Preserving Links



The Elderflower is coming into season and I have plans to go foraging this week to collect this precious bounty which can be turned into useful products for the shelf.  It is a marking of the seasons as well like apple picking in the autumn.  Nothing better on a hot summer's day than having a glass of chilled Elderflower Champagne that does not cost you an arm and a leg.  I then realised that I have not done much on the preserving front this year by way of posts and thought that I would share some of the links I use for both recipes and inspiration and in some cases tutorials on how to actually do things.  Even I am still learning after 40 years of food preserving.  It is a never ending process.  However I am a great believer that we all have something to bring to the proverbial table and at the end of the day we all learn from each other.  Whether that be by approaching something in a different way or finding a shortcut that works for you, which you then share often helps other people get to grips with things a lot more quickly and easily.  Most of us learn by actually watching other people and how they approach things i.e. a visual learner.  I am in that bracket.

It doesn't matter where you are in life, whether you are a beginner and wearing "L" plates (we have all been there) or a more experienced cook, smallholder, gardener.  We all learn by sharing and reinforce that learning by passing on what we know to others.

Preserving is about extending the shelf life of basic foods and using different techniques in order to do that.  This includes the following:

Jams
Jellies
Curds
Butters
Cheeses (fruit)
Pickles
Chutneys
Relishes
Fermentation
Wine Making
Bottling
Canning
Cordials
Liqueurs
Cider
Beer
Etc

I would just add that the content of this post is purely from my own experience and thoughts and personal choices and that I have not received any inducements to mention those manufacturers I have. This post is also not intended as an advertisement for said companies. You have to make the best of whatever resources are available to you at the time that you do something.  Time and situations change.  So really there is no wrong or right way just your way.

Containers/Bottles/Jars

I am a great Kilner jar fan and have been for years.   My Nan had them (and my Grandad used to have us using them as skittles on the lawn to keep us occupied when we used to visit.  No bottles were broken as a result of this).  My Mum also used them extensively.  I still remember the pantry shelf being stocked with bottles of rhubarb, pears, plums, gooseberries, apples and plenty of jam when I was a little girl.  I still have some of my Mum's original jars and am still using the jars for canning.  I am using the Leifheit seals when I can get them to do so.  The older original jars have wider openings than the current jars.

I have also found that the Kilner and the Ball standard seals interchange between bottles as do the rings.  Perhaps technically not supposed to do so but in practice I have found this works.  The Bormelio jars I have found that standard Kilner jar seals and rings fit perfectly as well. I have found that these are not as accessible as other jars and the lids are expensive as they are a whole piece lid rather than a screw ring and a seal. Wherever possible I try and re-use the jars I have spent good money on with a practical solution.  Just because the lids/seals are too expensive does not mean you have to give in easily or gracefully. There are also other versions available and if you are not sure just try them and see.  They will always come in useful for something.  When it comes to preserving you have to occasionally employ a little lateral thinking in order to make things work for you.  As I did when it came to using the baby bottle steriliser for processing my fruit sauces and cordials/drinks in small Hex bottles.  A practical solution for a problem I encountered in that some bottles are too big and too tall and I found it is better to go for smaller bottles but make more of them.  A lot easier to process in the longer run.

Wilkos also do a nice range of jars for very good prices.  Well worth a look.  Only thing is you will have to source replacement lids from another source as they currently do not supply replacement lids. 

Recipes/Resources and Tutorials

In respect of recipes, ideas and inspiration I would recommend the Kilner site.  It is very good and has some good recipes and ideas.  I have found that they do update these regularly so it is best to write down the recipe or recipes when you see them so that you have them when you need them.


They have also produced a cookbook as well which has some interesting recipes in it.  However not all the recipes on the website are in the cookbook.  They have on the website some tutorial pdf booklets on healthy eating, pickling etc,  Recently they have also included seasonal sections as well.  In practice some of these recipes are different to those in the recipe section.  There are also lots of food ideas which are for everyday use rather than to be preserved on the shelf.  In effect there is something for everyone.


If you follow the recipe link and then click on the seasonality tab the recipes will come up by month so will give you a reminder of what you should be doing when. 

Rosie also has her own jam company and provides bottles/jars and preserving equipment.  They are linked from her site.

I first came across Rosie who gave a tutorial on her original blog of how to make Wholegrain mustard from proper seeds.  This was quite a few years ago and is not as complicated as you think it is. The recipe is included on this site. Many of the recipes are Rosie's own or are recipes to which she has added her own individual twist too.  I provide the link as this is such a helpful site and I particularly love the recipes. Hopefully it will inspire those of you eager to learn the craft of preserving or for those more experienced to go on to the next level.

There is also the Jam Jar Shop link to recipes and shop here 


I also love English Country Life.  


Hugh and Fiona have some useful tutorials on all sorts of things including items that you have never even thought of and these tutorials are presented in a fully informed fashion.  I have made mustard before as per the instructions at Rosie Makes Jam above, but they have a completely different take on it altogether. That is very refreshing. 

Tracy and Steve from Our Smallholding Adventure are also trying to make the most of what they have and are sharing their experiences on You Tube.  The cookery tutorials are very good here as they use what they have.  


