When jelly is canned using wax, several very thin layers of hot wax are poured over the cooling jelly. As the first thin layers cools, it pulls away from the jelly jar edges.
when you pour the second thin layer, you sort of rotate the high and low sides of the jar so that the wax goes into the empty edges. Layer after layer is poured so as to assure sealing the wax to the edge of the jar. Pouring a thicker layer just wastes wax and may not seal the jar.
This is not an approved method of canning or sealing jelly. However, it worked for years as the only method for some people. I hear it is not for long-term canning. But, I do know this was used for jelly for storage.This method would work for the Oui jars if you are canning jelly to give for gifts. This is one time you want firm jelly. You cannot can failed jelly and call it ice cream topping with wax on top.
WM sells the 1 lb, box of Gulf Wax for $3.12 (I checked), but I bought my Gulf Wax blocks for a quarter for one pound at yard sales. If you think it is dusty, just scrape the outside with a knife until you get to "new" wax, You only need something to melt the wax in. I would put a cup in a pan of water to avoid melting wax in a pot and having it pop and catch on fire.
For the life of me, I cannot get a Oui jar photo to put on the blog that does not go right over the Gulf Wax photo. It must be a blog thing because nothing works.
Gulf Wax is another memory from my early childhood. My family received jars of jelly sealed with wax. By rinsing the jelly covered wax, the wax can be reused to seal more jelly. When I first married, a woman gave me a regular glass of jelly sealed with wax.
Like I said, this is not an approved method. If you are just making jelly to give for Christmas, in my opinion this will be fine for a few months. I might even eat the jelly after many months.
Other repurposing of Oui jars is available if you do not want to can jelly.
Have you ever seen/used jelly sealed with wax? Have you ever sealed jelly with wax?
I remember sealing jelly with wax. I used a hot water bath too. Also made several pourings. I used it with pyrex custard bowls that had no lids and were small. And yes, it was given as gifts and told the recipients to start using it right away. I think I remember getting pieces of wax when they were opened when I was a kid. We would chew on them like gum. But I could have dreamt this part.
ReplyDeletetana50,
DeleteHmmm, I answered once and my comment disappeared! I don't know how you did a water bath. Kids did chew the wax. I suppose with the jelly on the wax it was good, sort of like the tiny bottles of flavored and colored water that kids bit the top off of, drank the liquid and chewed the wax.
You are right. I didn't use a water bath with jelly. I used water baths with the plums, pears and peaches that I canned. It was a long time ago.
DeleteUnderstand!
DeleteFor many years I used wax to seal jam and jelly. When stored in a cool place, it would keep for a couple of years at least.
ReplyDeleteGood, Vickie,
DeleteI thought they should last longer in a cool place, but someone said that it should be eaten right away. I thought I remembered them lasting longer.
I have never had wax sealed jelly, I haven't even heard of it!
ReplyDeleteIt's no surprise people think it should be consumed immediately. People these days think everything will make them sick if it's more than a week old, which is really silly when you are considering a traditional method of preserving!
kylie,
DeleteI am quite sure Australians have practiced sealing jelly with wax. Ask the women in your group. They will be a good source. Plus, they will love discussing it.
My granny made grape jelly and she always sealed it with wax. I don't know how long she kept it but I'm sure at least 3 or 4 months. I have never canned myself- it always looked like such hard work to me!
ReplyDeleteNan,
DeleteI bet that jelly was the best ever. Canning is hard work if you can bushels of produce. Now, I do just a few jars at a time. That makes it easier, and eventually there are a great many jar ready for winter.
I love those oui jars. I was hoping to use them to make candles.
ReplyDeleteI may decorate them and put salt in them to use with a tea candle. The decorations said to remove the little tin vessel from the tea candle and put the candle in the salt. I will probably just use the electric candle because of my fear of fire.
DeleteI used to seal jelly exclusively with Gulf Wax. If I made preserves or anything with whole fruit I used the water bath method, but jelly was always sealed with wax. I cooked some muscadine juice the other day. I might make jelly and seal it with wax just to be a renegade. I wonder if the Ball Canning Commission will show up at my door with a warrant for a canning infraction.
ReplyDeleteAnne,
DeleteWhere did you get muscadine? No, but, the USDA might break down the door. shhhhh
I used to use wax to seal jellies...we've come a long way with learning what is safe and what is not. Back then people got "the flu" or an upset stomach and never thought it was food poisoning...now we know better! It's so easy to preserve safely now with the internet, new books, etc. WAY easier than melting layers and layers of wax, and then finding mold on your jelly anyway.
ReplyDelete