Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Eating and Drinking => Cooking, Storing and Preserving => Topic started by: SusieB on November 02, 2013, 09:58
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I made some rhubarb and orange jam in the summer; all jars now have a thick layer of mould on them. What might I have done wrong. I used wax discs, plastic discs and rubber bands. The discs had been in the cupboard a few years, might they have got dirty, should I have bought new?
I really don't fancy scraping the mould off and eating it. Can I re-boil and re-jar it?
Thanks for any advise, I'm very disappointed. Still, I can try again next year
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which recipe did you use, and did you pot and cover when the jam was hot?
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It could be not enough sugar,not boiled long enough,as Mum says putting lids on not hot,moisture from a damp cupboard or steamy kitchen. I really think you need to throw it out,I wouldn't risk eating it :(
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Thank you both. I can't remember whether I put tops on hot. I will throw it out - I needed to be told, you're right, it isn't safe to eat.
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A spot of mold could be scraped off and the rest eaten, but never that much mold. It's asking for trips to the hospital.
I gave up on using wax many years ago. Now, when I bottle the jam, I put the 2 part bottling tops on the jars and put them in a boiling water bath for about 10-15 minutes and this ensures a good seal (and no mold). The jam needs to be very hot when it goes into the bottles and bottles go into the water bath within a few minutes.
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its a shame all the hard work down the drain , but better safe than sorry .
chrissie b
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Leave them and feed to the bees and wasps next year. I've kept a few wasps happy with my failed pineapple jam this year! :D
Cheers, Tony.
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I read something from Delia once that said if you get mould on top of jam, just use a spoon to take off the top inch of jam and the rest is fine to eat. I've always done that and it's never caused me any problems.
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A thin layer of mold can be dug out and the rest safely eaten, but SusieB had a thick layer of mold which makes the rest of the contents very iffy. Better to just accept the loss of a bottle than ones health.
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Ditto to Trillium - we have had jars of jam nearly 5 years old with a layer of mould... just scrape it off as it's normally just a few mm deep at most and eat the rest.. Obviously if its gone off you will smell it but it should be fine.