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Easy Home Preserving with the Overflow Method

24/3/2013

25 Comments

 
Picture
There are many different ways to preserve the harvest, and home bottling (or "canning" in the U.S) is one of them. I especially like it because it doesn't need freezer space, and once preserved this way, the contents of the jars last a long time and can be stored pretty much anywhere.

But even bottling can involve different methods. There's water bath and pressure canning, and the overflow method, to name the three main ones. My personal favourite is Overflow Bottling - it's the quickest, the simplest and the best place to start when you're new to home preserving.

Note: Overflow bottling is only suitable for preserving things that are at least somewhat acidic. It's perfect for most fruit, anything containing tomatoes or vinegar and so forth. It's not suitable for non-acidic veges (unless done with vinegar, as a pickle) or meat.

There are a few simple steps to this method, and each is important:
1) Prepare your jars. Gather up the jars you are going to use, and wash them thoroughly, then rinse to remove any traces of soap. Drain, but don't dry them (to avoid lint from tea towels). Any jars at all can be used, so long as you have a metal lid or dome and ring that will fit them. I reuse jam, salad dressing, pasta sauce etc jars from the supermarket (with labels removed), as well as Agee preserving jars. Discard any jars that are cracked or chipped. Next, place the jars into a COLD oven, simply standing them on the oven racks right way up. If the jars are small and won't stand easily, place them on an oven tray first. Turn on the oven to 100C, and leave them until the oven has warmed up and the jars have been at temperature for at least half an hour. I do this, then just leave them there until I'm ready to bottle. IMPORTANT: jars must be HOT when you bottle, or adding the hot contents will cause them to crack or break.

2) Prepare your lids. Simply heat a pot full of water to boiling, and shortly before you need to use the lids or seals and rings, drop them in the pot of water and boil for 5 mins. Keep them hot until use too.

3) Prepare whatever you're going to put in the jar. With the overflow method, this usually means that you are bringing to boil in a large pot either a sugar solution (for doing fruit) or a pickle solution (vinegar and spices). You will have also separately prepared the fruit or veges that will be going into it.

4) Get everything ready to go - I place a large wooden board onto a handy surface and cover it thickly with newspaper. This is where you will place the filled and sealed jars and leave them to cool. The newspaper helps to prevent sudden changes in temperature cracking jars. I take another chopping board, and again cover it very thickly with newspaper. This is placed right next to my stove, and when I'm ready to go moved as close as possible to the pot. When it's time to begin bottling, I lift one jar out of the oven onto this board, fill it quickly from the pot, then wipe the rim, add the lid and seal, then move to the cooling board. The newspaper on the "action board" both helps to prevent cracking when you bring a hot jar from the oven, and also absorbs any liquid that overflows from the jars. Also get out the utensils you will need - a slotted spoon for filling jars, a ladle for adding liquid, a flat knife for releasing trapped bubbles, tongs for lifting lids out of boiling water, and tea towels to help you handle hot jars. Place utensils in pot of boiling water for a few moments to ensure sterility before use too.

5) Ready, set, bottle! Add a colander full at a time of produce to the pot of boiling solution (if you work in too great a quantities at a time, some of it will cook to long and be mushy before you get it bottled). Bring it back to the boil and hold it there for the prescribed time depending on what you're doing. Lift a jar from the oven and set on board by stove, ensuring you do NOT put it down in a wet patch from previous jars - this will crack it. Use your slotted spoon to lift produce from pot to jar until full, then ladle in liquid from the same pot until almost overflowing. Insert flat knife down sides of jar to release trapped air, then top up with more liquid until just overflowing. Quickly wipe jar rim to ensure full contact with seal, add lid or seals, and tighten as much as you possibly can. Most jar failures are because the lids wasn't tightened enough. Set aside to cool. Move around the paper or remove layers to ensure a dry spot for the next bottle out the oven next to the stove.

6) When the jars have cooled right down (l just leave them overnight), check all are sealed - the lid or dome should be depressed in the middle - you've probably heard them "plinking" as they sealed. Was down outside of jars in hot soapy water, and remove rings if using Agee domes and rings. Dry and store in cupboard. If any did not seal, either put it in the fridge and use soon, or tip into another container and freeze. If there are a number which didn't seal, it is an option to reheat the contents to boiling, and rebottle in fresh, hot jars.

