Help - glass jars

[Earthbabe]

If it makes for a fair exchange and reduces people's waste it sounds like a good idea. I'm sure most of the neighbours would be more than happy to do such a swap. The neighbours with whom we swap glass jars for aluminium cans have also been giving us cabbage leaves etc for the animals and usually get a couple of jars of jam/chutney at some point. They have put in a request for piccalilli so I said ok if they bought the caulis. Not happened this year though.

I'm all for bartering/swapping etc. where it can work. Not keen on handing over hard earned pennies if I don't have to.

[Alison]

Is that what's in piccalilli, never really been sure and have given it a wide berth!

[Waffler]

Def an acquired taste!

[Lesley Jay]

Piccalilli is lovely Alison. If you buy a jar to try it don't buy the cheap stuff.

[Waffler]

Might sound weird, but it's really nice mixed in with mashed potatoes.

[Alison]

Think it's the colour that puts me off and honestly I never knew it was cauliflower based! Will find out if OH likes it and if he does maybe try some cos at least if he likes it, it will be eaten up. Not sure about the mashed potato bit though as am a bit strange there already - just mash em dry and never add butter or milk as that seems sloppy to me. Suppose we all have our quirks.

[Waffler]

Me, I'm definitely quirky, but dry mash really doesn't do it for me! Though it can't be too sloppy either, so there you go - no pleasing some people!

[Lesley Jay]

Alison it's not just cauliflower. It can have courgette, cucumber, shallots, green beans and celery in it. The yellow 'sauce' is turmeric, mustard and ginger. If you make your own you can customise the vegetable mixture and use the ones that you like.

[NOG]

We print lables on the jam we make. and along the bottom put please Return the Jar.

We collect them over the year in boxes in the store room (stange some people put their cars in their store rooms?).

We had so many Plums and damsons this year that one night I had 6 buckets full, both freezers full so I contacted WI and said if they wanted them I would deliver so not to let them rot. So I delivered to about 8 old dears and about another 6 picked up some. This was about a month or so ago, any how woman poped round today with a dozen jars of jam that they had made....arrr lovely I said as i added them to the 60 jars in the store.

[Earthbabe]

What will your dentist say NOG?

[kirsty b]

Jazzduke
Can I ask why you can't use the lids again? I'm new to all this bottling so am interested in getting thing right and yet recycling what I can.
I have collected a lot of little jars with small necks and have never seen little lids that size for sale in the shops.
I have put the lids through the dishwasher on 65oC and soaked them in boiling water and heated the jars in the oven at 100 for half an hour . (Am having a panic now that my produce might go mouldy) Would those plastic circles stretched across the top aswell as a lid make any difference?
Having spend all Sunday (well 7 hrs) making Hugh FW's tomato ketchup(lovely and yummy ) I really don't want it to go to waste. Help please!

Nicos, do you have the recipe for that ketchup please? HAve not got mt own copy of his book yet.
Kirsty

[kirsty b]

Hmm. Had wondered about the muslin myself, but the woman in the hardware shop that has sold out of jelly bags said it would let too much... stuff... through. Maybe I'll give it a go, or maybe I'll stick to other methods of preserving until next year. Decisions decisions!

I have an old muslin type curtain that i got from my local charity shop. I just scald it with boiling water before I use it and use it at double thickness.

[kirsty b]

Might sound weird, but it's really nice mixed in with mashed potatoes.

That sounds nice, definitely one to try.
Kirsty

[blackkitty]

I've strained jelly by lining a sieve with a clean stocking and suspending it over a large bowl, you can use muslin this way, just use two or three layers.

[ugly gourd]

Ive just made the chilli jelly and its looooooovely I didnt add all the chillies but extra red pepper