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+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 30441 ***
+
+U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.
+
+***
+
+FARMERS' BULLETIN No. 203.
+
+***
+
+CANNED FRUIT, PRESERVES, AND JELLIES:
+
+HOUSEHOLD METHODS OF PREPARATION.
+
+BY
+
+MARIA PARLOA.
+
+***
+
+PREPARED UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS,
+A. C. TRUE, DIRECTOR.
+
+[Illustration: UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE]
+
+WASHINGTON:
+
+GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE.
+
+1917.
+
+
+
+
+CANNING AND PRESERVING FRUIT.
+
+***
+
+INTRODUCTION.
+
+
+The common fruits, because of their low nutritive value, are not, as a
+rule, estimated at their real worth as food. Fruit has great dietetic
+value and should be used generously and wisely, both fresh and cooked.
+Fruits supply a variety of flavors, sugar, acids, and a necessary waste
+or bulky material for aiding in intestinal movement. They are generally
+rich in potash and soda salts and other minerals. Most fresh fruits are
+cooling and refreshing. The vegetable acids have a solvent power on the
+nutrients and are an aid to digestion when not taken in excess.
+
+Fruit and fruit juices keep the blood in a healthy condition when the
+supply of fresh meat, fish, and vegetables is limited and salt or smoked
+meats constitute the chief elements of diet. Fresh fruit is generally
+more appetizing and refreshing than cooked. For this reason it is often
+eaten in too large quantities, and frequently when underripe or
+overripe; but when of good quality and eaten in moderate quantities it
+promotes healthy intestinal action and rarely hurts anyone.
+
+If eaten immoderately, uncooked fruit is apt to induce intestinal
+disturbances. If eaten unripe, it often causes stomach and intestinal
+irritation; overripe, it has a tendency to ferment in the alimentary
+canal. Cooking changes the character and flavor of fruit, and while the
+product is not so cooling and refreshing as in the raw state, it can, as
+a rule, be eaten with less danger of causing stomach or intestinal
+trouble. If sugar be added to the cooked fruit, the nutritive value will
+be increased. A large quantity of sugar spoils the flavor of the fruit
+and is likely to make it less easily digested.
+
+Nowhere is there greater need of a generous supply of fruit than on the
+farm, where the diet is apt to be restricted in variety because of the
+distance from markets. Every farmer should raise a generous supply of
+the kinds of fruit that can be grown in his locality. Wives and
+daughters on the farms should find pleasure in serving these fruits in
+the most healthful and tempting form. There are a large number of
+simple, dainty desserts that can be prepared with fruit and without much
+labor. Such desserts should leave the pie as an occasional luxury
+instead of allowing it to be considered a daily necessity.
+
+In the season when each kind of fruit is plentiful and at its best a
+generous supply should be canned for the season when both fruit and
+fresh vegetables are scarce. A great deal of the fruit should be canned
+with little or no sugar, that it may be as nearly as possible in the
+condition of fresh fruit. This is the best condition for cooking
+purposes. A supply of glass jars does cost something, but that item of
+expense should be charged to future years, as with proper care the
+breaking of a jar need be a rare occurrence. If there be an abundance of
+grapes and small, juicy fruits, plenty of juice should be canned or
+bottled for refreshing drinks throughout the year. Remember that the
+fruit and juice are not luxuries, but an addition to the dietary that
+will mean better health for the members of the family and greater
+economy in the cost of the table.
+
+
+
+
+FRESH AND PRESERVED FRUIT FOR THE MARKET.
+
+
+If the supply of fruit is greater than the family needs, it may be made
+a source of income by sending the fresh fruit to the market, if there is
+one near enough, or by preserving, canning, and making jelly for sale.
+To make such an enterprise a success the fruit and work must be first
+class. There is magic in the word "Homemade," when the product appeals
+to the eye and the palate; but many careless and incompetent people have
+found to their sorrow that this word has not magic enough to float
+inferior goods on the market. As a rule large canning and preserving
+establishments are clean and have the best appliances, and they employ
+chemists and skilled labor. The home product must be very good to
+compete with the attractive goods that are sent out from such
+establishments. Yet for first-class homemade products there is a market
+in all large cities. All first-class grocers have customers who purchase
+such goods.
+
+To secure a market get the names of several first-class grocers in some
+of the large towns. Write to them asking if they would be willing to try
+a sample of your goods. If the answer is favorable, send samples of the
+articles you wish to sell. In the box with the fruit inclose a list of
+the articles sent and the price. Write your name and address clearly.
+Mail a note and a duplicate list at the time you send the box.
+
+Fixing the price of the goods is important. Make it high enough to cover
+all expenses and give you a fair return for your labor. The expenses
+will be the fruit, sugar, fuel, jars, glasses, boxes, packing material,
+wear and tear of utensils, etc., transportation, and commission. The
+commission will probably be 20 per cent of the selling price. It may be
+that a merchant will find that your prices are too high or too low for
+his trade, or he may wish to purchase the goods outright. In any case
+it is essential that you estimate the full cost of the product and the
+value that you place on your labor. You will then be in a position to
+decide if the prices offered will compensate you for the labor and
+expense. Do not be tempted, for the sake of a little money, to deprive
+your family of the fruit necessary to health and pleasure.
+
+
+PACKING AND SHIPPING.
+
+Each jar or jelly glass must be wrapped in several thicknesses of soft
+paper (newspapers will answer). Make pads of excelsior or hay by
+spreading a thick layer between the folds of newspapers. Line the bottom
+and sides of the box with these pads. Pack the fruit in the padded box.
+Fill all the spaces between the jars with the packing material. If the
+box is deep and a second layer of fruit is to go in, put thick
+pasteboard or thin boards over the first layer and set the wrapped jars
+on this. Fill all the spaces and cover the top with the packing
+material. Nail on the cover and mark clearly: GLASS. THIS SIDE UP.
+
+The great secret in packing is to fill every particle of space so that
+nothing can move.
+
+
+
+
+PRINCIPLES OF CANNING AND PRESERVING.
+
+
+In the preservation of foods by canning, preserving, etc., the most
+essential things in the processes are the sterilization of the food and
+all the utensils and the sealing of the sterilized food to exclude all
+germs.
+
+
+BACTERIA, YEASTS, AND FERMENTATION.
+
+Over one hundred years ago François Appert was the first to make
+practical application of the method of preserving food by putting it in
+cans or bottles, which he hermetically sealed. He then put the full
+bottles or cans in water and boiled them for more or less time,
+depending upon the kinds of food.
+
+In Appert's time and, indeed, until recent years it was generally
+thought that the oxygen of the air caused the decomposition of food.
+Appert's theory was that the things essential to the preservation of
+food in this manner were the exclusion of air and the application of
+gentle heat, as in the water bath, which caused a fusion of the
+principal constituents and ferments in such a manner that the power of
+the ferments was destroyed.
+
+The investigations of scientists, particularly of Pasteur, have shown
+that it is not the oxygen of the air which causes fermentation and
+putrefaction, but bacteria and other microscopic organisms.
+
+Appert's theory as to the cause of the spoiling of food was incorrect,
+but his method of preserving it by sealing and cooking was correct, and
+the world owes him a debt of gratitude.
+
+In their investigations scientists have found that if food is perfectly
+sterilized and the opening of the jar or bottle plugged with sterilized
+cotton, food will not ferment, for the bacteria and yeasts to which such
+changes are due can not pass through the cotton. This method can not be
+conveniently followed with large jars.
+
+Bacteria and yeasts exist in the air, in the soil, and on all vegetable
+and animal substances, and even in the living body, but although of such
+universal occurrence, the true knowledge of their nature and economic
+importance has only been gained during the last forty years.
+
+There are a great many kinds of these micro-organisms. Some do great
+harm, but it is thought that the greater part of them are beneficial
+rather than injurious.
+
+Bacteria are one-celled and so small they can only be seen by aid of a
+microscope. The process of reproduction is simple and rapid. The
+bacterium becomes constricted, divides, and finally there are two cells
+instead of one. Under favorable conditions each cell divides, and so
+rapid is the work that it has been estimated that one bacterium may give
+rise, within twenty-four hours, to seventeen millions of similar
+organisms. The favorable conditions for growth are moisture, warmth, and
+proper food.
