How to Bottle Fruit- Vegies & Save - make money
Do you want to save money on your grocery bill during the year ? Why not buy fruit & veggies while they are on special throughout the year and bottle some for the off season so you have them available all year round ?
As we were growing up in New Zealand we often had fruit trees in the back garden & Mum would often spend time bottling fruit for the coming months ahead .
We used to buy crate loads of Apricots & back then they were sweet & delicious so we would really enjoy them fresh as well as for dessert .
Watch out for neighbors that have fruit trees that are not eating the fruit & ask if you can pick the fruit in excange for something they might need doing.
When we had too many plums Dad had me walking up % down the main street of Rangiora selling bags of plums from a basket !
We had fruit all year round stacked away in the pantry , great for when unexpected visitors called in to see us or when we fancied dessert .
Other times we would make jam & blackberry jam was my favourite, the apricot was nice as well.!
Dad would make wine from fruit as well as dandelions growing in the front garden as well as the next door neighbors! ( I was the one asked to pick the dandelions !)
As you travel why not check out the local markets & check out the local fruit stalls .
Bottled Fruit & vegetables
Which fruits for bottling ?
Bottled peaches are my favorite however almost any type of fruit can be bottled, although some types lend themselves to particular methods of preserving. Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, currants and gooseberries all make excellent jams and jellies. Apples and pears make good chutneys and most fruits can be pickled. It’s a good idea to experiment with different types of bottling, however, so you can identify your favourite recipes..
Apples and pears should be peeled, cored and sliced and Apricots and peaches should be peeled. All fruit should be washed and any bruised areas cut off.
If you have Small fruits these may be left whole, but larger fruits, especially ones with pips or stones, should be halved or quartered.
Use Fresh Fruit
Simply blanch the whole fruits in a saucepan of boiling water until the skin appears loose, then drain, leave to cool and the skin should fall off easily
Fruit may be bottled cooked, raw or made into a puree, depending on the type and your preference.
Apples can be mixed with cinnamon to make a delicious apple crumble.
During simmering, to prevent the fruit from browning, rub peeled apples, peaches, pears, nectarines and apricots with lemon juice.
Uses for bottled fruit.
We found many uses for bottled Apples for Puddings Pies and Stewed Fruit , Apple Crumble as well a serving them with cream or custard for dessert as you would Peaches or Pears, and are delicious.
Use fruit to make cakes, tarts or fruit turnovers .
Any variety of Apple may be bottled satisfactorily, either in Water or Syrup, preferably Water, as they can be sweetened when used. Many bottle this Fruit in Water for Pies and Puddings.
Bottling Tips
Mum always sterilised before we used them to removeany bacteria present, which would cause your fruit to go off sooner than it would otherwise.
Nowdays you can either wash the jars in your dishwasher just before you use them, or in hot, soapy water. Rinse them and stand them upside down in the oven at 150 C for 30 minutes. Your jars must be hot when you ladle in the mixture.
Once the mixture is in, seal the jars immediately. If you're using metallic lids, seal the jars with greaseproof paper and fix it with an elastic band. This prevents the acid in the mixture from coming into contact with the lid and corroding it.
Fruit Juice
Make money from a market stall
If you have plenty of fruit you might decide to have a market stall to sell your extra fruit & jam as home made jams are popular .
Have a few pieces of fruit cut up small so customers can try before they buy.
lso with jams , Pickles etc have a bowl of crackers as well as a sample jar of each product as a tester which should help you to make more sales.
If you decide to do it on a regular basis then come up with a catchy name for yourself & a nice set up for your stall.
If you like baking why not make some of the following to sell
Apple pies
Apple turnover
Fruit Chutney
Peach Crumble
Apple cake
Sell bottled fruit
Apple sauce
Sell fresh fruit juice on hot days.
Check with your local council for rules and regulations before you start.
Popular vegetables
We are also very fond of picked onions , cucumbers and other vegies like carrot, capsicum for snacks and these will sell well at markets as well as
Mint sauce or Jelly
Chutneys
Sauces
Spices etc
Selling home made jams at markets
