Mother used to reuse both the Vacola rubber rings and lids during WWII. We didn't have a fridge (that came very much later) and the ice chest was always problematical for long term staorage. I still Vacola extensively and have reused both the rings and lids without any problems. Gunns Hardware down here sell both the rubber rings and the lids as seperate items. I have picked up most of my jars at farm clearing sales. I generally blanch and freeze broad beans and scarlett runners. They keep well. And since I kill my own lamb I've got plenty of freezer space. But tomatoes, peaches, nectarines etc do get Vacola treatment.

Re : Bertoli lids

I found some in House in Hobart. A number of sizes

*looking dazed from banging head against wall after several unsuccessful attempts to get information from Fowlers Vacola re stockists of lids, rings etc in Brisbane*

OK. I can just about understand the concept that in 2005 a business does NOT have a website (not very forward thinking, but still...), and if Fowlers Vacola/Big Sister/Molly ORourke and co feel they can successfully market their wares without the internet, so be it.

But I cannot understand how the question "can you give me a list of stockists in Brisbane?" is ignored on a phone message, ignored on a fax message, and finally, after 3 emails, gets a fuzzy "No there are not any other stockists in Brisbane of size - most of the better stockists are in country areas in QLD." excuse me???? NO ONE in Brisbane has stock of your lids, rings etc????? and why not just give me a list of Queensland stockists? or South East Queensland stockists? Because I have family that lives at Caboolture, Kilcoy, Gympie, Noosa....if there is a shop with them sitting on their shelves, I'd get to them eventually. (OK, so maybe I'm a bit slack visiting Great Aunt Dorothy, but the promise of FV lids and rings sitting on a shop shelf in Gympie might be all the incentive I need). Or maybe the stockists of FV products is more classified than the CIA most wanted list? Or harder to get than blood out of a stone? OH NO! wait! they have a new marketing ploy - DON"T let anyone sell your stuff, and then no one will buy it, and then you won't have to bother making it! think how much tidier the office will be without all those nasty phone messages, faxes and emails from people wanting to buy your product!

OK, fine, I give in.

Can someone tell me about Mason jars - I can buy a dozen jars complete with lids and rings at KMart for cheaper than I can buy a dozen FV lids and rings from my local Mitre 10 - because I CAN order through them, but any order under $250 will attract a $40 handling fee. (Yeah, sure, spend $20 on a dozen stainless steel lids and rings, $40 on handling). So, can I use my FV unit, but with Mason jars, and just follow the same processing instructions?

*sorry guys - I just had to vent - bought a FV unit with jars 3 weeks ago, and STILL can't get the rings/lids etc I need to actually use it. And I have a freezer FULL of tomatoes, I really wanted to bottle some!*

Wishful, this may be a silly question, but do you have a Mitre10 in Brisbane? They usually have this kind of stuff. The staff is normally quite helpful too, so if they don't stock any of the rings/lids, they might order them for you.

The problem with Vacola and Mitre10, one of their "stockists", is that Mitre10 is a franchise, so it's up to the individual store to decide what they carry. I've been to 4 Mitre10's and none stock Vacola stuff. I've phoned Vacola direct and they were very helpful. Must have been a one off!
And yes, I'm sure Mason jars will work just fine in a Vacola unit. As would any jar really. You just need to be sure of the seal.
Vacola lids and rings are available over the internet, from centre.net.au. They surely fit other jars! Valerie's GreenLiving site lists brands that use "standard" jars.

thanks Spatz. I have rung 4 Mitre 10's - 3 don't deal with it at all, one does - but they don't actually stock it, they will just order it in. And if the order isn't $250, they charge $40 handling fee. Makes it expensive when all I want is a dozen rings and lids, and bottle tongs.

thanks Ray - I think I'll give up on the FV gear, and just got to KMart and stock up on the Mason Jars. I've been to Valeries site - even posted there! Hopefully Valerie will import some mason lids eventually, and I'll get new lids from her.

thanks - I just can't believe how frustrating dealing with this has been.

Ray, I used to do high production canning/preserving at the Toronto Historical Board in one of their historic kitchens. I have recipes that might be of interest perhaps.

And I do know where to get replacement inserts and rings cheaply (at every local grocery store and hardware centre). Unlike the US, Canada is metric so our lids will likely fit your jars/bottles. PP can test when she gets here and send/bring some back if so desired.

Trade you Canadian lids for European seeds ? ;>)

Jennifer

Wishful, sorry to hear that even Mitre10 is no help. As Ray mentioned you can use anything really to preserve produce. The No 1 Rule is - HYGIENE! Make sure everything is in excellent condition (lids/jars), clean and sterilised. I used normal jars that I save throughout the year(s) to preserve artichokes, etc in the Vacola preserving unit and it worked fine.

