home made sauces how long will they keep in the fridge?

ALIBOBSY

Ok loads of recipes on here and the web for various cranberry and apple sauces and I know both can be frozen, but as I have been trying to freeze ahead for christmas as much as possible I am beginning to run out of freezer space.

So for a basic cranberry/apple sauce-I usually add some sugar and spices plus a squeeze of lemon juice for both, how far ahead can i make it to keep in the fridge?

ali x

Penelope_Penguin

ALIBOBSY wrote: »

Ok loads of recipes on here and the web for various cranberry and apple sauces and I know both can be frozen, but as I have been trying to freeze ahead for christmas as much as possible I am beginning to run out of freezer space.

So for a basic cranberry/apple sauce-I usually add some sugar and spices plus a squeeze of lemon juice for both, how far ahead can i make it to keep in the fridge?

ali x

Fruit sauces are naturally rich in sugars, and have a high water content. This makes them an ideal breeding ground, so I'd not make them any further ahead than Christmas Eve

caitybabes

Hello,

I've made Delia's cranberry & orange relish in the past and that actually needs a good few days to mature the flavour so you could make that in advance.

I've also made apple sauce in the past and it's fine for a few days in the fridge (has been fine for me anyway...).

Merry Christmas!

Cait

babyshoes

If you are concerned, make it as late in the week as you can. I would think most fruity sauces would last at least a couple of days in the fridge, but would go mouldy quite quickly if not sealed in a sterilised jar.

Actually, here's a thought - you could put them in a sterilised jar (like you would for jam or chutney) if you want to make them sooner. Almost any old jam jar or similar should be re-useable.To sterilise jars, wash them very well in hot water, then dry them in a very low oven while your sauce is cooking. Lids need to be metal so you can boil them for a few minutes to sterilise, and if the sauce contains vinegar or acid they need that plastic-y lining to protect the metal. Take the lids out of the water a few minutes early and drain on kitchen towel so you don't get water in the sauce - they don't need to be hot when you use them.

Pour the hot sauce into a hot jar - to within about 2mm of the top if you have enough sauce to do that - and cap immediately. If you don't have a jam funnel, the top half of a 2l milk bottle works well for us, along with a soup ladle. If the jar is full it should seal well and last a fair amount of time, but if not it will still last longer than it otherwise would, but be sure to keep it in the fridge as soon as it has cooled.