Hello, friends! It’s been quite a while since I posted a recipe. It’s been a whirlwind year that I will tell you about later. For now, I want to share this new recipe for Fresh Autumn Glory® Apple Chutney that I created for one of my very favorite brands, SuperFresh Growers. Last fall I was invited to visit the Autumn Glory® apple orchards in Washington State and toured the facilities where the apples are washed, sorted, and packaged for grocery stores around the country. I’ve included some photos from the trip at the bottom of this post, if you’re interested – it was one of my favorite trips!
Autumn Glory® Apples = Fall Flavors
In case you’ve never heard of Autumn Glory® apples, they are a proprietary apple grown only by SuperFresh Growers. Autumn Glory® apples are a cross between Fuji and Golden Delicious apples. The flavor has notes of caramel and cinnamon with a crisp, juicy texture. They are harvested in the late fall and available all throughout the winter. The apples have a beautiful blush and are picked at their peak ripeness, which is determined by the hint of gold that comes through. They are gorgeous and delicious. My favorite combo! Check with your grocer to see if they’ll be carrying Autumn Glory® apples this season. They are sure to become your favorite apple variety like have my family’s.
How This Apple Chutney Recipe Came To Be
This apple chutney recipe came about as I was thinking back to another recipe I have yet to share here, a cooked pear and dried cherry chutney thickened with chia seeds. It is divine and screams fall. I created it as part of our #Plantsgiving feast a few years back, but it never ended up here on the blog. Autumn Glory® apples are amazing raw or cooked, but they really shine when eaten raw. I wanted to see if I could make a raw version that would rival any cooked apple chutney out there. (Spoiler alert: I totally did.)
Chutney is something we eat a lot of in my family, especially in the fall. The combination of spices, dried and fresh fruit, is stellar and works so well with cold weather recipes like roasted veggies and meats, or in tasty appetizers, such as this one, paired with creamy or salty cheeses.
My fresh apple chutney recipe combines the texture and flavor of the raw, diced Autumn Glory® apples with dried cranberries, raisins, pecans, citrus juice and zest, spices, a little honey and apple cider vinegar. It’s so good that sometimes I don’t even bother with the toast and cheese. I just eat it straight out of the jar by the spoonful! It’s going on our Thanksgiving menu this year, too. I wished I’d had this recipe when I was catering – it really is a perfect autumnal or winter appetizer.
Fresh Autumn Glory Apple Chutney Recipe
This apple chutney recipe embodies fall flavors–sweet Autumn Glory apples, loads of spices, chopped pecans, dried fruit, and citrus zest and juice. It makes a great appetizer paired with cream cheese and crackers or toasted baguette slices. But it’s also great paired with roasted poultry or pork.
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 40 1x
Ingredients
- 6 medium Autumn Glory® apples, cored and cut into small dice
- 2 cups dried fruit (raisins and/or cranberries)
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
- 1/2 cup shallots, minced (could sub red onion)
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup honey
- Juice and zest of 1 large orange
- Juice and zest of 2 large lemons
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- For serving:
- Cream cheese, softened
- Crackers or small rounds of fresh or toasted baguettes (crostini)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a large non-reactive bowl (such as glass or stainless steel). Taste and adjust seasonings or sweetener, if needed, to personal taste.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 1 week.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Category: Appetizer
Photos From The Autumn Glory® Orchards
We got up early and headed to the orchards just in time to catch the sunrise. It was both breathtaking and memorable. I love being outside in nature, but I think my favorite place will always be an orchard.
A layer of fog hovering over the ground. It burned off quickly after the sunrise.
Rows and rows of Autumn Glory® apple trees.
If I’m remembering correctly, the white cloth helps reflect light up to the underneath part of the trees.
The white spray on these apples is either clay or calcium carbonate (both are used by growers) which prevents the apples from becoming sunburned.
The just-picked apples go into big wooden crates that are lifted onto trucks and transported to the packing facility. The images below show some of the process.
The apples arrive and are washed well, dried, and sprayed with a food-safe wax. They they go through a sorting process where photographs are taken as well as infrared imaging which shows if an apple has any blemishes or rotting not apparent to the naked eye. They are then sorted by size and grade and sent to be hand-packed in bags or larger boxes depending on which store they go to.
It was such an amazing experience all around, and I have a new appreciation for all of the produce on store shelves. I hope you’ll watch for Autumn Glory® apples – they are a treat!
