Bottling Summer Fruits
Is your plum or apricot or peach tree having a great season and fruiting madly? Yes, you could give the excess away, but why not learn to preserve it for your own bottled fruit to keep on your pantry shelves? Too much fruit on your trees in summer is not a problem when you know the basics of safe bottling. That way, you’ve got a quick and easy dessert topped with custard or ice-cream; or add it to your breakfast porridge over the winter months or as a base for a pie or crumble. YUM!
INGREDIENTS
- Fresh and firm fruits, such as peaches, apricots, red plums (firm, slightly under-ripe and fresh fruits should be used, as if they are over-ripe, they may cook while preserving and go mushy. These will still be fine to eat once bottled, but just not firm if that’s your preference)
- Water
- Sugar (optional)
- Lemon juice (see note below)
METHOD
1. Peel and slice fruits in halves or slices and pack into clean jars. Cover with cool water, remove any air bubbles (using a skewer helps) and add a teaspoon of sugar to the jar (optional). A 300ml jar may only need a teaspoon of sugar. Also add lemon juice for fruits other than peaches, apricots and red plums.
2. Seal the jar with the lid firmly.
3. Preserve in a hot water bath by placing a thick tea towel on the bottom and around the sides of a tall pot. Put the filled jars in, so they are tightly packed, or add some cardboard or more tea towels between the jars so they don’t knock each other. If you can fit more than one layer, put a cushioning barrier between the layer of jars.
4. Fill the pot with cool or lukewarm water and bring to just below the boil. Once at temperature, keep it gently simmering for 30 minutes (for small jars) or 40-60 minutes (for larger jars) and turn off the heat.
5. Remove the jars carefully from the preserving pot at the end of the bottling time, otherwise the fruits will continue to cook.
NOTE: Some fruits do not have enough acidity to safely preserve without the addition of some lemon juice or citric acid. If in doubt, add a small squeeze of lemon juice to each jar of fruit before preserving.