Storing stewed fruit - NOT freezing

daisiegg

I have a lot of apples and plums that I am going to stew. I would usually freeze this but the freezer is very full.

Would it work to store the stewed fruit in kilner jars? Would they need to then be kept in the fridge? It would be nice to be able to just get a spoonful for porridge or making mini individual crumbles, without having to defrost a whole lot.

Is there a glaring food safety reason why this wouldn't be a good idea?

Thanks!

Valli

What you need to do is bottle it...
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=67987.0

stewed fruit wouldn't keep for long in the fridge, just a few days.

Seakay

kilner jars are great for stewed fruit - do it right and the contents can last for years especially if they are kept out of the light. The sealed jars don't need to be kept in the fridge, only the opened ones.

Jars with pop top lids work as well

daisiegg

Seakay wrote: »

kilner jars are great for stewed fruit - do it right and the contents can last for years especially if they are kept out of the light. The sealed jars don't need to be kept in the fridge, only the opened ones.

Jars with pop top lids work as well

It was kilner jars I was thinking of. So do I just do it as I would chutney or jam or something? Sterilise the jars and put warm mixture into warm jars?

Gigervamp

You need to put them in a water bath after bottling. That link above tells you how to do it.

Seakay

sterilise and bottle into warm jars, yes.
The processing then depends on the type of jar and your preference. Kilner jars with clips have to be hot water processed after filling

http://www.kilnerjar.co.uk/Preserving/Guides/how-to-preserve#.Um6DppNHGSo

I have the ones with discs and screw rings like this:

http://www.lakeland.co.uk/p13218/Kilner-Jars

and I find it easier to either screw the lids on and leave or screw them on gently, process in a low oven and then tighten the screw band. Basically you are looking for a vacuum seal so if the contents and jar are hot enough and you have the disc and band type you might not need to process. if the lid doesn't 'pop' then you always have the option of loosening the screw band and processing in the oven the next day

-taff

I usually proces tomatoes by boiling them, sieving them, boiling again, sterilising the kilner jars in the oven and the lids in hot water, then I pour the boiling tomatoes into the jars and lid up. When the seal pops you've created a vaccum, so as long as everything was boiling or had just been boiled before you stick it in the jar, it should be fine.

I've just done some apples that way too.

I never process them in a bath and I'm not dead yet.

suzybloo

I have done apples and rhubarb in the way described above a few months back with the disc and ring Kilmer jars and they worked out very well. Will definitely have a go at other things in the future to save freezer space - plus it makes my prep cupboard look professional! Lol!

dianasnan

We have just finished using the 2011 vintage of stewed apple that I preserved in screw top kilner jars and it was still perfect.:D

Have actually reused ordinary jam jars with pop up lids on many occaisions and they worked fine as well but wouldn't want to use the jam jar lids more than once more and tended to use them up within a year.

I have never processed them in a bath but always ensured that the jars and lids were spotlessly clean and hot before I used them.

Never reuse a pickle onion lid unless you like pickle onion flavoured apples.

Quite satisfying hearing them pop.

lovefullshelves

I do mine in kilner jars and then waterbath:) (big old saucapan bascially with a trivet in the bottom!)
If you're a book person (which I am) this is a great book for storage ideas and its british not american so the temps and quantities are right!http://www.amazon.co.uk/Abundance-Preserve-Harvesting-Pickling-Fermenting/dp/0857830783/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382995864&sr=8-1&keywords=alys+fowler
Hope thats helpful