+
+Yeasts, which are also one-celled organisms, grow less rapidly. A bud
+develops, breaks off, and forms a new yeast plant. Some yeasts and some
+kinds of bacteria produce spores. Spores, like the dried seeds of
+plants, may retain their vitality for a long time, even when exposed to
+conditions which kill the parent organism.
+
+Yeasts and nearly all bacteria require oxygen, but there are species of
+the latter that seem to grow equally well without it, so that the
+exclusion of air, which, of course, contains oxygen, is not always a
+protection, if one of the anaerobic bacteria, as the kinds are called
+which do not require oxygen, is sealed in the can.
+
+Spoiling of food is caused by the development of bacteria or yeasts.
+Certain chemical changes are produced as shown by gases, odors, and
+flavors.
+
+Bacteria grow luxuriantly in foods containing a good deal of nitrogenous
+material, if warmth and moisture are present. Among foods rich in
+nitrogenous substances are all kinds of meat, fish, eggs, peas, beans,
+lentils, milk, etc. These foods are difficult to preserve on account of
+the omnipresent bacteria. This is seen in warm, muggy weather, when
+fresh meat, fish, soups, milk, etc., spoil quickly. Bacteria do not
+develop in substances containing a large percentage of sugar, but they
+grow rapidly in a suitable wet substance which contains a small
+percentage of sugar. Yeasts grow very readily in dilute solutions
+containing sugars in addition to some nitrogenous and mineral matters.
+Fruits are usually slightly acid and in general do not support bacterial
+growth, and so it comes about that canned fruits are more commonly
+fermented by yeasts than by bacteria.
+
+Some vegetable foods have so much acid and so little nitrogenous
+substance that very few bacteria or yeasts attack them. Lemons,
+cranberries, and rhubarb belong to this class.
+
+Temperature is an important factor in the growth of bacteria and yeasts.
+There are many kinds of these organisms, and each kind grows best at a
+certain temperature, some at a very low one and others at one as high as
+125° F., or more. However, most kinds of bacteria are destroyed if
+exposed for ten or fifteen minutes to the temperature of boiling water
+(212° F.); but, if the bacteria are spore producers, cooking must be
+continued for an hour or more to insure their complete destruction.
+Generally speaking, in order to kill the spores the temperature must be
+higher than that of boiling water, or the article to be preserved must
+be cooked for about two hours at a temperature of 212° F., or a shorter
+time at a higher temperature under pressure. Yeasts and their spores
+are, however, more easily destroyed by heat than bacteria spores. Hence,
+fruits containing little nitrogenous material are more easily protected
+from fermentation than nitrogenous foods in which in general
+fermentation is caused by bacteria. Of course, it is not possible to
+know what kinds of organisms are in the food one is about to can or
+bottle; but we do know that most fruits are not favorable to the growth
+of bacteria, and, as a rule, the yeasts which grow in fruits and fruit
+juice can be destroyed by cooking ten or fifteen minutes at a
+temperature of 212° F. If no living organisms are left, and the
+sterilization of all appliances has been thorough, there is no reason
+why the fruit, if properly sealed, should not keep, with but slight
+change of texture or flavor, for a year or longer, although canned
+fruits undergo gradual change and deterioration even under the most
+favorable conditions.
+
+When fruit is preserved with a large amount of sugar (a pound of sugar
+to a pound of fruit) it does not need to be hermetically sealed to
+protect it from bacteria and yeasts, because the thick, sugary sirup
+formed is not favorable to their growth. However, the self-sealing jars
+are much better than keeping such fruit in large receptacles, from which
+it is taken as needed, because molds grow freely on moist, sugary
+substances exposed to the air.
+
+
+MOLDS AND MOLDING.
+
+Every housekeeper is familiar with molds which, under favorable
+conditions of warmth and moisture, grow upon almost any kind of organic
+material. This is seen in damp, warm weather, when molds form in a short
+time on all sorts of starchy foods, such as boiled potatoes, bread,
+mush, etc., as well as fresh, canned, and preserved fruits.
+
+Molds develop from spores which are always floating about in the air.
+When a spore falls upon a substance containing moisture and suitable
+food it sends out a fine thread, which branches and works its way over
+and into the attacked substance. In a short time spores are produced and
+the work of reproduction goes on.
+
+In the first stages molds are white or light gray and hardly noticeable;
+but when spores develop the growth gradually becomes colored. In fact,
+the conditions of advanced growth might be likened to those of a flower
+garden. The threads--mycelium--might be likened to the roots of plants
+and the spores to the flower and seeds.
+
+Mold spores are very light and are blown about by the wind. They are a
+little heavier than air, and drop on shelves, tables, and floor, and are
+easily set in motion again by the movement of a brush, duster, etc. If
+one of these spores drops on a jar of preserves or a tumbler of jelly,
+it will germinate if there be warmth and moisture enough in the
+storeroom. Molds do not ordinarily cause fermentation of canned foods,
+although they are the common cause of the decay of raw fruits. They are
+not as injurious to canned goods as are bacteria and yeasts. They do not
+penetrate deeply into preserves or jellies, or into liquids or
+semiliquids, but if given time they will, at ordinary room temperature,
+work all through suitable solid substances which contain moisture.
+Nearly every housekeeper has seen this in the molding of a loaf of bread
+or cake.
+
+In the work of canning, preserving, and jelly making it is important
+that the food shall be protected from the growth of molds as well as the
+growth of yeasts and bacteria.
+
+To kill mold spores food must be exposed to a temperature of from 150°
+F. to 212° F. After this it should be kept in a cool, dry place and
+covered carefully that no floating spore can find lodgment on its
+surface.
+
+
+STERILIZATION.
+
+To sterilize a substance or thing is to destroy all life and sources of
+life in and about it. In following the brief outline of the structure
+and work of bacteria, yeasts, and molds, it has been seen that damage to
+foods comes through the growth of these organisms on or in the food;
+also that if such organisms are exposed to a temperature of 212° F.,
+life will be destroyed, but that spores and a few resisting bacteria are
+not destroyed at a temperature of 212° F., unless exposed to it for two
+or more hours.
+
+Bacteria and yeasts, which are intimately mixed with food, are not as
+easily destroyed as are those on smooth surfaces, such as the utensils
+and jars employed in the preparation of the food.
+
+Since air and water, as well as the foods, contain bacteria and yeasts,
+and may contain mold spores, all utensils used in the process of
+preserving foods are liable to be contaminated with these organisms. For
+this reason all appliances, as well as the food, must be sterilized.
+
+Stewpans, spoons, strainers, etc., may be put on the fire in cold or
+boiling water and boiled ten or fifteen minutes. Tumblers, bottles,
+glass jars, and covers should be put in cold water and heated gradually
+to the boiling point, and then boiled for ten or fifteen minutes. The
+jars must be taken one at a time from the boiling water at the moment
+they are to be filled with the boiling food. The work should be done in
+a well swept and dusted room, and the clothing of the workers and the
+towels used should be clean. The food to be sterilized should be
+perfectly sound and clean.
+
+As in this bulletin we have only to do with fruits, it will not be
+necessary to say anything more about long cooking at a high temperature.
+
+In canning fruits it is well to remember that the product is more
+satisfactory if heated gradually to the boiling point and then cooked
+the given time.
+
+
+
+
+UTENSILS NEEDED FOR CANNING AND PRESERVING.
+
+
+In preserving, canning, and jelly making iron or tin utensils should
+never be used. The fruit acids attack these metals and so give a bad
+color and metallic taste to the products. The preserving kettles should
+be porcelain lined, enameled, or of a metal that will not form
+troublesome chemical combinations with fruit juices. The kettles should
+be broad rather than deep, as the fruit should not be cooked in deep
+layers. Nearly all the necessary utensils may be found in some ware not
+subject to chemical action. A list of the most essential articles
+follows:
+
+Two preserving kettles, 1 colander, 1 fine strainer, 1 skimmer, 1 ladle,
+1 large-mouthed funnel, 1 wire frying basket, 1 wire sieve, 4
+long-handled wooden spoons, 1 wooden masher, a few large pans, knives
+for paring fruit (plated if possible), flat-bottomed clothes boiler,
+wooden or willow rack to put in the bottom of the boiler, iron tripod or
+ring, squares of cheese cloth. In addition, it would be well to have a
+flannel straining bag, a frame on which to hang the bag, a sirup gauge
+and a glass cylinder, a fruit pricker, and plenty of clean towels.
