Vegetables and fruit
Only use unblemished, fresh produce which is in good
condition for bottling.
Glass jars
Use clean glass jars and accessories and check them for any
defects. Glass jars with twist off lids or glass lids with a
rubber seal are suitable.
Make sure that all the glass jars are the same size so that
bottling is carried out evenly.
After you have filled the jars with the bottled produce, clean
the glass rims with a clean cloth and hot water and then seal
the jars.
Fruit
Sort fruit carefully, rinse it briefly but thoroughly and allow it to
drain. Take great care when cleaning soft fruit as it is very
delicate and squashes easily.
Remove any peel, stalks, cores or stones.
Cut up large fruit. For example, cut apples into slices.
If you are bottling fruit with stones (e.g. plums, apricots)
without removing the stones, pierce the fruit several times
with a fork or wooden screwer as otherwise it will burst.
Vegetables
Rinse, clean and cut up vegetables.
Green vegetables should be blanched before bottling to help
them retain their colour (see "Blanching").
Fill volume
Fill the glass jars with produce up to a maximum of 3 cm
below the rim. Do not pack it down as this will damage the
cell walls of the fruit. Tap the jar gently on a cloth to help
distribute the contents evenly.
Fill the jars with liquid. The produce must be completely
covered.
Use a sugar solution for fruit and a salt or vinegar solution for
vegetables.
Bottling
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