Probably the stupidest question about jam / chutney ever....

[citizentwiglet]

Do I need lids? I have loads of jars, but some of them don't have the lids. Can you use a wax disk and one of those cellophane jobbies held on with an elastic band INSTEAD of a lid?

I said it was a stupid question.....

[Green Aura]

It's not a stupid question at all.

And yes, although I'd go belt and braces, with a wax disc and a cellophane cover.

We used to use them regularly when I was little - for some reason we managed to hold on to jars but not their lids

[citizentwiglet]

YOU are a SUPERSTAR! Thank you very much.

Can I do it with chutneys as well as jams, do you know?

[MKG]

Yes.

[Thomzo]

I was having this conversation with my neighbours. She said that it was fine, she does it all the time.

He then said that whenever she does, they go mouldy

Zoe

[citizentwiglet]

Yeah, I kind of thought that maybe them going mouldy might be a problem. But then, as long as the elastic band is tight enough, and is replaced properly after use, it should form as good a seal as a lid, really, shouldn't it? Maybe your neighbour's not filling her jars up high enough?

Jam making goddess though Margeurite Patten undoubtedly is, she's very sketchy about lids.

Knew I could rely on you lot to help! Thank you!

[DeneciePie]

I would be sure to do three things:
1. Absolutely sterilize the holy hockeysticks out of the jars.
2. Pour the preserves straight in so there is no food "drooling" down the inside of the jar.
3. Add 1/8 inch of melted parrafin. Let cool. Add a second thin layer and swirl it up the glass a bit. This reinforces the seal. Store carefully flat on cool shelf.

Best of luck.

DeneciePie

[Millymollymandy]

I've used cellophane on pickle and it went dried out and mouldy. I don't know about wax discs as they don't have them here - in France you buy the wax which you have to melt in a saucepan (and then clean it out! ) then pour on top when it is cold, which I find a bit odd because by the time it (jam/chutney) is cold bacteria could have got in.

[citizentwiglet]

Let me know if you'd like me to send you some waxed disks, MMM! That wax sounds like a real palaver!

[Millymollymandy]

Awww thanks CT but I don't bother with it cos I've got lids! Only used it once on jam - and here's a funny, gave a jar to an english neighbour and he ate the wax on the top!!! then realised that he probably wasn't supposed to as it didn't seem to taste very jammy.

[citizentwiglet]

PMSL!

[mrsflibble]

if you are going to use wax discs, you need a new pack for each batch, or have one or two days of nothing but pickling because if you do as my gran used to and leave wax discs in a bag for months, your jams will go mouldy because of spores settled on the wax lol!!!