Rhubarb bottling help please

[JillStephens7]

Hello, I am wanting to bottle some of our rhubarb in the oven.

I have jars with clips and rubber seals and I can't work out do I put the rubber seals on and fasten the clips before I put them in the oven? I am worried the rubber seals will melt but can't seem to find anything to tell me.

Also, do I need to leave some 'head room, and if so how much??

Last year it all bubbled out but maybe that was because I hadn't put the rubber seals on

Any help appreciated, I have various bits of info on bottling but can't seem to find the answers to these questions.

[Green Aura]

We use the same bottling system. We put the filled jars, open with a little tin foil over the top, in the oven (it helps to have some extra rhubarb or tomatoes or whatever doing at the same time to top up the levels which fall quite a lot.

We cook on about 125 - 150C for about an hour. Then quickly get them out of the oven, remove the foil, put the clean rubber ring on (you get used to doing it on a hot jar ) and then fasten it. It seals as the jar and contents cool. We've never had a problem using this method and it seemed to be the simplest way of doing it.

[JillStephens7]

Great, thanks so much GA for such a speedy reply.

Off to pull some now before the heavens open

xx

[JillStephens7]

Aaaaaaaargh

Thought I'd do one 'bottle' as a tester and has all bubbled up and overspilled again. Why

Is my oven too hot? Have I got too much liquid to rhubarb?



xx

[Green Aura]

Sorry Jill when we do tomatoes I don't put any liquid in. I think when I did the rhubarb I may have just put a drop in. Basically they both make their own juice as they cook.

try one without or just about a tbsp of water or orange juice.

[JillStephens7]

Aha! I filled the jar with rhubarb then poured over LOADS of brown sugar syrup. At least I just did one to test it out (very unlike me am normally far more rash )

GA to the rescue

Thanks again xx