+
+The regular kitchen pans will answer for holding and washing the fruit.
+Mixing bowls and stone crocks can be used for holding the fruit juice
+and pared fruit. When fruit is to be plunged into boiling water for a
+few minutes before paring, the ordinary stewpans may be employed for
+this purpose.
+
+Scales are a desirable article in every kitchen, as weighing is much
+more accurate than the ordinary measuring. But, knowing that a large
+percentage of the housekeepers do not possess scales, it has seemed wise
+to give all the rules in measure rather than weight.
+
+If canning is done by the oven process, a large sheet of asbestos, for
+the bottom of the oven, will prevent the cracking of jars.
+
+The wooden rack, on which the bottles rest in the washboiler, is made in
+this manner: Have two strips of wood measuring 1 inch high, 1 inch wide,
+and 2 inches shorter than the length of the boiler. On these pieces of
+wood tack thin strips of wood that are 1½ inches shorter than the width
+of the boiler. These cross-strips should be about 1 inch wide, and there
+should be an inch between two strips. This rack will support the jars
+and will admit the free circulation of boiling water about them. Young
+willow branches, woven into a mat, also make a good bed for bottles and
+jars.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 1.--Wire basket.]
+
+The wire basket is a saver of time and strength (fig. 1). The fruit to
+be peeled is put into the basket, which is lowered into a deep kettle
+partially filled with boiling water. After a few minutes the basket is
+lifted from the boiling water, plunged for a moment into cold water, and
+the fruit is ready to have the skin drawn off.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 2.--Wire sieve.]
+
+A strong wire sieve is a necessity when purées of fruit are to be made
+(fig. 2). These sieves are known as purée sieves. They are made of
+strong wire and in addition have supports of still stronger wire.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 3.--Fruit pricker.]
+
+A fruit pricker is easily made and saves time (fig. 3). Cut a piece half
+an inch deep from a broad cork; press through this a dozen or more
+coarse darning needles; tack the cork on a piece of board. Strike the
+fruit on the bed of needles, and you have a dozen holes at once. When
+the work is finished, remove the cork from the board, wash and dry
+thoroughly. A little oil on the needles will prevent rusting. With
+needles of the size suggested there is little danger of the points
+breaking, but it is worth remembering that the use of pricking machines
+was abandoned in curing prunes on a commercial scale in California
+because the steel needles broke and remained in the fruit.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 4.--Wooden vegetable masher.]
+
+A wooden vegetable masher is indispensable when making jellies and
+purées (fig. 4).
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 5.--Glass cylinder (A) and sirup gauge (B).]
+
+A sirup gauge and glass cylinder (fig. 5 A and B) are not essential to
+preserving, canning, and jelly making, but they are valuable aids in
+getting the right proportion of sugar for fruit or jelly. The sirup
+gauge costs about 50 cents and the cylinder about 25 cents. A lipped
+cylinder that holds a little over a gill is the best size.
+
+Small iron rings, such as sometimes come off the hub of cart wheels, may
+be used instead of a tripod for slightly raising the preserving kettles
+from the hot stove or range.
+
+To make a flannel straining bag, take a square piece of flannel (27 by
+27 inches is a good size), fold it to make a three-cornered bag, stitch
+one of the sides, cut the top square across, bind the opening with
+strong, broad tape, stitch on this binding four tapes with which to tie
+the bag to a frame.
+
+To use this bag, tie it to a strong frame or to the backs of two kitchen
+chairs. If the chairs are used, place some heavy articles in them; or
+the bag may hang on a pole (a broom handle) which rests on the backs of
+the chairs. A high stool turned upside down makes a good support for the
+bag. Put a bowl on the floor under the bag, then pour in the fruit
+juice, which will pass through comparatively clear.
+
+Before it is used the bag should be washed and boiled in clear water.
+
+
+
+
+SELECTION AND PREPARATION OF THE FRUIT.
+
+
+The selection of fruit is one of the first steps in obtaining successful
+results. The flavor of fruit is not developed until it is fully ripe,
+but the time at which the fruit is at its best for canning, jelly
+making, etc., is just before it is perfectly ripe. In all soft fruits
+the fermentative stage follows closely upon the perfectly ripe stage;
+therefore it is better to use underripe rather than overripe fruit. This
+is especially important in jelly making for another reason also: In
+overripe fruit the pectin begins to lose its jelly-making quality.
+
+All fruits should, if possible, be freshly picked for preserving,
+canning, and jelly making. No imperfect fruit should be canned or
+preserved. Gnarly fruit may be used for jellies or marmalades by cutting
+out defective portions. Bruised spots should be cut out of peaches and
+pears. In selecting small-seeded fruits, like berries, for canning,
+those having a small proportion of seed to pulp should be chosen. In dry
+seasons berries have a larger proportion of seeds to pulp than in a wet
+or normal season, and it is not wise to can or preserve such fruit
+unless the seeds are removed. The fruit should be rubbed through a sieve
+that is fine enough to keep back the seeds. The strained pulp can be
+preserved as a purée or marmalade.
+
+When fruit is brought into the house put it where it will keep cool and
+crisp until you are ready to use it.
+
+The preparation of fruit for the various processes of preserving is the
+second important step. System will do much to lighten the work.
+
+Begin by having the kitchen swept and dusted thoroughly, that there need
+not be a large number of mold spores floating about. Dust with a damp
+cloth. Have plenty of hot water and pans in which jars and utensils may
+be sterilized. Have at hand all necessary utensils, towels, sugar, etc.
+
+Prepare only as much fruit as can be cooked while it still retains its
+color and crispness. Before beginning to pare fruit have some sirup
+ready, if that is to be used, or if sugar is to be added to the fruit
+have it weighed or measured.
+
+Decide upon the amount of fruit you will cook at one time, then have two
+bowls--one for the sugar and one for the fruit--that will hold just the
+quantity of each. As the fruit is pared or hulled, as the case may be,
+drop it into its measuring bowl. When the measure is full put the fruit
+and sugar in the preserving kettle. While this is cooking another
+measure may be prepared and put in the second preserving kettle. In this
+way the fruit is cooked quickly and put in the jars and sealed at once,
+leaving the pans ready to sterilize another set of jars.
+
+If the fruit is to be preserved or canned with sirup, it may be put
+into the jars as fast as it is prepared. As soon as a jar is full, pour
+in enough sirup to cover it.
+
+If several people are helping and large kettles are being used for the
+preserving, or where fruit (like quinces and hard pears) must be first
+boiled in clear water, the pared fruit should be dropped into a bowl of
+cold water made slightly acid with lemon juice (one tablespoonful of
+lemon juice to a quart of water). This will keep the fruit white.
+
+All large, hard fruit must be washed before paring. Quinces should be
+rubbed with a coarse towel before they are washed.
+
+If berries must be washed, do the work before stemming or hulling them.
+The best way to wash berries is to put a small quantity into a colander
+and pour cold water over them; then turn them on a sieve to drain. All
+this work must be done quickly that the fruit may not absorb much water.
+
+Do not use the fingers for hulling strawberries. A simple huller can be
+bought for five cents.
+
+If practicable pare fruit with a silver knife, so as not to stain or
+darken the product. The quickest and easiest way to peel peaches is to
+drop them into boiling water for a few minutes. Have a deep kettle a
+little more than half full of boiling water; fill a wire basket with
+peaches; put a long-handled spoon under the handle of the basket and
+lower into the boiling water. At the end of three minutes lift the
+basket out by slipping the spoon under the handle. Plunge the basket for
+a moment into a pan of cold water. Let the peaches drain a minute, then
+peel. Plums and tomatoes may be peeled in the same manner.
+
+If the peaches are to be canned in sirup, put them at once into the
+sterilized jars. They may be canned whole or in halves. If in halves,
+remove nearly all the stones or pits. For the sake of the flavor, a few
+stones should be put in each jar.
+
+When preparing cherries, plums, or crab apples for canning or
+preserving, the stem or a part of it may be left on the fruit.
+
+When preparing to make jelly have ready the cheese-cloth strainer,
+enameled colander, wooden spoons, vegetable masher, measures, tumblers,
+preserving kettles, and sugar.
+
+If currant jelly is to be made, free the fruit from leaves and large
+stems. If the jelly is to be made from any of the other small fruits,
+the stems and hulls must be removed.
