Unit 14 - 25 Parramatta Rd,
Underwood ... Qld ... 4119
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Chop the tomatoes, onions and capsicum and place in a large pot.

Bring to boil, stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat to low to medium and simmer.

Add the salt, basil and oregano.

Add the sugar one-tablespoon at a time, stirring between each addition and leaving 15 minutes before adding the next tablespoon. Some tomatoes are sweeter than others, so you need to taste between additions and stop when the sauce is at the right sweetness. I have found that 4 tablespoons is a good average, though I have sometimes used 3 and sometimes 5.

Continue cooking the sauce for 2 and a half to three hours. As you continue to cook the sauce, it will reduce as the excess liquid cooks off and the sauce will become a thicker in consistency.

Fill the clean jars, leaving some "headspace", finger tighten the lids on, and " Boiling Water Bath" them at a rolling boil for 20 minutes.

WARNING: Tomato is a high acid food that can be preserved using this method, but some tomatoes have less acid that others, Therefore, you must place a teaspoon of lemon juice, fresh or bottled, in the top of each jar prior to processing.

Chop the tomatoes, onions and capsicum and place in a large pot.

Bring to boil, stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat to low to medium and simmer.

Add the hot chilli, finely chopped, without the seeds.

Add the salt and garlic.

Continue to simmer on low heat for two to two and a half hours. The salsa will reduce to a thicker consistency as the excess liquid cooks off.

Add the vinegar and sugar and cook for 15 minutes more.

Following the " Boiling Water Bath" method, place in jars and process for 20 minutes.

Bring back to the boil, turn off the power or gas, and either ladle or pour the "pickling juice" into the prepared jars full of produce. Seal the Jars and " Boiling Water Bath" process them for 30 minutes ... and that is step 3 done too.

You can of course increase or decrease the quantities to make smaller or larger batches.

1. Thoroughly rinse cucumbers. Remove stems, cut off a slice from blossom ends. In large stainless steel, enamelled, or nonstick saucepan combine water, vinegar, and salt. Bring to boiling.
2. Pack cucumbers loosely into hot, sterilized pint canning jars, leaving a 12 mm head space. Add 2 or 3 heads of dill or 1 tbs dill seeds and 1/2 tsp mustard seeds to each jar. Pour hot vinegar mixture over cucumbers, leaving a 12 mm head space. Wipe jar rims and adjust lids.
3. Process in a boilingwater bath for 10 minutes (start timing when water returns to boil). Remove jars and cool on racks.
4. Let stand one week.

1. In a 8-10 litre stainless steel, enamelled or nonstick kettle combine cucumbers, onions, pickling salt, and garlic. Add 50 mm of cracked ice. Cover with lid and refrigerate for 3 to 12 hours. Remove any remaining ice. Drain mixture well in large colander. Remove garlic.
2. In the kettle combine sugar, vinegar, mustard seeds, turmeric, and celery seeds. Heat to boiling. Add cucumber mixture. Return to boiling.
3. Pack hot cucumber mixture and liquid into hot, sterilized pint canning jars, leaving a 12 mm head space. Wipe jar rims; adjust lids. Process in a boiling water canner or 10 minutes (start timing when water returns to boil).
4. Remove jars and cool on racks.

For black olives, prick olives (You can do this by getting a cork and sticking pins in it so it looks like a porcupine, then use a stabbing motion to prick the olives. The idea is to get pin pricks in the skin of the black olives, so this method works well.)

For green olives, crack these olives with a mallet (you don’t want to smash them, so don’t hit too hard, but you do want to crack the skins a bit so the bitterness can leach out).

Place olives in a large cask or jar and cover them with water. Allow them to soak for 10 days, changing the water every day.

We prefer to use filtered water to avoid the chlorine in our tap water, you can achieve the same result by letting your tap water stand for a day in sunlight, which will kill the chlorine.
Of course our Durand Water Filter removes a lot more than just the chlorine.

Place the drained olives in a saucepan with the 2 litres of water, ensuring they are covered. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring this brine solution to boil and boil for 15 minutes. Allow to cool.

