Marmalade help please (maybe jam too!)

[Clarinet9]

SO I have to make some for the first time and wondered about a couple of things!!

How do you sterilise your jars?

I was given some fruit and one of them has gone mouldy this has been in contact with some others and the lids can I use the ones that have been in contact? I can cut the bits in contact off, one of the fruits has gone a bit mouldy should I just chuck the whole fruit or cut that bit off? Can I still use the jars if I sterilise them properly.

Any help with this would be very gratefully received

thanks

I put mine through the dishwasher and use them as soon as the machine stops.

i dishwasher mine...it's good enough for baby bottles! :D

Otherwise you can wash them in hot soapy water, dry them and bake them on a tray in a hot oven for a bit....Mr Google should help with temps and timings.

Generally I would not use mould fruit in jam/marmalade...I'd use bashed/bruised but not mouldy.

I also tend not to reuse lids....I use the jampot covers, but you do have to search for them sometimes. Random newsagents/hardware stores are usually good for them. Supermarkets tend only to have them when it's strawberry season, cos of course people only ever want to make jam, out of strawberries in the height of summer.

I too just bung mine through the dishwasher on a hot cycle or you can put them in the oven at 100oC for half hour. If you do it this way, turn the lids upside down in the oven because it is this side which will have the most contact with the jam and needs to be well sterilized. Try and not touch any of this inner side when you pop the lids on. Treat them like you would a dvd or blu-ray.

No dishwasher here so I wash jars and lids (I do re-use mine) and put jars in oven for about 30mins on 150C, I add the lids after 20mins as doing them all for 30 mins has resulted in some of the inside stuff in the lids melting

About to make Crabapple Jelly if I can brave the wind and go out to the garage to get the jars :)

oh thanks guys

does anyone know about the fruit that touched the mouldy one? I am wondering whether it would be best squeezed onto fish? It is lemon

the lids also were in the same bag as the mouldy one will sterilisation after a good hot wash be enough do you think?

thanks

I'd just wash the lot in soapy water - lemon, jar lids, etc.
HTH