I spent all day yesterday making Christmas gifts. Mainly, I made Quebec-Martin’s famous Mango-Cranberry Chutney. My idea was to make small jars of preserves for gifts. I bought the jars, but I didn’t have the faintest clue how to make the preserves so I phoned my Dad for advice. Here is what he said:
- Boil a big pot of water.
- Turn off the burner and put the jars and the rims in the hot water.
- Don’t heat the lids with the rubber seal–they’ll melt.
- Put the hot jam, jelly, chutney (whatever) in the hot jars.
- Smooth out the air bubbles with a spatula.
- Put the lid with the rubber seal on the top of the jar and hold down with your fingers.
- Tap the jar firmly on the counter top four or five times (to get rid of the air).
- Put the rims on–as tight as you can. Then, tighten them more.
That’s it. Let them cool.
Wow. It was that easy. I now have eight little jars of Mango-Cranberry Chutney. I hope people like them.