Reduce food waste, save money: Preserving

Preserving is another good way to reduce food waste. It allows you to use up excess fruit and vegetables for consumption later and is especially good for things that are getting overripe. It's also a great way to deal with produce that you've bought on special in bulk or a large harvest from your garden.

There are lots of recipes for preserves available and a wide variety of fruit and vegetables that can be successfully preserved. Search for recipes online or you could pick up a book on preserving from your local library.

Preserves are great to have on hand as they add interest to all sorts of meals. While the process can sound intimidating most recipes are actually surprisingly stright forward so it's well worth giving it a go. Once you get the hang of the basics you'll find there are many interesting and delicious preserving possibilities to try.

Top Preserving Tips

• Always sterillise your jars and lids thoroughly. There are several ways you can do this, such as in the oven, in boiling water on the stovetop, or even in the dishwasher. Look up some instructions and find the way that works best for you.

• Glass jars can crack if exposed to dramatic temperature changes so if you are bottling hot preserves make sure your jars are still warm from sterilisation; for cold preserves allow the jars to cool before filling them.

• Keep an eye on your preserves and stir them regularly. It's easy to get distracted once the preserves are bubbling away on the stove but, believe me, it is so disappointing to have all your hard work spoiled because your preserves stuck to the bottom of the pan and burnt in the last 5 minutes.

• Always label preserves with the date that you made them or a use-by date so you know when you need to eat them by.

• Most preserves will keep happily for at least 12 months but sometimes preserves can go off. Use your common sense – if a preserve smells funny, tastes 'fizzy', has turned brown or discoloured or has grown mould, then don't eat it.

• Making a large batch of preserves can be a labour intensive process, but is extremely rewarding. To share the workload around it's a great idea to organise preserving days with a few friends. Head to the markets to pick up large amounts of whatever is on special, then share the chopping, stirring, bottling and labelling between you.

• Preserves make excellent and affordable gifts. Give them a pretty label and tie them up with some ribbon. Your friends and family are sure to appreciate the handmade touch!