Quick Questions on Jam and marmalade making and Preserving

SUESMITH_2

things expand when they're hot

so if its hot when its potted the air will also be hot, as it cools the air and jam will contract pulling the button down and making a vacuum seal

Valli

If you screw the lid on while the jam inside is still hot (which is what you should do) as the jam cools it contracts and 'sucks' the pop-up part of the lid down. Thus saving ME a fortune on wax discs etc;)

You hear it 'pop' as it cools btw!

Farway

minimooch wrote: »

I made a whole load of strawberry jam in july, and i just noticed that the "button" in the lid of one of the (recycled jam) jars can be pressed in.

When the jam jar was originally bought filled with jam, it said not to use it if the button could be pressed in. Does the same apply to my homemade, should I have expected it to make a seal again, and since it appears to have not made a seal, is it safe to eat?

As above responses, the sugar will preserve it, I am still eating last years HM, and the buttons have never sucked in

HM jam may eventually form a mould, if it does, do as we did in the 1950s, scrape the mould off & continue to eat the jam, trust me, you will live, well I have anyway

zippychick

I turn mine upside down? I think Nigella said it creates a vacuum. Either that or im a bit silly!!!!!

Ive merged this with Jam making quick qs

Zip

[Deleted User]

I see that we have expanded jams and marmalades, to include preserving in general. Good.

I preserve in several different ways ie
bottling
brining in jars
lacto fermenting in jars and a big crock
freezing
vaccum packing
in alcohol using a small rum topf
dehydrating
pickling

all ways are proving very successful.

Two recommended books
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wild-Fermentation-Flavor-Nutrition-Live-Culture/dp/1931498237/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315761932&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Preserving-Food-without-Freezing-Canning/dp/1933392592/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315762050&sr=1-1

edit: re jam, put a tsp of alcohol on top before sealing and you will never get mould

Jazzy_B

Amazon are selling a stainless steel maslin pan for £21.24. linky here
I posted this earlier today, but it might have been missed

23rdspiral

Hi, I've a glut of apples and am going to try apple and spice jelly from a recipe.

It says use "juice of 2 oranges"... But they vary in size so much, and I have fresh orange juice... How much do u think I should use?

Thanks for any ideas.

Cazza1

Hi there!
Sorry if this has been answered elsewhere but I am having a bit of a moment! I've made some caramelised red onion chutney tonight. Put it into sterilised jars and screwed the lids on but put a small disc of greaseproof paper inside each lid (from what I saw on a preserving forum). Then I got paranoid because the paper isn't sterile so about half an hour after I put the lids on I changed them for other sterile lids without the paper inside!! Now I'm worried because I've opened the jar half an hour after - have I ruined my chutney? Do I need to take out the mixture, reboil it and sterilise and fill the jars all over again?

Also once I actually get some chutney where should I store it? In the cupboard or the fridge?

Thanks so much, really hope someone can help.

Caroline :eek::D

Cazza1

Sorry but does anybody out there know??? Hope u can help!! x

valk_scot

Well, you'll have popped the seals on the jars, that's the trouble. As the chutney cools down the air in the head space contracts and the lids seal down tight, to make them airtight.

I don't think the paper would have mattered. No-one ever sterilizes the paper tbh, not on jam discs or anything. TBH the second you take the jars out the oven and put them open on the worksurface they're not sterile, not in medical terms anyway. Good cleanliness is important of course but you don't need to get paranoid. I've never put paper discs on chutney though. I don't even put them on jam, if I'm using sealed jars instead of cellophane lids. Because the lids seal down themselves...

I'd boil it up again and resterilise the jars, then proceed without discs. After that it will keep in a cool dark cupboard for a year or so.