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.

FIL makes jam - yearly expense is sugar as he either grows of forage for fruit as there's lots of public countryside to do that round them - I think one of cost he had was a sugar thermometer.

People save jam jars for them.

BBC good food is a good place for recopies

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/jam-recipes

Delia Smith is good for recipes;

[https://www.deliaonline.com/how-to-cook/preserves/ten-steps-to-jam-making]]

Apple sauce is different to jam for me:

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/bramley-apple-sauce

I might add cinnamon to it as well but I don't have any special equipment for it.

You don't need any specialised stuff. You don't even need jam sugar for high pectin fruite like apples.

Free fruit
Granulated sugar
Heavy saucepan
Plate to put in in freezer
Old (sterilised) jars

Cost is only the lekky/gas for boiling the jam

The jars Aldi use for their premium range jam are similar, with a jar costing £1.25 instead of £2.80. The jam is nice enough, I haven't done a side by side taste test to decide to BM is worth twice as much, not that it matters if you're mainly interested in the jar.

We do it for virtually nothing. Just the cost of sugar and I bought a box of pectin about 6 years ago for a fiver which is still mostly full

Use your largest pot.
Ask friends and family or local Facebook group for old jam jars. All of mine are reused from shop jam jars. They all seal well and have been used every year (some twice) for 6 years now.
Cut a milk bottle (plastic 2 lr) in half for a funnel with an added handle.
Sugar.
if you have a slow cooker you could use that.
I got a massive pot for £18 at an ex catalogue store and and I've seen loads second hand since for a fraction or even for free.

I made the mistake of buying jars my first time. Never got any back. So I started asking for people's spare jars and now I have loads. Also make chutney and other preserves. You just need to make it cheaper. Everyone will try to sell you bullshit products for no reason other than to make money. None of it is needed. Except the jars!

I've made batches of apple & ginger jam, blackberry & apple, and apple herb jellies.

Mine worked out about 14p per jar.

I used a saucepan, old jam jars & lids, granulated sugar and a jam thermometer I've owned for years.

I always reuse jars! Stick the jar and lid in through dishwasher to clean it in the first place. When you're making jam, the jars are easily sterilised in the microwave or the lids in boiling water. Would never ever buy new.

A sugar thermometer is pretty useful although it's possible to make jam without - my mum makes great jam and never uses a thermometer, her advice is to "boil the arse off it for 5 minutes" instead.

No advice but a suggestion for apple chutney, this recipe is lovely www.talesfromthekitchenshed.com/2022/06/sweet-and-spicy-apple-chutney/

Found this in the shed - jam pan, preserving pan, aluminium dementia life in your hands pan?

My DGMs used to make the most amazing jam. It was fruit from the garden cooked up with sugar and put in jars she had knocking around or friends and family gave her. My childhood was punctuated with "save that jar!".

aluminium dementia life in your hands pan?
Looks like it! You've got no excuse now; get preserving.

I use the plate in the freezer method to check if its the right temperature.

Though Ive found if you make enough of the stuff you get a good eye for when its ready

I make mine every year.

If you have the apples and have saved old jars (wash them out in bicarb and hot water), your cost for 6-8 large jars is one bag of sugar and your electric for a single hob ring. That's £0.68p plus £0.70p electric divided by 8 is £0.25p a big jar of apple sauce. It also keeps without refrigeration in the cupboards.

Don't get sucked in by big selling on the internet. Basics are very cheap and so easy. Just keep an eye on it and stir so the apples don't catch.

It’s Breaks. Apparently from snooker, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it predated that. Basically, once it’s broken that’s what you’ve got to deal with.

Thank you! I love that - I never even thought about that as a possible etymology.

Sorry, forgot to quote. That was in regards to SarahandQuack’s post

Gah. Slow typing!

Are you making apple sauce, or jam? Not the same thing. You don't normally put apples in jam because the texture of the end result isn't so good. Your end product is better than anything you can buy, that's why people make it.

You can use normal sugar and citrus fruit like a lemon to make it

Oh and freeze a plate then do the rolling test method if you don't have a thermometer

You need to check out some eatern/central european older women. They know how to do absolute magic with very little money spent and no expensive gizmos. 😁
Us young ones are often bit more into equipment.

I make jam and chutney. I do not have any expensive equipment. I save old jars and pop on a wax disc. I sterilise the jars in the oven and put hot jam/chutney into hot jars with a ladle . You hear the lids pop as they seal while cooling. I use the plate method rather than a thermometer. I buy nothing but whatever ingredients I need to supplement, but mostly I am using free fruit, or homegrown veg. Though this year figs were a special buy in Aldi, so I did buy those and made a wonderful smelling fig chutney.

I would freeze apple sauce tbh. Though mostly because I need my jars for my chutney and jam.

Why on earth do you need an apple press and a crusher? Apples, dash of water, large saucepan, bit of sugar if necessary. Peel, core, cut up, cook until soft. Job done. You can 'can' in old jam jars or freeze in bags or ice cream/takeaway containers. Cheap as chips.

If you’ve got a glut of apples, and are re-using jars, how is it costing £12 a jar? The other day I made a load of apple chutney from dd’s windfalls. Had to buy some ingredients (brown sugar, raisins, vinegar etc. but used saved jars, and I doubt the cost has even come out at £1 per jar.,

Agree with all those saying you need to check out local charity shops and Facebook marketplace or just ask elderly relatives for a pan to use. Wilkos always had cheap stuff for making jam and preserves too although tbh I'd be asking for locals to save me their jars for it and framing it as an eco thing/donating some to the local school fete or whatever.

Sorry you are talking rubbish. If the fruit is cheap (free in your case) then it’s dirt cheap to make. The quality of jam you can make yourself is MASSIVELY higher than you can buy.