+
+When the jelly is to be made from any of the large fruits the important
+part of the preparation is to have the fruit washed clean, then to
+remove the stem and the blossom end. Nearly all the large fruits are
+better for having the skin left on. Apples and pears need not be cored.
+There is so much gummy substance in the cores of quinces that it is best
+not to use this portion in making fine jelly.
+
+
+
+
+MAKING SIRUP FOR USE IN CANNING AND PRESERVING.
+
+
+Such sirups as are used in canning and preserving are made with varying
+proportions of water and sugar. When the proportion of sugar is large
+and that of the water small the sirup is said to be heavy. When the
+water predominates the sirup is light.
+
+There are several methods of measuring the proportion of sugar in a
+sirup. The most scientific and accurate is with the sirup gauge. Careful
+measurement or weighing is, however, quite satisfactory for all ordinary
+work if the sirup need not be boiled a long time. In boiling the water
+evaporates and the sirup grows thicker and richer. The amount of
+evaporation depends upon the surface exposed and the pressure of the
+atmosphere. For example, if a large quantity of sirup is boiled in a
+deep kettle the evaporation will not be rapid. If the same quantity of
+sirup were boiled the same length of time in a broad, shallow kettle the
+water would evaporate more rapidly and the sirup would be thicker and
+heavier. If a given quantity of sirup were boiled the same length of
+time in a high altitude, Colorado for example, and at the sea level, it
+would be found that the sirup boiled at the sea level would be thicker
+and less in volume than that boiled in Colorado. From this it will be
+seen that it is difficult to say what proportion of sugar a sirup will
+contain after it has been boiling ten or more minutes. Of course by the
+use of the sirup gauge the proportion of sugar in a sirup may be
+ascertained at any stage of the boiling. After all, however, it is
+possible to measure sugar and water so that you can know the percentage
+of sugar when the sirup begins to boil. The following statement gives
+the percentage of sugar at the time when the sirup has been boiling one
+minute and also what kind of sirup is suitable for the various kinds of
+fruit:
+
+      One pint sugar and 1 gill of water gives sirup of 40°
+      density: Use for preserved strawberries and cherries.
+
+      One pint sugar and one-half pint water gives sirup of 32°
+      density.
+
+      One pint sugar and 3 gills water gives sirup of 28°
+      density: Use either this or the preceding for preserved
+      peaches, plums, quinces, currants, etc.
+
+      One pint sugar and 1 pint water gives sirup of 24° density:
+      Use for canned acid fruits.
+
+      One pint sugar and 1½ pints water gives sirup of 17°
+      density.
+
+      One pint sugar and 2 pints water gives sirup of 14°
+      density: Use either of these two light sirups for canned
+      pears, peaches, sweet plums, and cherries, raspberries,
+      blueberries, and blackberries.
+
+The lightest sirups may be used for filling up the jars after they are
+taken from the oven or boiler. The process of making a sirup is very
+simple, but there are a few points that must be observed if sirup and
+fruit are to be perfect. Put the sugar and water in the saucepan and
+stir on the stove until all the sugar is dissolved. Heat slowly to the
+boiling point and boil gently without stirring. The length of time that
+the sirup should boil will depend upon how rich it is to be. All sirups
+are better for boiling from ten to thirty minutes. If rich sirups are
+boiled hard, jarred, or stirred they are apt to crystallize. The sirup
+may be made a day or two in advance of canning time. The light sirups
+will not keep long unless sealed, but the heavy sirups keep well if
+covered well.
+
+
+USE OF THE SIRUP GAUGE.
+
+The sirup gauge is a graduated glass tube, with a weighted bulb, that
+registers from 0° to 50°, and that is employed to determine the quantity
+of sugar contained in a sirup.
+
+If this gauge is placed in pure water the bulb will rest on the bottom
+of the cylinder or other container. If sugar be dissolved in the water
+the gauge will begin to float. The more sugar there is dissolved in the
+water the higher the gauge will rise. In making tests it is essential
+that the sirup should be deep enough to reach the zero point of the
+gauge. If a glass cylinder holding about half a gill is filled to about
+two-thirds its height, and the gauge is then placed in the cylinder, the
+quantity of sugar in the sirup will be registered on the gauge.
+
+Experiments have demonstrated that when sugar is dissolved and heated in
+fruit juice, if the sirup gauge registers 25°, the proportion of sugar
+is exactly right for combining with the pectin bodies to make jelly. The
+sirup gauge and the glass cylinder must both be heated gradually that
+the hot sirup may not break them. If the gauge registers more than 25°,
+add a little more fruit juice. If, on the other hand, it registers less
+than 25°, add more sugar. In making sirups for canning and preserving
+fruits, the exact amount of sugar in a sirup may be ascertained at any
+stage of boiling, and the sirup be made heavier by adding sugar, or
+lighter by adding water, as the case demands.
+
+
+
+
+CANNING FRUIT.
+
+
+This method of preserving fruit for home use is from all points the most
+desirable. It is the easiest and commonly considered the most economical
+and the best, because the fruit is kept in a soft and juicy condition in
+which it is believed to be easily digested. The wise housekeeper will
+can her principal fruit supply, making only enough rich preserves to
+serve for variety and for special occasions.
+
+The success of canning depends upon absolute sterilization. If the
+proper care is exercised there need be no failure, except in rare cases,
+when a spore has developed in the can. There are several methods of
+canning; and while the principle is the same in all methods, the
+conditions under which the housekeeper must do her work may, in her
+case, make one method more convenient than another. For this reason
+three will be given which are considered the best and easiest. These
+are: Cooking the fruit in the jars in an oven; cooking the fruit in the
+jars in boiling water; and stewing the fruit before it is put in the
+jars. The quantity of sugar may be increased if the fruit is liked
+sweet.
+
+It is most important that the jars, covers, and rubber rings be in
+perfect condition. Examine each jar and cover to see that there is no
+defect in it. 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
+of fruit are lost because of the false economy in using an old ring that
+has lost its softness and elasticity. Having the jars, covers, and rings
+in perfect condition, the next thing is to wash and sterilize them.
+
+Have two pans partially filled with cold water. Put some jars in one,
+laying them on their sides, and some covers in the other. Place the pans
+on the stove where the water will heat to the boiling point. The water
+should boil at least ten or fifteen minutes. Have on the stove a shallow
+milk pan in which there is about 2 inches of boiling water. Sterilize
+the cups, spoons, and funnel, if you use one, by immersing in boiling
+water for a few minutes. When ready to put the prepared fruit in the
+jars slip a broad skimmer under a jar and lift it and drain free of
+water. Set the jar in the shallow milk pan and fill to overflowing with
+the boiling fruit. Slip a silver-plated knife or the handle of a spoon
+around the inside of the jar, that the fruit and juice may be packed
+solidly. Wipe the rim of the jar, dip the rubber ring in boiling water
+and put it smoothly on the jar, then put on the cover and fasten. Place
+the jar on a board and out of a draft of cold air. The work of filling
+and sealing must be done rapidly, and the fruit must be boiling hot when
+it is put into the jars. If screw covers are used, it will be necessary
+to tighten them after the glass has cooled and contracted. When the
+fruit is cold wipe the jars with a wet cloth. Paste on the labels, if
+any, and put the jars on shelves in a cool, dark closet.
+
+In canning, any proportion of sugar may be used, or fruit may be canned
+without the addition of any sugar. However, that which is designed to be
+served as a sauce should have the sugar cooked with it. Fruit intended
+for cooking purposes need not have the sugar added to it.
+
+Juicy fruits, such as berries and cherries, require little or no water.
+Strawberries are better not to have water added to them. The only
+exception to this is when they are cooked in a heavy sirup.
+
+
+RASPBERRIES.
+
+    12 quarts of raspberries.
+    2 quarts of sugar.
+
+Put 2 quarts of the fruit in the preserving kettle; heat slowly on the
+stove; crush with a wooden vegetable masher; spread a square of cheese
+cloth over a bowl, and turn the crushed berries and juice into it. Press
+out the juice, which turn into the preserving kettle. Add the sugar and
+put on the stove; stir until the sugar is dissolved. When the sirup
+begins to boil, add the remaining 10 quarts of berries. Let them heat
+slowly. Boil ten minutes, counting from the time they begin to bubble.
+Skim well while boiling. Put in cans and seal as directed.
+
+
+RASPBERRIES AND CURRANTS.
+
+    10 quarts of raspberries.
