Mango Chutney: seasonal, yes; cheap, yes; local, no.

Okay, two out of three isn't bad. I live in the area of Toronto called Little India. I adore it here because there's such an incredible diversity of cultures here, and it's all reflected in the food and produce.

I'm always ecstatic when it's mango season. I don't actually know why there are seasons for mangoes since they are imported up from the tropics, but for whatever reason, the best ones always seem to be available in the spring. And my favourite is the small, unassuming yellow ataulfo mango. I was taking a taxi home from a meeting in the evening and as we drove down through Little India I noted the tell-tale sign of stacks of yellow cardboard crates outside my favourite grocer. I yelled "STOP!" to the taxi driver, which resulted in me almost being flung through the windshield, and when I explained that I screamed because I wanted mangoes he just stared at me in disgust.

I bought three cases of mangoes, each with 14 mangoes tucked away within, and carried them home (yes, the taxi ditched me). Though my arms were screaming from the weight when I finally walked in the door, I felt triumphant. There is simply nothing better than the taste of a ripe mango, I've sat and cut up five in a sitting and eaten them all one after another (PSA: you WILL feel sick after this). I was really excited to think that, the following winter, I could be making mango lassis using my perfectly preserved fruit.

Since most of the mangoes weren't ripe, I decided that my first attempt would be Mango Chutney. The recipe came from the Bernardin Complete Book of Home Preserving, and quite frankly, had more ingredients than I would have thought possible. It included:

• 4 cups mango, chopped
• 1 cup onions, chopped
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup limes, chopped and seeded
• 1/2 cup oranges, chopped and seeded
• 1/4 cup lemon, chopped and seeded
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup ginger, chopped
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
• 1 tbsp mustard seed
• 1 tsp hot pepper flakes
• 1 tsp cinnamon, ground
• 1/4 tsp cloves, ground
• 1/4 tsp allspice, ground

I had bought all of these ingredients in anticipation of this happy day, so I was ready to go!

The recipe was surprisingly simple: basically dump it all together and cook it, then ladle into hot jars and process in a water bath for 10 minutes. Before canning it, the mango chunks were bright and lively, but after canning, the chutney took on a much more sophisticated colour, dark and brooding and powerful.

The yield was precisely what was advertised in the book: 6 half-pint jars from 4 cups of chopped mango. There was a tiny bit extra that I tasted, and it packed a kick! The seals on all the jars stuck and I'm now the proud owner of six bundles of mango joy, ready to brighten up some simple steamed fish dish that I'll make. I'll be sure to report on how it tastes.

CANNING VERDICT: WIN!

The cost per can is something like $1 per half-pint. Once the rest of these mangoes have ripened up, it's time to make jam and chunks in syrup and maybe, if I'm really daring, mango curd (what's daring about it? how about the fact that making 3 half-pints calls for ELEVEN eggs!).