Bottling help please

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by ~Tullymoor~, Nov 10, 2005.

  1. ~Tullymoor~

    ~Tullymoor~ Junior Member

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    Ok, so I have no idea about all this bottling stuff and need some help please.
    I am going to have 3million 2 hundred and 75 thousand tons of cherry tomatos this year and need to work out what I am going to do with them.
    I just opened a (home brand lol) 700gm tall skinny bottle of pasta sauce. Am I able to use those bottles again for my home made sauce??? I have no fowlers vacola thingy but was thinking if the sauce is cooked it could just go into sterilised pasta bottles, seal and store. Is this correct or do I need new lids that'll go "pop" when I open them??? Or, do I need to boil the already cooked pasta sauce IN the bottles??? Should I just make the sauce and put in ziplock bags and freeze? Prefer not this option as only have little wee freezer at this stage.
    I have no idea. ( I need my Nana!!! Whaaaaaaaaaa)
    What about chutney/relishy stuff?
    Why oh why couldn't I have been born Italian? Then we all would have gathered together and made the sauce and learned the skills from the Nonnas.....
     
  2. snaggs

    snaggs Junior Member

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    I remember when I was a kid and my mum made jam etc, you can get these little paper seals (sort of like baking paper) which go over the top of your jars and seal them..

    Sorry, dont remember much more, was a long time ago :)

    Daniel.
     
  3. ~Tullymoor~

    ~Tullymoor~ Junior Member

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    Thanks Daniel, yeah I have seen them at the superdoopermarket but I have a feeling they are just for jams. I think tomato things have other needs....cos it's acid or sommat....I keep getting a bit lost in the preserving threads and need it spelt out for me in words of one syllable or less :D
     
  4. Lolly

    Lolly Junior Member

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    I'm with you Tully.. every girl needs a Nonna... anyone want to share theirs??
     
  5. gargun

    gargun Junior Member

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    I remember as a kid in NZ watching my Nana (we don't have Nona's there) bottling plums and other fruit...making chutneys etc *sigh*

    Sadly, she passed away many years ago when I was still a kid :cry: , and I wish she could have had more time to pass the things to me that were important (like her memories and how to bottle fruit....etc) :(

    I think this is a great topic and would be keen to hear anyones "experiences" or find a website with authoritative "steps for dummies" :wink:

    Ray
     
  6. Tamandco

    Tamandco Junior Member

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    Tully,

    I'm going to pm you re this.

    In the meantime, you can make up a pasta sauce and process them in your normal jars providing the lids are in good nik. I bought some 'new' lids from GreenLivingAustralia to do just this job.

    You don't need a Fowlers Unit, just a big pot with a wire cake rack on the bottom. Different jar sizes take different processing times. You can adapt these to your recycled jars if you're sensible about it.

    So start collecting your jars. None of those tomatoes will go to waste.

    Tam
     
  7. baldcat

    baldcat Junior Member

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    Babe, go get yourself a bottle of EZI-SAUCE from the Supermarket... Use the recipe on there for sauce, except do put as much sugar in.. Add some chilles to some batchs, and don't scoop all the skins...
     
  8. ~Tullymoor~

    ~Tullymoor~ Junior Member

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    What's EZI-SAUCE pet???? Did you mean DO put as much sugar in or DONT put as much sugar in....I think I need a support worker :lol: :lol:
     
  9. baldcat

    baldcat Junior Member

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    EZI-SAUCE is a product that helps to make tomato sauce. there is a recipe onthe bottle that my mum follows, and my Nana before that.
    The only difference is that they DON'T use as much sugar as it states, and they don't take out all the skins..
     
  10. ejanea

    ejanea Junior Member

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    I have just used the last jar of last year's tomatoes.

    This year I have many more planted. It seems I do the same every year (increase the quantities, that is) and I preserve as many tomatoes as I can.

    I peel them and preserve them in slightly salt solution as described in the Fowler's Vacola Book (vintage about 1950) and they are beautigful.

    During the tomato season I bottle them daily whenever I have enough ripe ones and with little concern about the fuel cost as I only have a wood stove and I putt the fowler's thing on afer I finish cooking. I think I need about 50 jars of tomatoes a year. I have fresh ones for about half of the year and use the others when I don't have the "real" ones.

    I've run out a bit early this year. The first plants have baby green tomatoes on them, but it'll be a while between tomatoes this season. I tell everyone that they'll be even more appreciated when they arrive! Seasonal waiting is good too.