Now, if you are bottling something thick, like applesauce or jam, you can do exactly as above, except that you do not overflow the jar - fill the jar with the finished hot product, leaving about 2 cm empty "headspace" at the top of the jar, and then seal and set aside. The cooling jar and product will still form a vacuum and seal the jar, and it will keep a long time until opened.

One more tip. If you're bottling fruit, and you want the liquid in the jars to look beautifully clear, then the way to achieve that is to heat two pots to boiling - one containing the syrup for bottling, and the other with simply water. The fruit is heated and cooked in the pot of water, then spooned into the jars, and the syrup is ladled into the jar from the other pot.

And lastly, in the photo at the top of this page, you can see two slightly different quart-size preserving jars. These are the most common sort you find at garage sales etc. The one of the left has a thick, pronounced ring of glass that sticks out just below the threaded part. These require gold rings. The one on the right does not, and needs green rings. Both take the same large dome seal. It's very important that when preparing to bottle you make sure you have the right size lids or rings for your jars before you start - otherwise you could be left with lots of cooked produce and no way of sealing the jars. The green and gold rings are just slightly different in size, and both should be available from your supermarket. Rings can be reused many, many times. Domes (seals) can also be reused so long as they are undamaged, particularly in the food-contact side surface. I check my domes for any sings of damage or corrosion, and discard those, then reuse the rest.

I've written out quite a bit to explain all this, but really, overflow bottling is super easy and fast to do. I use it for all my bottling. One day perhaps I'll be able to invest in an American pressure canner so I can do beans and meat, but until then I happily bottle all fruits using the steps described here. I also bottle pickles, tomatoes, applesauce, pasta sauces, relish, jams and jellies in the same way, except with those I leave a half inch of empty "head space" at the top of the jar. Happy preserving!


25 Comments
farmer Liz link
9/7/2013 07:40:20 am

Hi, thanks for posting this! I'm so confused about the different terms, I didn't know if I was bottling or canning :) I used the overflow method from the Edmonds cookbook, seems to be a kiwi thing, as all the US blogs seem to do water canning, made me wonder if I was doing it right! Cheers, Liz

Reply
Cynthia
9/10/2013 03:00:36 pm

I'm glad you liked my post! And yes, it's easy to be confused. I know a few Kiwis who faithfully water bath can (or bottle) but the extra work just isn't necessary for acidic foods. I plan to use a water bath in the future for some of the more low-acid preserves, such as beans.

Apologies for the delay in responding to your comment - just discovered a glitch that was preventing me receiving notification of comments.

Reply
Lisa
21/12/2013 12:47:29 am

The All American pressure canners are on sale on Amazon right now for US$209, down US$153 from US$362. I've just taken the plunge and bought one. They're still not cheap - it cost NZ$412 including shipping - but it was almost half the price that Milly's Kitchen in Auckland have them at.

Reply
Kiwi Urban Homestead
21/12/2013 03:13:19 am

Thanks for sharing Lisa - I'd love to get a pressure canner one day! I hope you really enjoy yours; do let us know how you find it!

Reply
Wendy
29/5/2014 10:20:26 am

Thank you so much for this informative piece! I have used the overflow method for years but not just lately. I have a bunch of tamarillos to bottle and I needed a refresher - this was perfect!

Reply
Tina Hills
6/6/2014 04:07:16 am

Great page & excellent info...thanks.

Reply
Nancy Lees
30/1/2015 07:55:34 am

I made my first plum jam. Used store jars like chutney jars etc. I think only one of them sealed properly. It has been two days now. Could I cover the jars a- is in boiling water and boil for 10 minutes to try to seal them. Or should I recook the jam and try sealing them again. Yikes. I don't want to kill anyone with my jam. Thank for your advice.

