Bottling fruit and veg

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devonbarmygardener

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Bottling fruit and veg
« on: June 13, 2012, 21:03 »
I have just come across an episode of 'The Good Life' and Barbara was bottling tomatoes in brine.

Just wondered if anyone had had any success in this sort of food preservation and if so how did you do it?

I normally end up making a 'sugo' from excess tomatoes, basil and garlic and freezing it, but it would be nice to do something else with them.

Would appreciate any advice. :)

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New shoot

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Re: Bottling fruit and veg
« Reply #1 on: June 13, 2012, 21:14 »
I had a little dabble last year and did blackcurrants in sugar syrup (very nice) and roasted tomato passata (not so impressed - prefer freezing).  Both of these were from the River Cottage preserve book and I sterilised the jars using the water bath method.

Trillium will probably have a lot more info, so check tomorrow morning as she posts in the wee small hours from Canada :)

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Trillium

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Re: Bottling fruit and veg
« Reply #2 on: June 13, 2012, 22:16 »
I'm still up. Just came in from mowing almost an acre of grass and mulching my toms.  :wacko:

I personally don't do brine tomatoes as I'm very sensitive to low level bacteria in tomatoes that are not pressured canned, which is how I do it.

However, I did find this for you here. Sounds like what you're after.

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Val H

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Re: Bottling fruit and veg
« Reply #3 on: June 14, 2012, 00:01 »
Val
Recipes Galore!

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allotmentann

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Re: Bottling fruit and veg
« Reply #4 on: June 14, 2012, 07:24 »
I think that I read somewhere that you need to be a lot more careful about bottling veg than you do about fruit because there is something very, very nasty that you can get, This is a vague recollection, but I think I read it recently. I will try and find it if someone doesn't post more information confirming or correcting me first.
Tomatoes would obviously come under fruit so I suppose these would be considered safe to bottle. I have tried making and freezing tomatoes as pasta sauce which was really successful and takes up less space in the freezer, but i am very interested in finding ways of  preserving that are 1. cheap! and 2. can be stored at an ambient temperature as freezer space is very limited. Bottling is something I am very interested in, especially as it went badly wrong for me last year despite a lot of research. :(

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allotmentann

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Re: Bottling fruit and veg
« Reply #5 on: June 14, 2012, 08:54 »
Yes there is the risk of botulism with veg, (which can kill!). I can't find the book I was reading from, here is a link from a quick web search:
http://my-pickles-and-jams.com/bottling-vegetables/

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Val H

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Re: Bottling fruit and veg
« Reply #6 on: June 14, 2012, 11:33 »
I cover this in our book http://www.allotment-garden.org/shop/our-books/store-home-grown-produce. Pressure bottling for vegetables low in acid content is the only safe route as the botulism bacterium can survive boiling water.

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Trillium

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Re: Bottling fruit and veg
« Reply #7 on: June 14, 2012, 13:50 »
Although technically a fruit, tomatoes should be bottled like other veg due to their low acid level, and the safest way is pressure canning (bottling). It's a bit of a fiddle but you know the veg will be safe once done. If you plan to add a quantity of vinegar to the item, then you can simply water bath it. I know some people insist water bathing (non vinegar) toms is fine but there's a huge risk that one day the seal will break unnoticed. Pressure canned lids are practically superglued on.

I prefer the pressure canner (not regular pressure cooker) because it doubles as a water bath. I used to go through the enamel style canners like crazy because they were such a thin metal, whereas the pressure canner is fairly thick. They do cost a bit but pay off very quickly.

Can't remember if Val's book covers it, but if you check out youtube, you'll find you can pressure can many things, including butter and bacon. I too need to retrieve limited freezer space and will be moving some items into bottles. Do note that the texture of bottled veg will be different from frozen but still very palatable.

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devonbarmygardener

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Re: Bottling fruit and veg
« Reply #8 on: June 14, 2012, 14:23 »
Thankyou very much everyone.
Lots of sound advice and much appreciated.
I will sift through all the info you've given me. :)

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mumofstig

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Re: Bottling fruit and veg
« Reply #9 on: June 14, 2012, 14:46 »
Re low acid: This is easy to adjust.
Quote
In foods that are acid (pH 4.6 or lower), the microorganism that causes botulism cannot grow. Therefore it is safe to use a boiling-water bath canner. All other foods must be canned using tested pressure processes. Check out the National Center for Home Food Preservation website at www.uga.edu/nchfp/.

Tomatoes for many years were considered high acid. However, new varieties, overmature fruits and tomatoes from dead or frost-killed vines may have a pH greater than 4.6. The USDA and university-based researchers have determined that to ensure a safe acid level for boiling-water canning of whole, crushed or juiced tomatoes, add 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice or ½ teaspoon citric acid per quart of tomatoes. For pints, use 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice or ¼ teaspoon citric acid.

Acid can be added directly to the jars before filling the jars with product. Add sugar to offset acid taste, if desired.

quote from here

You'll often see lemon juice as an ingredient on jars of pasta sauce from the supermarket  ;)
« Last Edit: June 14, 2012, 14:47 by mumofstig »

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devonbarmygardener

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Re: Bottling fruit and veg
« Reply #10 on: June 14, 2012, 15:20 »
Re low acid: This is easy to adjust.
You'll often see lemon juice as an ingredient on jars of pasta sauce from the supermarket  ;)

This is very true ;)




edit to clarify quote
« Last Edit: June 14, 2012, 16:31 by mumofstig »



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