FoodNet

Foods and household management

1914

Page 57 · 2 recipe records on this page

Presented as published in 1914. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
A good method for peaches, apricots, and qmnces. Select firm and handsome fruit and prepare it carefully. AUow a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit. (What is the measure of a pound of sugar?) Place enough water in the kettle to cover the fruit, dis- solve the sugar in the water, put the fruit into the kettle, and cook very gently until the fruit becomes a clear color. Rapid boiling spoils the shape of the fruit. Do ndt stir at all, but skim off any scum that rises to the top. When the fruit is done, put it with great care into the jars. If the sirup is thin, boU it down for a short time, and then fill the jar. Close the jar as in canning. This is a difficult process for beginners. ^am maMng, and fruit butter. This is the most economical of the preserving processes and the easiest for the novice. It is nothing more than a fruit sauce, with a larger amount of sugar than usual to assist in its preservation. Soft and somewhat imperfect fruit may be ,used. If in the basket of fruit bought for canning or preserving there are some fully ripe or poorly shaped specimens, these may be used for jam. For jam proper allow a pint <of sugar to a ppund of fruit. Cook the fruit with enough water to prevent its sticking to the kettle, using as little as possible. Mash the fruit by stirring it occasionally as it cooks. When the fruit is soft, add the sugar, stir thoroughly, and cook gently for about five minutes. Test by cooling a spoonful on a saucer. The jam should thicken slightly. When ready, pour it into jelly glasses, or somewhat larger earthen jars — !* jam potfe." Seal, as directed for jelly. The fruit butter is even more like fruit sauce than is the jam, for it is softer than jam, and contains less sugar. A cup or only a half 106 FOODS AND HOUSEHOLD MANAGEMENT cup of sugar to the pound of fruitFruit Butter is enough. Proceed exactly as in jam-making. Apple buiter may be flavored ^idth spices, with ginger root and lemon juice, and with other fruits. One or two quinces or a slice of pineapple cooked with the apples gives a pleasing variety. Exercise the inventive faculty here. Jelly making. — There is another principle involved in jelly making in addition to the principle of preservation. Fruit contains a substance known as pectose, one of the carbohydrates, that partially solidifies the fruit juice when the water in the juice is partially evaporated. The addition of sugar helps in this process, but no amount of sugar will sejt the jelly if the pectose is not present. Some fruits have more than others, and also more when not over- ripe. Currants and firm apples are good jelly makers, and serve as a basis for other fruits that do not jelly well. Mellow summer apples do not set well. Crab apples are excellent for this pur- pose. There is another step in this process, the straining out of the juice from the pulp. For this, prepare a jelly bag from firm cotton cloth which has been boiled and washed. This bag must be hung in such a way that the juice drops from the point of the bag into a bowl below. It may be hung upon a stick between two chairs, or upon the rod of a gtrong towel rack over a table.