+    3 quarts of currants.
+    2½ quarts of sugar.
+
+Heat, crush, and press the juice from the currants and proceed as
+directed for raspberries.
+
+
+BLACKBERRIES.
+
+The same as for raspberries.
+
+
+CURRANTS.
+
+    12 quarts of currants.
+    4 quarts of sugar.
+
+Treat the same as for raspberries.
+
+
+GOOSEBERRIES.
+
+    6 quarts of berries.
+    1½ quarts of sugar.
+    1 pint of water.
+
+For green gooseberries dissolve the sugar in the water, then add the
+fruit and cook fifteen minutes. Ripe gooseberries are to be treated the
+same as the green fruit, but use only half as much water. Green
+gooseberries may also be canned the same as rhubarb (see p. 18).
+
+
+BLUEBERRIES.
+
+    12 quarts of berries.
+    1 quart of sugar.
+    1 pint of water.
+
+Put water, berries, and sugar in the preserving kettle; heat slowly.
+Boil fifteen minutes, counting from the time the contents of the kettle
+begin to bubble.
+
+
+CHERRIES.
+
+    6 quarts of cherries.
+    1½ quarts of sugar.
+    ½ pint of water.
+
+Measure the cherries after the stems have been removed. Stone them or
+not, as you please. If you stone them be careful to save all the juice.
+Put the sugar and water in the preserving kettle and stir over the fire
+until the sugar is dissolved. Put in the cherries and heat slowly to the
+boiling point. Boil ten minutes, skimming carefully.
+
+
+GRAPES.
+
+    6 quarts of grapes.
+    1 quart of sugar.
+    1 gill of water.
+
+Squeeze the pulp of the grapes out of the skins. Cook the pulp five
+minutes and then rub through a sieve that is fine enough to hold back
+the seeds. Put the water, skins, and pulp into the preserving kettle and
+heat slowly to the boiling point. Skim the fruit and then add the sugar.
+Boil fifteen minutes.
+
+Sweet grapes may be canned with less sugar; very sour ones may have
+more.
+
+
+RHUBARB.
+
+Cut the rhubarb when it is young and tender. Wash it thoroughly and then
+pare; cut into pieces about 2 inches long. Pack in sterilized jars. Fill
+the jars to overflowing with cold water and let them stand ten minutes.
+Drain off the water and fill again to overflowing with fresh cold water.
+Seal with sterilized rings and covers. When required for use, treat the
+same as fresh rhubarb.
+
+Green gooseberries may be canned in the same manner. Rhubarb may be
+cooked and canned with sugar in the same manner as gooseberries.
+
+
+PEACHES.
+
+    8 quarts of peaches.
+    1 quart of sugar.
+    3 quarts of water.
+
+Put the sugar and water together and stir over the fire until the sugar
+is dissolved. When the sirup boils skim it. Draw the kettle back where
+the sirup will keep hot but not boil.
+
+Pare the peaches, cut in halves, and remove the stones, unless you
+prefer to can the fruit whole.
+
+Put a layer of the prepared fruit into the preserving kettle and cover
+with some of the hot sirup. When the fruit begins to boil, skim
+carefully. Boil gently for ten minutes, then put in the jars and seal.
+If the fruit is not fully ripe it may require a little longer time to
+cook. It should be so tender that it may be pierced easily with a silver
+fork. It is best to put only one layer of fruit in the preserving
+kettle. While this is cooking the fruit for the next batch may be pared.
+
+
+PEARS.
+
+If the fruit is ripe it may be treated exactly the same as peaches. If,
+on the other hand, it is rather hard it must be cooked until so tender
+that a silver fork will pierce it readily.
+
+
+QUINCES.
+
+    4 quarts of pared, cored, and quartered quinces.
+    1½ quarts of sugar.
+    2 quarts of water.
+
+Rub the fruit hard with a coarse, crash towel, then wash and drain.
+Pare, quarter, and core; drop the pieces into cold water (see p. 13).
+Put the fruit in the preserving kettle with cold water to cover it
+generously. Heat slowly and simmer gently until tender. The pieces will
+not all require the same time to cook. Take each piece up as soon as it
+is so tender that a silver fork will pierce it readily. Drain on a
+platter. Strain the water in which the fruit was cooked through cheese
+cloth. Put two quarts of the strained liquid and the sugar into the
+preserving kettle; stir over the fire until the sugar is dissolved. When
+it boils skim well and put in the cooked fruit. Boil gently for about
+twenty minutes.
+
+
+CRAB APPLES.
+
+    6 quarts of apples.
+    1½ quarts of sugar.
+    2 quarts of water.
+
+Put the sugar and water into the preserving kettle. Stir over the fire
+until the sugar is dissolved. When the sirup boils skim it.
+
+Wash the fruit, rubbing the blossom end well. Put it in the boiling
+sirup, and cook gently until tender. It will take from twenty to fifty
+minutes, depending upon the kind of crab apples.
+
+
+PLUMS.
+
+    8 quarts of plums.
+    2 quarts of sugar.
+    1 pint of water.
+
+Nearly all kinds of plums can be cooked with the skins on. If it is
+desired to remove the skin of any variety, plunge them in boiling water
+for a few minutes. When the skins are left on, prick them thoroughly to
+prevent bursting. (See fruit pricker, p. 10.)
+
+Put the sugar and water into the preserving kettle and stir over the
+fire until the sugar is dissolved. Wash and drain the plums. Put some of
+the fruit in the boiling sirup. Do not crowd it. Cook five minutes; fill
+and seal the jars. Put more fruit in the sirup. Continue in this manner
+until all the fruit is done. It may be that there will not be sufficient
+sirup toward the latter part of the work; for this reason it is well to
+have a little extra sirup on the back of the stove.
+
+
+STEWED TOMATOES.
+
+Wash the tomatoes and plunge into boiling water for five minutes. Pare
+and slice, and then put into the preserving kettle; set the kettle on
+an iron ring. Heat the tomatoes slowly, stirring frequently from the
+bottom. Boil for thirty minutes, counting from the time the vegetable
+begins actually to boil. Put in sterilized jars and seal.
+
+
+WHOLE TOMATOES.
+
+    8 quarts of medium-sized tomatoes.
+    4 quarts of sliced tomatoes.
+
+Put the pared and sliced tomatoes into a stewpan and cook as directed
+for stewed tomatoes. When they have been boiling twenty minutes take
+from the fire and rub through a strainer. Return to the fire.
+
+While the sliced tomatoes are cooking, pare the whole tomatoes and put
+them in sterilized jars. Pour into the jars enough of the stewed and
+strained tomato to fill all the interstices. Put the uncovered jars in a
+moderate oven, placing them on a pad of asbestos or in shallow pans of
+hot water. Let the vegetable cook in the oven for half an hour. Take
+from the oven and fill to overflowing with boiling hot, strained tomato,
+then seal. If there is any of the strained tomato left, can it for
+sauces.
+
+
+
+
+CANNED FRUIT COOKED IN THE OVEN.
+
+
+This method of canning fruit, in the opinion of the writer, is the one
+to be preferred. The work is easily and quickly done, and the fruit
+retains its shape, color, and flavor better than when cooked in the
+preserving kettle.
+
+Cover the bottom of the oven with a sheet of asbestos, the kind plumbers
+employ in covering pipes. It is very cheap and may usually be found at
+plumbers' shops. If the asbestos is not available, put into the oven
+shallow pans in which there are about two inches of boiling water.
+
+Sterilize the jars and utensils. Make the sirup; prepare the fruit the
+same as for cooking in the preserving kettle. Fill the hot jars with it,
+and pour in enough sirup to fill the jar solidly. Run the blade of a
+silver-plated knife around the inside of the jar. Place the jars in the
+oven, either on the asbestos or in the pan of water. The oven should be
+moderately hot. Cook the fruit ten minutes; remove from the oven and
+fill the jar with boiling sirup. Wipe and seal. Place the jars on a
+board and out of a draft of air. If the screw covers are used tighten
+them after the glass has cooled.
+
+Large fruits, such as peaches, pears, quinces, crab apples, etc., will
+require about a pint of sirup to each quart jar of fruit. The small
+fruit will require a little over half a pint of sirup.
+
+The amount of sugar in each quart of sirup should be regulated to suit
+the fruit with which it is to be used. The data on page 14 will be a
+guide. The quantities given will not make the fruit very sweet. The
+quantity of sugar may be increased or diminished to suit the taste.
