Is it worth the outlay cost?

rinabean

I just want to add that there's no need to make vast quantities of jam at a time, especially if you won't eat it. I use free/extremely cheap fruit, not much sugar, and make one or two jars at a time. There's room for that in the fridge so I don't even have to make sure they're properly sealed. Then you can use any equipment at all. You're supposed to be able to freeze jam too but you might want to look for instructions on how much space to leave in the jar because I can see that ending in tears otherwise!

Angel_Jenny

1 or 2 jars would be easier to start with!

I was looking through some recipes and it didn't tell you how much it made - would have to have lots of jars prepared just in case!

I have had issues with freezing soup!

marmiterulesok

Angel_Jenny wrote: »

1 or 2 jars would be easier to start with!

I was looking through some recipes and it didn't tell you how much it made - would have to have lots of jars prepared just in case!

I have had issues with freezing soup!

Recipes usually say how much they make.Look for a recipe where it is specified,to make it easier for you.

A generous medium sized jar of jam has about 500g in.

Angel_Jenny

marmiterulesok wrote: »

Recipes usually say how much they make.Look for a recipe where it is specified,to make it easier for you.

A generous medium sized jar of jam has about 500g in.

I had a look through a magazine about jams and preserves and they did list how many jars it would make. It looked quite straightforward as they only made between 2 and 8 jars.

For some reason I was imagining having to find space for 20 or 30 jars of the same thing!

marmiterulesok

Angel_Jenny wrote: »

I had a look through a magazine about jams and preserves and they did list how many jars it would make. It looked quite straightforward as they only made between 2 and 8 jars.

For some reason I was imagining having to find space for 20 or 30 jars of the same thing!

That's good.What do you plan to make?

fester

Angel_Jenny wrote: »

I had a look through a magazine about jams and preserves and they did list how many jars it would make. It looked quite straightforward as they only made between 2 and 8 jars.

For some reason I was imagining having to find space for 20 or 30 jars of the same thing!

It is probably a good idea to make just a few jars at a time.

I once made three jars of lemon marmalade. Honestly it was the best marmalade I've ever had - so zingy and fresh tasting.

So when it was getting low I made some more - about 7 jars this time - not a patch on the first lot. Dunno what I did wrong second time - well the peel was too tough for one thing. It was still edible though.

DawnW

I have made all our jams, pickles, marmalades and chutneys for many years. Now there are only the two of us, we don't need the quantity we got through when the children were at home, but home made is so superior to even the most expensive products in the 'posh' shops that there is no way I would stop making my own! My daughters and daughter in law make their own as well (so not only the older generation ) and we swap around to avoid having loads of jars of the same thing

I tend to use veg and fruit either from my (small) garden or gifted from other people's (things like windfall apples, green tomatoes that won't ripen and enormous courgettes tend to get made into chutney ). You can often buy fruit from little stalls alongside the road around here (small town surrounded by countryside and villages), or failing that, Aldis have good offers! You can use frozen fruit, but will need to increase the proportion of fruit to sugar. If your jam is too runny when it cools after potting, simply tip it back in the pan and boil it up again till it sets. If it is too runny it tends to go mouldy or even ferment. A bit of mould can, frankly, be scraped off, but you can't salvage fermented preserves.

For marmalade, you can use any citrus fruit. You can buy prepared stuff in tins, seville oranges in season - or do what I generally do and freeze any manky oranges from the fruit bowl or left over half lemons, limes or grapefruit lurking in the fridge (not mouldy or rotten obviously, just the tired looking ones that look a bit dried up and nobody wants to eat them), and make the marmalade once you have about a kilo. A mixture is fine. I currently have a lovely soft set tangerine, lime and lemon marmalade which tastes gorgeous.

Chutneys need to be left for a while before eating - it can be disappointing if you taste straight away, even though you really want to! It keeps for years, and just keeps on getting better

I agree with the previous comments about not buying a load of expensive equipment if you are just starting out - start with small quantities, and if you take to it, then you can consider buying more equipment. You can use any jars, and use them over and over again. A turn in the dishwasher and sterilising in a low oven before potting does the trick If you want pretty labels, make your own, or get the children to do it

I used to make cheese as well - not just the cottage cheese type, but moulded soft cheeses such as coulommier. I tried hard cheeses as well, but wasn't so successful with them. I think this was because I didn't really have enough milk - a pressed hard cheese takes literally gallons :eek: I used to keep goats, and made cheese to use up the surplus milk. The main thing is to keep everything very clean - you can run into problems with things like airbourne yeasts (from breadmaking, or just having fruit around). I did use moulds and mats for the coulommier (which I bought second hand - there were thriving self sufficiency communities back in the late 70s, early 80s ), and a borrowed press for hard cheeses, but the equipment mainly consisted of a large pan and lots of muslin. I don't do this now, as the goats have, sadly, long gone, and I don't think it would be economical to do if you had to buy the milk.

Sorry for such a long winded post :eek:

dory22

Angel_Jenny wrote: »

£2 - big price difference! It was a gorgeous pan though ..... sad I know but I get excited over pans and jars!

Ah - that way sounds easier. The way I had heard of from my pen pals was water bath canning I think. Sounded dangerous!

I live in a town so will have to check around for places to get cheaper fruit and foraging for things would be fun as long as I don't poison myself!

is there anywher ejust outside of your town where you can go fruit picking you can normally get loads for very little spend.

sillyinthepast

I love making jam, chutneys, bread etc.

I was very nervous to start with but I have a very good friend who came around and helped me make my first marmalade.

I inherited my nan's old preserving pan and it's amazing. For jars I save all of my old pasta, mayo etc ones.

I recently got my fruit from a pyo farm - I got what I wanted and the boys had a fabulous day out.

Don't buy lots of stuff just use what you have and if you like it and feel like it could be something worth doing for you then start to invests a little at a time.

I don't know if jam is any cheaper to make than buy - I do it for the love of it and the fact it makes me feel all domesticated:rotfl:

Bread on the other hand - we couldn't go back to shop bought now I buy my flour from lidls which I think is the cheapest. It's economical to make bread and it tastes so much better.

As for space when I was growing up mum used to keep jars and jars of the stuff she made under her bed:)

Sorry for the long post I hope it makes sense x

Mayflower10cat

I've made jams and chutnies often - trouble is, I don't really eat jam and end up giving it away usually! The simplest jam I made was last year - I bought 'jam sugar' for the first time. I followed the recipe on the back (used allotment raspberry glut and some strawberries) and it was so quick and easy!

Cheesemaking - try Paneer as an easy first go. Buy whole milk on offer (I usually buy 2L organic on special) stick in large heavy pan, stirring from time to time, bring to the boil and when it's bubbling up the pan, add 1 tablepoon vinegar per pint, plus a bit for luck (I use 5 tablespoons for 2L milk) and take off the heat. In a very few minutes, you'll see the milk will split into curds and greenish whey. Leave for a few minutes, then pour into a muslin (Or teacloth!) lined colander. Rinse under the cold tap which removes the vinegar taste. Allow to drain then gather up the cloth corners and squeeze out the liquid. You can use the paneer straight away if you want soft curds, or press the tightly wrapped bundle under a weight in a bowl. You can slice and fry it before using in your recipe or just use it 'plain'. It's very satisfying to make!