Farm Market Recipe of the Week: Tomato Chutney

These last few weeks Ive been discussing various methods of preserving produce - this is not because I prefer canned vegetables over fresh, but because I prefer to know where my food comes from in the winter months. I may sound antiquated when I suggest buying most of your produce year-round from your local farmer, but it is possible! Our farmers are already looking into farming lettuce in the greenhouse this winter to supplement their storage vegetables. When you combine these practices, your pantry will be a beautiful showcase of produce offered this season. Personally I cant get enough of eating a fresh-picked tomato, still slightly warm from the heat from the field, with the smell of tomato vines on my fingers. But lets be realistic, tomatoes are pouring in from the fields faster than we can eat them, but they wont last all winter. So I like to pick my favorite heirloom tomatoes from Harvest Moon and make a chutney so I can enjoy the flavor year round. Tomato chutneys are amazing on tarts, flatbreads, or even a slice of toasted bread.

Ingredients 4 lbs fresh tomatoes, chopped Olive Oil 2 Spanish onions, julienne 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 2 TB Salt Ground Black Pepper 1 cup apple cider vinegar

Preperation Sweat onions, garlic, salt and pepper in olive oil over med-low heat stirring slowly. This should take at least ten minutes. Add a little water if needed to keep from getting color. When done, onions should be translucent and sweet. Add tomatoes and cook down until most of the liquid evaporates. Add vinegar, and continue cooking until evaporated. This is the part of the recipe I leave to you to create. Try adding fresh herbs, or cumin and mustard seeds. Even chili peppers or fennel seeds. I personally like to make a couple different chutneys with different tomatoes.