Home Canning/ "jarring"

[Tenuse]

Hi all,

I am planning (germination, propogation and weatherisation permitting) to preserve lots of my future produce in frozen, chutney and saucy form come harvest time.

However I would also like to "bottle" some produce, or "can" it as the Americans say. As far as I can work out, this involves putting things in kilner jars and either boiling them or steam pressure cooking them for a certain amount of time to kill off any airborne nasties and create a vacuum in the jar.

My problem is, I cannot find a single UK site that deals with this - either instructions on how to do it, or places where I can buy the equipment required (i.e. hot water bath saucepanny things and/or a bit more advanced than pressure cookers pressure cookers).

Does anybody have any links to this kind of preserving - or is it only legal to do jams jellies and chutneys in the UK???

Yours frustratedly,

Ten x

[SueT]

Don`t know if it`s any help to you but you could try this site:- http://www.cruiser.co.za/hostkhulula93.asp -
failing that type in kilner jars and see what that brings up!

[SueT]

Oh gawd, it`s gone to something completely different, sorry Tenuse, just go with kilner jars!  

[Mrs Ava]

Ten, my mum used to do all of her own bottling and canning.  She says you can't buy kilner jars any more, you get 'le parfait' jars which are screw top with the rubber to create the seal.  I have just called her (at 11.30pm!) and tomorrow when she has her specs on, she will go through her cookery books as she is sure she has an address of where she last got all of her jars and bits, plus she might have a very old instruction book.  She will see what she can dig out and I will let you know.

[Mrs Ava]

Ten, check out this site I have just found:

http://waresofknutsford.co.uk/products_level2.htm?cat1=preserving

You can buy all your jars and spares and other bits!

Hoorah for google!  

[tim]

Ten - (bottling!) - your best guide is probably HMSO's Home Preservation of Fruit & Veg?? We always use a pressure cooker - dead  easy! But you need one with adjustable pressure settings.

There's lots about it on the net under home preservation - University of Ohio or something!! = Tim

[Tenuse]

Ooh fab thanks for the links, EJ I would be very interested in any books/instructions that your mum has and I will definitely look for le parfait jars on the internet, also will look out the HMSO publication!

Keep the information coming, especially suppliers of the saucepan things ( I think the jars will not be too hard to find)

Ten x

[tim]

No need to buy saucepanny type things, unless you want to do more than 3-4 jars at a time. You have a preserving pan, or a fish kettle? -  (we don't!). Or just a large saucepan that wiil hold 3 x 2lb jars, or 5 x 1lb ones? And be deep enough to cover them with water? = Tim

[Tenuse]

Yes I have a big "stock pot", I need to find some way of raising the jars up off the bottom so that hot water can circulate under them but I will figure out something.

I have ordered the HMSO book I am looking forward to reading it!

Ten x

[tim]

- use a plastic sink drainer, cut to size??

Or a pad of newspaper or cloth.  = Tiim

[Tenuse]

Think plastic will probably melt?

I know - a trivet!

Ten x

[tim]

- only just seen that - of course, if you have one the shape of the pan!!

Don't think the mat would have melted in boiling water, but good to be careful. Again, a bit of chicken wire would do? = Tim

[Tenuse]

My HMSO book is arriving in "3 to 5 working days" so I will be a happy trivet/chicken wire/plastic mat boiling bunny soon!

Ten x