There was a time when my thoughts of chutney and pickles were relegated to something my mother did that took all day, made a mess and was generally only appreciated at the local A&P show competition.
That was until Mum twisted my arm and suggested we do something with all the spare produce available from the garden and local growers.
She has always hated waste, especially if it could be put to good use, and before long I was initiated into the dark arts of pickling, jams and chutney.
Who would have thought beetroot jam could become addictive?
What is it about cheese and chutney that tastes so good and why can't I possibly imagine a corned beef sandwich now without a good lashing of chow-chow pickle?
The art of preserving has been a bit of a revelation for me and, like most things in cooking, it's definitely not new but it certainly seems like it at the time.
You suddenly see such potential in food that you previously took for granted.
No longer do you look at a glut of cucumbers or zucchini as a problem but rather as a delicious opportunity to be enjoyed or shared throughout the year.
I know there will be plenty of older women nodding their heads and clucking away but I don't care.
I get it now, I'm in on the secret, I'm a pickler and I'm proud!
Beetroot jam
Makes 4 300ml jars
Ingredients
500g beetroot, peeled and grated
250g white onions, sliced
malt vinegar
350g sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 Tbsp pickling spice, tied in muslin
1 Tbsp cornflour
Method
Place beetroot and onions into a large saucepan.
Add vinegar to cover two-thirds of the vegetables, then add sugar, salt and spice and boil for 30 minutes or until beetroot is cooked.
Discard the pickling spice mix and stir in the cornflour, mixed with a little water. Bring back to the boil and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Put in hot, sterilised jars and seal for later use.
Peach chutney
Makes 8 300ml jars
Ingredients
2.5kg ripe peaches, halved with stones removed
500g brown onions, peeled and finely chopped
2 cups raisins
1 cup mixed peel
½ cup crystallised ginger, finely sliced
2 cups soft brown sugar
1 Tbsp table salt
1 Tbsp curry powder
½ tsp cayenne pepper
2 cups malt vinegar
Method
Place peaches into a food processor and briefly pulse until roughly chopped.
Place apricots, onions, raisins, mixed peel, ginger, sugar, salt, curry powder, cayenne pepper and vinegar into a large heavy-based pot and bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring often.
Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring often until chutney has thickened. Remove from heat and spoon into sterilised jars.
Keeps for up to 1 year.
Chow-chow pickle
Makes 15 300ml jars
Ingredients
800g onions, peeled and chopped
800g cucumbers, roughly chopped
800g green beans, topped and roughly chopped
800g cauliflower, leaves removed and roughly chopped
800g green tomatoes, roughly chopped
200g table salt
1kg sugar
2 Tbsp mustard seeds
2 tsp black pepper, ground
900ml white vinegar
2 Tbsp turmeric powder
2 Tbsp dry English mustard
¾ cup cornflour
Method
Place vegetables in a large pot and cover with water.
Sprinkle with table salt and leave overnight.
Strain liquid from vegetables the following day then add sugar, mustard seeds, black pepper and 600ml of the vinegar and bring to the boil over a high heat.
Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until vegetables are tender.
In a small bowl, mix remaining vinegar, turmeric, dry English mustard and cornflour together.
Slowly pour the cornflour mixture into the pot, continuing to simmer and stirring until pickle starts to thicken.
Add a little more cornflour, mixed with water, to the pickle if more thickening is required.
Adjust seasoning to taste and bottle immediately in hot, sterilised jars. Keep in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.
Japanese-style pickled vegetables
Makes 5 300ml jars
Ingredients
500ml water
500ml white or cider vinegar
350g caster sugar
2 pieces dried chillies, seeds removed
1 Tbsp peppercorns
3 bay leaves
1kg mixed vegetables (see below)
table salt
Vegetables to pickle
cabbage, sliced
onions, peeled and sliced
radishes, washed and trimmed
carrots, cut into fine batons
cucumber, finely sliced
Method
Place water, vinegar, sugar, chillies, peppercorn and bay leaves into a small pot and bring to the boil.
Remove from heat and cool completely.
Sprinkle vegetables with table salt.
Leave for 30 minutes then squeeze out excess water by hand.
Place vegetables into a container and cover with cooled pickling liquor.
Leave overnight and use vegetables the next day.
Pickled vegetables will keep for up to 3 weeks in the pickling liquor.
• Bevan and Monique Smith own multi-award-winning cafe and restaurant Riverstone Kitchen. Situated on SH1 in North Otago, just south of the Waitaki bridge, they are open Thursday-Monday from 9am-5pm, and also from 6pm from Thursday to Sunday, but closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
