Blueberry Chutney The Sweet Version 4 cups blueberries (2 pints works) 1 cup diced tart apples (I usually use Granny Smiths) 1 cup diced onion (red onions are nice) 1 cup vinegar (white wine or apple cider) 3/4 - 1 cup sugar (brown or white or a mixture) 1/4 cup crystallized ginger, diced (fresh is also good - about 2 tablespoons grated) 1/4 cup dried fruit (raisins, currants, cranberries, blueberries, etc.) Spice Bag: 1 cinnamon stick (about 4") 3 whole allspice 2 whole cloves 1 star anise (optional, but I happened to have one) The Savory Version (my last batch had a Mexican Slant) 4 cups blueberries (2 pints works) 1 cup red currants or cranberries or diced tomatillos or diced apple (need something with some pectin) 1 cup diced onion 3/4 cup vinegar (red wine or apple cider) 1/4 cup lime juice (or use 1 cup vinegar total if you don't want the lime flavor) Zest from a lime (optional) 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 - 3/4 cup sugar (brown or white or a mixture) or to taste 1/4 cup crystallized ginger, diced (fresh is also good - about 1 tablespoon grated) 1 or 2 chipotle peppers with adobo sauce Spice Bag: 1/2 cinnamon stick (about 2") 1 tablespoon coriander seed (I toast the coriander and the cumin seed first) 1 teaspoon cumin seed (optional) 1 tablespoon mustard seed (or you can use 1 teaspoon of dry mustard powder) 4 black peppercorns In a large pot, bring all the ingredients to a boil, then simmer for 20-30 minutes until slightly thickened, stirring frequently. Process pints or half pints in a BWB for 10 minutes. I usually leave out the chipotle pepper and add it when I puree the chutney for use as barbecue or a dipping sauce. I find it a bit more flexible that way.

I've been reading up on "approved" hot sauce recipes. many of them call for substantially more tomato than pepper. is there a reason for this? Taste preference in part I think, the popularity of tomato based sauces. But also because tomatoes are much more acidic than peppers so using tomatoes adds an element of safety and shelf life too. Not to mention that many gardeners grow tons more tomatoes than they do peppers. :) Now there might be a problem. None of them are tested for canning as far as I know so I don't know how they (the lids especially) will hold up to the BWB processing. I guess all you can do is try a couple and see. The way the 2 piece canning lids work is as the liquid inside the jar gets hot and expands the air inside is forced out and burps out of the lid and then as it cools the lid is sucked back down to create the vacuum inside the jar. Your bottles and lids probably won't work that way. Try a couple of your bottles just colored water in them and with the lid just screwed on finger tight. Then when you remove them from the pot see if the lid is more loose than when it went in. I think that would mean the air was burped out of the bottles. But keep in mind this is just guess work on my part, not tested. I've been reading up on "approved" hot sauce recipes. many of them call for substantially more tomato than pepper. is there a reason for this? it doesn't seem like any of them would be near hot enough for my tastes, even using really hot peppers. also, all of my sauces are stored in hot sauce bottles (woozy bottles), and my intention is to store at room temp before opening. if I bottle them boiling hot, in boiling hot bottles, would the suggested next steps simply be putting on the caps and tossing them into boiling water for 10-15 min? can anyone suggest a good pH meter for a broke college student like me, with a budget in the $20 range? can I just use test strips? A meter for $20 won't be worth anything. Good ones cost much more. Personally I'd use food grade litmus test paper. It isn't recommended for using on home processed foods because it can give false readings but then so can meters. The litmus test paper (available online and pharmacies) is approved by the FDA for food testing just not by USDA/NCHFP so do it with great care. I haven't tried using it in many years but if i got a reading of say 4.4 or lower i wouldn't have any concerns with eating it. JMO Dave

I've linked a basic tomato sauce below. To prep a big batch, bring a saucepan, big enough to hold 4-5 tomatoes, 3/4 full of water to a boil. Give your tomatoes a quick slit with a serrated knife, just an inch will do, and drop in the water 4-5 at a time for aprox 1 min. Remove with a slotted spoon to a cookie sheet or platter to cool a bit, add the next 4-5 tomatoes. This goes pretty quickly and can do a full crate/basket in no time. Some just go directly into quart zip-locks right away, and could be quartered but i usually just smoosh them down, get all the air out and seal. Chill in the fridge before freezing. The rest i make the basic sauce. I don't cook mine down as rich as the link as i like a fresher taste. Let the sauce cool down a bit. Half i put in serving sizes qrt zip-locks, the rest i puree with a stick blender or reg blender. A meat sauce could be made at this time as well. I end up with tomatoes 3-4 ways and can be pulled out of the freezer and thawed for various recipes. I like the smoother sauce for a fish or shrimp dish. I add any of them to winter stews or soup. Taste your sauce for salt&pepper and if needed, a bit of honey brightens the flavor, just a tiny bit. Add fresh basil when it comes off the heat before freezing. Or any fresh herbs. Just label your bags clearly. So many ways to use this basic sauce all winter. If you want a thicker sauce, just cook it down when using it at the later time. To dice? Just chop them up. Here is a link that might be useful: basic tomato sauce

in any discussion of making hot sauce, a pH tester is worth it's weight in gold. you can get a cheap one off amazon that will give you good ballpark figures. I personally wouldn't use red wine vinegar, but I don't particularly like red wine in general. I use either white, rice, or apple cider vinegar. when you say "whole peppers filling the blender" in addition to those other ingredients, it really throws me off trying to estimate what the pH of your sauce would be. the better way to share your ratios is by blending the peppers down first before adding those other ingredients. again, a pH tester is worth its weight in gold. take all the guesswork out of it.