CANNED FRUIT, PRESERVES, AND JELLIES: HOUSEHOLD METHODS OF PREPARATION TEXT

partially filled with boiling water. After a few minutes the basket is lifted from the boiling water, plunged for a moment into cold water, and the fruit is ready to have the skin drawn off. [Illustration: FIG. 2.--Wire sieve.] A strong wire sieve is a necessity when purées of fruit are to be made (fig. 2). These sieves are known as purée sieves. They are made of strong wire and in addition have supports of still stronger wire. [Illustration: FIG. 3.--Fruit pricker.] A fruit pricker is easily made and saves time (fig. 3). Cut a piece half an inch deep from a broad cork; press through this a dozen or more coarse darning needles; tack the cork on a piece of board. Strike the fruit on the bed of needles, and you have a dozen holes at once. When the work is finished, remove the cork from the board, wash and dry thoroughly. A little oil on the needles will prevent rusting. With needles of the size suggested there is little danger of the points breaking, but it is worth remembering that the use of pricking machines was abandoned in curing prunes on a commercial scale in California because the steel needles broke and remained in the fruit. [Illustration: FIG. 4.--Wooden vegetable masher.] A wooden vegetable masher is indispensable when making jellies and purées (fig. 4). [Illustration: FIG. 5.--Glass cylinder (A) and sirup gauge (B).] A sirup gauge and glass cylinder (fig. 5 A and B) are not essential to preserving, canning, and jelly making, but they are valuable aids in getting the right proportion of sugar for fruit or jelly. The sirup gauge costs about 50 cents and the cylinder about 25 cents. A lipped cylinder that holds a little over a gill is the best size. Small iron rings, such as sometimes come off the hub of cart wheels, may be used instead of a tripod for slightly raising the preserving kettles from the hot stove or range. To make a flannel straining bag, take a square piece of flannel (27 by 27 inches is a good size), fold it to make a three-cornered bag, stitch one of the sides, cut the top square across, bind the opening with strong, broad tape, stitch on this binding four tapes with which to tie the bag to a frame. To use this bag, tie it to a strong frame or to the backs of two kitchen chairs. If the chairs are used, place some heavy articles in them; or the bag may hang on a pole (a broom handle) which rests on the backs of the chairs. A high stool turned upside down makes a good support for the bag. Put a bowl on the floor under the bag, then pour in the fruit juice, which will pass through comparatively clear. Before it is used the bag should be washed and boiled in clear water. SELECTION AND PREPARATION OF THE FRUIT. The selection of fruit is one of the first steps in obtaining successful results. The flavor of fruit is not developed until it is fully ripe, but the time at which the fruit is at its best for canning, jelly making, etc., is just before it is perfectly ripe. In all soft fruits the fermentative stage follows closely upon the perfectly ripe stage; therefore it is better to use underripe rather than overripe fruit. This is especially important in jelly making for another reason also: In overripe fruit the pectin begins to lose its jelly-making quality. All fruits should, if possible, be freshly picked for preserving, canning, and jelly making. No imperfect fruit should be canned or preserved. Gnarly fruit may be used for jellies or marmalades by cutting out defective portions. Bruised spots should be cut out of peaches and pears. In selecting small-seeded fruits, like berries, for canning, those having a small proportion of seed to pulp should be chosen. In dry seasons berries have a larger proportion of seeds to pulp than in a wet or normal season, and it is not wise to can or preserve such fruit unless the seeds are removed. The fruit should be rubbed through a sieve that is fine enough to keep back the seeds. The strained pulp can be preserved as a purée or marmalade. When fruit is brought into the house put it where it will keep cool and crisp until you are ready to use it. The preparation of fruit for the various processes of preserving is the second important step. System will do much to lighten the work. Begin by having the kitchen swept and dusted thoroughly, that there need not be a large number of mold spores floating about. Dust with a damp cloth. Have plenty of hot water and pans in which jars and utensils may be sterilized. Have at hand all necessary utensils, towels, sugar, etc. Prepare only as much fruit as can be cooked while it still retains its color and crispness. Before beginning to pare fruit have some sirup ready, if that is to be used, or if sugar is to be added to the fruit have it weighed or measured. Decide upon the amount of fruit you will cook at one time, then have two bowls--one for the sugar and one for the fruit--that will