The trees are blossoming and everyone is talking about tomato seedling varieties in great anticipation with this warm humid weather that has sprung upon us in Tasmania.
As everyone starts looking at their preserving supplies one of the most overlooked items would have to be the clips.
These clamp the lid into a correctly seated position. As the contents expand in the heating process, air is expelled, then, as the contents cool and retract, the lid is seated onto the rubber band and a suction and seal is created.
Though they are a simple item used over and over, they do become stressed over the years and lose their spring and flexibility. I'm betting many of us have inherited or acquired these second hand and they could probably use a critical eye.
It is important that the clips remain on for 12-18 hours after processing. So you need to have at least a couple of dozen of each size because when you are in the thick of the season and preserving every day, you'll find that yesterdays tomatoes will still be clamped and you are hanging to do another batch.
They are handy in the gift giving too!
So before you begin another season, run an eye over ALL your supplies, don't get caught short and may you have a blissful and abundant preserving season.
So many of my clips are eons old! A timely reminder, thankyou. Jar storage however continues to be my biggest issue.
ReplyDeleteCassandra xx