Bottled Fruit - When Things Go Wrong
Bottled fruit makes a beautiful gift for food lovers however sometimes things can go wrong during the preserving process. Read our handy guide which lists the most common problems and how to solve them.
1. Failure to Create an Airtight Seal
If you fail to create an airtight seal on your jar this may be due to a number of reasons; traces of food have been left on the rim and threads of the jar, you must always wipe the rim and threads to remove all traces of food before processing. You may have not covered the jars completely with water for processing. The jar used may be damaged such as chipped. You need to thoroughly check all jars before use, if any are damaged you must discard them. You may not have filled your jars with enough contents your recipe will indicate the correct amount.
2. Jars Leak During Processing
Leakage will occur if the jars are too full, meaning there is not enough space between the contents and the lid. Always leave enough space as indicated by your recipe. Or if you have packed too many fruit and vegetables in to the jar, you need to pack the contents closely but if they are too close there will not be enough space for your preserving liquid to be able to move around.
3. Contents of the Jar Becomes Cloudy
You may have used over-ripe produce, you may have cooked the contents for too long in the preserving liquid or you may have failed to process the jars for long enough allowing the growth of bacteria to occur. Following the timings stated in the recipe is important to ensure a successful outcome.
4. Discolouration of Produce at Top of the Jar
Discolouration can occur for a number of reasons; if you have not used enough preserving liquid to completely cover all of the produce and if air bubbles have been left in the jar so always remove them using a non metallic tool.
