On Oct 12, 9:43*am, Nick Odell
wrote:
On Thu, 11 Oct 2012 23:57:50 -0700 (PDT), harry









wrote:
On Oct 12, 12:56*am, wrote:
Nick Odell wrote:
jgh wrote:
Oh Noes! So I've got to throw away all that jam I made last month?
http://pics.mdfs.net/2012/09/120904.htm

Looks good!
The sugar is the most expensive ingredient

Over the years I've experimented with reducing the suger in
my jam. This jam is 5/8 brambles, 2/8 apples, 1/8 sugar which,
so far, is the lowest sugar content I've tried, but it tastes
ok. With this year's rain the brambles were so ripe and sweet
I think I could have reduced it even further.

The jars sat in and were filled with steaming hot water
before filling, and the vacuum formed has sealed the lids so
well I can't undo them by hand!

JGH

You might think about using the freezer more. We freeze all our
surplus garden produce. Fruit and veg.

My freezer is full and I use it all the time. However, last time I had
a freezer breakdown I ended up, at ten o'clock at night, giving frozen
food away to my neighbours then working through the night to cook,
bottle and otherwise preserve the remainder.

I love the fact that with my freezer I can take advantage of those
last-minute yellow-label offers at the supermarket and know they won't
go to waste but I love the way bottling stuff is a final solution that
requires no further energy input to preserve the contents sometimes
for years and years. I also get satisfaction from doing something
people have done for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Bunging
some raspberries into a plastic bag and putting them the other side of
a door just doesn't feel the same.

Nick

I have two freezers. It means as the produce is used up, I can close
one down.
Also if one breaks down, I can swop over (assuming they're not both
full). But they're usually both full over Winter when a breakdown is
less of a problem.
You need a temperature alarm. Gives you some leeway/warning. Should
activate before anything melts.
Also neighbours will help out with spare space if there is a
breakdown.
Did they have glass bottles thousands of years ago?