Science of food & cookery

Peaches, 2^/2 to 3 quarts water to i quart sugar Pears, 3 to 4 quarts water to I quart sugar Plums, I to \y2 quarts water to i quart sugar STERILIZING THE FRUIT Prepare the fruit by paring and coring, and blanching such fruits as require blanching, and pack in hot glass jars. Fill with hot sirup, care being exercised so as not to break the jars. Put on the scalded rubber rings, and screw the tops on with the thumb and the little finger. Set the jars on the false bottom of the boiler (water bath), and add water about the same temperature as the jars, to cover them about I inch. Bring gradually to a boil, and cook for the length of time given in the table, for the particular kind of cooker used. Let soft fruits that have not been blanched before being packed into the jars, stand for half an hour after being filled with hot sirup, before cooking, in order that the fruit may absorb water, and they will not break down so easily in the cooking, but will more nearly resemble fresh fruit. ABOUT BERRIES Berries are a very delicate fruit, and break down very easily when canned by the cold-pack method, and because of this, are generally cooked in the open kettle. For each quart of berries, use i cup of granulated sugar. Put a layer of berries into a granite dish, sprinkle with sugar, cover with another layer of berries, and so on. If extra juice is desired on the fruit, a little water may be added. Let the berries and sugar stand in a cool place for several hours; then drain off the juice, and bring to a boil. Pour in the berries carefully, and shake the dish once in a while to keep the fruit heating evenly. As soon as it comes to a good boil, draw the saucepan to the edge of the stove, and dip into hot jars with a handled cup. Put the covers on quickly, and screw them on. tight. Lay the jars on the side, and turn them once in a while during the cooling; and when they are cold, and set upright, the berries will be evenly distributed through the jar. CANNING FRUIT WITHOUT SUGAR Fruit of any kind suitable for canning may be preserved without sugar. The sugar can be added when the fruit is used, exactly as is done with fresh fruit. If the fruit when canned is thoroughly ripe, it may be eaten without any additional sugar, and is sweet enough for many tastes. The riper the fruit, provided it is sound, the more sugar, flavor, and nutriment it contains. Ripe fruits are excellent for making butters. About i cupful of sugar to 12 cupfuls of fruit pulp should be used if sweet butter is desired; but the following recipe, if followed, will give a butter which has a sweetness and flavor that are greatly relished, without the use of sugar. APRICOT BUTTER Select overripe fruit, the riper the better, provided it is good. Wash and pit. Put through a colander, rejecting the skins. Do not heat the fruit in the skins, as that extracts a strong acid flavor. Cook the pulp down to the desired stiffness, adding neither water nor sugar. Pour into glass jars, with rubbers on, and screw the covers down tight. Place on the false bottom of a water bath, and into the boiler pour water the same temperature as the fruit, until