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The Fowlers Vacola preserving kit is the most popular canning and preserving product in Australia. It was first developed right in Melbourne by Joseph Fowler in 1915. The Fowlers Vacola canning system uses a system of glass jars, stainless steel or other metal lids, and rubber rings, to seal the two together.
- Replacement lids with the inbuilt seal cost about the same as a replacement packet of Fowlers Vacola seals so in the long run, these are very cost effective and so easy to use. How to Store: Enjoy Now - refrigerate up to 3 weeks. Fresh Preserve - store up to 1 year. Contents: 6 x Ball Wide Mouth Glass Preserving Jar. 6 x Ball Wide Mouth Lid.
- Nov 27, 2013 - Explore Joanne Bristoe's board 'Fowlers Vacola preserving' on Pinterest. See more ideas about Fowler, Preserving jar, Food pantry.
- Simple Natural Preserving Kit is a revolutionary preserving kit. It takes only 60 minutes to preserve natural fruits. Simply place fruit into preserving jar, top with the liquid of your choice (fruit juice, water, sugar syrup, liqueur), a.
- Fowlers - We've been sharing our preserving knowledge with you since 1915. Our quality products have helped generations of Australians to perfectly capture the natural taste of.
So, I make home made bone broth for us, and I’ve been freezing it, but since I’ve got limited freezer space, and have no desire to buy a bigger freezer and find the room for it, I’m trying to find information on pressure canning the broth so I can store it in the larder. I’ve been using Fowlers Vacola jars for things, but I’ll take any jars if someone can tell me what to do. Come winter time, I’ll be making plenty of bone broth, and I want a proper stock for us, without using up space that could be used for other things in our freezer.
Any help would be appreciated.
Hi Neko-Chan you really need to buy a pressure canner to can low acid foods like broth. Have a search on here as I’ve seen a few threads about them. They tend to be expensive and I think generally imported from America. You can’t pressure can with a Fowlers unit and I wouldn’t suggest trying using a pressure cooker as you can’t be certain that the food has be adequately treated to ensure sterilisation and safe preservation.
yep, you def need a pressure canner they can be got from Aust, but also from amazon, – a friend of mine, got a 23 quart canner from Amazon, for $80 plus $27 postage, she does stock, using her vacola jars, and is very happy with it
that is the cheapest she found
they have to be ordered from the US anyway
will be looking at getting one of these myself
I’m pretty sure there’s a thread here about pressure canning that mentions using the Fowlers jars. I think you need to buy new seals each time, and if you’re using other metal screw top jars/lids, you are meant to use new lids each time as well.
I have preserved stock with my fowlers with success but it must be redone within 48 hours to stop botulism appearing. And then when you use it it has to be boiled for a 5-10 mins
we are still here but the safest way is the pressure canner. It will give back the money within 1 year of service, with what you save from not buying bad quality food from the shops
Fowlers themselves no longer recommend double boiling of anything like a lot of the old books say. The fowler system is just for preserving fruit and anything in vinegar, also I do jam as enough sugar.
Canning is for meat, broth, vegetables, as the high pressure is what kills all the nasties. Even then you still have to boil the product for 10 mins.
You may find this sight helpful.
Hi all,
Hope it’s OK, thought I might ask my questions about the same topic here, rather than starting a new topic.
We have been preserving in our FV Simple Preserving Unit for a few years now, and have a good stock of FV jars, lids, clips etc. BUT lately, we have been considering buying an All-American Pressure Canner, to can stock, stews, soups etc. I came researching on ALS because I knew Lady B had one, and was checking old threads to see if you can use FV jars & accessories in a pressure canner.
Has anyone checked with the Fowlers Vacola company, as to whether their jars can withstand pressure canning safely, or alternatively, has anyone been actually using FV jars in their pressure canner for a while without issues?
Also, can you pressure can lard?
Another question if I may, what size pressure canner did you get, and what size & amount of FV jars do you fit? We are looking at a 21 1/2 quart capacity, seems to be most popular and I think will fit two layers of our No. 20 (600ml) FV jars that we use the most (I would also use No. 27 for bolognese sauce and soups too, in a single layer, I presume).
