making jam yourself is stupidly expensive.

[ToniAlto]

We've got a glut of apples so started investigating the internet and adding to basket all the bits and pieces I think I'd need.

I've come to the conclusion that each jar of applesauce would be roughly £12, obviously reducing if I store and reuse the jars and equipment for the next ten years.

AIBU to think that home made jam/sauce is stupidly expensive.

The US is big on the post-jam canning process. You could get to £12 just on energy costs for all the boiling the jars afterwards. Look up any British recipe, particularly pre internet, and it’s just “ladle hot jam (or stewed apple, in your case) into hot jar. Close jar”. The lids pop down and form the vacuum on their own, and anyway, a bit of light botulism never hurt anyone.

Mirabai, DSis was on the hunt for Bonne Maman jars - that was when she discovered all her friends are doing the same! They are ridiculously expensive even on FB. There's Instagram pages devoted to preloved BM jars - they are very pretty.

Our preserves shelves are sadly all mismatched but the jar contents make up for it. We currently have plum sauce, Kashmir chutney, plum chutney, apple and date chutney, damson cheese, apple and chilli jelly, plum jam.

googles apple press

Also OP, if you’re ever making jellies (where you strain the juice from the fruit and use that), don’t buy a dedicated jelly strainer or kitchen shop muslin: an old baby muslin is cheaper (and often free in bundles from Olio and Freecycle) and does the job just as effectively.

Its worth posting on freecycle to ask for jam jars

peel/core apples, chop up. put in a little water and microwave, then freeze for stwed apples which you can then add a little sugar to if yoou want. you can cook in a liottle water on teh hob too. but do't let boil dry.

Apple Butter, Apple sauce and Jam are all very different things and there will be differences to how they are made and stored. Also if you're looking at USA recipes and tutorials be careful of language differences.
If you are making apple sauce that won't keep as long - due to the low sugar content.
Regardless - whatever you are making you will not need any fancy equipment. I've been making jams and chutneys for years and the only "special" thing I've bought is a metal funnel to help fill the jars.

Canning is a different thing and assuming you are in the UK, canning equipment is expensive because ynlike the states, it's a niche market.

Americans make jam and then can it for some reason. In the UK we make jam, stick a disc of waxed paper on top, seal the jar with cellophane and a rubber band and keep it for years. You just need to use the right recipe that has enough sugar to preserve it.

Apple sauce is different but there are things you can make like apple butter (a thick jam) that just need a heavy based pan and some jars.

I make apple jam and chutney every year because we have an apple tree. I re use all my old bonne maman jars and use my usual big saucepan - you don't need a jam pan. Costs me nothing apart from sugar and gas to cook.

My late DH loved jam, and I used to make loads of it. A tip for preserving is to add a crushed Campden tablet to each batch. It's sodium metabisulphite, used in wine-making (which I also do) I've never had jam go mouldy when using it. And if you're sterilising a lot of jars, run a dishwasher cycle without detergent.

We have a proper big preserving pan, inherited from MiL. Its quite attractive and makes a lovely planter whilst we use a regular lidded pan and sometimes a pressure cooker for actual preserves.

We did use the preserving pan a couple of times but in reality its too big for the domestic quantities we want to cook - its designed for the days when an entire winter's blackberry jam was made in one batch.

We reuse old jam and pickle jars, I do a quick boil but nothing extensive - the stuff going in is extremely hot and the lead seals as it cools.

Apple sauce? It's apples, sugar depending on the apples and water, where on earth do you get £12 from? It needs a knife to peel and core, a big pan, maybe a squirt of lemon juice, that's it, mine usually takes about 5-10 minutes. I then keep it in the freezer in bags or old tubs, eg yoghurt.
Not all cooking needs shares in Lakeland!

That’s a shame I recently gave away a box of Bonne Maman jars on Freecycle.

I don’t actually like jam, I’m not the jam eater in this household - however I love home-made chutney and yours sound lush.

