Thickening?

[UncleEbenezer]

Blackberries being super-abundant right now in my garden, I made a big batch of chutney yesterday. Six full jars!

It's been a few years since I last made blackberry chutney, so I don't recollect the full details. This time it seems to have come out just a little bit too runny for a chutney. Is there anything one can do to thicken it without also ruining it when one now opens a jar?

One of the jars is in the fridge: the lid evidently failed to seal it properly, as there's no vacuum inside. So I can test-drive any suggestions on that.

[redsturgeon]

I believe you should put it back in a pan to evaporate more of the juice, then rebottle.

John

[JMN2]

cornflour or some other starch?

[UncleEbenezer]

cornflour or some other starch?

Thanks, but that's exactly what I hoped not to hear. I find cornflour-in-anything pretty unappetising.

I think last time was later in the season, and the berries themselves were less juicy. I might possibly also have included an apple. I guess this time it was more water, less pectin.

[redsturgeon]

cornflour or some other starch?

Thanks, but that's exactly what I hoped not to hear. I find cornflour-in-anything pretty unappetising.

I think last time was later in the season, and the berries themselves were less juicy. I might possibly also have included an apple. I guess this time it was more water, less pectin.

Me too re. cornflour which why I proposed the alternative course, I was also wondering if you had added apples or not.

John

[Skotch]

Could you add crab apples to the recipe - they are very high in pectin which would help to thicken the mix. Or... - I was watching a programme on BBC 2 last night with Nadiya who won GBBO and she used basil seeds in a non-cook strawberry jam. Apparently the seed adds no flavour but the seed coating 'emulsifies' when exposed to liquid?

[UncleEbenezer]

Could you add crab apples to the recipe - they are very high in pectin which would help to thicken the mix. Or... - I was watching a programme on BBC 2 last night with Nadiya who won GBBO and she used basil seeds in a non-cook strawberry jam. Apparently the seed adds no flavour but the seed coating 'emulsifies' when exposed to liquid?

Thanks. That won't help this batch (which BTW tastes great with falafel, good with cheese, but disappointed as accompaniment to a stir-fry). But next time I shall bear this in mind, and revisit this thread, as well as google for ideas. I'm not sure where I'd source those ingredients (crab apple would be easier in the later part of the blackberry season), but I can always use a supermarket bramley, and google for other ideas.

[jackdaww]

blackberries are short on pectin - hence the tradition of blackberry and apple jam.

almost any apple will do .

[TonyB]

Chia seeds have a similar effect to the basil seeds mentioned above, its certainly something you could try with your opened jar.

This web article suggest 2Tsp to 2 cups of fruit:

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-ea ... uit-222310

There are a number of modern starches that you could use as an alternative to cornflour with little of no impact on flavour and which can be used to thicken cold liquids such as Ultratex but unless you have access to a restaurant's pantry, its a bit expensive.

Tony

[UncleEbenezer]

Chia seeds have a similar effect to the basil seeds mentioned above, its certainly something you could try with your opened jar.
Tony

Interesting. Now that seems worth looking out for next time I'm in a supermarket. Looks like a similar principle to thickening a soup or broth with pearl barley.

Come to think of it, maybe I should be going through seeds I have now in the kitchen and researching them.

[DiamondEcho]

Blackberry + apple is the usual combo I'm used to, since the apple adds the pectin that the former lacks. An alt, of course, is adding powdered pectin, something I did with another batch of soft-fruit jam last season! Cheap and simple.