Course description

A glut of plums, a mountain of courgettes, a hedge full of blackberries: preserving turns the seasons' extras into jars you can enjoy all year. This course shows you how to do it safely and well, from your first jam that sets to a cupboard of chutneys, pickles and ferments, without wasting what you've grown or bought.

It's a full course, not a quick tour. There are 10 sections and 50 written lessons, and every lesson ends with a practical task. You follow an allotment holder through her first preserving year: her first marmalade in January, a gooseberry jam in June, sauerkraut in September, an autumn glut weekend of chutney and pickled shallots, and a stall at a church autumn fair. Every section has recipe cards, a worksheet, answers and a cheat sheet, with spreadsheets for salt, scaling and costing.

What you'll learn

• The basics: how sugar, acid, salt, heat and cold preserve food, the kit you need, sterilising jars and filling them hot, and the food safety rules.
• Jams and jellies: pectin and acid, finding the setting point, clear jellies, Seville orange marmalade, fruit curds and fruit cheeses.
• Chutneys and pickles: a classic glut chutney, relishes, maturing, pickled onions and shallots, crisp vegetables and quick fridge pickles.
• Fermenting: sauerkraut, mixed vegetable ferments and brine pickles, and how to tell a harmless film from mould.
• Other methods: freezing, drying, cordials, flavoured vinegars and preserved lemons.
• Planning: a preserving calendar, choosing a method for a glut, scaling recipes, storing and labelling jars, and costing each jar.
• Gifting and selling: registering as a food business, hygiene, labels, allergens, the rules for jam, and pricing your first stall.

Who it's for

Complete beginners with a kitchen hob and oven, whether you grow your own, have a fruit tree or simply love homemade jars. It ends with a final project: your own preserving year plan and a record book for every batch you make.

What will I learn?

• Sterilise jars and fill them hot, and follow the food safety rules every home preserver needs
• Make jams that set, using pectin, acid and the setting point
• Make clear fruit jellies, Seville orange marmalade, fruit curds and fruit cheeses
• Make and mature chutneys and relishes, and put common problems right
• Pickle onions, shallots and crisp vegetables, and make quick fridge pickles
• Ferment sauerkraut and brine pickles safely, and know when to throw a ferment away
• Freeze, dry and make cordials and flavoured vinegars from a glut
• Plan a preserving year, cost your jars, and label and sell preserves within the rules

Frequently asked questions