+
+
+
+
+CANNED FRUIT COOKED IN A WATER BATH.
+
+
+Prepare the fruit and sirup as for cooking in the oven.
+
+Fill the sterilized jars and put the covers on loosely. Have a wooden
+rack in the bottom of a wash boiler (see p. 10). Put in enough warm
+water to come to about 4 inches above the rack. Place the filled jars in
+the boiler, but do not let them touch one another. Pack clean white
+cotton rags, or perhaps better, cotton rope, between and around the jars
+to prevent them from striking one another when the water begins to boil.
+Cover the boiler and let the fruit cook ten minutes from the time the
+water surrounding it begins to boil.
+
+Draw the boiler back and take off the cover. When the steam passes off
+take out one jar at a time and place in a pan of boiling water beside
+the boiler, fill up with boiling sirup, and seal. Put the jars on a
+board and do not let cold air blow upon them. If screw covers are used
+tighten them when the glass has cooled and contracted.
+
+
+
+
+PRESERVING FRUIT.
+
+
+In the case of most fruits, canning with a little sugar is to be
+preferred to preserving with a large quantity of sugar. There are,
+however, some fruits that are only good when preserved with a good deal
+of sugar. Of course, such preparations of fruit are only desirable for
+occasional use. The fruits best adapted for preserving are strawberries,
+sour cherries, sour plums, and quinces. Such rich preparations should be
+put up in small jars or tumblers.
+
+
+STRAWBERRIES.
+
+Use equal weights of sugar and strawberries. Put the strawberries in the
+preserving kettle in layers, sprinkling sugar over each layer. The fruit
+and sugar should not be more than 4 inches deep. Place the kettle on the
+stove and heat the fruit and sugar slowly to the boiling point. When it
+begins to boil skim carefully. Boil ten minutes, counting from the time
+the fruit begins to bubble. Pour the cooked fruit into platters, having
+it about 2 or 3 inches deep. Place the platters in a sunny window, in an
+unused room, for three or four days. In that time the fruit will grow
+plump and firm, and the sirup will thicken almost to a jelly. Put this
+preserve, cold, into jars or tumblers.
+
+
+WHITE CURRANTS.
+
+Select large, firm fruit, remove the stems, and proceed as for
+strawberries.
+
+
+CHERRIES.
+
+The sour cherries, such as Early Richmond and Montmorency, are best for
+this preserve. Remove the stems and stones from the cherries and proceed
+as for strawberry preserve.
+
+
+CHERRIES PRESERVED WITH CURRANT JUICE.
+
+    12 quarts of cherries.
+    3 quarts of currants.
+    2 quarts of sugar.
+
+Put the currants in the preserving kettle and on the fire. When they
+boil up crush them and strain through cheese cloth, pressing out all the
+juice.
+
+Stem and stone the cherries, being careful to save all the juice. Put
+the cherries, fruit juice, and sugar in the preserving kettle. Heat to
+the boiling point and skim carefully. Boil for twenty minutes. Put in
+sterilized jars or tumblers. This gives an acid preserve. The sugar may
+be doubled if richer preserves are desired.
+
+
+PLUM PRESERVE.
+
+    4 quarts of green gages.
+    2 quarts of sugar.
+    1 pint of water.
+
+Prick the fruit and put it in a preserving kettle. Cover generously with
+cold water. Heat to the boiling point and boil gently for five minutes.
+Drain well.
+
+Put the sugar and water in a preserving kettle and stir over the fire
+until the sugar is dissolved. Boil five minutes, skimming well. Put the
+drained green gages in this sirup and cook gently for twenty minutes.
+Put in sterilized jars.
+
+Other plums may be preserved in the same manner. The skins should be
+removed from white plums.
+
+
+QUINCES.
+
+    4 quarts of pared, quartered, and cored quinces.
+    2 quarts of sugar.
+    1 quart of water.
+
+Boil the fruit in clear water until it is tender, then skim out and
+drain.
+
+Put the 2 quarts of sugar and 1 quart of water in the preserving kettle;
+stir until the sugar is dissolved. Let it heat slowly to the boiling
+point. Skim well and boil for twenty minutes. Pour one-half of the sirup
+into a second kettle. Put one-half of the cooked and drained fruit into
+each kettle. Simmer gently for half an hour, then put in sterilized
+jars. The water in which the fruit was boiled can be used with the
+parings, cores, and gnarly fruit to make jelly.
+
+
+FRUIT PURÉES.
+
+Purées of fruit are in the nature of marmalades, but they are not cooked
+so long, and so retain more of the natural flavor of the fruit. This is
+a particularly nice way to preserve the small, seedy fruits, which are
+to be used in puddings, cake, and frozen desserts.
+
+Free the fruit from leaves, stems, and decayed portions. Peaches and
+plums should have the skins and stones removed. Rub the fruit through a
+purée sieve. To each quart of the strained fruit add a pint of sugar.
+Pack in sterilized jars. Put the covers loosely on the jars. Place the
+jars on the rack in the boiler. Pour in enough cold water to come half
+way up the sides of the jars. Heat gradually to the boiling point and
+boil thirty minutes, counting from the time when the water begins to
+bubble.
+
+Have some boiling sirup ready. As each jar is taken from the boiler put
+it in a pan of hot water and fill up with the hot sirup. Seal at once.
+
+
+MARMALADES.
+
+Marmalades require great care while cooking because no moisture is added
+to the fruit and sugar. If the marmalade is made from berries the fruit
+should be rubbed through a sieve to remove the seeds. If large fruit is
+used have it washed, pared, cored, and quartered.
+
+Measure the fruit and sugar, allowing one pint of sugar to each quart of
+fruit.
+
+Rinse the preserving kettle with cold water that there may be a slight
+coat of moisture on the sides and bottom. Put alternate layers of fruit
+and sugar in the kettle, having the first layer fruit. Heat slowly,
+stirring frequently. While stirring, break up the fruit as much as
+possible. Cook about two hours, then put in small sterilized jars.
+
+
+FRUIT PRESERVED IN GRAPE JUICE.
+
+Any kind of fruit can be preserved by this method, but it is
+particularly good for apples, pears, and sweet plums. No sugar need be
+used in this process.
+
+Boil 6 quarts of grape juice in an open preserving kettle, until it is
+reduced to 4 quarts. Have the fruit washed and pared, and, if apples or
+pears, quartered and cored. Put the prepared fruit in a preserving
+kettle and cover generously with the boiled grape juice. Boil gently
+until the fruit is clear and tender, then put in sterilized jars.
+
+
+BOILED CIDER.
+
+When the apple crop is abundant and a large quantity of cider is made,
+the housekeeper will find it to her advantage to put up a generous
+supply of boiled cider. Such cider greatly improves mince-meat, and can
+be used at any time of the year to make cider apple sauce. It is also a
+good selling article.
+
+The cider for boiling must be perfectly fresh and sweet. Put it in a
+large, open preserving kettle and boil until it is reduced one-half.
+Skim frequently while boiling. Do not have the kettle more than
+two-thirds full.
+
+Put in bottles or stone jugs.
+
+
+CIDER APPLE SAUCE.
+
+    5 quarts of boiled cider.
+    8 quarts of pared, quartered, and cored sweet apples.
+
+Put the fruit in a large preserving kettle and cover with the boiled
+cider. Cook slowly until the apples are clear and tender. To prevent
+burning, place the kettle on an iron tripod or ring. It will require
+from two to three hours to cook the apples. If you find it necessary to
+stir the sauce be careful to break the apples as little as possible.
+When the sauce is cooked, put in sterilized jars.
+
+In the late spring, when cooking apples have lost much of their flavor
+and acidity, an appetizing sauce may be made by stewing them with
+diluted boiled cider, using 1 cupful of cider to 3 of water.
+
+
+CIDER PEAR SAUCE.
+
+Cooking pears may be preserved in boiled cider the same as sweet apples.
+If one prefers the sauce less sour, 1 pint of sugar may be added to each
+quart of boiled cider.
+
+
+
+
+METHODS OF MAKING JELLY.
+
+
+In no department of preserving does the housekeeper feel less sure of
+the result than in jelly making. The rule that works perfectly one time
+fails another time. Why this is so the average housekeeper does not
+know; so there is nearly always an element of uncertainty as to the
+result of the work. These two questions are being constantly asked: "Why
+does not my jelly harden?" "What causes my jelly to candy?"
