bodger
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Home made jams and chutneys etc.When you've made these and bottled them up, you sometimes get a surface layer of mould on the topof. You don't see this is in shop bought items, ( or at least you shouldn't) what if anything should be done to avoid this problem ?
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Gill
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You might like to check your jars are as clean as you think they are when you are bottling the preserve. It's also worth checking you do not have too high a water content when you make the preserve.
Gill
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Jamanda
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Don't think I've ever had mould on home made stuff and some of it has been open for over 12 months. How are you sterilising your jars? Are you bottling while it's still hot?
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James
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I never get mould ontop of jams/ chutneys. The jars should be totally sterile when you put the stuff in and the sugar & acid should be enough to maintain sterility (un-refridgerated) once opened.
I sterilise jars by washing in hot soapy water, rinsing clean in cold water then baking in oven at 150c for 30 minutes. The lids are boiled for at least 10 minutes.
The hot jam/ chutney is pored into the hot jars (it bubbles as it hits the side of the jar), and the hot lids are screwed in place immediately. As everything cools, it makes a vacum seal.
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judith
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What James said.
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bodger
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These are the jams and chutneys that my dear old mum makes and sends to us every year. 
Some years, the rasberry jam in particular seems to have an almost alcoholic taste to it once its been opened.
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James
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Are they thick and gelatinous or thin and runny? syrupy liquid on the surface of jam contaminates easier than a firm, gelatinous jam.
If a yeast has got hold, it means:
1) its not got enough sugar in (it should be equal weight sugar: fruit)
2) The jam hasnt been boiled long enough. The boil acts to sterilise the ingredients and to drive off liquid. The result is a sterile product with a high sugar/ acid content. If the jam isnt boiled properly, it's runny and has a slightly lower sugar and acid content.
Raspberries, loganberries and blackberries all lack pectin and need the adition of further pectin to aid gelatinisation. I normally add an unripe cooking apple (shredded) and a lemon per stock pot of jam. Without this, the jam can be runny.
Alternatively, I mix loganberry/ raspberry and blackcurrant. This works extremely well. Blackcurrents are high in pectin, and can be a little strongly flavoured on their own.
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12Bore
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| bodger wrote: | These are the jams and chutneys that my dear old mum makes and sends to us every year.
Some years, the rasberry jam in particular seems to have an almost alcoholic taste to it once its been opened. |
That actually sounds quite appealing! I remember my mum's jams sometimes did that, still ate 'em and I'm still here!
Though I should add that I'm not a hygiene fascist, nor am I qualified to comment!! 
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bodger
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Thats so true 12 bore and James ? I wouldn't dare tell her that she was doing things wrong.
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