Grow Your Own Magazine

I have one of those cotton jelly bags to drain fruit and have just made my first jelly (Crabapple and clove) but was wondering about washing the bag.

Can it be shoved in the machine or should it be delicately handwashed?

The bag is sturdy enough but I was thinking about detergents and their posssible effect on future batches of jelly.

Would appreciate any wise grapes suggestions

It should be okay through the machine wash. To sterilise it afterwards and remove any residue, scald with boiling water and iron with a very hot iron.

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

Brilliant. Thank you Shirley,

I have a jelly bag and I frequently make bramble jelly which leaves the bag in a state of extreme purple
Mine is nylon and I always wash it in the machine. I should think that cotton would be more hardwearing so I would go for it.
Clare

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A garden is a lovesome thing, God wot! (Thomas Edward Brown)

A tip to get the purple out of muslin (might work on nylon too) is to put the jelly bag in the pan you made the jelly in (or another pan will do), cover with water and add a spoonfull of laundry detergent. Bring slowly to the boil and leave to cool. Brought my jelly bag up snowy white again - it was truly purple after making bramble and apple jelly.

__________________
Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

Thanks for that Shirl, I'll give it a try next time I make Bramble jelly.

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A garden is a lovesome thing, God wot! (Thomas Edward Brown)

Hi
I just buy butter muslin by the yard, use it and then cut it up and put it on the compost heap. Don't have a washing machine so far easier for me this way.
Sue

Where can I get a jelly bag from..?

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I wish i could make a yo-yo work.
http://www.guerrillagardening.org/

Any cook shop or you can find jelly bags on good old ebay

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

I now make jelly using a steam juicer. It saves all of the palava of hanging a bag to strain out the juices and being careful not to get any cloudiness in it. Converting 5lb of redcurrants into clear juice takes about 20 minutes. They can be bought in France for about £35, a bit more over here and often for next to nothing on Ebay. In fact I have a spare one if anybody is interested.

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Kindest regards, David.

http://pigletsplots.blogspot.com/
updated lots - Sunday 28th at 1640hrs

Thanks for that Piglet,
My birthday is comming up and I was wondering what to ask for
clare

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A garden is a lovesome thing, God wot! (Thomas Edward Brown)

Seasprout.....I bought my jelly bag from lakeland plastics for £9.99 (last year). I like the idea of a steam juicer..

Yes, so do I how does it work PW?
Sue

NO, please do not iron. Jelly bags these days are made from synthetic materials which means if you iron them they melt. Wash them, either by hand or machine, and if you feel the need to sterilise them use Milton liquid or any sterilising tablets sold for sterilising baby bottles etc.

Can't see why you would want to iron it if you have sterilised with boiling water anyway? Would putting in the microwave do the same job?

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Hazel
www.hazelandjanesallotment.blogspot.com
update Sat 04/10/2008......sorry, Keats......

A steam juicer is definitely going on my 'must have' list!

Claire

Should have said that was for a cotton one - oops.

Mine was pretty wrinkled after washing - I didn't bother with boiling water but some folks are way more fussy than me. Needed to iron the darned thing to make it big enough to use again

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk