HI,
In New Zealand where I come from we had these special jars called preserving jars and though you can't buy the jars you can buy special lids for them that seal with the heat when preserving.
I was wondering what people use here? DO you have a special preserving jar or do you just use jam jars and other types with metal lids???
Can you buy any preserving containers here and if so where???
Thanks heaps
I've never done any jam making/preserving myself, but people I know usually re-use jam jars I think.
Lakeland, however, do a good range of preserving equipment/jars, and have a mail-order service. http://www.lakelandlimited.co.uk/productlist.aspx/cookbake/preserving (http://www.lakelandlimited.co.uk/productlist.aspx/cookbake/preserving)
Hope this helps. :)
Hi Peach. You can still get those 'original' jars they used to call Kilner jars here - at a price, but I've found over the years that any jar with a metal lid, whose contents were originally vacuum sealed, will do. After all, many such jars and their contents have been UHTed when sealed, so there doesn't seem to be a problem. :)
Here's a link to a pic of some proper preserving jars:
http://www.lakelandlimited.co.uk/productimage.aspx/cookbake/preserving!3813_3814 (http://www.lakelandlimited.co.uk/productimage.aspx/cookbake/preserving!3813_3814)
Geoff.
LOL DenBee, you posted as I composed ;D
Another forum I frequent (nowt to do with gardening) had a thread last year about jam-making, where someone was asking the best place to buy jars, etc. That's where I found out about Lakeland's lines.
However, I think we did come to a consensus on that forum that possibly the cheapest thing was to go down to Tesco/Asda or wherever, and buy a load of their 25p-ish jars of basic jam, then decant them out and use the jars.
Not sure if any of us felt as if we could be quite so wasteful, however. :)
If you have the patience, Froogle might come up with bulk buys or cheaper sources (e.g. John Lewis here in Peterborough are cheaper than the Lakeland shop)
http://froogle.google.co.uk/froogle?btnG=Search&show=dd&q=Glass+preserving+jar&scoring=p
If you're looking to buy in bulk, Thorne's do a gross of metal-topped 1lb honey jars for £41.13, which works out at 28 1/2p each. Carriage would add to that of course, but Thorne's being what they are, you could get them cheaper elsewhere.
May I recommend Ascot Smallholding Supplies, they do both jam/honey jars. Also the conventional Kilner jars for preserving.
http://www.ascott.biz/cat119_1.htm
May I suggest that used metal+built-in-seal lids are fine for Jams & Pickles, but I would NEVER do any serious preserving with them. You can't mess with botulism. I would even hesitate at using new ones.
You don't say where you live now, Peach??
Thanks everyone for your posts and info
I live in Cambridge U.K. and have been here 3 years now but until now have been too busy teaching to use my green fingers and I didn't know what the allotments were for and then someone told me they were all booked and that there are waiting lists.
We, hubby, baby, and I have taken on an allotment and I am hoping to bottle beetroot and gerkins (yummy) later on this year.
Right - we do golden beet & sweet cu pickle in used jars with no prob.