Mango chutney

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Comment by Dianne Caswell on January 10, 2021 at 10:36

Oh and I agree with you Andy regarding Cheese Making, I only ever use Unpasteurised Milk Sheep/Goats/Cows for my Cheeses and have had no problems. 

Comment by Dianne Caswell on January 10, 2021 at 10:29

Hi Andy, Just to let you know I use many different Brands/Types/Shapes of Preserving Bottles & Lids. I do especially like the English & Italian Ones which are no where near the price of the American ones. The pink ones I bought were I think more for Storage Jars than Preserving.

One reason I like the jars I buy is because they have good thick bottoms etc and I want to know I will have them for a long time. I agree with you that the lids are very important, I do give away a lot of my Preserves and like to buy New Lids for all the bottles I give away, I may be fussy but I would hate to think that I may make someone sick. 

Comment by Barbara Tealby on January 10, 2021 at 9:03

I totally agree, Andy. The Nanny State has engendered a climate of fear that makes people believe that nothing is safe unless it has been bought from a shop, and processed to the nth degree. We are also taught to worship at the alter of convenience. Thinking for yourself, doing stuff for yourself, is somehow considered to be unsafe, downright foolish and timewasting. And, sadly, the less people do the simple things like cooking from scratch and water bath preserving (I refuse to call it canning!!) the less they are inclined to trust their instincts, and they go for the party line, buying everything already made, and not making anything from scratch.

A lot of it is about confidence - You and many of us have a background that allows us to think clearly about the principles involved, search out correct information, and make rational informed decisions. Those who are time poor or who have a different background may not have the confidence to go against the common perceptions, particularly when the media play the guilt card..

Comment by Andrew Cumberland on January 9, 2021 at 22:39

I want to stress this is an Andy post and not an Admin post.  This is just my opinion which has no more weight than anyone else's. You can feel free to voice your disagreement. 

It's all about understanding the science.  The colour on the jars is baked on.  I'm seeing a few tiny chips after the second pressure can in the same jar. Tiny ones. Having said that - the colour is baked onto the outside, not the inside.  It can not possibly contaminate your food. 

One of the things I have always tried to stress in my posts on the site is that if you over-complicate stuff, it puts people off - and I honestly believe we read too much nonsense.  Most of these are ancient skills, not products of advanced technology.

People made cheese for thousands of years.  They didn't have special sterilizing equipment or any of that nonsense.  Don't start me about the fact you'll get really sick if you use unpasturised milk.  What the hell did we all drink until the 1970s?  I'm quite positive I'm not dead.  Let alone make cheese from it.  Look at all the people who died.  Actually, fact check that one for Australia.  Not one.  Been a few media stories but on closer examination, it was always something else.  Turns out, unpasturised milk contains a lot of very good bacteria.  I'm shocked.  We only drank the stuff for thousands of yeas.  Simple science. 

Sour dough is made by using crazy wild yeast, not special bakers yeast that costs a fortune. Good grief, the basic ferment like sauerkraut looks like a horror smash to a lot of people. I drink my own booze despite some idiots dying near Stanthorpe.  They fundamentally failed to understand the science.

I don't have a sump on my aquaponics tank or radial filters and stuff.  It works, despite the number of times I have been told it can't possibly last for more than two years.  Simple science told me that my grow beds are a fantastic huge bio-filter for good bacteria.  Many years later, mine are still working quite well. 

I clean and reuse old jars and their lids in water canning.  I reuse my pressure canner lids.  If they have microscopic leaks, the seal will pop within a few days and the contents tends to smell bad or look different.  I am sensible and use new lids for pressure canned meat, but that's a different scientific fish.  Hell, anything acidic doesn't even need to be pressure canned.  I got my first pressure canner just  few months ago to allow me to do meat products. I canned for years without one using - simple science.  

Here's one that I have been abused over many times.  I don't use nitrites in my sausages - I must be going to die and shouldn't show people that (except that I own a fridge and freezer so don't need to add nitrites). They used nitrites for storage because they didn't have good refrigeration in the old days.  Simple science. 

I grew up in a house which was probably painted with lead paint.  I drank water from a garden hose and never heard of hand sanitizer until about 10 years ago.  I never used it until Covid arrived and even then soap is better.  The rain water I grew up drinking wasn't chlorinated.  Five or more of us would suck from one bottle - just don't "back wash!" 

I remain unconvinced that I need to reward a company like Ball who over-charge like wounded bulls.  I might also just leave this link for you:  maybe you need to worry more about your lids than your jars? The Problem With Mason Jars (treehugger.com)

(Andy dismounts the soap box.)

Comment by Christa on January 9, 2021 at 19:18

The only jars I buy now are Ball Mason clear jars (preferred US made).  I did manage to get some brown Mason jars that were safe to use.   I just feel if I am going to grow pesticide free food, then I would use lead free storage jars.

Comment by Dianne Caswell on January 9, 2021 at 2:22

Can you tell me Andy, are your Pink Jars ones where the colour is in the glass or are they the ones that the colour is baked onto. I did buy some but gave them away to a girl who made lights out of them because the pink scratched off after a while, they were Aussie Ball.

Comment by Andrew Cumberland on January 8, 2021 at 21:34

I used my own chili powder and I don't de-seed, so it is a bit spicy.  These are the Aussie Mason jars that I was telling you about.  Second use for this batch.  

Comment by Dianne Caswell on January 8, 2021 at 21:02

These look Fabulous, the pink jars are quite pretty. Is your Mango Chutney a Spicy one?