I always loved the aromas coming from our kitchen when I was growing up when my mother made homemade chutney or relish. And the chutney that she made is absolutely delicious. Chutney is made with green tomatoes and I had plenty of those. In 2012, I planted alot of tomatoes in my backyard garden. I thought that I had covered the tomatoes with netting to prevent the birds, squirrels and possums from eating them. But something still got to the tomatoes and I watched in disbelief as one by one my precious tomatoes disappeared. It was too much to think that all my tomatoes would vanish, so I picked everything — red ones and green ones.

What could I do with all these tomatoes, I pondered? And I remembered my mother’s relish that she canned very summer. I located the recipe, which turned out to be from my grandmother Heisey. Sure enough, the chutney was made from green tomatoes.

Continue reading →