Preserving Fruit

[Hermit]

Does anyone know any good ways to preserve fruit apart from jam and chutney. I was thinking of bottling/canning but all the web info on it is from the states and has put me off with talks of botulism and hot water pressure canners although, they seem to want to process even their jams that way so maybe they are just going over the top. Any ideas?

[Sequin]

Preserve in alcohol - either a neutral spirit like vodka (cheap supermarket own brand will do) or a flavoured spirit like gin or brandy - eat the fruit and drink the juice!

[Clanad]

Or perhaps a dehydrator? Works quite well and you could even do the same thing in your home oven... We have a variety of dehydrated fruits that have been in storage for over a year and still very sound... Here;s one informational site:
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/dry/pack_store.html

[perkypat]

Preserved lemons in olive oil- Moroccan. Turn juice and pulp into sorbets/icecream. Turn them into cordials/syrups- lemon & ginger, etc. Turn them into ices and fill lemon/orange/coconut halves as containers or ice lollies.

[Hermit]

Thank you all. Clanad, what can I say? From radishes to dried fruit, you are a true polymath and my guru it seems. I had seen the web site -it was that which frightened me regarding bottling and preserving in oil etc but I hadn't read the drying section. Suprised they don't seem to mention any potential food poisoning problems, surely there are some? Might try it in autumn though as I'm looking for some way to include fruit in my cereal as its the only time I eat it but get bored of raisins and object to the additives in most of the others.

[WendyS]

When given a surplus of windfall fruit by friends (apples, pears, plums) last year I cut them in slices and halved the plums and dred in the lowest oven setting for about 8 hours, leaving door marginally open until they were pliable but not bone dry. This was partially successful. I stored them in plastic boxes but after a month they started to go a little mouldy, so perhaps I should have dipped them in some kind of preservative. However they would store very well in this state in bags in the freezer.

[WendyS]

This site won't take long posts at the moment. I also grow pounds of blackberries/blackcurrants in my garden. They freeze well whole, but I also make bottles of fruit syrup which is great with ice cream and for hot drinks with lemon. Simmer with a little water until soft. Strain through a jelly bag. Add a pint of sugar to each pint of liquid. Heat until dissolved. Store in wine bottles into which half a crushed dissolved Campden tablet has been added to keep sterile. (Campden is used to sterilise in winemaking & can be obtained from good chemists). Any other soft fruit mixture can be preseved in the same way.

[WendyS]

I saw some fruit.vegetable dehydrators being demonstrated at an Agricultural Show last summer & was very tempted but they were about �80 and I didn't think I would get sufficient use out of one to make it earn its keep, plus the storage problem. However, they dry the sliced fruit on trays and seem to be very efficient. If you think you could make use of one, you can find details/pictures on this site.

http://www.juiceland.co.uk/cat--Food-Dehydrato rs--Dehydrators.html

[Hermit]

Thanks WendyS. That website that Clanad posted tells you how to make a preserving solution from lemon juice which sounds a lot more natural. What bothers me is that mould is not always apparent and can be quite dangerous but that web site does seem good. I do fancy the syrup idea, I like those Greenbottle cordials, home made would be even better. I know you can freeze fruit etc, I just don't like relying on it too much as you run out of space too quick, especially if despite wanting a healthy lifestyle you can't give up frozen pizza and oven chips -that's me I'm afraid, a man of contradictions

[Bohne]

Freeze