hold just the quantity of each. As the fruit is pared or hulled, as the case may be, drop it into its measuring bowl. When the measure is full put the fruit and sugar in the preserving kettle. While this is cooking another measure may be prepared and put in the second preserving kettle. In this way the fruit is cooked quickly and put in the jars and sealed at once, leaving the pans ready to sterilize another set of jars. If the fruit is to be preserved or canned with sirup, it may be put into the jars as fast as it is prepared. As soon as a jar is full, pour in enough sirup to cover it. If several people are helping and large kettles are being used for the preserving, or where fruit (like quinces and hard pears) must be first boiled in clear water, the pared fruit should be dropped into a bowl of cold water made slightly acid with lemon juice (one tablespoonful of lemon juice to a quart of water). This will keep the fruit white. All large, hard fruit must be washed before paring. Quinces should be rubbed with a coarse towel before they are washed. If berries must be washed, do the work before stemming or hulling them. The best way to wash berries is to put a small quantity into a colander and pour cold water over them; then turn them on a sieve to drain. All this work must be done quickly that the fruit may not absorb much water. Do not use the fingers for hulling strawberries. A simple huller can be bought for five cents. If practicable pare fruit with a silver knife, so as not to stain or darken the product. The quickest and easiest way to peel peaches is to drop them into boiling water for a few minutes. Have a deep kettle a little more than half full of boiling water; fill a wire basket with peaches; put a long-handled spoon under the handle of the basket and lower into the boiling water. At the end of three minutes lift the basket out by slipping the spoon under the handle. Plunge the basket for a moment into a pan of cold water. Let the peaches drain a minute, then peel. Plums and tomatoes may be peeled in the same manner. If the peaches are to be canned in sirup, put them at once into the sterilized jars. They may be canned whole or in halves. If in halves, remove nearly all the stones or pits. For the sake of the flavor, a few stones should be put in each jar. When preparing cherries, plums, or crab apples for canning or preserving, the stem or a part of it may be left on the fruit. When preparing to make jelly have ready the cheese-cloth strainer, enameled colander, wooden spoons, vegetable masher, measures, tumblers, preserving kettles, and sugar. If currant jelly is to be made, free the fruit from leaves and large stems. If the jelly is to be made from any of the other small fruits, the stems and hulls must be removed. When the jelly is to be made from any of the large fruits the important part of the preparation is to have the fruit washed clean, then to remove the stem and the blossom end. Nearly all the large fruits are better for having the skin left on. Apples and pears need not be cored. There is so much gummy substance in the cores of quinces that it is best not to use this portion in making fine jelly. MAKING SIRUP FOR USE IN CANNING AND PRESERVING. Such sirups as are used in canning and preserving are made with varying proportions of water and sugar. When the proportion of sugar is large and that of the water small the sirup is said to be heavy. When the water predominates the sirup is light. There are several methods of measuring the proportion of sugar in a sirup. The most scientific and accurate is with the sirup gauge. Careful measurement or weighing is, however, quite satisfactory for all ordinary work if the sirup need not be boiled a long time. In boiling the water evaporates and the sirup grows thicker and richer. The amount of evaporation depends upon the surface exposed and the pressure of the atmosphere. For example, if a large quantity of sirup is boiled in a deep kettle the evaporation will not be rapid. If the same quantity of sirup were boiled the same length of time in a broad, shallow kettle the water would evaporate more rapidly and the sirup would be thicker and heavier. If a given quantity of sirup were boiled the same length of time in a high altitude, Colorado for example, and at the sea level, it would be found that the sirup boiled at the sea level would be thicker and less in volume than that boiled in Colorado. From this it will be seen that it is difficult to say what proportion of sugar a sirup will contain after it has been boiling ten or more minutes. Of course by the use of the sirup gauge the proportion of sugar in a sirup may be ascertained at any stage of the boiling. After all, however, it is possible to measure sugar and water so that you can know the percentage of sugar when the sirup begins to boil. The following statement gives the percentage of sugar at the time when the sirup has been boiling one