Science of food & cookery

Eggs may be kept from 8 to 10 months, at small expense, by the use of water glass ; and a little timely effort in this respect may prove of great value when the price of eggs is prohibitive. For success in preserving eggs by water glass, a little caution on the following points is positively necessary: The eggs must be absolutely fresh, preferably not more than 2 days old. (Infertile eggs are the best.) The shells must be clean, and free from the smallest crack. Clean crocks are the best containers, and preferably not over 2 or 3 gallons for family use, as the eggs at the bottom of a large crock are liable to crack, and they will be used last. Water glass is a pale, yellow, odorless, sirupy liquid, and is known to the chemist as silicate. Use I part silicate to 9 parts water distilled, or boiled and cooled. Mix well. Fill the crock half full of the liquid, and place the eggs in it carefully, so as to avoid cracking the shells. The eggs may be added a few at a time, if desired, until the container is about full. The liquid should extend constantly 2 inches above the eggs in the container. Cover the crock, and set in a cool, dark place. If the liquid evaporates, it should be replaced with boiled and cooled water. For use, rinse in cold water, and use immediately. For boiling purposes, they are good for at least 6 months, and should first have a tiny hole pricked in the large end, to obviate cracking, as the pores of the shell are sealed tight from the silicate. After 7 months, the white becomes thinner, and the yolk membrane more delicate. Nevertheless they are good for cakes, custards, scrambled eggs, and for cooking purposes generally, up to 10 or 12 months. FRUITS Fruits are usually slightly acid, and in general, do not support bacterial growth. Thus canned fruits are more commonly fermented by yeasts, if improperly sterilized. The yeast plant is destroyed by heat at less than boiling temperature ; hence the destruction of bacteria may be left out of consideration in the canning of fruits. Fruit should not be subjected to -long cooking, but should be cooked only long enough to insure its preservation. A large quantity of sugar spoils the flavor of the fruit, and is likely to make it less easily digested. SELECTION OF FRUIT The selection of fruit is one of the first steps toward successful canning-. The flavor is not developed until the fruit is fully ripe; but the fruit is at its best for canning and for jelly making just before it is perfectly ripe. In all the soft fruits, the fermentative stage follows closely upon the perfectly ripe stage. Therefore underripe fruit is better than overripe, for canning purposes. This is especially important in jelly making, for the reason that in the overripe fruit, the pectin begins to lose its jelly-making quality. The fruit should be carefully sorted ; perfectly ripe fruit and unripe fruit should not be cooked in the same jar. SIRUPS The quantity of sugar that should be used will vary with the kind of fruit, and somewhat with the locality in which it is grown. The following may be taken as an average ; more or less sugar may be used as the case may require. Apricots, 2 to 2^/2. quarts water to I quart sugar