Select firm, fresh fruit ; wash and dry thoroughly ( drain on cheese- cloth until dry.) Hull berries; weigh fruit out. Use l1/-? times as much sugar as fruit✪ Old Fashioned Strawberry and Raspberry Preserves. Place berries in an earthern dish and mash with a silver fork. Add sugar gradually, beating all the time until all has been added. Then beat 20 minutes, still with silver fork. Pour into sterilized glass jars and seal. This is the only method to retain the nat- ural color of the strawberries; and the preserve will keep beautifully. It is splendid for strawberry shortcake in mid- winter; it looks like fresh fruit and tastes delicious. It is most important that the jars, rubber rings, and covers be in perfect condition. Examine each jar and cover to see if there are any defects. Use only fresh rubber rings ; for if the rubber is not soft and elastic, the sealing will not be perfect. Each year numbers of jars are lost because of the false economy of using rubbers that have lost their softness and pliability. Having jars, rubbers, and rings in perfect condition, the next thing to do is to sterilize. STERILIZATION Method I. Wash jars thoroughly; place on a trivet in a tin pan in the oven, and allow to bake for twenty minutes. Method II. Wash jars thoroughly and place upside down on a trivet in a kettle. Surround with cold water nearly covering them; then cover the kettle, so as to subject them to steam. Let the water come to the boiling point. The covers can be placed in the same kettle, but not under the jars. FILLING OF JAES. While filling, stand jars on a towel in a pan of hot water; or place the towel in the pan and then pour boiling water over it. Put fruit in scalding hot, and fill to overflowing. Eun silver knife or spoon- LABORATORY COOK HOOK. L5 handle down sides to liberate the air there, which causes little '"air- bubbles.'' Refill and screw on cover. When fruit is thoroughly cold, re-screw cover so it will be perfectly tight. The work of filling and sealing jars must be done rapidly and the fruit must be boiling hot when put into jars. If screw-covers are used, it will be found necessary to tighten them after the glass has cooled and contracted. When the fruit is cold, wipe jars with a wet cloth ; paste on labels, and put the jars on shelves in a cool dark closet. After jellies are firm and perfectly solid, pour melted paraffin e over them, and seal with tin covers or pieces of paper dipped in pure grain alcohol. SYRUP MAKING. In canning, any proportion of sugar and water may be used or fruit may be canned without the addition of sugar. That which is designed to serve as sauce should have sugar cooked with it. Fruit in- tended for cooking purposes need not have any sugar added to it. It has been found possible to measure the water and the sugar, so that the percentage of sugar in a syrup can be found when the syrup begins to boil. This can be found by the aid of a sugar-gauge; but the following table will be found all that is necessary for ordinary cooking. SUGAR TABLE. I. 1 pint sugar plus one-half cup water equals a syrup of 40° density (i. e. heaviness, or richness.) Use for preserved strawberries and cherries. II. 1 pint sugar plus 1 cup water equals 32° density. (See note un- der III.) III. 1 pint sugar plus 1% cups water equals 28° density. Note: Use either II. or III. for preserved peaches, plums, quinces currants, etc.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Select firm, fresh fruit ; wash and dry thoroughly ( drain on cheesecloth until dry.) Hull berries; weigh fruit out. Use 1½ times as much sugar as fruit. Place berries in an earthern dish and mash with a silver fork. Add sugar gradually, beating all the time until all has been added. Then beat 20 minutes, still with silver fork. Pour into sterilized glass jars and seal. This is the only method to retain the natural color of the strawberries; and the preserve will keep beautifully. It is splendid for strawberry shortcake in mid- winter; it looks like fresh fruit and tastes delicious. It is most important that the jars, rubber rings, and covers be in perfect condition. Examine each jar and cover to see if there are any defects. Use only fresh rubber rings ; for if the rubber is not soft and elastic, the sealing will not be perfect. Each year numbers of jars are lost because of the false economy of using rubbers that have lost their softness and pliability. Having jars, rubbers, and rings in perfect condition, the next thing to do is to sterilize. STERILIZATION Method I. Wash jars thoroughly; place on a trivet in a tin pan in the oven, and allow to bake for twenty minutes. Method II. Wash jars thoroughly and place upside down on a trivet in a kettle. Surround with cold water nearly covering them; then cover the kettle, so as to subject them to steam. Let the water come to the boiling point. The covers can be placed in the same kettle, but not under the jars. FILLING OF JAES. While filling, stand jars on a towel in a pan of hot water; or place the towel in the pan and then pour boiling water over it. Put fruit in scalding hot, and fill to overflowing. Eun silver knife or spoon- handle down sides to liberate the air there, which causes little '"airbubbles.'' Refill and screw on cover. When fruit is thoroughly cold, re-screw cover so it will be perfectly tight. The work of filling and sealing jars must be done rapidly and the fruit must be boiling hot when put into jars. If screw-covers are used, it will be found necessary to tighten them after the glass has cooled and contracted. When the fruit is cold, wipe jars with a wet cloth ; paste on labels, and put the jars on shelves in a cool dark closet. After jellies are firm and perfectly solid, pour melted paraffin e over them, and seal with tin covers or pieces of paper dipped in pure grain alcohol. SYRUP MAKING. In canning, any proportion of sugar and water may be used or fruit may be canned without the addition of sugar. That which is designed to serve as sauce should have sugar cooked with it. Fruit intended for cooking purposes need not have any sugar added to it. It has been found possible to measure the water and the sugar, so that the percentage of sugar in a syrup can be found when the syrup begins to boil. This can be found by the aid of a sugar-gauge; but the following table will be found all that is necessary for ordinary cooking. SUGAR TABLE. I. 1 pint sugar plus one-half cup water equals a syrup of 40° density (i. e. heaviness, or richness.) Use for preserved strawberries and cherries. II. 1 pint sugar plus 1 cup water equals 32° density. (See note under III.) III. 1 pint sugar plus 1% cups water equals 28° density. Note: Use either II. or III. for preserved peaches, plums, quinces currants, etc.

Records on this page

Old Fashioned Strawberry and Raspberry Preserves

The Worcester domestic science school's one year course laboratory cook book