What’s old is new again

By Dion Teasdale
THE age-old tradition of bottling and preserving fruit is coming back into fashion.
Jennifer Upton from Maroondah Orchards in Coldstream, who has been bottling and preserving fruit since she was a child, said there has been renewed interest in the old culinary art.
“Bottling and preserving fruit went out of fashion a while ago, but it seems to be coming back into vogue. It really is simple and enjoyable, as well as being economical,” she said.
“It’s a great way to make use of the fruit you’ve grown in your own garden that you can’t eat straight away, and it means you can have fruit all year round,” she said.
Mrs Upton says the best time for bottling fruit is from November through to March each year.
“The bottling season starts with cherries in November then moves through apricots, peaches, apples and pears,” she said.
While it is possible to preserve fruit using old jam jars with screw lids and a large boiling pot, Mrs Upton says purchasing traditional bottles and a basic home preserving kit with an urn is the better way to go.
“Setting yourself up with a home-starter kit and using second-hand bottles is quite inexpensive, considering you can use them over and over,” she said.
Mrs Upton says there are six basic steps for bottling and preserving fruit.
1. It is always best to use fresh fruit either from your own garden or from a fruit orchard.
2. Remove imperfections from the fruit and then peel and cut for appearance.
3. Arrange fruit in sterilised bottles and add syrup. For syrup containing only natural sugars use honey, vanilla pods or fruit juice.
4. Seal bottles with rubber rings and stainless steel caps.
5. Place bottles in preserving unit or urn. The urn should contain cool water, which should slowly be brought up to 90 degrees.
6. Depending on the fruit and the size of the jars, cook for up to an hour and then let it cool in the urn before removing.
Anyone interested in learning more about preserving fruit, or purchasing second-hand bottles and starter kits, can contact Mrs Upton on 0428 356 090.