Can do

Figs keep coming, turning inperceptably from hard and green to soft and brown. It's a challenge to capture them before they drop to the ground. So many have ripened at the same time that I embarked on making fig jam. The recipe was easy enough to follow and included instructions for 'canning' it which  is the American term for what's called bottling in Britain. The process of vacuum sealing ensures that the contents last longer than when you simply fill the jars the usual way.

I've never done bottling but I thought I'd give it a go since I happened to have a couple of the requisite jars which I bought in a charity shop.  recently. Having made the jam and filled the jars the instruction was  to lower them into a deep pan of boiling water - tricky, so you need to use specialized tongs  (which I actually have!  and always wondered what their purpose was.) The first deep boiler I tried leaked so I had to use one slightly less deep and submerged the jars. Some bubbles came out...

After 15 minutes boiling I deployed my tongs again and removed the jars. The lid on one immediately snapped into the correct concave position  indicating it was vacuum sealed, the other didn't. Oh well, 50% success and the convex-lidded jar will be consumed first. The correct one should keep for two years although I doubt it. The jam is very good.