Twentieth century home cook book

Fruits, and How to Can. — Fruits for canning should be of the best quality, and not over ripe. Berries and all that kind of fruits are to be cooked in the syrup and then ladled into cans. The cans should always sit in a hot-water bath whilst being filled. Fit on the cover and pour the wax around the cover of the lid. The wax must cover every crevice. Set the cans carefully away, and in three or four days examine them to see that they are perfectly tight. Those that are not so must be reheated and rewaxed. Examine again in a week or ten days for signs of ferment. If these directions are carefully observed, tin is as good as glass, provided it is clean and bright, and again thoroughly cleaned and dried the minute the fruit is taken out. Then, if put away in a perfectly dry place, the fruit will remain perfect for years. III. How to Preserve Fruit. We give a table of the time different fruits should be boiled, and the amount of sugar per quart, can or jar. Thus any person by observing the foregoing rules may can any of the articles named: TIME OF BOILING FRUIT. Cherries, moderately, 5 minutes. Raspberries, moderately, 6 Blackberries, moderately, .... 6 Plums, moderately, 10 Strawberries, moderately, .... 15 Whortleberries, moderately, ... 5 Pie plant, sliced, 10 Small sour pears, whole, 30 Bartlett pears, in halves, 20 Peaches, in halves, 8 Peaches, whole, 15 Pineapples, sliced, 15 Siberian or crab-apples, whole, . . 25 Scur apples, quartered, 10 Kipe currants, . 6 Wild grapes, 10 Tomatoes, 20 AMOUNT OF SUGAR TO A QUAUT CAN OR JAR. For Cherries, 6 ounces. " Raspberries, 4 " " Blackberries, 6 " " Field blackberries, 6 " " Strawberries, 8 " " Whortleberries, 4 " " Quinces, 10 " " Small sour pears whole, .... 8 " " Wild grapes, 8 " " Peaches, 4 " " Bartlett pears, 6 " " Pineapples, 6 " " Siberian or crab-apples, .... 8 " " Pie plant, 10 " " Plums, 8 " " Sour apples, 6 " " Ripe currants, 8 " All stone fruits should be pitted, and pip fruits— apples, pears, etc., should be peeled and have the core removed. Berries are cooked in their natural state. PRESERVING, DRYING AND CANNING FRUIT. 57 IV. Canning Whole Fruit— Peaches. The directions for canning peaches will serve for all fruits that arc to retain their shape. Select fruit of firm and good quality. It is nonsense to suppose that inferior fruit is good enough to can. Pare and place in a steamer over boiling water. Put a dish under the fruit to catch the juice, afterwards to be strained and added to the syrup. Let them steam according directions in the table, or until they may be pierced with a broom straw. Make a syrup of the best sugar, have it boiling hot, dip the fruit into the syrup and put it into the cans or jars. Then pour over the boiling syrup to fill the vessel. Seal immediately over the steam. When Glass is Used. — If glass is used the jars should be set in the water bath on straw or folded cloth, and come to a boiling heat gradually, or they will break. Another thing to be remembered, is, that syrup should be well skimmed before being poured over the fruit. V. Canning Tomatoes. Pour scalding water over tomatoes that are ripe, but not too ripe. Remove the skins, slice, cook in a porcelain-lined kettle, with a little salt, pour hot into the cans and seal. Those that are to be used during the winter may be put into wide-mouthed jugs of one gallon each, since in cold weather they will keep for some time after being opened. VI. Canning Vegetables.