Home Bottling
Home bottling of produce, especially fruit, is a much better way to preserve food than freezing.
In the event of power cuts, freezing will be useless. In any event, frozen fruit is only at its best for about three to six months, whereas bottled produce will keep for up to 20 years. .
It goes without saying that storing food without freezing it saves a lot of money on your electricity bulls.
The method sounds fiddly, but I urge you to have a go. Of course, most of the time you don't even need to be there.
To start, you need the proper jars. This is essential. Most good kitchen shops will have either the old Kilner jars or similar. I recommend the jars with separate sealed lids and screw-tops - this will become obvious when you see them in the shops.
If you re-use the jars, you need to buy fresh lids and these are available to buy in packs.
Prepare fruit
Cook fruit such as plums, apple slices, blackberries etc, in as simple a way as you can, trying to keep the fruit whole. You can cook in a sugar syrup or water.
Have clean jars handy
Pack the fruit as tightly as possible into clean preserving jars. Using a long knife, run down the side on the jar ands trapped air bubbles will rise and escape. You don\ want air bubbles in the jars.
Now put on the lids and screw the tops just once or twice. They should still be loose.
Fill a preserving pan
You will need a preserving pan or any large pan. You have to be able to put in the jars without touching each other. Place a couple of sheets of folded newspaper on the bottom of the pan, put the jars on top and fill with water to the necks of the jars.
Use a thermometer
A kitchen thermometer is handy but not essential. If you follow the method correctly, the vacuum seal will work well.
Start simmering.
Set the heat low to medium. The idea is to raise the temperature slowly and gradually, to a simmer. The newspaper is there to stop the jars rattling on touching one another, thus dissipating the heat. You can now go away for an hour!
After an hour, come back, top up the water to the necks of the jars and turn the screw top a little tighter - 2 turns is enough.
After another hour, repeat. Keep this up until the screw tops are completely tight and the water has been at a slow simmer for at least three hours.
Depending on the size of jars, (very large jars will need about 5 hours.) you can switch off the heat after 3-5 hours. NOW DO NOTHING.
The water and the fruit have to go cold entirely on their own. I leave them overnight. Then carefully lift from the water, place on a tea towel, and wait. If they have not already done so, you will hear the metal lids popping into a concave position - a satisfying sound! Your fruit is now vacuum packed and sealed for the next 5-20 years!
So to recap:
Pack fruit into jars and release bubbles
Make sure jars don't touch
Keep water at a slow simmer
Tighten screw tops now and again until completely tight.
Leave alone to simmer - never move the pan.
Switch off heat and leave 8 hours+ to cool, naturally.