Dark Cherry Chutney Canning Recipe (2024)

Whenthe Washington State Fruit Commission asked if I would be a 2015 Canbassador for preserving local, sweet, amazing Washington-grown fruit I leptat the opportunity.You see, as a local Washingtonian, I already believethe fruit being grown by our orchardists throughout the state is the best in the country.

This isn’t just hometown pride talking. Washington is the largest producer in the country forapples, sweet cherries, red raspberries and pears. We’re number two in grapes, number three in blueberries and number six in peaches (but just give us time, California – we’re coming for you).

If you drinkbeer – thank a Washington farmer, because the Yakima Valley grows80% of all the hops in the country. If you prefer mojitos, chew gum, or just like to tinker with essential oils, Washington state farmers probably deserve your respect, too, since theyalso grow mint than anyone else. 79% of the allU.S. spearmint oil comes from Washington.

CanningCherry Chutney

But let’s get back to sweet cherries. (We’re number one! Whoo! We are the cherry champions! Okay, sorry. I’m really done now.) When 18 pounds of these dark, sweet beauties arrived on my doorstep, I knew I wanted to do something that danced between sweet and savory.

I wanted a sauce that I could pull out and pair with a simple grilled pork chopin earlyfall, or add to a plate of goat cheese or brie around the holidays. I wanted something like a chutney.

I started with an established recipe from theBall Blue Book and then tweaked sweetness and spice to get the flavor I was looking for.

This chutney itself is very simple – just pit the cherries (this cherry pitteris why I don’t go crazy during cherry season) thenchop, measure, combine and simmer.

After 15 or 20 minutes of simmering, thechutney will get thick and glossy. You can test the texture by spooning a bit of the chutney on to a plate. It should be soft, but not runny.

For powerfully flavored or specialty sauces like this, I like canning insmall jars. I have become a huge fan of the little 4-oz jelly jars. They are just the right size for something like this chutney, but half-pints will work well too. This small batch recipe will fill 5 or 6 4-oz jars, or about 3 half-pints, depending on how juicy your cherries are and how much you reduce your chutney.

This sweet cherry chutney performed exactly as I hoped it wouldon the plate. When I served a few slices of pork tenderloin from my friends at Adalyn Farms, the cherry chutney enhanced the meat beautifully.

With creamy goat or blue cheese and some rustic bread it was a winner, too. And if you like the cheese-and-chutney combo, I imagine an old-school baked brie round topped with this chutney would be pretty much the best thing ever.

Printable Small Batch Cherry Chutney Recipe

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