Drain the olives, saving the brine, and put them in sterilized preserving jars. Cover the olives with the cold brine solution you have earlier saved, allowing a head space of 2 -3 cm. Process using the hot water bath processor. Bring to boiling and then process for 45 minutes.

1. Cut the tops and roots off flush with the beets. Scrub thoroughly.
2. Place the beets on a rack in a large roaster. Cover and bake at 200 degrees C until tender, about one hour for medium-sized beets. Meanwhile pre heat your jars in hot water.
3. In a large saucepan, mix the vinegar, sugar, water and salt. Heat to boiling.
4. When the beets are tender, remove the roaster from the oven and fill with cold water. When cool enough to handle, slip the skins off the beets.
5. Pack the beets, whole or cut in hot jars. Add brine to cover. Leave 1.5cm headspace. Put on new lids and tighten finger tight.
6. Process for 30 minutes once water has returned to the boil. (This is the boiling water bath method.)
7. Cool jars. Check seals. Label and store.

1. Select the jars you are going to use and make sure you have new lids. Sterilise the lids and jars (in boiling water).
2. Wash and hull the berries carefully.
3. Combine the berries and sugar in a tall, heavy saucepan. Crush to release the juice.
4. Bring slowly to the boil, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Then boil rapidly till thick, about 40 minutes. As the mixture begins to thicken, stir frequently to prevent scorching.
5. Test for doneness – 105 degrees C with a thermometer or when the jam sheets off the spoon.
6. Remove from heat and skim off any foam that formed during boiling.
7. Pour into the jars, leaving a one to two cm headspace. Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean, damp cloth. Put on the lids and tighten finger tight.
8. Place the jars on a rack in a large pot that you are using for a boiling water bath processor. Process for 10 minutes. Start 'timing' once the water has returned to the boil.
9. When the processing time is up, carefully remove the jars from the boiling water bath with a jar lifter.
10. Allow the jars to cool. Check seals. Label and store.

1. Peel the pears, remove their stems, cut them in two, core them, and cut them into small pieces.
2. In a saucepan combine the pears, raspberries, sugar , and lemon juice.
3. Bring to a simmer. Skim, if necessary.
4. Add pectin and continue cooking on high heat for about ten minutes, stirring gently. Skim of any foam carefully, if necessary.
5. Check the set. I do this by putting a plate in the fridge. I place a little of the mixture on the cold plate and return it to the fridge. When it has cooled to room temperature, I check to see if it has gelled.
6. Put jam into hot jars immediately and seal with new lids. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Place all of the above ingredients into a pot, give them a stir and bring this mixture to the boil. Once boiled, remove the pot from the heat, put the lid on and leave for 2-1 hours. Strain your spiced vinegar through a tight weave cheese cloth, or a double layer of loose weave cheese cloth.

1. Combine the spiced vinegar, sugar, and lemon slices in a large pot and bring to the boiling, stirring frequently to ensure that the sugar dissolves.
2. Add the pears and return to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer just until the pears are tender. Be sure not to cook them for too long, as if you do they will break up when you are trying to get them into your jars.
3. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pears from the spiced vinegar mixture and place them in your hot sterilised jars.
4. Return the spiced vinegar mixture to the boil and cook down for another 10 to 15 minutes and until you see it start to thicken a little.
5. Cover the pears in the jars with reduced spiced vinegar mixture, being sure to leave a head space of about 2cm. Cap with new lids and then process in the boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
6. Remove the jars from the boiling water bath and place on a tea towel on the kitchen counter to cool. Once cooled, label and store in your pantry.

1. Peel, core and dice the pears into cubes of approximately 1-2cm.
2. Place your vinegar and brown sugar into a pot and bring to the boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to ensure that the sugar dissolves.
3. Add all the remaining ingredients to the pot and return the mixture to the boil.
4. Reduce the heat and simmer until the chutney thickens and reduces by about 1/3. This will take about 2 hours.
5. Remove your pot from the heat and fill your hot, sterilised jars with your chutney, being sure to leave a head space of about 2cm.
6. Cap your jars with new lids and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
7. Remove your jars from the boiling water bath with your jar lifter and place them on a tea towel on your kitchen counter and allow to cool.
8. Once cool, label and store in your pantry.