Miss Corson's practical American cookery and household management

To can fruit without sugar, put it into the jars after it is prepared, set the jars on a rack of wooden slats in a large boiler ; pour in cold water enough to reach half way up the sides of the cans, spread a cloth over the top of the boiler, and put on the cover ; place the boiler over the fire ; when the steam begins to escape freely, note the time, and continue the cooking of the fruit according to its size : in ordinary quart cans, the small berries will cook in fifteen minutes ; the large berries, grapes, cherries, and currants, in about twenty minutes ; peaches, pears, plums, cut apples, pineapples, and most other large fruit, in twenty minutes : quinces and hard pears require half an hour. After the fruit is done, the boiler should be removed from the fire, and as soon as the jars can be handled with the aid of folded dry towels the covers should be screwed on ; when the jars are cool, the covers should be tightened, and the fruit put away in a cool, dark place. PRESERVES AND JELLIES. The making of preserves and jellies was formerly much more the test of excellence among housekeepers than it is now. So many preserved and canned fruits are to be bought at reasonable prices, and of varying qualities, that even careful housekeepers use them. For the guidance of those who prefer the home-made kinds, two points may be emphasized : i.e., the keeping of preserves depends both upon the proportion of sugar used, and their thorough cooking ; and the excellence of jellies, upon the clear quality of the fruit-juice, and the boiling of the jelly until a little of it, cooled on a saucer, hardens or thickens to the desired consistency. The general principles given in one recipe apply to all the others of a similar kind. All jellies and preserves should be entirely closed from the air, and kept in a cool, dark place. If they show any sign of fermentation or mould, they should be boiled at once, with a little more sugar, and again closed from the air. JELLY-BAGS. The first cut shows a flannel jelly-bag tied upon a frame, Jelly-Bag on Frame, with a Utensil placed underneath to receive the jelly as it runs through the bag. The second figure represents a kitchen rush-stool turned over, with a straining-cloth tied upon the bottom of the legs of the stool ; if a little depression is left in the centre of the cloth, and a utensil set under t upon the rush of the stool, this improvised strainer will Improvised Straining-Cloth for Soups and Jellies. serve the purpose of straining when a jelly-bag is not at hand. Or a fine towel may be folded twice, and laid in a colander set over an earthen bowl, and the jelly or broth strained through it. PINEAPPLE JELLY.