minute and also what kind of sirup is suitable for the various kinds of fruit: One pint sugar and 1 gill of water gives sirup of 40° density: Use for preserved strawberries and cherries. One pint sugar and one-half pint water gives sirup of 32° density. One pint sugar and 3 gills water gives sirup of 28° density: Use either this or the preceding for preserved peaches, plums, quinces, currants, etc. One pint sugar and 1 pint water gives sirup of 24° density: Use for canned acid fruits. One pint sugar and 1½ pints water gives sirup of 17° density. One pint sugar and 2 pints water gives sirup of 14° density: Use either of these two light sirups for canned pears, peaches, sweet plums, and cherries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. The lightest sirups may be used for filling up the jars after they are taken from the oven or boiler. The process of making a sirup is very simple, but there are a few points that must be observed if sirup and fruit are to be perfect. Put the sugar and water in the saucepan and stir on the stove until all the sugar is dissolved. Heat slowly to the boiling point and boil gently without stirring. The length of time that the sirup should boil will depend upon how rich it is to be. All sirups are better for boiling from ten to thirty minutes. If rich sirups are boiled hard, jarred, or stirred they are apt to crystallize. The sirup may be made a day or two in advance of canning time. The light sirups will not keep long unless sealed, but the heavy sirups keep well if covered well. USE OF THE SIRUP GAUGE. The sirup gauge is a graduated glass tube, with a weighted bulb, that registers from 0° to 50°, and that is employed to determine the quantity of sugar contained in a sirup. If this gauge is placed in pure water the bulb will rest on the bottom of the cylinder or other container. If sugar be dissolved in the water the gauge will begin to float. The more sugar there is dissolved in the water the higher the gauge will rise. In making tests it is essential that the sirup should be deep enough to reach the zero point of the gauge. If a glass cylinder holding about half a gill is filled to about two-thirds its height, and the gauge is then placed in the cylinder, the quantity of sugar in the sirup will be registered on the gauge. Experiments have demonstrated that when sugar is dissolved and heated in fruit juice, if the sirup gauge registers 25°, the proportion of sugar is exactly right for combining with the pectin bodies to make jelly. The sirup gauge and the glass cylinder must both be heated gradually that the hot sirup may not break them. If the gauge registers more than 25°, add a little more fruit juice. If, on the other hand, it registers less than 25°, add more sugar. In making sirups for canning and preserving fruits, the exact amount of sugar in a sirup may be ascertained at any stage of boiling, and the sirup be made heavier by adding sugar, or lighter by adding water, as the case demands. CANNING FRUIT. This method of preserving fruit for home use is from all points the most desirable. It is the easiest and commonly considered the most economical and the best, because the fruit is kept in a soft and juicy condition in which it is believed to be easily digested. The wise housekeeper will can her principal fruit supply, making only enough rich preserves to serve for variety and for special occasions. The success of canning depends upon absolute sterilization. If the proper care is exercised there need be no failure, except in rare cases, when a spore has developed in the can. There are several methods of canning; and while the principle is the same in all methods, the conditions under which the housekeeper must do her work may, in her case, make one method more convenient than another. For this reason three will be given which are considered the best and easiest. These are: Cooking the fruit in the jars in an oven; cooking the fruit in the jars in boiling water; and stewing the fruit before it is put in the jars. The quantity of sugar may be increased if the fruit is liked sweet. It is most important that the jars, covers, and rubber rings be in perfect condition. Examine each jar and cover to see that there is no defect in it. Use only fresh rubber rings, for if the rubber is not soft and elastic the sealing will not be perfect. Each year numbers of jars of fruit are lost because of the false economy in using an old ring that has lost its softness and elasticity. Having the jars, covers, and rings in perfect condition, the next thing is to wash and sterilize them. Have two pans partially filled with cold water. Put some jars in one, laying them on their sides, and some covers in the other. Place the pans on the stove where the water will heat to the boiling point. The water should boil at least ten or fifteen minutes. Have on the stove a shallow milk pan in which there is about 2 inches of boiling water. Sterilize