My passion for preserving food was passed down from my mother who was a master of making a meal from anything. Brought up in a large family we learnt to make the most out of what was available and that meant not wasting anything. Home preserving is a valuable tool to learn.

Making jams, chutneys, pickles and drying food is the best way to reduce food waste and make use of fruit and vegetables when you have an oversupply. Another advantage is you can have an abundant supply of food without the need for refrigeration so you can be self-sufficient in times of natural disasters when access to supermarkets and electricity is limited.

The nearest supermarket to us is a 2hr round trip in a car, so growing our own food and preserving it is a normal part of life.  We are also conscious about what we eat and like to know exactly what ingredients are in our food and how it has been grown.  I use preserving methods that suit our climate, lifestyle and the foods we grow and eat.

I use the waterbath method to make jams, chutneys, sauces and pickled vegetables. The water bath method is used for products with a low pH level, which is highly acidic, eg: fruits, pickled vegetables. Meat and plain vegetables are not suited for this method as they have a high PH level – low acidity and must be pressure canned for food safety.

There are a few things to consider when preserving.

1. Which fruit to choose
2. Sugar and pectin
3. Equipment 
4. The difference between jams, marmalades, jellies, chutneys, relish and pickles.
5. Storage times

Which fruit to choose:

When making any preserved food, good quality fruits and vegetables must be used to obtain the best results. Always choose fruit that is firm and just ripe, this will have more natural pectin. If the fruit is quite ripe try to add about 10% underripe fruit to the mix to increase the pectin.

Sugar and Pectin:

The balance of acid, sugar and pectin in the fruit play a role in final consistency of the preserves and the flavour. Sugar is not only a sweetener it is also a preservative when used in high concentration, inhibiting the growth of micro-organisims and it is a setting agent in jams and jellies. Normally 1 cup of sugar is used to 1 cup of fruit pulp. 

Pectin is found in the skin, flesh and seeds of most fruits and is used to help set preserves. The acid level of the fruit is also important as it acts as a preservative and helps with setting. If the acid level is low, it can be increased by adding lemon juice or combining several fruits together in a recipe. When using the waterbath method the PH should be below 4.6 to be food safe. Ph test strips are available for cooking preserves.

Equipment:

•   Heavy based saucepan
•  Measuring cup
•  Large stainless steel spoon
•  Funnel (can be made from a 2 ltr milk jug by cutting of the bottom half of the bottle)
•  Muslin cloth 
• Sterilized glass jars (reuse glass jars)
• Lids for jars (it is recommended to buy new lids for jars)

I like to keep the equipment list simple as it makes for less cleaning later. Use what you have available at home. A heavy based saucepan is the one of the most important for making jams and preserves, it helps to prevent burning on the bottom of the pan and disperse the heat evenly.

A sugar thermometer is also helpful. It is crucial when bottling your preserves to maintain the temperature at or above 85ᴼC to prevent growth of potentially harmful bacteria. A funnel comes in handy for filling the jars and helps prevent jam from dripping down the sides of the jar. A measuring cup is good for measuring out the sugar and fruit pulp as well as a to fill the jars when the jam is ready to bottle. The metal spoon is ideal for stirring and removing scum from the surface of the jams or preserves. The muslin cloth or cheese cloth is handy to hold seeds when more pectin is needed. 

Before starting to cook make sure your jars and lids have been washed in hot soapy water and sterilized. The best way to ensure jars are ready, is to wash and rinse them or use a dishwasher, then place them on baking trays and put them into a preheated oven at 120ᴼC for 20 minutes or until you are ready to use them. Dry them fully in the oven.

The difference between jams, marmalades, jellies, chutneys, relish and pickles.

The difference in the names of home preserves depends on the methods and ingredients used. 

Jam is made from small pieces of fruit and should be a minimum of 50% sugar.

Preserve is whole fruits in a heavy sugar based syrup

Conserve is whole or large pieces of fruit cooked with sugar until thick.

Jelly is made from strained juice of cooked fruits and sugar.

Marmalade is sliced cooked citrus fruits in a thick jam mixture

Fruit paste is sieved, cooked fruit, cooked to a thick pasted with sugar and cut into pieces cold.

Curd is thick spreadable creamy mixture cooked with juice, fruit puree, egg and butter.

Pickle is a vegetable or can be fruit that is pickled in vinegar with sugar, salt and spices.

Chutney is a mixture of vegetables and fruit, cooked with vinegar, sugar and spices to a thick consistency. 

Relish is salted cooked vegetables in a sugar, spice and vinegar based sauce.

  

      Storage times 

Jams and jellies can be stored for up to 12 months in a cool dark place. Once opened they should be    kept in the refrigerator.

Curds should be stored in the refrigerator and for up to two weeks.

Fruit pastes can be wrapped in grease proof paper, then plastic, then foil and kept in an airtight container. They can be stored in a cool, dark place for 6-12 months.

Sauces, chutneys, relish and pickles should be left for 1 month before eating to allow flavours to develop. Store in a cool dark place for up to 12 months. Once opened keep in the fridge.

Cooking tips – 

• For food safety use sterilized jars, keep mixture above 85ᴼC when bottling (or waterbath end product) and test the PH is below 4.6 before bottling.
• Use saucepan is big enough to fit all the ingredients you will be using and you leave enough space from the level of the ingredients to the top of the pan. Just over halfway is good as it allows for bubbling and stirring easily. 
• Try not to cook too much at once and have everything ready to cook and bottle before you begin cooking.
• Make sure all fruit /vegetables are washed. Reserve any seeds for added pectin. 
• Fruit or vegetables should be cooked until soft before adding the sugar and stir often so it doesn’t stick to the bottom.
• To check the setting point for jams, 1 teaspoon of hot jam can be placed on a cold plate and put it in the freezer for about 30 seconds or until the jam has cooled. Remove the plate form the freezer and gently push the tip of your finger through the jam on the plate. The jam surface of the jam should wrinkle if it is ready. 
• For chutney and relish test by placing a teaspoon of mixture on a plate and pushing your finger through, there should be a clean trail without any runny liquid separating from the mixture.   
• The mixture should be bottled hot minimum 85ᴼC and lid screwed on immediately. Turn the jars upside down for 2 minutes to sterilize the top of the lid. Then turn them over again and leave to cool.
• Jars should be waterbathed for 10min in boiling water if mixture is cold when bottling ie: below 85ᴼC
• Pickled vegetables should be salted for 24 hrs to draw our moisture then placed into jars and topped with a mix of hot vinegar and spices.      

Jams, chutneys, pickles and preserves have been made for centuries to maintain a regular food supply during tougher times. With just a few basic pieces of equipment anyone can preserve their own home grown produce. The method is essentially the same, by following good hygiene and food preparation you can have a pantry full of home made preserves all year round.