2025 Frugal Living Challenge

Glittering_M

Morning all!

Hope you are all staying warm!

Can I ask for advice please? I'm looking ahead to next winter and more about how to preserve what I grow (beyond jam, air dry herbs and  kimchi).

Iv'e been thinking about canning/bottling but I don't really know what they are, are they the same but different names? I seem to recall one or both are more American terms. 


I'm thinking things like tomato sauces for pasta but I'm also open to inspiration!

In short, I'm looking for the how to preserve and ideas for what to preserve.

I also hope to use the dehydrater more this year! Hoped the extra trays would be in the sale but never saw them.

Duchess2

It appears that great minds think alike with “reasons to be frugal”. Gave me a 🤭.  Did first weekly shop since Xmas yesterday and spent £65.80. Not bad considering there was a joint of beef included. Using that for roast dinner today and tomorrow, hm yorkies and 8p veg from storage. I’m trying a “no beef” roasting joint from Aldi.  All other meals this week will be veggie based, so easier on the purse. Hoping for a few NSD’s this week, but need to visit Costco. Will go with a list and blinkers😃 Have a lovely Sunday everyone

Katiehound

Canning / bottling

AFAIK canning is an American term and relates to canning ie putting stuff in tins.

here a popular way of preserving veg & fruit was 'bottling'
I've never done it myself but remember my mother doing it with very specific jars. These were Kilner jars which had glass lids and rubber rings. When you had a good seal (ie you could lift the lid & jar together gently) then you screwed on the metal rings to secure. 

Nowadays I think the Kilner will be clip top jars
Look at Lakeland to give you an idea. I suspect the initial outlay is quite high. eg lakeland has 4x 1L jars for £17.

Cheaper ways of preserving would be as jams, jellies, chutneys, pickles as you can use jam jars (save, reuse, ask the neighbours!)

dND

Canning in the US is what we would call bottling, so it get's confusing.  In the states they also do a lot of pressure canning which is heat treating the jars under pressure so they reach a higher temperature and kill things like botulism organisms. 
Here in the UK we tend to just use water bottling at ambient pressure so have to be careful about what we preserve this way.  Tomatoes are generally a safe bet as they are acidic and that inhibits the growth of nasties.

If you are thinking of bottling it really is worth doing some research and start simple.  I would link to stuff but still not unpacked  or gone through my old hard drive that has most of my links. Dx

Cas

Duchess2 said:

Hoping for a few NSD’s this week, but need to visit Costco. Will go with a list and blinkers😃 

I know what you mean. I now make a list and DH goes in himeslef so I'm not tempted to buy anything beyond what we really need! 😂

Quantaqa

Having a day in to get organised with some jobs around the house.  I like having the house in order for going back to work.  Kitchen blitzed ready for a cooking afternoon for OH, living room tidied and throws washed as they could do with a freshen up, last of the ironing done and bathroom cleaned.  

I'm re-starting intermittant fasting today in an attempt to lose some more weight (I lost half a stone in October/November).  I pretty much gave up in December and ate my body weight in Christmas goodies for the whole month!  Thankfully I haven't put any wieght back on.  Going to do a blood pressure check as well just to keep an eye on it.  I'm also going to do a 20 minute exercise of some sort, probably one of those Walk at Home type sessions that are on you tube.  Free exercise will be the rule for 2025.  I have had expensive gym memberships in the past and not made full use of them and going forward I don't want to spend money on that again.  So free at home exercise using YouTube videos, walking, weights and I have a mini trampoline as well.  I'd like to get fit enough to join in a Parkrun without taking 2 hours to complete the course

Cas

Katiehound said:

Nowadays I think the Kilner will be clip top jars
Look at Lakeland to give you an idea. I suspect the initial outlay is quite high. eg lakeland has 4x 1L jars for £17.

If your heart is set on Kilner jars then Dun3lm sometimes have them on offer, often 20% off, or try TK M4xx where they're often a few £s cheaper.

kayannie

Cas said:

Katiehound said:

Nowadays I think the Kilner will be clip top jars
Look at Lakeland to give you an idea. I suspect the initial outlay is quite high. eg lakeland has 4x 1L jars for £17.

If your heart is set on Kilner jars then Dun3lm sometimes have them on offer, often 20% off, or try TK M4xx where they're often a few £s cheaper.

Ordinary jam jars are fine for bottling as long as they and their lids are sterilised properly. I used them for blackberries a few months ago.
KA

fionaandphil

@Glittering_M I usually make up pasta sauces when we have a glut of tomatoes and other summer veg, and freeze flat in bags or in pasta sauce tubs if we have a bit of room. I've also dehydrated them in the ninja and bottled them with oil which is nice with the added bonus of flavoured oil at the end

Glittering_M

Thank you re. The canning/bottling!

I use normal old jam jars and lids (sterilised in the oven) for jars but a quick Google and confused me a bit re. botulism and the seals etc. 

I'd love to just be in a place when I can have jars of pasta sauce all done so throughout the year I can just open and go!

Definitely one to look into more. Thank you!