At the holiday party of a friend I marveled over a sweet, subtly spicy, apple chutney she served with cheese. It had been a gift from a mutual friend, who had gotten the recipe from her grandmother and made it regularly to give as gifts. Not long after that, I found myself invited to a “chutney party” where I would be one of three women each making and canning about a gallon of that same chutney.
The party included a pot-luck meal. In addition to my contribution toward lunch, I was instructed to bring all of my ingredients as well as jars, lids, and labels, and a large pot in which I would cook my chutney. The pot for sterilizing jars and other equipment would be provided by the host.
We began by peeling apples, which we could do easily while talking because only about half the peel of the apple needs to be removed. A sloppy technique is best. The apples were then cored, cut into chunks, and put into a pot with the other ingredients. The three large pots were put on the stove to simmer, and a fourth pot of water was put on for sterilizing jars.
The simmering of an hour and a half was the perfect length of time for eating, talking and laughing, and taking turns sterilizing our jars. Afterward, filling and boiling the sealed jars went quickly. We each went home with sixteen warm jars of chutney, more than enough to serve at a party, with plenty left over to share with friends. 
