer above, ouch!

Amazingly I still don't think we've used even half of our grapes. But I have an idea for grape chutney with mulled wine spices and roasted chestnuts ...

It all feels very much like an episode of The Good Life round here. The chickens have stopped laying. We have tried adding more light, more bedding, more water ... inspected for obvious signs of distress or disease but they appear, at least to the untrained eye, to be well-adjusted and healthy. Hmm. So we rang our chicken donors - some friends who have a farm and have loaned us their over-pecked birds ... and their chickens aren't laying either. Phew. At least I can stop holding myself responsible! Perhaps they are just reacting to the bizarre weather we're having? A poultry protest about global warming?

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