+
+It is an easy matter to say that there is something in the condition of
+the fruit, or that the fruit juice and sugar were cooked too short or
+too long a time. These explanations are often true; but they do not help
+the inquirer, since at other times just that proportion of sugar and
+time of cooking have given perfect jelly. In the following pages an
+attempt is made to give a clear explanation of the principles underlying
+the process of jelly making. It is believed that the women who study
+this carefully will find the key to unvarying success in this branch of
+preserving.
+
+
+PECTIN, PECTOSE, PECTASE.
+
+In all fruits, when ripe or nearly so, there is found pectin, a
+carbohydrate somewhat similar in its properties to starch. It is because
+of this substance in the fruit juice that we are able to make jelly.
+When equal quantities of sugar and fruit juice are combined and the
+mixture is heated to the boiling point for a short time, the pectin in
+the fruit gelatinizes the mass.
+
+It is important that the jelly maker should understand when this
+gelatinizing agent is at its best. Pectose and pectase always exist in
+the unripe fruit. As the fruit ripens the pectase acts upon the pectose,
+which is insoluble in water, converting it into pectin, which is
+soluble. Pectin is at its best when the fruit is just ripe or a little
+before. If the juice ferments, or the cooking of the jelly is continued
+too long, the pectin undergoes a change and loses its power of
+gelatinizing. It is, therefore, of the greatest importance that the
+fruit should be fresh, just ripe or a little underripe, and that the
+boiling of the sugar and juice should not be continued too long.
+
+Fruits vary as to the quantities of sugar, acid, pectin, and gums in
+their composition. Some of the sour fruits contain more sugar than do
+some of the milder-flavored fruits. Currants, for example, often contain
+four or five times as much sugar as the peach. The peach does not
+contain so much free acid and it does contain a great deal of pectin
+bodies, which mask the acid; hence, the comparative sweetness of the
+ripe fruit.
+
+
+SELECTION AND HANDLING OF FRUIT FOR JELLY MAKING.
+
+An acid fruit is the most suitable for jelly making, though in some of
+the acid fruits, the strawberry, for example, the quantity of the
+jelly-making pectin is so small that it is difficult to make jelly with
+this fruit. If, however, some currant juice be added to the strawberry
+juice a pleasant jelly will be the result; yet, of course, the flavor of
+the strawberry will be modified. Here is a list of the most desirable
+fruits for jelly making. The very best are given first: Currant, crab
+apple, apple, quince, grape, blackberry, raspberry, peach.
+
+Apples make a very mild jelly, and it may be flavored with fruits,
+flowers, or spices. If the apples are acid it is not advisable to use
+any flavor.
+
+Juicy fruits, such as currants, raspberries, etc., should not be
+gathered after a rain, for they will have absorbed so much water as to
+make it difficult, without excessive boiling, to get the juice to jelly.
+
+If berries are sandy or dusty it will be necessary to wash them, but the
+work should be done very quickly so that the fruit may not absorb much
+water. (See washing fruit, p. 13.)
+
+Large fruits, such as apples, peaches, and pears, must be boiled in
+water until soft. The strained liquid will contain the flavoring matter
+and pectin.
+
+It requires more work and skill to make jellies from the fruits to which
+water must be added than from the juicy fruits. If the juicy fruits are
+gathered at the proper time one may be nearly sure that they contain the
+right proportion of water. If gathered after a rain the fruit must be
+boiled a little longer that the superfluous water may pass off in steam.
+
+In the case of the large fruits a fair estimate is 3 quarts of strained
+juice from 8 quarts of fruit and about 4 quarts of water. If the
+quantity of juice is greater than this it should be boiled down to 3
+quarts.
+
+Apples will always require 4 quarts of water to 8 quarts of fruit, but
+juicy peaches and plums will require only 3 or 3½ quarts.
+
+The jelly will be clearer and finer if the fruit is simmered gently and
+not stirred during the cooking.
+
+It is always best to strain the juice first through cheese cloth and
+without pressure. If the cloth is double the juice will be quite clear.
+When a very clear jelly is desired the strained juice should pass
+through a flannel or felt bag. The juice may be pressed from the fruit
+left in the strainer and used in marmalade or for a second-quality
+jelly.
+
+To make jelly that will not crystallize (candy) the right proportion of
+sugar must be added to the fruit juice. If the fruit contains a high
+percentage of sugar, the quantity of added sugar should be a little less
+than the quantity of fruit juice. That is to say, in a season when there
+has been a great deal of heat and sunshine there will be more sugar in
+the fruit than in a cold, wet season; consequently, 1 pint of currant
+juice will require but three-quarters of a pint of sugar. But in a cold,
+wet season the pint of sugar for the pint of juice must be measured
+generously.
+
+Another cause of the jelly crystallizing is hard boiling. When the sirup
+boils so rapidly that particles of it are thrown on the upper part of
+the sides of the preserving kettle they often form crystals. If these
+crystals are stirred into the sirup they are apt to cause the mass to
+crystallize in time.
+
+The use of the sirup gauge and care not to boil the sirup too violently
+would do away with all uncertainty in jelly making. The sirup gauge
+should register 25°, no matter what kind of fruit is used. (See p. 15.)
+
+Jellies should be covered closely and kept in a cool, dry, dark place.
+
+
+CURRANT JELLY.
+
+The simplest method of making currant jelly is perhaps the following:
+Free the currants from leaves and large stems. Put them in the
+preserving kettle; crush a few with a wooden vegetable masher or spoon;
+heat slowly, stirring frequently.
+
+When the currants are hot, crush them with the vegetable masher. Put a
+hair sieve or strainer over a large bowl; over this spread a double
+square of cheese cloth. Turn the crushed fruit and juice into the cheese
+cloth, and let it drain as long as it drips, but do not use pressure.
+To hasten the process take the corners of the straining cloth firmly in
+the hands and lift from the sieve; move the contents by raising one side
+of the cloth and then the other. After this put the cloth over another
+bowl. Twist the ends together and press out as much juice as possible.
+This juice may be used to make a second quality of jelly.
+
+The clear juice may be made into jelly at once, or it may be strained
+through a flannel bag. In any case, the method of making the jelly is
+the same.
+
+Measure the juice, and put it in a clean preserving kettle. For every
+pint of juice add a pint of granulated sugar.
+
+Stir until the sugar is dissolved, then place over the fire; watch
+closely, and when it boils up draw it back and skim; put over the fire
+again, and boil and skim once more; boil and skim a third time; then
+pour into hot glasses taken from the pan of water on the stove and set
+on a board. Place the board near a sunny window in a room where there is
+no dust. It is a great protection and advantage to have sheets of glass
+to lay on top of the tumblers. As soon as the jelly is set cover by one
+of the three methods given. (See p. 29.)
+
+To make very transparent currant jelly, heat, crush, and strain the
+currants as directed in the simplest process. Put the strained juice in
+the flannel bag and let it drain through. Measure the juice and sugar,
+pint for pint, and finish as directed above.
+
+To make currant jelly by the cold process follow the first rule for
+jelly as far as dissolving the sugar in the strained juice. Fill warm,
+sterilized glasses with this. Place the glasses on a board and put the
+board by a sunny window. Cover with sheets of glass and keep by the
+window until the jelly is set. The jelly will be more transparent if the
+juice is strained through the flannel bag. Jelly made by the cold
+process is more delicate than that made by boiling, but it does not keep
+quite so well.
+
+
+RASPBERRY AND CURRANT JELLY.
+
+Make the same as currant jelly, using half currants and half
+raspberries.
+
+
+RASPBERRY JELLY.
+
+Make the same as currant jelly.
+
+
+BLACKBERRY JELLY.
+
+Make the same as currant jelly.
+
+
+STRAWBERRY JELLY.
+
+To 10 quarts of strawberries add 2 quarts of currants and proceed as for
+currant jelly, but boil fifteen minutes.
+
+
+RIPE-GRAPE JELLY.
+
+An acid grape is best for this jelly. The sweet, ripe grapes contain too
+much sugar. Half-ripe fruit, or equal portions of nearly ripe and green
+grapes, will also be found satisfactory. Wild grapes make delicious
+jelly. Make the same as currant jelly.
+
+
+GREEN-GRAPE JELLY.
+
+Make the same as apple jelly.
