[Dandelion]

I'm a complete newbie to bottling. I decided I would try out rhubarb first, so yesterday I bottled 4lb of it using the wet pack oven method. I had left it to soak in the hot syrup overnight, bottled the fruit, brought the syrup back up to the boil and covered the fruit, getting the air bubbles out with a knife. I processed the bottles for 50 minutes in the oven following the site's instructions. Today all the seals on the jars (Kilner) are good - I have held each jar by the lid having removed the outer ring and they all held. They are also all concave. But there are tiny bubbles at the top of each jar, making the fruit look a bit 'fizzy'. Is this normal? Having never done it before I don't know what to look for. I would appreciate some advice from an 'old hand'!

[Kleftiwallah]

I can only suggest that air has come out of the rhubarb pieces, I should try your smallest jar in a week or two by opening and trying it.  If you should hear a hiss of escaping air / gas I should isolate the rest in case of explosion and think about re-doing the process.

Hope this helps.     Cheers,     Tony.

[Dandelion]

That's a good idea - I'll open some in a week or two and see what it's like. Would you suggest starting again from scratch, or can I use the same rhubarb and syrup, processing it again? It certainly looks as if air is coming out of the rhubarb, as the little bubbles are around the cut ends. I'm regarding this as a first go, to learn the ropes, so I mustn't be too upset if it doesn't work. Maybe there are better fruits to try first time? We have a plum tree, so this would be a possibility later in the summer.

[Kleftiwallah]

I should just reboil the groop for a while longer, then take it from there.  Cheers,    Tony.

[sunshineband]

Rhubarb is stems so might well have some air in them, as it carries on 'working' to suck up water even when it is not attached the the roots.

Same reason as to why you cut the ends of flower stems and then quickly put them in water.

I doubt if it is your actual bottling technique at fault

[Dandelion]

That makes sense sunshineband.
I'm beginning to think that bottling is a lot more complicated than I had realised...