Topic: Bottling your own fruit

[okra]

Bottling is a very useful way of preserving your fruit gluts for use throughout the winter. Fruit selected for bottling should be fresh, firm and free from signs of disease.

Hard fruits should be washed thoroughly and left to dry before preparation. Soft fruits should be soaked in a salt solution for five minutes to remove any insects or grubs and then left to dry before preparation. Bottling is best done using glass jars, such as the Kilner jars, which have airtight tops.

Prepare hard fruits for bottling in syrup as follows:-

(1) Apples and pears should be peeled, cored and quartered.
(2) Apricots, plums, nectarines and peaches should have stalks removed and bottled whole or halved and the stones removed.
(3) Figs should be top and tailed and washed

Prepare soft fruits for bottling in syrup as follows:-

(1) Strawberries should be hulled and carefully washed
(2) Blackcurrants, blueberries, cherries, raspberries and redcurrants should be de-stalked, washed carefully and any fruit showing maggot damage discarded.

Syrup:-

Prepare a syrup for packing fruit by using 250g of sugar for every 600ml of water. Dissolve the sugar, over a low heat, in 300ml of water and once dissolved add the other 300ml of water.

Pack the fruit tightly into pre-sterilised preserving jars and pour over the syrup. Tap the bottles to remove any air bubbles before sealing. Store in a cool, dry and dark area and enjoy through the winter.

[Jeannine]

Sorry, but I have to add.. you should then put the jars in a large pan of bpoiling water which covers them by two inches at least and boil them for the approprite time for the size of the jar and ther fruit it contains which varies a lot..

It is no longer considered safe to seal without waterbathing as there is still air and bacteria in the jar , this is driven out in the waterbath and gives a safer product.

 I bottle/can everything ,  fruit, veggies, merat and fish and have done for 45 years.

I taught home home preserving for many years too.

The bottling/canning suggested info has been changing for a long time  to reflect safer methods.

I can give a new link , as I have many times on here to the newest regualtions in food safety..

There are several other methods for fruit too, hot pack, cold pack(as above) and several differnt syrups from very light to very heavy.

XX Jeannine

[zigzig]

Does any one still bother to do all this? I shove stuff in the freezer for over winter use but that is as far as I would go.  Often some remains when I am harvesting the next years yeild.

Agreed in remote areas and certain parts of the globe it is necessary but for most of us, we grow to eat fresh and depend on the supermarkets to keep us out of season.

[Spudbash]

I do a little bottling, although I don't have the truly huge gluts to contend with that some of us do.

I've just bottled eight 500g jars of redcurrrant syrup that will sit on the shelf until I want to make a jelly - the dessert kind, that is, not the preserve.

At this time of year, I find bottling useful even though I have two freezers: In late summer and autumn, I have both freezers in use. Then, after Christmas, I just eat my way through as much as possible so that between, say, Easter and late summer, I can keep one switched off. If I hadn't bottled the redcurrants, I would have had to switch on my second freezer this week and run it almost empty until stock has built up again. In past years, I've frozen the syrup because it's quite efficient use of freezer space. The only extra work I've had this year is the actual bottling.

Bottling has been well and truly out of fashion in the UK, but I think it's getting more popular - even Sainsbury's is selling Kilner jars!  :o ;D

[Ellen K]

^^ but you need to be set up to do it.  I did a few runs of "boiling the whole jar" last year and you can really only do one jar at a time, you need enormous saucepans and you end up with scalded fingers from trying to tip the hot water out in to the second saucepan with the next jar in it.  Or you use loads of gas reboiling every jar from cold, which goes against the whole green ethos you are trying to embrace.

Having said that, it does give a good result.  And you can do some pickles that way: veggies plus vinegar plus sugar sealed in a clean jar which is boiled for 5 mins and stored for a month, quite nice they are too.

[mat]

zigzig; not everyone has a house large enough to have large or multiple freezers.  I would freeze everything if I could, but cannot.  Bottling is a right pain, and when i first tried a few years ago, I found little help on how to do it in easy steps.  Books only gave vague advice.  In the end I found the microwave method most reliable, but even then I found some bottles didn't "seal" properly and leaked when cold.

Once I can get a 2nd freezer, then everything will be frozen...

I tried putting a 2nd freezer out in my outdoor brick shed (old bathhouse) but the first winter killed it, and I lost everything.  I am not risking another one out there (though my neighbours has been fine...)

[Spudbash]

Yes, everyone works out for themselves how best to preserve what they've grown, according to the size of their various crops and the space they have available.

I think that here in the UK our options have been limited by the fact that bottling was Not Done for a few decades - the World War 2 generation were glad to put all that stuff behind them and embrace easier options. I've taught myself bottling by cautious experimentation using old books, slightly adapting for jars which are now sized in metric. Luckily, there are new books out that tackle it, although the ones I've seen don't have the detail or thoroughness that the old 'uns did.

Jeannine, I stand in awe of your 45 years' experience. And you haven't killed anyone yet!  ;D ;D ;D

[taurus]

Is there a book that anyone can recommend on this subject.  We are short on space, and some things I think might be better bottled than frozen.  Many thanks in anticipation.

