Peter Marshall (petermarshall@cix.co.uk)
Sat, 17 Jul 1999 23:14 +0100 (BST)
> Indeed, and in 60 years (more than 60 !) of jam making, I've hardly had
> a
> batch didn't lose at least one jar to mold... The remaining jam might
> not
> kill you, but gets an off taste. The trick is to clean the inside edge
> carefully -- get off all the jam so the melted paraffin makes a tight
> seal
> with the glass, preventing entry of air.
Judy
We haven't had any mould in our jam here for the last 10 years and I eat a
lot of home-made jam and we also supply it to various charity sales etc
and give it away to friends. Too much fruit in the garden!
We do this entirely without paraffin, molten or otherwise. We wash out old
jam jars and then sterilise them in the oven while making jam. (Since I
suggested this we haven't lost a single jar). Using a jug to pour the hot
jam makes it easy to avoid getting any around the top. The jars here all
come with air-tight lids (they can't be re-used for ever though.)
Also the circle of greaseproof paper we put on the top of the jam is
moistened with water with a drop of lemon juice or vinegar.
Easier than fiddling with molten paraffin.
To connect it slightly to alt-processes, it is probably worth sterilising
bottles you are going to make up solutions that go mouldy in - things are
likely to keep better at least before you use them.
Peter Marshall
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