A practical cook and text book for general use

In this connection it is well to suggest to those who think they "can't eat fruit;" that the digestive organs, having for a long time been accustomed to other food have adjusted themselves to that, and the fact that they do not immediately take kindly to a new diet, is no argument against its being a better or more natural diet. Had they — the organs — been accustomed from childhood to a fruit diet, there would have been equal rebellion at a change therefrom to your present food. Moreover, few people refuse to accustom their systems to the effects of arsenic, mercury, morphine or brandy, when the physician considers it necessary, notwithstanding the fact that their stomachs have not hitherto been used to the action of those articles. Later ills are calmly asserted to be "only the effects of the medicine," and equally if some unpleasant results are experienced from a beneficial change of diet, why may the remedial diet not be continued and any present discomfort be simply assigned to "the effects of the medicine." The Grape Cure has become very popular in some countries where it is claimed that the free use of this fruit will cure certain classes of disease and in our own country if grapes were made into unfermented wine and used more freely as food and drink, unquestionably there would be a decrease in the use of the products of the distillery and an increase of better health and morals. Happily for us, the unfermented grape juice industry has already assumed respectable proportions, and this " bottled sunshine " is rapidly taking the place of alcoholic stimulants in the practice of physicians. Dr. John Ellis says : " It is a healthy life giving fluid, abundantly capable of nourishing the body, and making warm and glad the heart of man." For many years the author has used grape juice of home canning, and found it an excellent tonic as well as food. It is however to be had in market and as large companies have greater facilities for canning without water it becomes the concentrated, unfermented wine of the living grape, a perfect food or drink. The following recipes are for obtaining the fruit juices, when one does not own a fruit press. Grape Juice Canned. Select ripe grapes of the best varieties. Thus far, the Concord has yielded the best results. Stem and wash them, put in a sauce kettle with very little water ; heat them to extract the juice and strain through cheese cloth, or jelly bag. Return to kettle, heat, skim and can boiling hot, or bottle as in the following recipe. Small Fruit Juices. Wash and crush the fruit, add a little water and bring to the boiling point. Strain through a thin cloth or jelly bag. Return to sauce kettle, let it come to a boil, skim, and can boiling hot. Or you may put it in small bottles, with solid, well fitting, new corks. Fill the bottles completely with the boiling juice, cork tightly, and cover the cork with cotton batting or three or four thicknesses of white wadding, which should be tied closely with a cord around the neck of the bottle. Can without sugar and use very little water in fruit juice, for it may be reduced as much as necessary when opened. Orange and Lemon Juice Canned. Purchase them in quantity when cheap. Remove skins and seeds, rejecting also the white skin which is bitter. Put in sauce kettle, heat to extract the juice, strain and treat as other fruit juice, without sugar.