Gauteng Smallholder Gauteng Smallholder November 2011 | Page 41

From page 33
simply replace a pint with half
a litre and a quart with a litre
and a splash. For weight,
replace a pound with half a
kilogram and you won't be far
out.
If you are bottling whole fruit
or making jams, marmalades
and chutneys, it is vital that
you do not compromise on
the sterility of your bottles or
on the effectiveness of the
seals. It is heartbreaking to go
to all the trouble of picking,
peeling, chopping and
cooking your produce, only
to have it go bad because you
did not have a scrupulously
clean and dry bottle or
neglected to make an airtight
seal.
Freezing
It is possible to freeze most
vegetables. When it comes to
freezing fruit, it is often better
to puree it first or to cook it in
syrup and freeze in a rigid
container to prevent bruising.
Many herbs can also be
frozen.
You will need a large quantity
of ice, which you can make
the day before; a large
bucket/bowl/sink of iced
water; a large pot of boiling
water; absorbent paper;
freezer bags, wire ties and
labels.
~ Pick as early in the
morning as possible;
~ Prepare the vegetables the
way you would for cooking;
~ Bring water to boil in your
large pot – 5 litres for 500 g
vegetables;
~ Blanch vegetables in the
boiling water for no more
than a minute;
~ Plunge them into the iced
water for the same amount of
time and shake to cool;
~ Drain well and when
completely drained and cool,
package, seal, label and
freeze immediately.
If using freezer bags purge as
much air from the bag as
possible before sealing.
IN THE KITCHEN
Make the best use of space in
your freezer by forming the
bags into squares. Do this by
fitting the bags into an empty
five litre ice cream container,
emptying the container once
the bags have frozen.
Sterilising Bottles
Proper preserving jars (aka
Consol jars or Mason jars if
you're American) with single-
use metal lids and screw rings
are best if you are bottling
fruit or vegetables, but clean
mayonnaise or pickle jars can
also be used. Use only glass
jars.
If you intend giving away your
jams, chutneys and pickles,
smaller bottles are better: that
makes your produce go
further. Also, not everyone
will enjoy your wares and a
small quantity might be all
they are going to consume.
Wash the bottles and lids
thoroughly to ensure there is
absolutely no residual smell of
their contents. Then sterilize
them. If you have a micro-
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wave this is done by pouring
about 3cm of water into each
jar and microwaving on full
power for five minutes.
Slosh the boiling water about
the jar and discard, and dry
the jar by placing it upside
down in a warm oven. Don't
dry it with a cloth - this will
merely re-contaminate it.
The lids, even the new single-
use ones, should be boiled to
ensure sterility.
Bottling Fruit
Many smallholdings have at
least one peach tree, and
there is nothing like a row of
bottled go lden cling peaches
on your kitchen shelf to fill
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