Step-by-step: preserving fruit

[This story first appeared in the Feb-Mar15 issue of Green Ideas magazine.]

Preserving can sound tricky and time-consuming, yet is surprisingly quick and easy. Learn a few basics and before long you’ll be enjoying the delicious bounty of summer all year – while saving a tonne of money and avoiding pointless packaging waste. You can preserve a glut from your garden, or simply buy and preserve fruit when it’s cheap, to be enjoyed when it’s expensive (and imported). You don’t even need to do great batches at a time; you can preserve
a single jar simply to rescue a fruit bowl that threatens to go off before being eaten.

There are lots of different techniques for preserving, but the basic principles remain the same. Jars are heated to kill bacteria and other bugs that can spoil the contents, and the produce is also heated so that it expands. Once the lid goes on, the contents are allowed to cool and contract, which sucks the lid tightly on to the jar, forming a seal that lets you to store it at room temperature for long periods. There are several methods for preserving but I’m going to walk you through the ‘open pan’ or ‘overflow’ method that requires no special equipment beyond jars and lids, and is excellent for small batches.

You'll need

• 2 kg apricots, peaches or plums
• 2 cups sugar
• 6 cups water
• A large pot
• 2 - 3 500ml preserving jars
• Jar seals and rings

Choosing fruit

Select fruit that is nether too ripe nor completely under-ripe. It should be at a stage where you would want to eat it. Because you are cooking it there is a little leeway, but bad fruit cannot be disguised.

What kind of jars do I need?

You can reuse old jam jars for preserves that use plenty of vinegar, but for fruit it's best to invest in proper preserving jars, which have lids and screw-on-rings. The jars are around $4 - $5 each new, but endlessly reusable. Rings can also be reused, however lids are single-use. Lids and rings can be bought cheaply at most supermarkets.

Step by step

Step 1 - Prepare the fruit by washing and then cutting into halves or quarters and removing the stones

Step 2 - Place your clean jars and lids into an oven heated to 120°C, for 20 minutes. I line the racks with tea towels so the sudden change in temperature doesn’t crack the jars. Ensure the jars are not touching.

Step 3 - Place the sugar and water in a large pot on the stove and heat until simmering. Add the fruit and cook until tender (but not mushy).

Step 4 - Heat a dish with hot water so it's not cold enough to shock the jars, then use tongs or oven mitts to pull them out of the oven and place on the dish. Use a clean spoon to fill the jars with the very hot cooked fruit.

Step 5 - Top with syrup to the very brim. Slip a chopstick or thin flexible knife down the side of the jar to release any air bubbles and quickly top with syrup until just overflowing - the wish will catch your overflow.

Step 6 - Carefully place the seal on the jar and then screw the ring down tightly. Once the jars have cooled completely you can wash any residual syrup off the outside. Now label and date your jar and place in the pantry to enjoy at a later date.