Peacharine chutney

I was devastated.

The weather had been alternating between hot and raining.

I probably had not been giving the fruit trees enough water.

A large branch (half the tree) of my peacharine tree snapped and fell to the ground.

It was loaded with good sized fruit that would have ripened in 1-2 weeks.

It was looking like a good season for stone fruit.

Last year was a poor crop across Adelaide.

I left the branch where it had fallen.

After 2 days I decided to pick the best of the fallen fruit and make a batch of spicey chutney. I used the same recipe as for my green tomato chutney, just much less brown sugar. Despite the fruit being green inside the chutney brewed into a golden peachy colour.

That's how I spent last Sunday afternoon; helped along by a beer beside the cutting board and the cricket on the TV in the background.

If it weren't for that fallen branch I probably wouldn't have made peacharine chutney this year. It was an opportunity that had to be explored.

The taste test scored a rating of 8.5/10.

I may enter a jar for judging in the Royal Show in 2015.