They also have a blog here:



Preserving is only as complicated as you want to make it for yourself and a lot is learned by trial and error.  However, if you are a novice cook this can seem daunting.  When I started out over 40 years ago, I read extensively on different techniques of preserving and started out with pickled onions and shallots one year to have at Christmas, then went to jam, then each season added something new to the repertoire.  Stick to standard recipes to start with i.e. Strawberry jam, Strawberry and Rhubarb jam, Lemon curd, Marmalade and then as you get used to things start adding something different.  Rumtopf is an excellent fruit preserve that is not too complicated.  It provides both boozy fruit and a liqueur to have during the Christmas celebrations.  Serve the fruit with ice cream - Cinnamon is good and then have a fruity type liqueur drink for a cold winter night.  

Sometimes I will buy a jar of a different preserve that I have not tried before and if I like the idea and flavour of that preserve I then go looking for a recipe for that preserve.  

Jam Basics/Jelly basics

Jams in reality, I follow a basic recipe of 1kg of fruit and 1kg of sugar.  I do not use specialist sugar just granulated which I warm up before use.  

Equally for jellies I use at least 1kg of fruit.  You have to put the uncooked fruit into a pan and just cover it with water.  Once the fruit is cooked you pass the fruit through a jelly bag and leave it to stand overnight and in a bowl below collect all the liquid. Do not squeeze the jelly bag as this will make your finished preserve cloudy.  With the hanging the pulp will be more or less dry in any event.  Depending on how much liquid you obtain you then add the same amount of sugar i.e. 1 pint of juice 1lb of sugar.  To make things easier if you do not have enough liquid add a little water to make the amount up to an exact amount.  Often with jellies you can get a second preserve out of the one batch and the fruit concentrate is often turned into what is referred to as a "cheese", which in effect is a solid paste jam which is served with actual cheese.  The best known of these is quince paste or Membrillo. 

Preserving Equipment

I must also say that I have a whole wealth of preserving equipment to hand which I have collected over many years.  To start with though you just need a big preserving pan or stock pot, a sugar/jam thermometer and a large spoon, time and patience.  I have a variety of specialist equipment including:

  • Dehydrators x 2
  • Jam machines
  • Large bottle steriliser/preserver with steam juicer attachment
  • Baby bottle steriliser
  • Pressure Canner
  • Pressure Cookers
  • Freezer
  • Food Strainers electric and manual.  My latest addition has been an electric strainer which offers meshes for fruit as well as vegetables.  I bought this for making smooth pasta sauce.  I had a hand held one but I have lost one of the parts.  It is in the house somewhere but until I locate it cannot do anything with it and it is still a useful piece of kit.
  • Marmalade shredder
  • Mouli grater
  • Apple corer machine
  • Yogurt making equipment
  • Cheese making equipment including a soup cauldron for pasteurising.
  • A bottle processor for bulk canning
  • Meat Press
  • Wine making equipment
  • Slow cookers
  • Bottles, jars preserving jars
  • Pie makers individual small, medium and a pizza maker for making large pies for the freezer.
  • Stand alone refrigerated ice cream maker.
You do not necessarily need all of these.  I am passionate about preserving and this has been my choice to make my life easier.  However you do not always strictly need these.


Where to purchase Preserving Jars and associated equipment

Where do I get my Preserving jars from.

Lakeland 


Silver Mushroom.  

This company is excellent and very competitive on prices for Kilner jars and equipment.


The Range


TK Max   - I only go in store to check out what they have on the jar front.  For the best part it is a bit hit and miss but when you do find something it is a bargain.

Dunhelm - yet again prefer to go instore only.

Other suppliers of bottles, jars, canning/preserving jars and Beekeeping equipment

(for the Hex jars/bottles and other preserving bottles and jars)

Useful links can also be found on You Tube and Pinterest. Just type in your key words.

Vigo Presses also supplies winemaking and preserving equipment.  It is best to check out the individual tabs but there is a load of very useful information, equipment and recipes here.  They supply industrial equipment as well as for the home producer.  I have one of their home fruit presses for making cider and bottling juices..



Harts of Stur 


Quite a generic array of preserving equipment with some good prices on some of the bulk buys.

The best known bottling system in  Australia, I believe is a company called Fowlers Vaccola.  I do not at present have access to their products but have found a link for some of their recipes,  The link is here:


I am also extremely interested in the Weck jars and also Le Parfait jars.  Each different type of jar or bottle and different sizes and shapes offers further potential as to what produce you can squirrel away in your pantry.  It also makes them look nicer.

Recycling jars

I regularly do this and save all standard jars as I can get replacement lids from Lakeland or indeed some of the smaller companies as well.  Some of the companies offer different sized lids which also offers further potential.  Much better to recycle a jar with a new lid.  The sauce jars from Uncle Bens, Sharwoods, Dolmio etc can all be recycled in this way.

Drying and Dehydrating

I have a couple of dehydrators.  One is the Excalibur the other is the Andrew James Dehydrator.  For the Excalibur machine there are a load of recipes here. https://www.excaliburdehydrator-recipes.com/

However, equally on Pinterest and on You Tube there are lots of posts from individuals on how to process different ingredients.  Yet again just type in the key words for all aspects of preserving.

These are just things I have found out as I have gone along.  There are also a multitude of other techniques and processes I have tried over the years.  Many old-fashioned but the techniques still work.

Well I think that is enough of me burbling on, on this occasion.  I hope that there is something useful to learn or to take from this post.  I am just hoping the weather clears up it is a miserable wet day here in Peterborough and I want to get out into the Hedgerow for my Elderflowers.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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