HFW's glutney

[Bren In Pots]

I'm making HFW's glutney later on and the instructions say to :-

750ml white-wine or cider vinegar, made up to 1 litre with water.

well I've never added water to vinegar before thought it was a bad thing to dilute it, so I was thinking is the recipe alight to use ?

[chris]

It'd still be 3/4's vinegar though - perhaps it's just to dilute the vinegary taste?

*goes off to have a lookie at this recipe!*

[chris]

Not the RC site, but this one apparantly is his too.. and is less vinegar?

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall - Waste Awareness Wales

[rustylady]

Personally I wouldn't add water. Just stick with the vinegar.

[Bren In Pots]

Found HFW's recipe here :-

guardian.co.uk

then after searching the Vine I've found this one and it uses only vinegar so I'll follow that instead.

grapevine courgette-chutney

its been bothering me adding water in case it makes my chutney go mouldy.

[Keith2202]

Why would it make your chutney go mouldy?
There is a lot of water in courgettes, cucumbers, tomatoes....

[Bren In Pots]

I'd got it into my head that diluting the vinegar reduced the acid so the chutney wouldn't keep as long.

[Keith2202]

I guess that as you simmer the mixture to cook the veg and get it to absorb the vinegar, it reduces. So you are boiling off the water anyway and it isn't diluting the vinegar?

Also as you are losing liquid it is cheaper to lose water than vinegar, maybe that is a reason?

[Alison]

Also as you are losing liquid it is cheaper to lose water than vinegar, maybe that is a reason?

You only really lose the water anyway and the acidity from the vinegar effectively gets stronger as the water evaporates.

[rustylady]

I guess that as you simmer the mixture to cook the veg and get it to absorb the vinegar, it reduces. So you are boiling off the water anyway and it isn't diluting the vinegar?

Also as you are losing liquid it is cheaper to lose water than vinegar, maybe that is a reason?

So what is the point of adding water in the first place?

[Bren In Pots]

You only really lose the water anyway and the acidity from the vinegar effectively gets stronger as the water evaporates.

Thanks for that Alison

[taff]

So what is the point of adding water in the first place?

maybe so it's cooked enough before all the liquid evaporates? dunno, just guessing...

[Hilary B]

I haven't looked at the recipes, but doesn't chutney contain sugar? THAT is probably more effective as a preservative than the vinegar (although having both does help).
I don't think it IS thw water that evaporates, haven't you noticed how strong the smell of vinegar is when making chutney? That means it is evaporating.....

[Alison]

Funily enough made some glutney from the River Cottage preserve book this weekend. No mention of any water at all so there recipes must vary. Did add sugar and vinegar though as normal. Tasted lovely even when first made so am looking forward to it in a few months.

[Nicos]

We've made some too over the weekend!

( 34 jars of different types of chutney!)