Bottling or Canning Fruit and Vegetables -
Preparation of Fruit for Bottling
Fruit used for bottling must be fresh, firm, and free from discoloration
and disease. Wash hard fruits in cold water and leave to drain in a colander.
Soft fruits can be soaked for a few minutes in salted water to remove any
grubs or insects, rinsed in fresh cold water and left to drain.
- Apples and Pears – Peel, core and
cut into quarters or slices and place into lightly salted water to prevent
discoloration. Rinse quickly in cold water before packing in jars. For
a solid pack, prepare as above and blanch in boiling water for 2 or 3
minutes or steam over boiling water until just tender. Pack warm.
- Apricots, Peaches, Plums and Damsons -
Remove stalks and rinse. May be bottled whole or halved with the stones
removed. If halved, pack quickly cut side down in jars before they discolour.
- Strawberries - Hull and rinse the
berries carefully.
- Blackcurrants, Redcurrants and Gooseberries -
Top and tail. Wash and drain well before packing into jars.
- Cherries – Remove stalks and rinse.
- Blackberries, Raspberries and Loganberries –
Remove stalks and rinse. These fruit attracts maggots so pick over carefully.
- Rhubarb – Remove leaves and base,
wipe sticks and cut into even lengths suitable for the size of the bottle.
- Tomatoes - Remove stems, wash in
cold water and drain. Pack with or without the skins. The skins can easily
be peeled of if the tomatoes are put into boiling water for 5 to 15 seconds
and then dipped in cold water. For a solid pack, cut in halves or quarters.
Pack tightly in the jars, sprinkling salt on each layer. Press the tomatoes
well down in the jars but do not add any liquid.
Bottling & Canning are amongst the self-sufficiency topics covered
in our book, Low Cost Living.
For more information on the book see
Low Cost Living
Bottling (Canning) Syrup
Fruit may be bottled in syrup, water or a brine solution. Syrup is preferable
as it helps to preserve the colour and flavour. The strength of the syrup
depends on the sweetness of the fruit and how it is packed. For syrups the
proportions are generally 8 ozs (250g) to 1 pint (600ml) and water.
The sugar for use in syrups may be granulated or loaf or, for a different
flavour, honey or golden syrup. Dissolve the sugar in half of the water over
a moderate heat and, when the sugar is dissolved, boil for one minute. Then
add the remainder of the water. Doing it this way saves time in waiting for
the syrup to cool sufficiently for use. If the syrup is cloudy, strain it
through muslin as clear syrup gives a better finish to the fruit.
Bottling (Canning) Brine for Tomatoes etc.
A brine solution is best for tomatoes. Make it with 1 tablespoon (½ oz) of
salt to 1 ¾ pints (1 litre) of water. If they are to be packed solidly no
water is necessary but 1 teaspoon of salt should be added to each 1 lb (450
g) of tomatoes.
Packing the Bottles
Rinse the clean bottles in cold water, drain them but do not dry them – it
is much simpler to pack the fruit into wet bottles as it slips down better.
Soft fruits should be packed as tightly as possible in layers without squashing
and adding syrup or water every 4 or 5 layers.
Hard fruits may be pressed down with the handle of a wooden spoon and the
syrup or water poured down the sides of the bottle gradually until it covers
the fruit.
Twist the bottle from side to side as you add the syrup or water to remove
any air bubbles.
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