Conditioning/"formatting" new batteries: update in 1st post

Is there a way to do this with an ordinary multimeter without buying another device? I don't really need to monitor amp-hours, at least not yet -- I just want to see how many amps the panel is jamming into the battery at any particular time. I can then roughly extrapolate total amp-hours, even though I know that the peak level can't be sustained all day. Also, if there were a way to monitor amps, I could fine-tune my positioning of the portable panel.