Prepare to store preserves

When you make pickles (like Green Tomato Relish) or jams (like Raspberry Jam), you will have a very hot mixture that has been boiling away on the stove top for some time.  If you try to pour this boiling mixture into cold jars, the jars are very likely to crack with the heat.

To avoid the resulting mess of broken glass and hot jam all over the bench, it is worth taking a few minutes to prepare the jars for the hot mix.

First, choose the jars you plan to use and check that they are clean and dry.

If they need cleaning, use hot soapy water, then rinse the jars in hot water afterwards and leave to dry.

You can reuse jars that you have emptied of their original contents.

Check for lingering smell from their previous life before you refill them, especially if you plan to put jam into a jar that used to hold tomato sauce!

Check that the lids are clean and free of any stains or corrosion.

Put your clean jars into a warm oven at 100°C for about 10 minutes.

When you are ready to fill the jars with the freshly made chutney,  jam , take the warm jars out of the oven (protect your hands with an oven cloth or clean small towel) and put them on a clean tea-towel on the bench, next to the pan of mixture.

Dip a measuring cup or other small container, into the mixture in the pan and gently pour into the jar.

Fill the jar to the top.

Wipe any excess from the lip of the jar before putting the lid on.  Any excess jam etc will prevent the jar sealing properly and the jam may get mouldy and unusable.

Screw the lid on as tightly as you can.  Wrap your hand in a towel if necessary – remember the jar will be hot.

When the jam has set and the jars are cool, wipe them down with a damp soapy cloth to remove any stickiness.

Label the jars with the name of the product and the date made.  Even if you think you will remember these details, believe me, some months away you will be standing at your pantry door looking at the row of jars and wondering what they contain.

It’s worth leaving your jam or chutney for a few weeks before you open and start eating it – if you can wait!!

If you are preserving whole or sliced fruit follow the same routine for the preserving jars.

Enjoy!