Reply
Kiwi Urban Homestead
30/1/2015 10:44:33 am

Hi Nancy - ok, first, with jam, it might help you to know that so long as your jars (and lids) were sterile before you filled them, then a sealed lid is somewhat optional. Many old timers make jam by filling sterile jars with the boiling jam, and then covering with cellophane or waxed paper etc. I've just always preferred a sealed lid. I don't think recooking the jam is a good idea. As for using a water bath type processing to seal them, I think that is possible, but since I seldom use that method, I can't really advise - see if the internet helps. Keep in mind that the reason they didn't seal may have been cracks in the jar rim, or some jam on the rim. So check them carefully before any reprocessing, and make sure rims are clean and whole, and no dents in lids either. Using a funnel (next time) when filling, really helps with keeping edges clean. Other wise, if it's not a huge batch of jam, maybe put it down to experience, and meanwhile use those unsealed jars up first. I'd be inclined to not open a lid until ready to use it, and/or keep them in the fridge if you're concerned, unless reprocessing.

Reply
haylee
11/2/2015 10:05:33 am

LOVE your blog! Wealth of info, great reading :) Righto so total newbie have done my first 12 jars of tomtato chutney, and I made kasundi, all delish, but I totally missed the part that the preserves need to actually be touching the top seal! Help? ! Does this mean it all needs using quickly, or will just go off? Am I best to fridge it all? All are sealed, thanks xx

Reply
Kiwi Urban Homestead
11/2/2015 12:35:30 pm

Hi Haylee :-) No need to panic - the preserves/fluid only need to touch the top of the jar for the overflow canning method which this blog post is about, normally used for bottling fruit in syrup, my zucchini pickle, bottled beetroot etc. For things like chutney, relish or tomato sauces, tomato soup, jam and so on, I leave about 1/2 inch of "head space" - in other words a gap at the top between the jar contents and the seal/lid. So sounds like you've probably done it exactly right. :-) With the head space, these things last really well, so long as the jar properly sealed.

So glad you like my blog! :-)
Cynthia

Reply
Alicia Reeve
17/2/2015 10:15:17 am

HI there, great blog!

I preserve about 60-100kg of Tomatoes each year making tomato soup and a Pasta type sauce from locally outdoor grown produce.
I have always uses as my Mother and grand mother did the over flow method. I am very reassured to know that for Tomatoes I do not have to overflow. I have over the years like you leave a small air gap as it does not make such a mess, I have always been slightly worried re giving people food positioning by doing this. Never had any problems though and have used bottles that have been left at the back of the shelf of 2 years and they have been just fine.

I am running out of my supply of small Perfit seals/domes that fit my large supply of coffee jars. do you know if these can be purchases anywhere for a reasonable price?

Thank you

Reply
Cynthia
11/3/2015 01:33:41 pm

Alicia, I usually just buy them from the supermarket or the Warehouse. Pak 'n Save has been selling lots of the small ones over the last couple of months. The larger ones are pretty standard in most supermarkets. I'm sure there are better deals available - I haven't really looked as I have a large supply and reuse them unless damaged.

Reply
Nikki
30/3/2022 02:27:03 pm

Hiya, I read on the perfit seal or Agee website that they're not making the small seals and screws anymore, only the large size. Might pay to check op shops etc as they sometimes have them.

Reply
Tony
24/2/2021 09:22:22 pm

Is it necessary to add citric acid or lemon juice when using overflow method to bottle tomatoes?

Reply
Thrifty Kiwi
1/3/2021 09:34:58 pm

Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. The key question I ask myself is, what will I use the tomatoes for? In over 20 years of bottling, I've never had jars of tomatoes go "off" but the key concern that is talked about is botulism, which has no visible signs. However, the toxin, which is the deadly part, is destroyed by sufficient heat - boiling for 20 mins will apparently do so. As most of the tomatoes I bottle are later used in cooked dishes, this is more than achieved, so I am not particularly concerned about it. This of course must be a personal decision, made after appropriate consideration.

Reply
Helen Lewis
8/1/2022 11:31:45 am

I really want to preserve lots of runner beans using the overflow method. I am concerned that as they are low acid vegetables, they may become somehow toxic. What can I do to overcome this possibility?
Regards, Helen

Reply
Thrifty Kiwi
10/1/2022 06:52:46 pm

Hi Helen - beans are NOT suitable for bottling via the overflow method, unless you're pickling them (so doing them in vinegar). The only way to bottle beans otherwise is via a pressure canner - and you'd have to look up the details on that, as I've never owned a pressure canner. With beans I either blanch and freeze as green beans, or leave to mature on the plant and harvest the seeds for dried beans.