Having said that I've run out of jars. I can't make any jam anymore. No jars. *sob* And I sooo wanted to try the Tomato and Orange Jam in the Tomato Festival Book. *sob sob*

Jennifer, your preserving stint in the historic kitchen sounds interesting. What did you preserve?

Wishful, what size lids & rings do you need? And how many? I could have a word with our Mitre10 here, if they don't have them on stock. Postage shouldn't be too bad, as none of the stuff is that bulky.

Goodthinking Spatz! Wishful, me too! If Spatz's Mitre 10 doesn't have them I can probably get some here at the funny old hardware shop I mentioned up above somewhere and post them over to you.

Amanda

thanks spats and amanda - that's a very kind offer, that I may yet take you up on. I have a cousin who lives in Kingaroy, who is looking around for me.

Does this mean that only "country women" preserve their garden produce? I can't believe that - according to FVacola themselves - not one shop in Brisbane actually has this stuff sitting on a shelf. How do they expect to sell it, if no one can see it to buy it?

Good idea Jennifer. I'll get onto PP and ask her to check it out while sje's there. I'm sure most here would be more than willing to swap seeds for lids!!
And don't tease us! What are the recipes you mentioned?

I'd definitely swap seeds for lids!
I sent an email to Valerie recently asking about the lids, she's still trying to get them shipped out here.
I was considering ringing an old boyfriend who's just moved to the US & asking him to buy me some, but that's probably going a bit far!

if your after preserveing stuff ebay could be a good place to try I found these by typing in fowler

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=20485&item=4361800029&rd=1

Hi Wishfull.

This is David, Valerie's brother from Greenliving Australia. We recently bought FV jars and lids from "Barry's Mitre 10" at Woodridge [3208 0004] you should give them a call. One of Barry's daughters is right into helping us out with our home preserving, and just wishes she hads the time to do some herself. They got in a stack of jars, lids, and rings for us, and still have stock.

Cheers .... David

I also typed preserving on ebay it came up with quite a few outfits for sale. Jan

Guess what I've got in my preserving unit right now?
Tadaaaa....
{{gwi:2113813}}

Wow! Show Earl.

*is green with jealousy*

spats - they look FANTASTIC

Oh, very nice Spatz!! I tried the same, but they lost a bit of fluid and also have a big space at the bottom. They still seem to be Ok, but they aren't as pretty as yours. What temperature did you use and for how long?

BTW, I went up to Bilpin a few weeks ago. One of the roadside stalls had no.27 vacola jars of apricots, plums and cherries for sale. $12 each. Not very tightly packed either. Makes it all seem worthwhile.
Danielle

Why did you dye the figs red and yellow Spatz?.
All I can see is Ray and I up to our knees in bottling in Armidale, Something to do over the long COLD winters!!. A lot of fruit pies I should think as well. We'll have you all up for a trip to the snow, and a pig out by the fire.

Those jars look great! I'm so itching to get started on mine...

Danielle I found a way to prevent floating is to load them all into a big pot and bring them to the boil very briefly. It seems to get out the air and also produces the juice to pack them in.

There may be other ways to solve it, of course, that's just mine.

Amanda

Hi Folks it is good to see you youngsters finding and enjoying preserving.....it's like money in the bank to have a good pantry of preserves.
just a hint
Did you know that the Fowlers and Agee jars are made of specially toughened glass like Pyrex that withstands the heat?
The Masons jars in Kmart may not be this type of glass so should be boiled first to toughen them a bit...and make sure you put the jars on newspaper or a wooden board when filling with hot produce as they crack easily. .
And dont forget to dry some tomatoes and preserve them in Olive Oil ..the Best Sundried tomatoes in the world.!

I found squishing the tomatoes down the jar is sooo satisfying. Especially when you've got different coloured tomatoes to play with. It's messy - but heaps of fun.

Ahem, I must confess, I've already used 1 jar last night. I was itching to know what the sound was like that Amanda found so satisfying when opening the jar. Now I know. The phhhhhsssssshhh is the home preservers' symphony. :)

I just wish autumn hadn't arrived with 8 C nights and 19 C days and drizzle and cold. :( How are my tomatoes supposed to ripen up?! I need to make more paste and preserve more and sun-dry more and eat more and give away more and and and... I'm not ready yet for autumn.

Hi Amanda,
sorry to be so thick - are you saying that I should boil all the tomatoes up first, then put them in the jars? Then how long do you process them and at what temp? Really, fruit is much easier!
Danielle

danielle.
I always boil my tomatoes up first before putting into the jars, unless you want to put them in whole then all you need to do is peel them and add water.