Spudbash I think you may be right.  My mother could never understand me wanting to make things from scratch, wether it be clothes, pickles etc.  When you could go and buy it in a shop. 

[pumkinlover]

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/publications_usda.html


this is the link Jeannine posted when I needed guidance :)

[mat]

I too would be interested in people's replies.  The best I found, with the most information is http://www.amazon.co.uk/Preserves-River-Cottage-Handbook-No-2/dp/0747595321/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309352060&sr=8-1 It's not perfect, but it gives more information than most, but it doesn't gives times for pressure cookers, only oven and "water bath".

For example, no books I own, state whether the rubber seals should be on the jars, when in the oven.  From instructions I guessed they maybe should, and I do, but I was never fully sure.  Also books talk about the screw on lids in ovens (put on, but don't tighten fully) but they don;t say what to do with the clip on jars, as they are either open or closed, no interim settings.

Also, I find when cooled, the jars have not fully sealed (i..e. if tipped upside down they seep a bit of liquid) no book so far has a "why this may be" and whether they are not safe (I assumed not, and tried to re-do, but rarely successfully)

I really do think there's a market for easy step by step instructions in a book, and a "what can go wrong" and how to avoid it.  I asked for advise on various forums, but so few people now bottle, I never got any answers

Good Luck
mat

[peanuts]

Years ago, in UK, I used to bottle some fruit in a heavy syrup, a little unwillingly as I didn't like eating that much sugar.   When we bought a big chest freezer I changed over to freezing all our surplus fruit and veg. 
Now in France, we only have a small chest freezer, but a very big veg patch and fruit garden.  Bottling is  the preferred option locally, and all supermarkets and DIY/Garden shops sell everything necessary, at reasonable prices. So I've relearnt old skills, but do things differently.  I bottle in a 'sterilisateur' on a free-standing four-footed gas ring, using   bottled gas. I can fit in 30 small jars of paté, for example, or a dozen larger jars of fruit.  Times of sterilising vary according to what is in the jars - over 2 hours for meat, less for raw fruit, and even less for hot cooked fruit. I no longer use a syrup, just sprinkling sugar between layers as appropriate.  I also bottle some raw fruit with no sugar (eg figs, apricots, plums, all cut into quarters and packed tightly into the jars) to eat for breakfast. As these start with no juice in the jars, I need to either weigh down the jars with garden stones or use the clips that come with the sterilisateur, to stop them toppling over.
I use both the the jars which have an outer screwtop lid and an inner metal lid with a rubber ring that you pierce to open. These can be done up a reasonably firmly as air can still escape during cooking. The spring clip jars (which I prefer) and rubber rings, (different types according to how long the cooking is) are completely closed for cooking, as air can still escape.  For both types, after leaving in the water until cold, I always test the seal by trying to remove the lid, or  unclipping the spring lid.  It should be impossible, if they have properly taken.
I hope this helps and encourages.

[Jeannine]

Hi again, so may responses..so one at a time.

The words bottling UK and canning US are both the same.. US canning is glass jars.Metal canning is also done but that is another topic.

The link pumpkinlover gave is the very very best one there is, and if you wish you can print off the whole thing, I do whenever there is an update. I never start a season without checking my equipment and that site.

There is also a very good book called Putting Food By, it is available on Amazon UK  and is excellent. The most recent is a 2010 updated book. This also covers  freezing and curing, the main thrust of the book is food preservation and it is as I said excellent.

Regarding boiling...you can boil meat till doomsday and you will not get it to beyond boiling point which is not a high enough temp to safely preserve any kind of meat, you have to use a pressure canner to safely preserve any meat or food containing meat or veggies.

Oven bottling had been considered dangerous for some years now so this is one to avoid.This makes the River Cottage book obsolete as I believe he uses that method.

Other no no are bottling in a slow cooker, microwave,and what is called open kettle..this is when fruit is cooked in a pan then poured hot into jars and the seal closes as the contents cool, yes the jars are sealed BUT  the jars are not sterile, no matter what you do to them, the very second for eg a red hot boiled jar or lid is in the air it is no longfer sterile.. so boiling the jars with the food inside re sterilises the jar and cointents and forces the surplus air out, this makes the contents safe.

Re jars and lids

Only jars for canning are considered safe, so old jam jars etc are not.
Mason jars or Kilner jars with the two piece top  that has a flat piece and a screwed ring.. excellent

Jars with glass lids that take rubber rings and have wire closures..not for pressure cooking, these are OK but not if the glass dome is chipped and the rubber rings should never be reused.If using old ones the springs should fit tight and not be rusted out.

Dangerous is..food covered in wax, or sealed with cellophane circles and rubber bands as it cannot be waterbathed.

Cold food in jars should always be covered in hot syrup not cold syrup.

Mat, see the book suggested above..Putting Foods By..it will answer all your questions,I promise as will the USDA on line link.

Every year all over the place preservers see these same questions.

I stopped sticking my neck out and correcting folks for a couple of years but cannot in all conscience do it.

Old fashioned methods of preservation are dangerous and can kill you and your family.

