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How to can your make and own mango chutney

How to Make Homemade Mango Chutney

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You think making and canning your own mango chutney is difficult or expensive?  Not at all!  Here's how to do it, complete instructions in easy steps and completely illustrated. In the winter when you open a jar, the mangoes will taste MUCH better than anything you've ever had from a store, and by selecting the right fruit, it will use less sugar than store-bought canned mangoes. Don't let the list of ingredients worry you; they're all readily available at any grocery store! Best of all, you can refrigerate it OR can it for later use.

Prepared this way, the jars have a shelf life of about 12 to 18 months, and aside from storing in a cool, dark place, require no special attention.

You may also be interested in How to make mango salsa and Mango-raspberry jam and how to can mangoes.

Directions for Making and Canning Mango Chutney

Yield: 7 - 8 eight-ounce jars

Ingredients

• 6 mangoes, slightly under-ripe (total weight about 3 lb/1.5 kg) You will need about 5 to 6 cups of chopped mango.
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 2/3 teaspoon cumin seeds  or ground cumin, if you can't get the seeds
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon red cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1.5 teaspoon ginger paste (available from Asian grocery stores, otherwise, 2 teaspoons of dried ginger)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 cups red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoon garlic paste or puree
• 1 large onion (finely chopped )  about 3/4 cup

 

Equipment

• Jar grabber (to pick up the hot jars)
• Lid lifter (I like the lid rack that holds 12 lids or you can pull them out one at a time with the lid-lifter that has a magnet from the almost-boiling water where you sanitize them. ($4 at mall kitchen stores and local "big box" stores, but it's usually cheaper online from our affiliates)
• Jar funnel ($4 at mall kitchen stores and local "big box" stores, but it's usually cheaper online from our affiliates)
• At least 1 large pot
• Large spoons and ladles,
• Canning jars (often called Ball jars, Mason jars or Kerr jars) (Publix, Kroger, other grocery stores and some "big box" stores carry them - now about $12 per dozen quart jars (up 50% in 2 years!) including the lids and rings)
• 1 water bath canner (a huge pot with a lifting rack to sanitize the jars of mangoes after filling (about $30 to $35 at mall kitchen stores and local "big box" stores, but it's usually cheaper online from our affiliates) You CAN use a large pot instead, but the canners are deeper, and have a rack top make lifting the jars out easier. If you plan on canning every year, they're worth the investment.

 

Recipe and Directions

Step 1 - Selecting the mangoes

Choose ripe, mature fruit of ideal quality for eating fresh or cooking. They should not be mushy, but they also should not be rock hard: just as ripe as you would eat them fresh.  You can also use solid green mangoes. Select firm, non-fibrous fruit. Caution: Handling green mangoes may irritate the skin of some people in the same way as poison ivy. (They belong to the same plant family.)  (see this page for more information) To avoid this reaction, wear plastic gloves while working with raw green mango. Do not touch your face, lips or eyes after touching or cutting green mangoes until all traces are washed away. 

 

Step 2 - How many mangoes and where to get them

You can pick your own, or buy them at the grocery store.  But for large quantities, you will find that Costco, Sam's Club and BJ's seem to have the largest mangoes and best prices.

Step 3 - Wash the jars and lids

This is a good time to get the jars ready! The dishwasher is fine for the jars; especially if it has a "sanitize" cycle. Otherwise put the jars in boiling water for 10 minutes. I just put the lids in a small pot of almost boiling water for 5 minutes, and use the magnetic "lid lifter wand" (available from target, other big box stores, and often grocery stores; and available online - see this page) to pull them out.

 

 

Step 4 -Wash the mangoes!

I'm sure you can figure out how to wash the mangoes in plain cold or lukewarm water.

 

 

 

 

Step 5 - Peeling the Mangoes

Green mangoes are fairly firm, so a regular vegetable peeler works pretty well. This is probably the most tedious step of the process, though. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 6 - Cut up the mangoes

Cut out any brown spots and mushy areas. Slice the mangoes in 1/4 thick slices! It just takes practice to figure out where the pit is.  the pit is sort of flat, rather than egg-shaped, so you will get more flesh of some parts of the mango than others. 

Then chop the mango slices up into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces. You will need about 5 to 6 cups of chopped mango

See here for related tools, equipment, supplies on Amazon This mango splitter works great!

Step 7 - Add the spices

Add the spices: 2 cups brown sugar, 2/3 teaspoon cumin, 1 cup raisins, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon red cayenne pepper, 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric, 1.5 teaspoon ginger paste, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, 3 cups vinegar, 2 teaspoon garlic puree and 1 large onion (finely chopped )  about 3/4 cup, to the chopped mangoes.

If you want it spicier, you could safely double the dry powder spices.

 

 

 

 

Step 8 - Cook the mango chutney

Simmer over low heat for 30 to 90 minutes - the goals is just to thicken it to the consistency you desire!  When it cools, it will thicken further, so there's no need to cook it to death!

 

Step 9 - Fill the jars

Wipe rim and screw threads with a clean damp cloth. Add lid, screw band and tighten firmly and evenly. Do not over tighten.

 

 

 

 

Step 10 - Process the jars in the water bath

Put the sealed jars in the canner and keep them cover with at least 1 inch of water and boiling. Boil them for at least 20 minutes (and no more than 30 min).

 

 

Step 11 - Remove and cool

Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight), here they won't be bumped. You can then remove the rings if you like, but if you leave them on, at least loosen them quite a bit, so they don't rust in place due to trapped moisture. Once the jars are cool, you can check that they are sealed verifying that the lid has been sucked down. Just press in the center, gently, with your finger. If it pops up and down (often making a popping sound), it is not sealed. If you put the jar in the refrigerator right away, you can still use it. Some people replace the lid and reprocess the jar, then that's a bit iffy. If you heat the contents back up, re-jar them (with a new lid) and the full time in the canner, it's usually ok.

Mangoes, pears and apples may also show a blue, red or pink color change after canning. This is the result of natural chemical changes that sometimes occur as fruits are heated. It is harmless and won't affect flavor!

Also, avoid storing canned food near heat sources such as a furnace, water heater, hot water or sunny areas. Jars need to be kept cool and dark for longer storage life and to protect against spoilage. Be sure to store in a dry place. If the lid or band rusts, that can cause the seal to break.

Your chutney will probably be darker in color than these and look more like the single jar shown.  It depends upon how much spice you use and how long you cook it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Other Equipment: From left to right: Jar lifting tongs          helpful to pick up hot jars Lid lifter         - to remove lids from the pot          of hot water  Lids        - disposable - you may only         use them once Ring        - holds the lids on the jar until after       the jars cool - then you remove them, save them and reuse them Canning Jar funnel       - to fill the jars	You can get all of the tools in a kit here: See here for related tools, equipment, supplies on Amazon
Frequently asked questions!