    As soon as there are ripe tomatoes in the garden that we can't eat that day, I'll bottle them.... at east every couple of days. And i put the odd zucchini or capsicum or eggplant if I have some spare (label the jars!) and i usually add herbs or spices at that stage too. Just label the jars carefully beacuse there may be some that turn out rreally well and that you'd like to repeat. Using the Fowler's plan, I peel the tomatoes, put them in salty water in the jars, and then heat them from cold to near boiling and keep them there for about 20 minutes and then take them off the heat and let them cool down in the Fowler's boiler thing.
    I do this after dinner at night because I have a wood stove and I leave it to go cold til morning. That's all. And by the end of the tomato season I have heaps of jars of tomatoes that I can use for spaghetti sauce, pizza, soup, stew, chilli..... whatever and I never buy the tasteless ones from the local IGA.

    I hope that helps. Please ask again if I haven't explained it properly.
     
  11. snaggs

    snaggs Junior Member

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    So tomatoes like this are much better than tinned tomatoes?


    Daniel.
     
  12. Tamandco

    Tamandco Junior Member

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  13. Tamandco

    Tamandco Junior Member

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    Daniel,

    You know what goes in to them!

    Tam
     
  14. Tamandco

    Tamandco Junior Member

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    Although it's recommended to purchase new lids, I've found that used lids are fine providing you ensure that you get a good seal.

    Once you've processed them in the boiling water, you press the little button in the centre of the lid down as the jars are cooling. You might need to do this a few times. If the little button remains down once the jars are cool then you've created the vacuum seal. If not, the rubber material inside the lid may be no good, in which case you'll need to replace the lid and reprocess, or use straight away.

    Although I have 3 fowlers vacola units :roll: I started off using this method and still do when preserving foods I intend giving away or selling at the markets.

    Tam
     
  15. forest

    forest Junior Member

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    I agree with tam. Make sure the lids are not damaged or dented in any way. And that missvicky site is very good.
     
  16. sab

    sab Junior Member

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    My mum uses jars with lids that have a rubber seal welded to the lid. The kinds that pop. I think she has the lids on loosely till the jars are filled with steam and then tightens them. She's in the middle of moving and is a bit frazzled at the moment. I'll write to her and find out.
     
  17. baldcat

    baldcat Junior Member

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    ain't it cute how Mums get 'frazzled' out :) Mines getting like that now.. Next thing you know she'll be asking for grand kids.... Oh wait she already is........ ha ha..
     
  18. barely run

    barely run Junior Member

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    :lol: I reuse vacum bottles for all my tomatoes...haven't been game to say so with all the vacoola fans around.
    You can do fruit in the jars in the microwave if you dont object to using one. There is a book on just using the microwve...can photocopy stuff if anyone wants.
    My method for tomatoes is Boil up on stove with skins or without depends on how lazy i feel...add herbs, garlic, black pepper very little salt.
    Wizz in the food processor or mash with potato masher. Put into clean hot jars and zap in microwave till just bubbleing...screw on cleaned lid and they vacum as they cool. Take care ... you are dealing with very hot glass jars and lids. Have not had a failure yet..thou we only keep them a few weeks as we use heaps of tomatoes. Last week had a win...saw some nearly out of date drinks in GO LO (discount shop) 350ml drinks in nice wide neck glass bottle perfect for bottled sauces...4 for $1.00...great stuff and guess what ..even the drink was nice..Solis Power..a wellbeing drink.. Only bought 8 and now wish I'd bought a carton.
    Happy bottleing
    Cathy
     
  19. sab

    sab Junior Member

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    She won't be getting any more grand kids. She's got 4 greats. (She's 83) I just had my first grandkid. Ahhhh

    Barely run - I've been eyeing off the Gatorade bottles. I don't know if you get that in Aus. They look pretty good. Widish neck with a vacuum lid.
     
  20. ejanea

    ejanea Junior Member

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    I reuse lids as long as they look ok.

    The tomatoes are much better than the tinned ones partly because you know what's in them and aslo because I start with better tomatoes. When I pick them, they're better tasting already. I add herbs or bits and pieces from the garden that happens to be there. As long as you label them it's ok The ones that I do taste like real tomatoes still. It's the same difference as the tomatoes from thr suptermarket compared with the ones that you grow.

    I also put my "ratatouille mix" in jars. It varies a lot, but I put in whatever I pick and don't eat immediately. It varies daily, but the tomato/zucchini/eggplant/capsicum/sping onions (when I have a lot of them) and herbs mix seems to work well. I put them in jars, process them after I cook the tea at night and leave them on after the fire goes out. In the morning, I label them and put them in the back of the cupboard. During the winter, when you don't have as many of those things, it makes the best spaghetti sauce.... or soup or casserole/chilli juice or gravy or whatever with very little effort. I leave all of the ingredients intact to have the lumpy or smooth option later.
     

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