Is my chutney still safe?

[Nome]

I made several jars of lovely beetroot chutney on 6th September. I sterilised the jars in the oven first and boiled the lids, and washed my ladle and funnel in very hot water. I ate a couple of jars straight away, the rest have been stored at room temperature ever since.

I've come to open a new jar now and I'm a bit worried - the vivid purple colour has changed to a murky reddish brown. Is this normal, or has it gone off? The jar opened with a pop and it still smells good, but I'm just concerned about this discolouration.

Can anyone tell me if it's still safe to eat?

[boboff]

Yeah it will be fine,
I think the browning is oxidation of some kind, made worse if kept in a light place. I have pickled beetroot that has done the same.

[becks77]

Should be fine, the discolouratio is a natural thing that occurs, as long as the top poped off you should be fine as it still had the vacuum, imho
Enjoy

[Susie]

There was once an epic thread on here about discoloured pickled eggs, I think they had gone grey and I can't remember whose they were. Anyway, I would have thought more than twice about eating a grey pickled egg but I would be fine with your beetroot chutney, it sounds like a natural maturation process.

(And I do remember that the pickled egg person ate them and they were fine. It was a very educational thread).

[MKG]

Definitely oxidation and perfectly safe. It's actually a well-known problem in winemaking - beetroot makes a beautiful deep red wine as long as you drink it within a year or so. Lots of people, though, have made it and put it away for a few years in a black hole, only to be disappointed to find that they have a (still nice) deep yellow wine with a rusty-coloured deposit at the bottom of the demijohn. And that's in an almost oxygen-free environment where the beetroot juice has been extracted from the solids. If you're pickling the stuff, there's still going to be a fair amount of oxygen trapped within the beetroot itself. If there's a little too much, then you get a browny-red pickle. The only answer I can think of is to increase the cooking time.

Mike

[Millymollymandy]

A lot of my chutnies go a darker brown colour on the top inch or so after about a year. I still eat it although I'm not sure about giving it to other people when it's gone like that.

[Nome]

Thanks folks! I ate it - it's fine :D

[Marc]

yep, I had some today that was exactly the same and tasted perfect.

[chuck_n_grace]

What's a "chutney"?

Chuck

[Millymollymandy]

Also known as a pickle - tends to be fruit/veg or a mix of both cooked slowly with spices, sugar and vinegar which is then used for cheese and pickle sandwiches (you see we never say cheese and chutney sandwiches!) . However a chutney is quite different from something like pickled beetroot/onions etc. but sometimes it is a fine line between the two.

[MKG]

I thought chutney was a word used in the US because of Caribbean influence

Maybe relish would be the nearest equivalent, Chuck.

Mike

[Milims]

Chuck - you MUST make chutney - it's fabby stuff - savoury jam to be eaten with cheese and cold meats etc. Ask for recipes - I'm sure many will be forthcoming!

[chuck_n_grace]

Hi All,
Thanks for the explanation. We're not growing beets...but it sounds like something we might do.

Regards,
Chuck

[kate egg]

I keep all my home made jam and chutney (that sounds like I have a lot, it is only about a dozen jars altogether) in the fridge - even the unopened stuff. Some is coming up for 4 years old and still fine