Preserve 24 Jars of Fruit an Hour

It’s wonderful to be able to preserve 50kg (110lb) of fruit in a morning and have the 72 jars stored for the year’s desserts and breakfasts. This method has been perfected over thirty years and may be suitable for others out there who enjoy bottled fruit but only manage-as my mother did, to bottle 6 jars of fruit in a morning.

24 quart jars are placed in a 60 litre (16 gallon) drum used as a water bath and this is placed inside a 200 litre (44 gallon) drum used as a wood furnace. The water bath comes to the boil in 45 minutes, the jars are left to cook for 10 minutes and then the batch of jars with their fruit are removed and left to cool.

This site is for those who like preserves, have access to high-quality bulk fruit and can find the drums cheaply in their town or city. It is also suitable for those who have a cottage industry making preserves and who want to expand their range.