Preserving season: summer in a mason jar

Dear Petra, can you tell us what common preserving rookie mistakes are when and how can they be avoided?

Petra Elzholz: Of course! First of all, you should make sure that you don't use bad or unsuitable fruit and vegetables just to use up leftovers. Canning them preserves fruit and vegetables, so they should be of good quality. Otherwise, this will affect the taste during storage.

It is also important to follow the proportions stated on the packaging: in other words, use fruit and preserving sugar in the right ratios. “Prepared fruit”, as it says on the packaging, is fruit that has had the seeds or stone removed and has been peeled if necessary. Whether the fruit is weighed before or after cleaning therefore makes a difference to the quantity.

Furthermore, clean jars with twist-off lids should be used. Ideally, they should have a rubber lining on the inside, so hazelnut spread jars and many honey jars are not suitable.

My tip for preventing red jam from turning brown: It doesn't like light and should always be stored in a dark and cool place, e.g. in the kitchen cupboard or cellar. And last but not least: There should be as little air as possible in the jar when filling. More oxygen in the jar causes what is known as “physical spoilage”. Although this is generally harmless, it is not necessarily attractive. So always fill the jars to the brim if possible to keep the color nice and fresh.

Be patient: After the cooking time, the jam is usually still liquid in the pot. It will only set in the jars once it has cooled, but you can be sure that it will set later by carrying out a setting test: To do this, simply place a teaspoon of jam on a small plate and leave to chill. If the jam sets on the plate, the gelling test has been successful.

Wow, that's quite a lot of tips - thank you! Can frozen products also be used for preserving?

Petra Elzholz: Yes, definitely! Simply defrost the fruit and use the resulting juice as well. That way, summer fruits can also be preserved later. Rhubarb, cherries or soft fruit should first be cleaned and frozen. Once the days get darker, you can then bring summer back into the house and onto the breakfast table.

Why do Dr. Oetker products (and recipes) in particular offer the ideal basis for starting with preserving?

Petra Elzholz: Because with our gelling sugars, we have products in our range that work like a baking mix or a recipe. The gelling sugar for strawberry jam and the gelling sugar for berry jam, for example, are specially adapted to the different acidity levels of each type of fruit. If you follow the instructions on the packaging, nothing can go wrong. 

We have a brand new mixture for fruit spread in our range. With this product, anyone can quickly and easily prepare a small amount of fruit spread themselves - without any cooking.

The wide range of preservation products from Dr. Oetker

What makes the new Dr. Oetker "Lieblings-Fruchtaufstrich" so special and versatile?

Petra Elzholz: The new “Lieblings-Fruchtaufstrich” is our “speedster” in the preservation family. You only need 200 g of fruit and a hand blender to prepare it - it's super quick and doesn't require any cooking.

With your favorite fruit spread, small quantities can be prepared from many different fruits so that everyone can try out different creations simply and without much hassle. A simple example is the fruity Solero jam. We even developed a barbecue sauce with the product - my insider tip for bringing to the next barbecue night. And if you want to make a strawberry sauce for dessert at the barbecue, for example, simply double the amount of strawberries.

Last but not least: Do you have a favorite recipe that you would like to share with us?

Petra Elzholz: I have a lot of favorite recipes because the preserving season is so versatile. I'm a big fan of berry jam (berry jam recipe). It's a quick and easy way to bring summer into a jar. Take any berries you like, cook them and then just enjoy. It also works perfectly with the gelling sugar for berries!

But you simply can't do without strawberry jam. Either on its own, with vanilla or in combination with raspberries or rhubarb (strawberry and raspberry jam recipe, strawberry and rhubarb jam recipe). This is an absolute highlight for me at the weekend: fresh bread rolls with curd cheese and strawberry jam.