Thanks! 🙂
you can use FV jars, a lady on another forum does, –
Thanks everyone, and thank you Calliecat for your PM. I have been trying to reply to you, then tried leaving my reply here, and even that didn’t work! Hopefully this will…
yep, got it – thanks 🙂 well not the pm but this worked lol
I swear by my pressure canner which i got from ozfarmer several months ago. i use their half pint ball mason jars for broth as you can fit quite a few bottles in the canner at once as they have a flat lid not the fowlers clip which makes it tricky to stack! i also sometimes use the little 4oz quilted jars which hold about 125ml of really concentrated broth in them. you will find that the ball bottles are designed to be used in a pressure canner even just size wise and i love it that they are so easy to use as when i get on a mission i can do many many jars and just get fed up with trying to put rings and clips on fowlers bottles. enough to drive me to the bottle!! :jawdrop:
I love those little quilted jars! Have always wanted a few just because they are so pretty!
We ordered a 21 1/2 Quart All-American Pressure Canner from Amazon! Looking forward to canning stock, pasta sauce and hopefully, lard!
Ozfarmer.com has the both the main pressure canners used the Presto and the All-American they are $20-30 more than you can buy the on Amazon but you get an Australian warranty which is well worth it.
Bye for now!
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Growing up in rural Victoria, I was always impressed by a healthy stash of full Fowlers bottles. The rows of brightly coloured jars lined up on shelves and in pantries awaiting the onset of winter before they could be eagerly consumed inspired me no end. Why then has it taken me so long to catch on?
Not until Jen and Pete, my tree changer friends in Victoria, served me bottled plums from their garden for breakfast last winter was I galvanised into action. Then I became slightly obsessed. In my first season I managed to fill no less than 100 bottles with tomatoes in various states, peaches, nectarines, plums and even garlic. How much can one person eat? Thank goodness for dear friends all of whom had a Fowlers thrust into their hands at regular intervals. With promises of restraint (ha ha) this season I’ve already stashed away 50 jars and show no signs of flagging. I hope you all like fruit.
A Bit of History
The Fowler’s Vacola method of reserving is uniquely Australian and was developed by Joseph Fowler in the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell in 1915. An English migrant, Fowler was amazed at the produce available in Australia and sought to preserve it in the days before domestic refrigeration or supermarkets. The Fowlers method relies on the natural acidity of fruits and the process of heating steadily to a temperature of 92C over one hour to achieve a sterile and safe product.
The original preserving method used a stove top boiler and a thermometer to achieve correct temperatures for specified periods of time. This was a very successful method although laborious but these days the kits are all electric and very easy to use. Fowler’s jars are heat resistant and the rubber rings, lids and clips allow for air to escape during heating process and then create a vacuum seal once cooled.
The Basic Process
Two preserving units are available; the Simple Natural Preserving unit and the larger Professional Preserving unit both of which include a full instruction booklet.
- Select the appropriate sized jar for the fruit to be processed, wide necks for large fruit, narrow-necks for smaller fruit.
- Cut the fruit into pieces or halves and pack firmly into the clean jars adding liquid/syrup as you go to help minimise air pockets.
- Fill the jar with liquid to within 12mm of the top.
- Apply the rubber ring to the neck of the jar making sure that it has no twists in it.
- Place the lid on and then secure it with the corresponding sized clip.
- Place the bottles into the preserving unit and fill with cold water.
- Turn on the preserving unit and allow to process for one hour (with the exception of larger bottles which need 70 minutes).
- Drain out sufficient water to be able to remove the bottles and then carefully do so as not to disturb the seal.
- Allow to cool and then after 18 hours remove the clip. Store the jars in a cool dark place.
- Fruit in Fowler’s jars will last up to one year.
Benefits of Preserving
- Fruit can be preserved at its peak of freshness and ripeness.
- Less than perfect fruit, which often has superior flavour due to not being picked, can be utilised thus avoiding unnecessary wastage.
- The amounts of sugar can be controlled to suit your own tastes and preferences.
- The jars are reusable so there are no tins or plastic containers to be disposed of.
Local produce can be enjoyed year round AND you will be the envy of your friends.
Ideas for Preserving
These are possibilities.
- Gluhwein Pears – pears in red wine syrup with
- cinnamon, orange and cloves
- Stone fruits in light to medium syrup
- Plums in syrup with spices
- Figs with vanilla bean
- Poached quince with orange
- Stewed apple for pies etc
- Tomatoes with extra virgin oil and red wine vinegar
- Roast tomato sauce
- Slow roasted garlic
- Caramelised onions
Mitre10 are stockists of Fowler’s Vacola products. Jars can also often be found in second hand shops and at organisations such as The Salvation Army and St Vincent de Paul. Clearing sales are also good places to find jars and many Fowler’s items are available on eBay.
Happy Preserving.
Fowlers Vacola Australia
