The message
from J Jackson contains these words:
Stephen Williams wrote:

: One other tip you may wish to use is to cap the Jelly with a wax coating
: after it has set in the Jar.

I beg to differ. pour the very hot jelly into heated jars and screw down
the lids firmly immediately to make an air tight seal. As the they cool
down, the lids should "pop" as a vacuum forms inside. Thus treated they
should keep for years - literally.

I'm baffled by this allowing to cool in the open and then waxing business.
Invariably there is contamination and the jam/jelly is less likely to keep
very long.

Only thing I can think of is that it is advice from the period before
glass jars and air tight tops were available. Also I suppose they look
pretty in glossy photos in coffe table preserve books.

In total agreement with you. May I add, place jars on a baking tray or
similar and put in an oven at just a tad over 100°C, pour jelly into
heated jars, put jars back in the oven, wait until bubbles begin to rise
in *ALL* the jars, put lids on loosely and replace in the oven for two
or three minutes, remove and screw the lids down hard.

The space in the jars should be filled with steam, and completely
sterile, and no mould spores will have survived. Without the final
ceremony, some mould spores may survive and spoil all your careful
jellification.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
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