Bottling Chillies - A Great Way To Preserve Them

Everything You Need To Know About Bottling You Chillies

The process discussed below basically centres around the Fowlers Vacola Preserving Kit that, through immersing the jars in boiling water, sterilises and creates a vaccuum seal. These kits are readily available in Australia and New Zealand. For those of you in Africa and South America, both the Ball and the Fagor brands are readily available in department stores or from Amazon.com

The basic process involves processing the chillies as you require, i.e. if you want the seeds, pith and stem removed, then do so now. These processes chillies are then packed into the correct jars, the jars are then filled with liquid, the rubber seal applied, and the lid and metal clip fitted.

Chillies preserved in this manner will keep for at least a year in a cool, dark cupboard. Remember - light and heat are two primary enemies to the extended shelf-life of preserved foods.

All kits come with detailed instructions and you should follow these for process details. One point I would like to make here is that if you have an older kit that does not discuss adding low pH fluids with your fruit, you must use predominantly acidic liquids (e.g. vinegar, lemon juice) to fill your jars to avoid the development of the botulism bacteria.