I just bring them to the boil in a big pot, then ladle into the jars and process for the normal time. In my case 1 hour using the Vac with a thermostat.

Obviously this step isn't absolutely necessary - I just like to do it because it stops the toms floating in the jar and makes me feel like I've crambed more in. :)

Amanda

Splendid! Last questions:
do you add salt?
What temperate do you process? I think mine got too hot last time and this caused the fluid to leek out.
Thanks
Danielle

Hi Danielle,

My Vacola has a thermostat and I just turn the knob to the Hold Boil setting not a temperature as such.

I notice in the book it says for the Thermometer ones - Bring temp slowly up to boiling point 100ºC (212ºF) - this will take at least 45 minutes and maintain at boiling point for 15 minutes. Then switch off heat source and allow bottles to stand with preserver lid on, undisturbed, in preserver for another hour before taking out.

No salt just 1 tsp preserving citric for a No.36 jar which holds 1250ml.

Amanda

Antesoo, welcome to Cornucopia. Haven't seen you posting here before. Had a look at your web site. Some very nice stuff. By the way, the link to your web site on your GardenWeb member's page needs amending - it's got http twice! I think GardenWeb automatically adds the first bit. You just need to start from www.

i dont use citric but I do put in a little salt. Jan

Thanks. I did use the 212 Fahrenheit method (my book is very old and held together with sticky tape - I'm very keen on it). The jars were starting to bump around a bit, so maybe the thermometer is a bit off. I'll cook the tomatoes up a bit next time - I'd like to bottle pasta sauce anyway.
Cheers
Danielle

hi, I have just found this forum and think it is great! and here I was thinking I was the only vaccola-bottle-hunting fruit bottling addict :)

I bought a very old stovetop vaccola kit with bottles clips and lids from some lovely elderly peple, and have so far only bottled apricots and plums, but tomorrow will start on tomatoes. The book that came with it was published in 1962.

I have also borrowed a dehydrator, and my house is right this minute wafting with plum-leather scent.

I buy seals and other vaccola bits from a local hardware chain, Magnet Mart. I am lucky that I haven't had any trouble getting the bits, unless you count toting three little kids through the hardware shop...

Nice to read about everyone elses fabulous results. I must agree that the sound of the seal being deliberately broken is really satisfying.

Kate

Wishful, I've just come back from our local Mitre10. They've still got plenty of size 4 lids, rings, clamps. Size 3 is getting sparser, as I've been buying them. Checked with the staff and they said, it shouldn't be a problem ordering more in, if required. Takes a week or two, at the most.

Let me know if you need some supplies. I could even pass some on to somebody going to Brisbane in 2 weeks' time. :)

I've got my friend Inge searching Armidale for spare units. There must be some somewhere. We'll be a two Vacola Family. My mum always did the bottling, so I figure i must have memories I don't know I've got. I remember how to get the lid off without damaging it. It can be tricky.

I use one of my bone handle knives to slide up ander the rim of the bottle and with a little up lift not hard as you dont want to damage the lid it comes away easily. I love my old bone handle knives. Much prefer them to the new stainless steel. And they are the best to get all the gravey of your plate LOL. So many uses for just a knife LOL. Jan

Gravy and BREAD! Forget about knives, you need good freshly baked bread for gravy. Then mop mop mop. :)

why not just lick the plate. LOL. My son does that. If he could eat the plate hed do that an all, and hes only 9. What his appertite going to be like when His a teenager (((s h u d d e r ))).

A nice preserve with no cooking for eggplants.
long eggplants but normal ones would do too, peeled then cut into think strips or julienne. salt between layers and let stand for twelve hrs or longer draining now and again and adding a little more salt.
Take handfulls and squeeze out as much liquid as you can and pat more juice out with a tea towel.
in a bowl mix eggplant, freshmint, fresh oregano, slivers of garlic, and some wine vinegar about 2 table spoons to about 2lb of eggplant. Layer in jar with chillies, cracked pepper or (even anchovies), push down, then add olive all to cover. Seal. You can eat now or will improve with keeping up to a year. Jan

Inge found a spare unit with bottles in the local op shop for TEN DOLLARS. ! ! !. She says they come along every so often.

Hi Folks,
I'm glad to hear that the tomatoes are all preserving well. I just came back to Oz after spending a year in China so this year no preserving but I have planted all my Autumn produce so there will be some later. The birds ate every single one of my grapes before they ripened.They moved in while I was away and just gobbled the lot a month ago/I usually dry 10 kg of grapes into raisins and use them in my chutneys, lucky I have some left from a few years ago so will still have enough to make some chutney ...when I buy the apples.Yes sadly I am buying the produce this year( we have a monthly Farmers market nearby so locally grown and a bit cheaper and much better than supermarket stuff). I just can't get along without a years supply of chutney...I use it in all my stews, casseroles and sandwiches etc.

