Preserving, it has started

nannygladys · 21 June 2018 at 11:42PM

Hi everyone

Really excited to see this thread, Im only just starting out on the preserving wagon but Im eager to learn. Last year I made fridge pickles, onion chutney and piccalilli. So far this year Ive only made apricot jam (ys apricots from sm) and strawberry jam with the fruit off the lottie. I have rhubarb and strawberries in the kitchen that I picked today so tomorrow I will try the compote from page one, and I also picked a load of gooseberries but I think I will freeze these.

I usually give my dds quite of lot of jam and pickles as I cant possibly eat them all but I do enjoy growing on the lottie and making preserves with what I grow and any useful ys stuff.

I use Thane Prince, Perfect Preserves book, but Im going on to AM to have a look at the one suggested.

Nannyg

[Deleted User] · 22 June 2018 at 7:23AM

hello nanny
First lot of 5 kilners were preserved last night, I wanted to get stuck in. It was easy, I had made post-it notes last time, even including the hob settings. The kitchen did not get steamy and I did not need to stand over the pot for the first 50 minutes. It helped that I have induction because of the instant heat changes ie I went from 7 to a short boost of 8 and a mini boost of 9, to get to that 54 degrees temperature in one hour and 82 in the next half hour, then I maintained 82 for 15 minutes

This method is much easier than pressure cooking and very gentle, I ended up with 5 sparkling jars of gooseberries, all retaining their shape and many with that nice blush colouring. The pot of water is still on the hob, cold now and waiting for the next session. Dw is on, was getting full anyway, just making sure the kilners are very clean. You get a good even heating all through with this method and any air bubbles escape up and out

I would recommend this method for a beginner, you just need 4 things, the pot, a large wide tall -enough stockpot would do but the maslin is very good, a trivet for the bottom, I got my bigger trivet on amazon, you could make one from crossed pieces of wood or use a folded t towel but the towel tends to rise, jar lifter tongs and a good thermometer, I use an instant read digital thermometer nowadays but any will do. I make sure to put the hot jars onto a wooden chopping board rather than the cold granite

I used 3.5 lbs of prepared gooseberries and have just over 5 lb left and will freeze the 1.5 lbs remaining. I think I will have enough syrup from yesterday, 2lb sugar in total

[Deleted User] · 22 June 2018 at 4:20PM

almost finished, the third batch are on the first hour and mostly I can get on with other stuff as I have made a temperature chart for 10, 20 30 minutes and so on. If it needs a temperature boost then I raise the control for a short while. I had a part jar so filled it with a gooseberry/blackcurrant mix. 10 are finished and the last 4 are in the water bath now.

I am preserving these according to my current needs and am currently looking for a house, so could well be moving in the next few months. I have an overflow chest freezer, which is off and full of lock n lock boxes as I am semi-packed. Next house, if I stay within range of my allotment, then I will be freezing some gooseberries

Blackcurrants on ben conan bushes are ripening fast and I normally have very many berries, enough for a whole year of eating them every day plus jams for the dds. However I stripped half the berries off and am hoping for fewer but plumper berries. I am going to have to bottle half but depends on the rate of ripening

penny-wise · 7 July 2018 at 7:28PM

Kittie do you use a pressure canner? I am looking into getting one. I am just wondering what sort of jars you use. You mentioned kilner jars - do you use the ones with the two part metal lids?

Nonnadiluca · 7 July 2018 at 8:14PM

Kittie, would you be kind enough to provide an 'idiot's guide' to the water bath process please? When looking up fruit bottling recipes they say to put in a water bath for 20 minutes, or something similar. I may be being a bit thick, but I don't know if I can use ordinary jam jars, or how hot the water should be etc. If you could clarify I would be really grateful. Thanks.

Living_proof · 25 July 2018 at 11:57AM

Cucumbers - the small ridge ones - do you think it would be OK to dehydrate them purely for the purposes of bunging in a green smoothie over the winter? I was going to freeze some but there are so many and they take up so much freezer space. Most of the references I can find online are about drying them as crisps for dips, and that's not what I want them for - simply another taste and varied nutrition.

purpleybat · 5 August 2018 at 7:37PM

no one talking the amount of blackberries?
I jammed 5 kilo the other week picked another 5 kilo today

essentially I can jam any fruit, chutney and pickle any veg

MrsStepford · 5 August 2018 at 8:10PM

I like the idea of doing some preserving, but don't have a microwave, to sterilise bottles. I will have to investigate that book, thanks.

I don't have a big garden and even before this Brexit fiasco, there was a 2 year waiting list at nearest allotments. I have been on a foraging day so I can do that.

Another freezer would be great. However, my electricity and gas supplier is EDF, which is French-owned. It's likely that most of our electricity comes from the wind farm on the Kent/Sussex border, the nuclear power station and various solar farms BUT at peak hours electricity comes from France via an undersea cable snd there is another one being built though the Channel Tunnel.

I don't want to buy another freezer (which I could do right now), gradually fill it with meat, poultry and fish, then lose the lot because they can't supply me or we get power cuts at peak times.

[Deleted User] · 5 August 2018 at 8:14PM

Sterilize jam jars by washing them thoroughly in hot soapy water, dry them thoroughly and put them into a very low oven for an hour, they will be sterile! If you use metal screw on lids bring a pan of water to the boil, drop the lids in it, take off the heat and leave them until the jars are finished, dry thoroughly on a clean tea towel, they will also be sterile.

Out,_Vile_Jelly · 6 August 2018 at 11:44AM

I am new to preserving. Since last summer I've made with homegrown fruit/veg:

Success
Fruit vodkas (rhubarb, raspberry and blackberry)
Bramble jelly
Redcurrant jelly

Acceptable
Courgette chutney
Red onion/redcurrant relish

Unsuccessful
Apple & bramble jam (too hard to spread, ok for tarts though)

Two questions please:

1 Am I being thick; what's the easiest way of transferring scalding hot jam/jelly from a preserving pan into jars? The pan is too hot to hold securely with oven gloves, and with spoons I just seem to slop half of it down the jar sides.

2 My hot/spicy chutney attempts are distinctly lacking in heat/spiciness, despite adding plenty of chillis. Should they be added right at the last minute before the mix goes into the jars?

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Preserving, it has started

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