I have heard all the arguments...I have done it like this all my life and I am still here etc etc  sadly the answer to that is you have been lucky. Spoilers in foods have changed over the years, the methods have to change to keep up.

I am not the food police,,another one thrown at me, but as with gardening, if you hear of someone who is going to spoil their veggies by incorrect methods I presume you would step in.

There are many old books out there which do not have up to date methods, I know that for a fact, I wrote two of them many years ago, but as with all things we learn and move on. The problem is in the UK food preservation is not as widely done as some countries so it has not been updated..

Home preservation is safe as long as you follow the modern rules

A large lightweigth stock pot is not expensive and if you dont have a rack to put in the bottom just fill the bottom with the flat screw rings from the jars, this will give a great rack`.Use tongs to pick up the jars, don`t leave them in the water to cool. If you have a few jars and spaces in the pan which would allow the jars to topple over, than just fill a couple of jars with water and pop those in, they will stop the others falling over.

So I have stuck my neck out again..

If anyone wants any more info, or if I missed a question ,just ask.

Happy preserving

XX Jeannine

[Melbourne12]

May I add a personal story to Jeannine's wise words?

This happened some thirty years ago, but emphasises the dangers of some of these traditional techniques, especially when combined with a bit of traditional frugality.

My old mum used to use these old methods, sometimes simply hot-packing and sealing, sometimes "steaming" the jars after packing.  She also re-used old seals.  She'd retrieved some fruit for pudding after Easter lunch, to which my wife and I were invited.  Anyway, it was a pretty good feast, after which we were so full of food that we two went for a walk after washing up, leaving the parents to have a quiet relax.

It transpired much later that the bottled fruit had a mould on it, which my mother had simply scooped off.  She believed in any case that moulds were beneficial since they were "penicillin".

I was the lucky one.  To my embarrassment at the time, we hadn't walked more than a few hundred yards when I was violently and repeatedly sick at the side of the road.  Whatever we'd eaten, I'd got rid of it straight away.  My wife didn't suffer until later, and had two days off work.  My dad was hospitalised.

It could have been worse.  We hadn't yet had our children - toddlers might well have been seriously harmed.  It could have been botulism, and no doubt the bodies of all four of us would have been discovered sitting at the table with our coffee.

Ignoring advice about acidity and heating times and temperatures just isn't worth the risk.

[Jeannine]

 You were ery lucky..  thank goodness it wasn't botulism.If it had been you  would not have lived, more folks live these days simply because they get treatment quickly but back then..not.

I am always amazed when I hear the   " a bit of mold won't hurt " it is so untrue.Molds  are capable of producing myotoxins which can make you very ill.Plus they eat the acid in fruit which is the protection against the more dangerous poisons.

Simply it is not hard to preserve safely, but it is also not hard to do the opposite.

I read things all the time, sometimes I don't respond as I get alot of flack for it.

  PH is the critical factor when deciding if a water bath is enough to safely preserve  in a water bath but this has it's exceptions too. We used to say all fruit including tomatoes are OK as they are high acid .. BUT... tomatoes are right on the borderline  at 4.0- 4.6,low juice toms being the less acid, the safety cut off number is 4.7 so one has to add  vinegar, lemon juice or ascorbic acid to make them safe, however figs which are a fruit  and one may presume will be OK  are less acid than tomatoes  so they too must have the acid added, they are 4.9 -6.0  , Figs sadly cause a lot of problems.

melbourne, did Mum continue to believe that mold was OK?

XX Jeannine

[bazzysbarn]

Ive just opened a jar of jam i made in 2005! I make it up in a saucepan, sterlise the jars in a microwave,pour into jars and put in the garage to store. Have done for the last 20 years. Sometimes have had a bit of mold but just threw that bit away and ate the rest and im still here!! :D

[Jeannine]

yep, there is always one who says it.. you have just been very lucky.

[taurus]

Jeannine, many thanks for the info.  Its much appreciated, as was the explanation about the words ''canning and bottling''.  Now I no why my research hadn't made sense before. ::) ::) ;D

[Melbourne12]

melbourne, did Mum continue to believe that mold was OK?

I never found out exactly what the hospital had said to her, but someone must have spelled out the dangers in fairly plain language.  She simply stopped bottling and jam-making.  Since, if I'm honest, they weren't terribly nice, no-one in the family mourned their passing.

[pumkinlover]

Just read your post without reading the ones above-phew what a relief that you were talking about the "passing" of the jams!  ;)

[Columbus]

Hi all,  :)

I love to bottle fruit in Kilner type jars. I have two freezers, I make jams and pickles, sweet sauces and vinegars, and dry beans, I call the bottled fruit - pie filling. Its a good way of using pears (in a red berry sauce with fennel seeds.) I still have one big jar left from last year. Its like fast food but I made it.

I can boil three full jars at once in my biggest jam pan and they always stay sealed, they are actuallly hard to get open. I always consider grey moulds to be related to botulism (wether they are or not) but as I get more experienced I haven`t had spoilage in a long time.

I eat a number of home - preserved foods every day which is very satisfying, Col