Smiles SOO

I got myself an old Fowlers Vacola kit in January. Cost $30 at a market, and came with a bunch of lids & rings. Have been 'borrowing' jars from my Dad (inherited from his mum). Would have loved to get a kit with an electric thermostat, but they are very hard to find second-hand.

http://centre.net.au/Fowlers_Vacola_Preserving_00064P.html is the place to go for new jars, lids, rings and kits (I just visit to wince at the prices and promise myself to make mine last!).

Anyway, I have only bottled plums so far - they look gorgeous by the way. But they took me most of a day to do, mainly because I had to constantly fiddle with the gas (I couldn't get it low enough for the steady temperature required, and had to keep turning it on, letting it cool, turning it on, etc.). Also, my old book has long cooking times - apparently they are shorter now?

We were planning to bottle tomatoes, but by the time we'd made tomato sauce, tomato chutney, dried tomatoes and tomato soup, there just weren't enough left to make the effort. Next year maybe!

Just wondering if anybody out there had preserved chillies via the Vacola. I would rather preserve them whole and keep them for at least one year. Any suggestions or recipes?? Thanks...

was wondering if anybody knows anything about preserving cooked dry beans in the fowler

It's just water and a bit of salt, isn't it?.

The garden web harvest site is the place you want to read about all about preserving...A few months ago someone was asking about preserving beans...
Also preserving chillies feature alot as well, with recipes for chilli sauce etc...Most of the US people use the Ball Blue Book of Preserving as their bible and will refer to recipes in it...I have purchased a Blue Book and find it really helpful. Especially when "canning" tomatoes and other low acid foods.

Here is a link that might be useful: harvest

Hi everyone, thanks for all the very usefull info about presrving stuff, Im new to preserving infact just purchased a fv today. My question is when using twist top jars (pasta sauce etc.) do you tighten the lid fully before submerging in the fowlers unit or do you just touch tighten them.
any info would be appreciated and thanks for all the gr888 info already shared

Hi Guys
It is nice to be back
This is an old (but a very good )thread
I find that when using ordinary (jam type) jars I leave about slightly less than 1cm of airspace at the top of the jar and then boil for 15 minutes....but I always fill the jar with cooked food first
With the fowlers jars I fill the top 1cm with water and then do the same...the top bit of water saves the jars getting covered in food when it boils and spills over the rubber seal after expansion and before the jars cool and shrink the lid down, but the jam jars don't need to shrink the lid down to hold them on like the fowlers do
I have kept food for years with no adverse effects (stored cool and dry and away from sunlight)
If you fill the jars with cooked food you usually need only to sterilise them for 15 minutes to kill any pathogenic bacteria
I have had problems with Broad beans in the past but found that when I put them into the jars raw and then sterilise for 15 minutes they end up perfect
cheers
Peter

Hello all, I have just come across this site and what a great amount of info!!!
I used to do lots of preserving years ago when all the family lived at home. Now, there's only 2 of us and I do all my fruit in the microwave using ordinary jars.
I am however, becoming more and more interested in pressure canning, which requires a vastly different method. Does anyone have one of those canners and if so, what brand/model is it??
I'd be most interested to read your experiences.
Cheers
Jan

Dear Jan,
The most popular models in the States, and those of current production and thus easily available parts are the All American, Mirro, and Presto. There are many other old ones but rubber lid seals (like for a Burpee Pressure Canner) are no longer available. The All American is a beefy canner that does not use a rubber seal. It is metal to metal and costs 2 to 3 times as much as a Presto or Mirro. I currently use a 22 quart Presto from the 1980's and it is more than sufficient for my needs. I can fit 7 quart jars into it, double stack pints and half pints for a capacity of 20 to 24 smaller jars, and it has both a pressure guage and a 3 weight guage (5, 10, and 15 pounds) as most recipes in this area call for 10 pound pressure canning at 1000 feet elevation or less. The canner will reach 240 degrees Farenheight at this pressure and this is adequate (and necessary) to kill botulism spores. Pressure canning MUST be used for all low acid foods - primarily all vegetables and meat. Tomatoes are now regularly pressure canned for safety unless enough acid is added to bring the ph of the product down to 4.6 or less. Some tomatoe products in this country test to ph 4.7 or 4.8 which is too high to be safely canned by water sterilization (only 212 degrees Farenheight). By the way, if you use a pressure canner, boiling the jars is not required in advance (just a good wash). If there are those in this Forum who have any questions, please drop me a note. Regards from Southern California - Jim