Special applications
79
Bottling
Only use unblemished, fresh produce
which is in good condition for bottling.
Glass jars
Use clean glass jars and accessories
and check them for any defects. Glass
jars with twist off lids or glass lids with
a rubber seal ar
e suitable.
Make sure that all the jars are the same
size so that bottling
is carried out
evenly.
After you have filled the jars with the
bottled produce, clean the gla
ss rims
with a clean cloth and hot water and
then seal the jars.
Fruit
Sort fruit carefully, rinse it briefly but
thoro
ughly and allow it to drain. Take
great care when cleaning soft fruit as it
is very delicate and squashes easily.
Remove any peel, stalks, cores or
stones. Cut up lar
ge fruit. For example,
cut apples into slices.
If you are bottling fruit with stones (e.g.
plums, apricots) without r
emovin
g the
stones, pierce the fruit several times
with a fork or wooden skewer as
otherwise it will burst.
Vegetables
Rinse, clean and cut up vegetables.
Vegetables should be blanched before
bottling
to help them retain their colour
(see "Blanching").
Fill volume
Fill the glass jars with produce up to a
maximum of 3 cm below the rim. Do
not pack it down as this will damage
the cell walls of the pr
oduce. T
ap the jar
gently onto a cloth to help distribute the
contents evenly. Fill the jars with liquid.
The produce must be completely
covered.
Use a sugar solution for fruit and a salt
or vinegar solution for vegetables.
Tips
– Make use of residual heat by leaving
the jars in
the oven for 30 minutes
after it has switched off.
– Then cover the jars with a cloth and
allow
to cool for approx. 24 hours.