Preserves – Basics Part 2 – Methods of Preserving (Canning)

A continuation on our introduction to home-preserving.  Here we’re talking about canning / bottling fruit & vegetables.

Luckily the first few preserves I made were from Mrs Beaton’s All About Cookery.   These Victorian recipes assume the cook knows the basics of preserving and general hygiene in the kitchen.  They didn’t scare me into not trying, which many books I’ve read since might well have done.

Here I want to share some of the basics about methods of preserving foodstuffs that should help you in your kitchen.

What Is It?

There are a myriad of ways to preserve fruit and vegetables in glut.  Confusingly we often use the terms interchangeably too.  These are some of the most common types of preserving techniques in their most basic form:

• Pickling in Vinegar.  Food is first soaked in dry salt or brine to draw out moisture which could otherwise dilute the vinegar.  Food is then put in jars and covered in vinegar.  Think English pickled onions.
• Chutney is usually slow cooked and thick.  Spices, vinegar and sugar are included with the fruit or vegetables.  Relishes are a short-lived version of chutney tasting fresher but not storing well.  Chutneys are often left for a month or so to mature and mellow their flavour.
• Jams and Marmalade are usually made with fruit which is suspended in a jelly formed by pectin, acid and sugar.  Jellies are a variation where the fruit pulp is removed.
• Fruit Curd is a mixture of fruit pulp, butter, sugar and eggs.  Think lemon curd for a lemon meringue pie.
• Fruit Butters and Cheeses rely on long cooking to remove much of the water from fruit pulp and sugar making thick spreadable butters and cutable cheeses.  Think traditional quince cheese or membrillo.
• Sweet Fruit Preserves are fruits bottled in an alcohol or sugar syrup making wonderful deserts.

Following (or Not Following) Recipes

The easiest way to start your preserving is to find a recipe and follow it – surely?  Well sort of but I always find recipes include things I don’t have a surplus of and miss out things I do have in glut.  A good introductory recipe book such as Classic Preserves: The Art of Preserving is great to start you off but don’t forget to put your own stamp on things.  Once you choose a recipe for pickles, jam or chutney; feel free to tweak it.  However there are a few rules:

• Keep the weight of sugar and salt, and the volume of vinegar constant.  These three ingredients are the three things which really keep your preserve.  If you mess about with these you may run into issues with jams not setting or chutneys not thickening.  More importantly you may run the risk of food poisoning as these three mediums are nature’s preservers.   High sugar and acidity levels inhibit bacteria growth so are the things that keep your preserves safe.
• Keep the weight of your primary ingredients constant.  Even if you substitute a few apples in place of a few tomatoes make sure the weight of solid stuff stays the same.  That way you’ll know the other ingredients will remain the right ratio.
• Do not interchange fruit and vegetables in your recipes. Fruits are much more acidic than vegetables and so need less additions or processing to make a safe preserve.   Of course you can add a few grapes to a piccalilli for example but never replace a significant volume of fruit with vegetables.

Adjust the spicing and flavouring to your taste.  Nowadays we don’t rely on the preserving properties of the spices.  The salt, sugar and vinegar will be doing all the actual preserving so the spices and herbs are purely for taste.

Is it Ready?

I found this was the most difficult bit when starting to make chutneys, jams and pickles.  How did I know the preserve was ready?  The trickiest thing is that most preserves thicken and set once they cool so you need to know when to stop cooking them.  Firstly let me reassure you that your instict is often right!  But if you’re really not sure here are a few pointers:

• Chutneys will have no liquid on the surface and will hold a trail of the path a spoon is dragged through them.
• Pickles are ready once the time is up – its as easy as that!
• Jams & Marmalade are ready once setting point is reached.  You may have a jam thermometer to tell you setting point is reached at 105ºC (220ºF).  If like me you do not own a jam thermometer you will need to check for set manually.  Drop a spoonful of the jam onto a cold saucer (put it in the freezer first) and leave to cool for one minute.  Now gently push the top of the preserve with your finger.  The top will wrinkle when setting point is reached.   If the top only wrinkles slightly carry on cooking for 2 minutes before re-testing.
• Fruit Curds are ready when thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.
• Fruit Cheeses are ready when so thick that a spoon drawn across the pan leaves a clean line through the mixture.

How Long Will it Keep?

This depends on lots of things and any good recipe will give you an indication.  Preserves will be changed by light and some may be affected by heat so for the following storage times assume all jars are kept somewhere dark and cool.  Those jars must be sterilised before bottling too.

• Jams, marmalade, jellies, pickles and chutneys will keep for a year.  Once opened they should be consumed within 3 months.
• Relishes should keep for 4 months and once opened consumed within 1 month.
• Fruit curds, butters and cheeses will keep for 2-3 months in the refrigerator and should be eaten within 1 month of opening.

And Finally…

Please have a go at making your own preserves – you’ll find it addictive I promise!  And remember whether it be pickles, chutneys, jams or curds you plan:

Homemade preserves are always better than store bought.  You know what went in them and they can help you use up those things you have spare.

It doesn’t matter if they’re not perfect. I’ve made cherry jam with a consistency similar to concrete!  It tasted delightful though so I used it warmed through to make it more runny.  It was also great added to red wine gravy for rich dark meats.

Conversely I made some scrumptious orange and whiskey marmalade that had to be spooned out of the jar but that’s okay it was just a bit runny.  It meant it was easier to use as part of a fruity sweet and sour marinade for pork ribs so I’m not complaining!

So even if things don’t turn out exactly as planned don’t panic you may find they’re still usable but maybe in a different way.   Chutneys can add flavour to stews and curries while fruit preserves make great additions to marinades and desserts.   They might not keep so long and might not be great gift ideas if not perfect.  But  as we’re trying not wasting food, there is  probably a way to use them so don’t just chuck things if they don’t look exactly the same as those in the shops!

For a more self sufficient future