Reply
Coral
18/2/2022 12:48:08 pm

Trying to find how to bottle pasta sauce as we have 10kg of tomatoes and our children are still getting through last years relish.
Do you have a really yummy pasta sauce recipie as that seems to be on high rotation and purchased every week in our groceries.
And just to clarify use the overflow method but leave a Gao at the top of the jar??
I overflowed strawberry jam once and the lid exploded off a few jars and I had hot jam over myself and the oven/bench which really terrified me using this method.

Reply
Thrifty Kiwi
19/2/2022 04:05:23 pm

Hi Coral
Yes, I have a pasta sauce recipe - this one is my favourite as it uses up lots of things from my garden, but you can modify it as you wish. Here's the link:
http://www.thriftykiwi.co.nz/preserving/garden-goodies-pasta-sauce

In regards to whether to leave a gap at the top of the jar, it depends what you're bottling. This particular post is on overflow bottling, which is for things like fruit in liquids, pickles etc. For jam making, I leave a gap - about 1/2 inch to 1 inch - at the top - there's no need to overflow and it would be very messy if you did. For pasta sauce, tomato soups etc which I bottle, I also leave a gap, but otherwise essentially bottle as above. Hope that helps. It's always best to look for specific recipes and instructions for the things you are bottling, as methodology does vary, depending what you're making. Paramount is safety, of course, both in the process and in the finished product and it's ability to store safely.

Reply
Ella Hayward
8/6/2022 11:32:00 pm

Cracked 3 jars, they were in the oven for over an hour. Bit disheartened now.

Reply
Thrifty Kiwi
18/2/2024 07:10:57 pm

Oh, sorry to hear that Ella! If your jars cracked in the oven, then likely one of the following was the issue: oven too hot; not putting cold jars into cold oven to start with; jars that are either unsuitable or compromised in some way (eg had too many knocks or something). Jars that crack in the oven, if they are put in cold, not heated too high, and suitable for preserving, would for sure have cracked when you poured boiling liquid into them, which would be worse, so better they did it in the oven before that stage. I've very, very rarely had a jar crack - and not for years - but they were older jars which I got second hand to start with, and who knows what had previously happened to them. I've had jars crack when I was new to preserving, and didn't put them on a suitably insulated surface when pulling out of the oven, or put them onto a surface which was wet from filling previous bottles - either of these instances can cause a sudden change in temp and crack a hot jar.

Reply
Sal Nielsen
7/2/2023 04:36:19 pm

Thanks for explaining the overflow method so clearly. I've always been 'afraid' to try it, but not now!

Reply
Jenny
21/1/2024 11:21:07 am

Hi, Great post, really informative. I have a glut of acid free tomatoes and would like to bottle soup. Would it be best to add, say, a teaspoon of lemon juice to each jar before adding the lid?

Reply
Thrifty Kiwi
18/2/2024 07:15:09 pm

That depends a lot on your recipe and what else is in it. You do want a suitable acid level for bottling and shelf storage. In theory, citric acid may be best, or bottled lemon juice rather than fresh lemon juice is supposed to be of a more reliable acidity. Without doing a pH test though you won't know how acidic your tomatoes actually are. Even "acid free" toms are generally on the acid side. However, if your soup has sugar or other ingredients that help the preserving process, you may not need to add additional acids. To err on the side of caution though, I'd suggest citric acid. Either that, or freezing your soup instead.

Reply
sarah
28/10/2024 04:01:03 pm

A great post. I have bottled fruit for years and always use the overflow method; learnt it from my mother. It's a great way for ensuring that you have plenty of fruit during the 'off' seasons and you know exactly what is in it. ie guaranteed healthy.

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    This page is my blog formerly known as Kiwi Urban Homestead.

    I'm a Kiwi homeschooling mother of 5 living in a small town. After growing 1000 kg of produce in my back yard in 2013, I'm now expanding my edible gardens even further.

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