the cups, spoons, and funnel, if you use one, by immersing in boiling water for a few minutes. When ready to put the prepared fruit in the jars slip a broad skimmer under a jar and lift it and drain free of water. Set the jar in the shallow milk pan and fill to overflowing with the boiling fruit. Slip a silver-plated knife or the handle of a spoon around the inside of the jar, that the fruit and juice may be packed solidly. Wipe the rim of the jar, dip the rubber ring in boiling water and put it smoothly on the jar, then put on the cover and fasten. Place the jar on a board and out of a draft of cold air. The work of filling and sealing must be done rapidly, and the fruit must be boiling hot when it is put into the jars. If screw covers are used, it will be necessary to tighten them after the glass has cooled and contracted. When the fruit is cold wipe the jars with a wet cloth. Paste on the labels, if any, and put the jars on shelves in a cool, dark closet. In canning, any proportion of sugar may be used, or fruit may be canned without the addition of any sugar. However, that which is designed to be served as a sauce should have the sugar cooked with it. Fruit intended for cooking purposes need not have the sugar added to it. Juicy fruits, such as berries and cherries, require little or no water. Strawberries are better not to have water added to them. The only exception to this is when they are cooked in a heavy sirup. RASPBERRIES. 12 quarts of raspberries. 2 quarts of sugar. Put 2 quarts of the fruit in the preserving kettle; heat slowly on the stove; crush with a wooden vegetable masher; spread a square of cheese cloth over a bowl, and turn the crushed berries and juice into it. Press out the juice, which turn into the preserving kettle. Add the sugar and put on the stove; stir until the sugar is dissolved. When the sirup begins to boil, add the remaining 10 quarts of berries. Let them heat slowly. Boil ten minutes, counting from the time they begin to bubble. Skim well while boiling. Put in cans and seal as directed. RASPBERRIES AND CURRANTS. 10 quarts of raspberries. 3 quarts of currants. 2½ quarts of sugar. Heat, crush, and press the juice from the currants and proceed as directed for raspberries. BLACKBERRIES. The same as for raspberries. CURRANTS. 12 quarts of currants. 4 quarts of sugar. Treat the same as for raspberries. GOOSEBERRIES. 6 quarts of berries. 1½ quarts of sugar. 1 pint of water. For green gooseberries dissolve the sugar in the water, then add the fruit and cook fifteen minutes. Ripe gooseberries are to be treated the same as the green fruit, but use only half as much water. Green gooseberries may also be canned the same as rhubarb (see p. 18). BLUEBERRIES. 12 quarts of berries. 1 quart of sugar. 1 pint of water. Put water, berries, and sugar in the preserving kettle; heat slowly. Boil fifteen minutes, counting from the time the contents of the kettle begin to bubble. CHERRIES. 6 quarts of cherries. 1½ quarts of sugar. ½ pint of water. Measure the cherries after the stems have been removed. Stone them or not, as you please. If you stone them be careful to save all the juice. Put the sugar and water in the preserving kettle and stir over the fire until the sugar is dissolved. Put in the cherries and heat slowly to the boiling point. Boil ten minutes, skimming carefully. GRAPES. 6 quarts of grapes. 1 quart of sugar. 1 gill of water. Squeeze the pulp of the grapes out of the skins. Cook the pulp five minutes and then rub through a sieve that is fine enough to hold back the seeds. Put the water, skins, and pulp into the preserving kettle and heat slowly to the boiling point. Skim the fruit and then add the sugar. Boil fifteen minutes. Sweet grapes may be canned with less sugar; very sour ones may have more. RHUBARB. Cut the rhubarb when it is young and tender. Wash it thoroughly and then pare; cut into pieces about 2 inches long. Pack in sterilized jars. Fill the jars to overflowing with cold water and let them stand ten minutes. Drain off the water and fill again to overflowing with fresh cold water. Seal with sterilized rings and covers. When required for use, treat the same as fresh rhubarb. Green gooseberries may be canned in the same manner. Rhubarb may be cooked and canned with sugar in the same manner as gooseberries. PEACHES. 8 quarts of peaches. 1 quart of sugar. 3 quarts of water. Put the sugar and water together and stir over the fire until the sugar is dissolved. When the sirup boils skim it. Draw the kettle back where the sirup will keep hot but not boil. Pare the peaches, cut in halves, and remove the stones, unless you prefer to can the fruit whole. Put a layer of the prepared fruit into the preserving kettle and cover with some of the hot sirup. When the fruit begins to boil, skim carefully. Boil gently for ten minutes, then put in the jars and seal. If the fruit is not fully ripe it may require a little longer time to