To Preserve Flowers and Fruit

Ingredients

• any kind of medium sized box
• Put a shovel of live coals in an iron pan
• sprinkle over the coals two ounces of sulphur
• immersing them in a solution of gum arabic and water

Method

1. 1

   Procure a box, tacking strips of wood inside for rods to hang flowers.

2. 2

   Place live coals in an iron pan, sprinkle with sulphur, and cover the box.

3. 3

   Leave for 24 hours.

4. 4

   For gum arabic, immerse flowers in the solution multiple times, allowing to dry between immersions.

As published

This recipe was extracted from The household (of the Detroit free press) (1886) by Goff, May Perrin,, page 281. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

TO PRESERVE FLOWERS AND FRUIT. Take the whitest river or bay sand, and wash clean. Heat very hot, so as to dry it thoroughly, then let it cool. Take any kind of medium sized box and place enough sand in it to hold the flowers in position. Put a little of the sand in a coarse sieve and gently rub through until the flowers are well covered. Set by a stove or in some warm place until dry. If the flowers have thick petals, the sand will have to be changed once in two days, each time covering the flowers with dry sand. The only trouble is to know when the process is completed, as plants differ in time required. Marigolds, zinnias and larkspur retain their colors and look very pretty. Autumn leaves and grasses can be dried in this way and will repay anyone who will try this simple method. All flowers intended to be 318 TO PRESER VE FLO WERS AND FRUIT. dried by the sand bath should be picked after the dew has dried on them. Flowers may also be preserved with sulphur, by the following pro- cess : Procure a moderate-sized box (a tea-box will answer), and across the tcp, on the inside, tack two narrow strips of wood on opposite sides, upon which rests thin rods for the flowers to hang from. Have a small door cut in on one side at the lower part, which must open and close by means of two hinges. It is absolutely essential that the box should be perfectly air-tight. Arrange the flowers in clusters of two to a dozen, according to the size. Tie them and hang the clusters to the rod, but not near enough to touch each other. Put a shovel of live coals in an iron pan, spread- ing them over the bottom. Place it in the box, and sprinkle over the coals two ounces of sulphur. Then place the lid on the box. 'The small door is kept open for a few minutes. Glance in to see that there are no flames, but only the fumes of the sulphur. Close the door, throw a thick blanket over the box, and leave it for twenty-four hours. Upon exposing the flowers to the air, the color which has been bleached out of them will return. Should you desire to brighten them, it can be done by the application of a little paint. As the success of this experiment depends entirely upon the exclusion of the air, the box must be as air-tight as it can be made. The room, too, in which the box is placed must be perfectly dry. Or, fruit and flowers may be preserved from decay and fading, by immersing them in a solution of gum arabic and water

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.