how long do they keep? preserves, chutney etc

[Berti]

This year I am determined to build up a nice collection of jams, chutneys, preserves etc.......
But how long exactly do they keep?
I know some things are supposed to mature a while, which is fine (planning ahead huh?) .
But I have no idea about the use-by-dates.

Can someone please give me some guidelines? Thanks!

[Marmalady]

Properly made preserves of all types should keep for years, particularly if unopened. Keep them in a cool dark store cupboard.

For jams, just make sure you use good quality fruit and the proper amount of sugar (most fruits need approx equal quantities, tho some need a bit more or less --see recipe books) and obtain a good set. Thoroughly sterilise your jars and lids to avoid introducing possible contaminants

For chutneys, you need a good ratio of vinegar and/or sugar and it needs a long slow simmer to thicken sufficiently. This will mean that most chutneys of whatever variety simmer down to a very similar brownish colour.

If you wnat your preserves to keep, do not be tempted to cut down on the sugar or vinegar
All preserves may darken with storing, but this does not affect their edibility.

For the preserves that i sell, i usually put a use-by date 12 months in advance, but this is more because people expect some sort of date on than because they wont keep any longer.
I have eaten preserves that are 5 or more years old with no ill-effects

[Berti]

thanks, that was very helpful and I will keep it in mind.......now gonna have fun making STUFFFFFFF :D

[Marmalady]

yw!

and just in case it has slipped your notice -- it is marmalade-orange season right now --so go get some seville oranges and make a start on stocking that store-cupboard!

[Berti]

yes madam!!!! only, we don't get seville oranges here in netherlands.......if you mean the bitter ones...
we only have sweet ones......whats this girl to do, madam???

I LOVE marmalade.......on my toasted sourdough bread !!

[niknik]

you can do lemon marmalade as well

[happyhippy]

I've just jumped on the band wagon of jam making ect and am loving making my own produce!At the moment I'm obsessed about collecting jars and suitable bottles ect(lol)and recently made some fantastic marmalade!So easy and well worth doing.Most of the recipes in my book say put a years date on,but as someone else has mentioned,it can last longer than that!Let us know how you get on,would love to hear about the results!x

[welshmum]

I am so glad that you asked. I started makin jam last year and am addicted. Been feeling really lost over winter without wild fruits to jam. I been tempted to make marmalade so may be buying seville oranges in the next shop. Its nice to know that the jam I have made to date will keep!

[frozenthunderbolt]

While edible, I find that marmalade flavour and consistancy deteriorates over time.

[Silver Ether]

Marmalade doesn't get the chance to last as the old fella eats it all quick ... but jams and chutney forever I think if made and stored well ... I have chutney that 06/07 and its great ... jams from 07 no problem at all .. strawberry is a little darker but the top still shines when I open it ....

[Green Aura]

We're still eating 2006 plum and grape jelly. And the grape part of it was 2005 - we couldn't get it to set so it sat in kilner jars for a year then we used some of a bumper plum crop and reboiled it - its fab!

[boboff]

You need a total sugar content of over 63% for Jam to be sure of getting a mould free Jam.
Safe chutney needs a Ph of less than 4% ideally.
With both you will ensure a longer shelf life if you "sterilise" in jar, when poured and lidded, pop in a pan of water, bring up to just less than boiling (90c) and keep at that temp for an hour, then let it cool. The jars don't have to be fully covered. This process of "pastuerisation" will ensure at least 3 years on a product unpoened in a dark place with an effective seal. Lidl sell in the autumn a pastueriser for £30 or so, these are great, and stop all those little mould spots appearing.

[Marmalady]

You need a total sugar content of over 63% for Jam to be sure of getting a mould free Jam.
Safe chutney needs a Ph of less than 4% ideally.
With both you will ensure a longer shelf life if you "sterilise" in jar, when poured and lidded, pop in a pan of water, bring up to just less than boiling (90c) and keep at that temp for an hour, then let it cool. The jars don't have to be fully covered. This process of "pastuerisation" will ensure at least 3 years on a product unpoened in a dark place with an effective seal. Lidl sell in the autumn a pastueriser for £30 or so, these are great, and stop all those little mould spots appearing.

As i said above - properly made jams & chutneys will keep for many years without the need for the sterilisation process you describe.
If you are regularly getting mould in your jam - either you are not boiling it long enough or you have not sterilised your jars & lids properly before filling and haveintroduced contaminants.
I have never had any go mouldy - even the tail-end of the batch part jars have kept well.

If you are trying to make low sugar jams etc (ie not getting the 63% total sugar content) then yes, they will not keep so long so sterilisation might be worth it -- or just make smaller batches more regularly.

[boboff]

Did I ever mention I used to run a factory making preserves for independant and multiple retailers? ( yep that stuff you see for £4 for a pot of Jam with "dave's deli from Dagenham" on the lid, and those pots of chutney with a cheese board for £15 in T&sco at Christmas, that was me)

I do agree you shouldn't need to do it, BUT if you are worried and new, then doing this will help with shelf life?

Also I tend to use Kilner Jar Clip tops for my Jams, and these really benefit from this process.

Anyway, it's up to you as an individual I suppose.

[gregorach]

If you are regularly getting mould in your jam - either you are not boiling it long enough or you have not sterilised your jars & lids properly before filling and haveintroduced contaminants.

As the "microbiological pedant" (Thanks MKG! ), I feel I should point out that unless you're running everything through a proper autoclave cycle and filling your jars using laboratory-style aseptic handling techniques, you haven't sterilised your jars & lids at all and almost certainly have introduced contaminants. Your jam isn't really sterile either. Pressure sterilisation of the whole lot once the tops are on is the only way to actually achieve sterility in anything bottled, canned or jarred at home.

On my most recent check, a 100mm sterile wort agar plate simply exposed for 60 seconds in my kitchen developed 11 mould colonies. Even using my best sterile handling techniques I can't guarantee avoiding contamination when I'm propagating yeast, and that's a lot more controlled than making jam.

Now, of course, having said all that... Jam is not a hospitable environment for most organisms, so you don't actually need to worry about laboratory-grade sterilisation and sterile technique. I just get twitchy when people throw the word "sterile" around, and I guarantee that you do have some mould spores in there.

My jam seems to keep OK though...