Category Archives: Cooking

Meyer Lemon Chutney

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If you have never tasted a Meyer lemon before, they are sweeter than a regular lemon – a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange.

January through April are the best months to either purchase Meyer lemons or pick them from your tree (if you are lucky enough to have one).

I’m going to show you how I make Meyer lemon chutney. Chutney is a traditional Indian subcontinent (India, South Asia, Caribbean, parts of Africa and Fuji) chunky spread. It comes in many different varieties, but is usually spicy in taste, and made with fruits, spices, ginger, and brown sugar.

Chutneys are wonderful as a spread for meats, a stand-alone side dish, or as a topping on rice or desserts. Really, it’s the ‘bomb‘ and goes with anything as far as I am concerned!

Okay, let’s get started.

I use a simple recipe from Food 52 that I found on the web:

Ingredients

  • 4 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1/2 cup of lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
  • 1/2 cup cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
  • 1 pound brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 8 lemons (for the mix)
  • 2 tablespoons sea salt

Directions

  1. Remove the zest from 8 lemons with a vegetable peeler, being careful to not include the pith (white part). Cut away the pith and discard. Chop the zest and the flesh fine with a good sharp knife. Transfer into a glass or earthenware bowl, mix with 2 tablespoons salt, and let sit overnight.
  2. On the next day, transfer the lemons to the pan and add all the other ingredients. Stir and cook gently over medium heat till it becomes thick (up to 45 minutes), dark brown and gooey. You will fill 4 to 5 medium size jars

As a side note, I found that 45 minutes was not enough time to get the mixture gooey. It was more like 90 minutes. Don’t worry too much as it will thicken up in the refrigerator overnight.

Zest from 8 Meyer lemons.

Finely chopped zest.

Ingredients combined in a sauce pan.

Enjoying chutney in the morning on bread topped with banana – so yummy.

Simply Amazing – Give it a try!

MinYard Grape Harvest

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What’s a MinYard? A mini grape vineyard of course.

Several years ago, a good friend gave us two Cabernet grape plants. For a couple of years they grew in pots. When I redesigned the front yard, I decided a small vineyard was needed.

Here’s the two-plant grape MinYard in late fall. The harvest was completed in mid September.

It was a very good harvest this year. But what can you do with the wine grapes if you only have two grapevines? It’s not enough to make wine.

I’ll show you how I crush the grapes and what I do with the juice.

I place a catch dish below a colander, I simply use a plastic bag and my fist to crush the grapes. It is definitely a workout. I’ve been looking for a small, used grape press but have not found one as yet. Hopefully prior to the next harvest.

When I need a rest, I pour the juice from the catch dish through folded cheese cloth and into a pitcher. The cheese cloth acts to filter out most debris.

I was able to obtain two full pitchers of juice. I usually pour some juice into Mason jars and freeze it.

The juice can be added to a glass of water for a super energy drink. You do not need to add much, this stuff is pure power and can really rev up your motor!

I also like to freeze some grape cubes in an ice cube tray, and add the cubes to natural sparkling water. Extremely refreshing on a warm day.

If you know someone who makes wine, you can give them the juice from your vines to add into theirs. Here’s a batch of locally made wine where I added my own label. I had one of my artistic friends design it for me.

Note the MinYard name – Frog & Feather. My friend likes frogs and I like birds of prey. This was a hearty, bodacious red – just like her!

So go grab a bottle of your favorite red and share it with a friend. Wine is good for your soul. Salute!