Jam Making Tip

[Farmer_Gyles]

Before topping and tailing 3lbs of gooseberries for gooseberry jam, then simmering 6lbs of blackberries and straining through muslin for blackberry jelly, then peeling loads of apples and stewing them down with 4lbs blackberries for blackberry and apple jam, make sure the wife hasn't given away all your jam jars.

Yup, she thought we had too many jam jars. It took me a VERY long time to save them all and now I'm stuck with a maslin pan full of jam, a large bowl full of blackberry juice and a freezer full of fruit .........

[vikkib]

Ouch!

[Nannysally99]

I feel your pain, I have been collecting my jars over the year would hate to lose them


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[SarzWix]

Get it all back in the freezer while you await delivery of some shiny new ones? Reasonable bulk buys available on eBay or The Jam Jar Shop amongst others.

PS. Perhaps your missis owns a large shoe collection that you could sell to pay for the jars?

[zazen999]

Mr Z does this all the time. Try to save bottles for wine and jars for jam and whilst my back is turned they have been put out for recycling. sigh.

[Farmer_Gyles]

she has over 150 pairs of shoes, some designer shoes costing several hundred pounds .... i'll mention the shoe recycling bank later!

a quick post on freecycle last night has resulted in 2 offers for about 30 jars .....

[WendyC]

I was going to suggest knocking on neighbour's doors. This nearly happened to me last week. I thought I had plenty of jars forgetting that I had already used most for other jams. Had just enough!

[redser]

How about making freezer jam?

[KittyColdNose]

Oh no! Glad freecycle came through.

Good idea about the shoes btw

[wellywoo]

I brought some jars from
http://www.bottlecompanysouth.co.uk/
And I think they are reasonable. Just make sure if you give to family or friends to ask for them back when finished with


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[Farmer_Gyles]

buying jam jars like that is expensive - much cheaper to buy jars of basic / economy / value jam in a supermarket!
and buying jars means waiting for delivery - not good when you've got jams cooking ....

[Bill HH]

Is there any chance we are married to the same woman? If something (other than shoes) has'nt been used or moved for more than 2 months its OUT! Yet we have two coffee machines taking up valuable kitchen counter space that havent been used since last christmas.

[Mikey]

If you are in this position again, let the liquid cool and bag the fruit in sealable freezer bags before you've added the sugar, it will keep very well frozen until you have sufficient jars to make jam or a nice tart.

I've plans to freeze some fruit pulp to make combinations I wouldn't normally manage, I'm thinking along the lines of elderflower and rosehip jelly, or strawberry and damson jam.

[Farmer_Gyles]

Is there any chance we are married to the same woman? If something (other than shoes) has'nt been used or moved for more than 2 months its OUT! Yet we have two coffee machines taking up valuable kitchen counter space that havent been used since last christmas.

We only have the one coffee machine ... and it's not being used ... we also have a breadmaker that isn't being used (although that's due to my lack of time) ....

Does your missus have over 50 handbags too?

Not sure why my missus needed yet another coat last week .... she only has 12 coats now ....

And today, a box came .... a pair of boots .... and the box last week was another pair of boots .... apparently she thought she'd only ordered one pair .... yeah yeah ....

[SarzWix]

Give me lovely bottles and jam jars over shoes any day!
The pair of walking boots I have on my feet now have been worn pretty much 7 days a week for just over 2 years. They're in need of replacement now, due to cracking seams letting in water, and I'm gutted Aside from them, I have: 1 pair of trainers, 1 pair of flat 'nice' shoes, and 1 pair of chelsea boots, and that's it...