Foods and home making

5. The time of processing vegetables in the pressure cooker should be counted as soon as the cans are placed in the cooker. 6. Vegetables canned in the pressure cooker should be put in the jars cold. 7. Taste no canned food that appears to be spoiled. 8. Store jars in a light place. 9. Cans having bulged ends contain spoiled foods. 10. Fruits should be stored immediately after canning. HOME WORK If you have a pressure cooker, can, if possible, non-acid vegetables.. If you have no pressure cooker, can, if possible, some tomatoes. If the vegetables are canned in glass jars, score them according to the score card on page 521. CHAPTER XXXIX PRESERVES, CONSERVES, JELLY, AND SPICED FRUIT Can you answer these questions ? If not, look for the answers as you study this chapter. 1. What wholesome substances may be used in canned fruit to help preserve it ? 2. What is the chief difference between preserves and canned fruit? 3. Why do some fruits fail to jelly? 4. What fruits are especially good for making jelly? 5. How can fruit juices be tested to find whether jelly can be made from them? 6. Why should sugar used in making jelly be heated before it is added to the fruit juice? 7. How does jam differ from jelly? 8. Why is jelly sealed in a different way from canned fruit? 9. For what two reasons is the rind of oranges used in making orange marmalade? Does sugar help in preserving foods ? An answer to this question may be obtained from the following : Experiment 34: To learn whether sugar helps to prevent fruits from spoiling. (a) Put 2 thin slices of peaches or other fruit on a dish. Sprinkle sugar generously on both sides of one of the slices. Allow the dish to stand for at least 24 hours. Examine each slice. What change has taken place in the slice without sugar? Is the fruit spoiled? ( b ) Has the same change taken place in the slice with sugar? Is the sugared fruit spoiled ? When fruit is canned , a sirup is used which generally contains less sugar than water or equal parts of sugar and water. When fruit is preserved or made into jam and similar mixtures, more 532 Preserves, Conserves, Jelly, Spiced Fruit 533 sugar than water is used. The large amount of sugar helps to keep the fruit from spoiling. Because so much sugar is used in making jam and like mix- tures, the jam is put into glasses and sealed in a different way from canned fruit. The open-kettle method is used for making preserves, jams, and similar products. How are preserves made? Preserves are usually made in the same way as canned fruits except that the sirup in which they are cooked contains more sugar. PRESERVES To tell how much sugar to use, weigh the fruit after it is ready for cooking. For cherries, currants, and plums use equal weights of sugar and fruit. Use three-fourths as much sugar as fruit for spiced peaches, quinces, strawberries, and raspberries. Remembering that a pound of sugar measures 2 cups, use 1 cup of water with each pound of sugar. Bring the sirup to a boil and add fruit. Cook until tender. Seal in jars in the same way as canned fruit. Strawberries are often preserved by following the method given in the time table on page 519. When the berries stand over night in sirup, some of the sirup is absorbed by the berries. The fruit thus becomes more plump.