In the days before DS decimated my crops I would freeze gallons of raspberries and then jam later in the season. We eat lots of gherkins in this house; the jars are reused for bramble and apple jelly and apple jam. Our neighbours garden is blackberry jungle so we don't cut back over the fence until I've filched them, then DH clears a path for the old boy next door and I get the rest! Freeze apple compote for breakfasts, or chopped raw for crumbles. The bramble jelly is fabulous, everyone loves it, toast, cakes, a bit in gravy for roast pork... it's maybe 50P a big jar!

I use a stock pan, bit of sugar and old baby muslins. Sterilise jars in the dishwasher.

A heavy bottom saucepan and sugar and you’re good to go.

you don’t even need a thermometer.

People will give you free jars!! You can make jam in microwave.

I made rhubarb jam for the girst time this year. Just bought sugar and scrubbed and sterilised some used glass jars. No special sugar or pectin or pans.
I also have an apple glut but I just stewed and froze it. I used bags and didn't fill them so they could be frozen flat. Takes up very little freezer space that way. Use for puddings, apple sauce or just to eat with yoghurt.

I made jam for the first time using damsons from a tree at our new house. All I bought was a jam thermometer and some sugar. You do not need all that crap! you just need a heavy bottomed pan.

personally with the apples I’d make a base for apple crumble and freeze in portions ready for crumble topping to be applied!

if you want to avoid all the peeling and chopping, just slice and roast them and the skin will peel off easily once cooked.

The apple press and scrutter are for pressing for juice.

Peel, decore, slice and put in a pan and just cover with water and cook. Once cooked, add the same volume of jam sugar. Cook until a rolling boil. Then put a cold plate in the freezer and drop some onto the plate. About 10 seconds later if it crinkles when you run your finger through it, it is done. If not put plate back in freezer and try again a bit later.

Once done, ladle into sterilised jars. Pop some greaseproof paper over with an elastic band or a lid. At best, you need to buy the sugar. Maybe a funnel. If you want to be really sure some milton fluid.

@SarahAndQuack it’s just a deep dish baking pan, I don’t cover the jars, just fill it up to the lids. They still form a seal. It could have been ikea but I’m sure I’ve seen similar in supermarkets.

I make excellent apple butter in large quantities using the slow cooker.
You need no special equipment, I do use a hand held mixer or the food processor.
But I reuse jars and then tend to keep in fridge afterwards. It keeps for months.
Americans are very OTT about canning.

Jam pan from ebay £15
get on local forum and ask for jars
Buy sugar in bulk.

The sugar is the most costly item, and the space to store the jars.

Its quite quick once you get set up.

Also: I have a white paint pen i write on the jars with. Looks really nice, shows up, and can be washed off for reuse.

The 'canning' thing is confusing I agree - took me ages to work out they are actually jars in the US.

Thank you!

I think I am on the cautious end with canning things, but I'm realising I started doing it when DP was pregnant, so I was being very careful. Given DD is rising six I could probably relax now!

My French friends are very into jam making and I think just after making it (before it sets) they store the jars upside down (so that the whole of the inside of the jars, pre sterilised anyway, are covered in boiling hot jam which presumably kills off any remaining spores? I will enquire as to the science but their jam is insanely good.

yes I follow some of the same US sites. - a lot of Americans have big houses, tons of kitchen storage, very cheap kitchen goods and also can mad stuff like beef stew and mince, so they abide very strictly by proper canning rules for all that then extrapolate it through jam etc. They have ‘strong opinions’ on our more relaxed jam making on Reddit canning thread.

You don't need all the fancy bits. For apple butter, it's just apples, sugar, cinnamon and cloves. Chop, peel and soften the apples in water (with the cores to add pectin), remove cores, whizz up with a hand mixer, add sugar and spices and a pinch of salt, and then simmer for an hour. We reuse/scrounge jars so it costs us very little.