+
+
+PLUM JELLY.
+
+Use an underripe acid plum. Wash the fruit and remove the stems. Put
+into the preserving kettle with 1 quart of water for each peck of fruit.
+Cook gently until the plums are boiled to pieces. Strain the juice and
+proceed the same as for currant jelly.
+
+
+APPLE JELLY.
+
+Wash, stem, and wipe the apples, being careful to clean the blossom end
+thoroughly. Cut into quarters and put into the preserving kettle. Barely
+cover with cold water (about 4 quarts of water to 8 of apples) and cook
+gently until the apples are soft and clear. Strain the juice and proceed
+as for currant jelly. There should be but 3 quarts of juice from 8
+quarts of apples and 4 of water.
+
+Apples vary in the percentage of sugar and acid they contain. A
+fine-flavored acid apple should be employed when possible. Apple jelly
+may be made at any time of the year, but winter apples are best and
+should be used when in their prime, i. e., from the fall to December or
+January. When it is found necessary to make apple jelly in the spring,
+add the juice of one lemon to every pint of apple juice.
+
+
+CIDER APPLE JELLY.
+
+Make the same as plain apple jelly, but covering the apples with cider
+instead of water. The cider must be fresh from the press.
+
+
+CRAB-APPLE JELLY.
+
+Make the same as plain apple jelly.
+
+
+QUINCE JELLY.
+
+Rub the quinces with a coarse crash towel; cut out the blossom end. Wash
+the fruit and pare it and cut in quarters. Cut out the cores, putting
+them in a dish by themselves. Have a large bowl half full of water; drop
+the perfect pieces of fruit into this bowl. Put the parings and
+imperfect parts, cut very fine, into the preserving kettle. Add a quart
+of water to every 2 quarts of fruit and parings. Put on the fire and
+cook gently for two hours. Strain and finish the same as apple jelly.
+The perfect fruit may be preserved or canned.
+
+To make quince jelly of a second quality, when the parings and fruit are
+put on to cook put the cores into another kettle and cover them
+generously with water and cook two hours. After all the juice has been
+drained from the parings and fruit, put what remains into the preserving
+kettle with the cores. Mix well and turn into the straining cloth. Press
+all the juice possible from this mixture. Put the juice in the
+preserving kettle with a pint of sugar to a pint of juice; boil ten
+minutes.
+
+
+WILD FRUITS FOR JELLIES.
+
+Wild raspberries, blackberries, barberries, grapes, and beach plums all
+make delicious jellies. The frequent failures in making barberry jelly
+come from the fruit not being fresh or from being overripe.
+
+
+PREPARATION OF THE GLASSES FOR JELLY.
+
+Sterilize the glasses; take from the boiling water and set them in a
+shallow baking pan in which there is about 2 inches of boiling water.
+
+
+COVERING JELLIES.
+
+Jellies are so rich in sugar that they are protected from bacteria and
+yeasts, but they must be covered carefully to protect them from mold
+spores and evaporation. The following methods of covering jellies are
+all good:
+
+Have disks of thick white paper the size of the top of the glass. When
+the jelly is set, brush the top over with brandy or alcohol. Dip a disk
+of paper in the spirits and put it on the jelly. If the glasses have
+covers, put them on. If there are no covers, cut disks of paper about
+half an inch in diameter larger than the top of the glass. Beat together
+the white of one egg and a tablespoonful of cold water. Wet the paper
+covers with this mixture and put over the glass, pressing down the sides
+well to make them stick to the glass; or the covers may be dipped in
+olive oil and be tied on the glasses, but they must be cut a little
+larger than when the white of egg is used.
+
+A thick coating of paraffin makes a good cover, but not quite so safe as
+the paper dipped in brandy or alcohol, because the spirits destroy any
+mold spores that may happen to rest on the jelly. If such spores are
+covered with the paraffin they may develop under it. However, the paper
+wet with spirits could be put on first and the paraffin poured over it.
+
+If paraffin is used, break it into pieces and put in a cup. Set the cup
+in a pan of warm water on the back of the stove. In a few moments it
+will be melted enough to cover the jelly. Have the coating about a
+fourth of an inch thick. In cooling the paraffin contracts, and if the
+layer is very thin it will crack and leave a portion of the jelly
+exposed.
+
+
+
+
+CANNED OR BOTTLED FRUIT JUICES.
+
+
+Fruit juice is most desirable for drinking or for culinary purposes.
+Grape juice is particularly good as a drink. It may be canned with or
+without sugar but, except where the grapes have a large percentage of
+sugar, as is the case in California, some sugar should be added to the
+juice in canning.
+
+Currant juice may be sterilized and canned without sugar. This juice may
+be made into jelly at any season of the year.
+
+Fruit juices that are designed for use in frozen creams and water ices
+should be canned with a generous amount of sugar.
+
+For grape juice good bottles are to be preferred to fruit cans. If you
+can get the self-sealing bottles, such as pop or beer comes in, the work
+of putting up grape juice will be light. If bottles are employed, be
+very careful to sterilize both bottles and corks.
+
+
+GRAPE JUICE.
+
+Wash the grapes and pick from the stems. Put the fruit in the preserving
+kettle and crush slightly. Heat slowly and boil gently for half an hour.
+Crush the fruit with a wooden spoon.
+
+Put a sieve or colander over a large bowl and spread a square of cheese
+cloth over the sieve. Turn the fruit and juice into the cheese cloth;
+drain well, then draw the edges of the cheese cloth together and twist
+hard to press out all the juice possible.
+
+Put the strained juice in a clean preserving kettle and on the fire.
+When it boils up, draw back and skim. Let it boil up again and skim;
+then add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Boil five minutes, skimming
+carefully. Fill hot sterilized jars or bottles. Put the jars or bottles
+in a moderate oven for ten minutes, in pans of boiling water. Have some
+boiling juice and pour a little of it into the jars as they are taken
+from the oven; then seal. Place on boards and set aside out of a cold
+draft.
+
+A good proportion of sugar and juice is 1 gill of sugar to a quart of
+juice. The preparation and use of grape juice has been discussed at
+length in an earlier bulletin of this series.[a]
+
+
+RASPBERRY, BLACKBERRY, STRAWBERRY, AND CURRANT JUICES.
+
+With all these fruits except currants, proceed the same as for grape
+juice, but adding half a pint of sugar to each quart of juice. Currants
+will require 1 pint of sugar to a quart of juice.
+
+
+CHERRY, PLUM, AND PEACH JUICES.
+
+To preserve the juice of cherries, plums, peaches, and similar fruits,
+proceed as for jelly, but adding to each quart of juice half a pint of
+sugar instead of a quart as for jelly. If it is not desired to have the
+fruit juice transparent, the pulp of the fruit may be pressed to extract
+all the liquid.
+
+
+FRUIT SIRUPS.
+
+The only difference between sirups and juice is that in the sirup there
+must be at least half as much sugar as fruit juice.
+
+These sirups are used for flavoring ice creams and water ices. They also
+make a delicious drink, when two or three spoonfuls are added to a glass
+of ice water.
+
+
+RASPBERRY VINEGAR.
+
+Put 4 quarts of raspberries in a bowl and pour over them 2 quarts of
+vinegar. Cover and set in a cool place for two days. On the second day
+strain the vinegar through cheese cloth. Put 4 quarts of fresh
+raspberries in the bowl and pour over them the vinegar strained from the
+first raspberries. Put in a cool place for two days, then strain. Put
+the strained juice in a preserving kettle with 3 quarts of sugar. Heat
+slowly, and when the vinegar boils skim carefully. Boil twenty minutes,
+then put in sterilized bottles.
+
+About 2 tablespoonfuls of vinegar to a glass of water makes a refreshing
+drink.
+
+Similar vinegars may be made from blackberries and strawberries.
+
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[a] U. S. Dept. Agr., Farmers' Bulletin No. 175.
+
+
+
+
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Transcriber's Note:
+
+
+The following typographical errors were corrected:
+
+p. 10: crackng to cracking (the cracking of jars)
+
+p. 17: 22 to 18 (see p. 18)
+
+p. 19: 17 to 13 (see p. 13)
+
+p. 19: 14 to 10 (See fruit pricker, p. 10.)
+
+p. 20: 18 to 14 (The data on page 14)
+
+p. 21: 14 to 10 (see p. 10)
+
+p. 25: 17 to 13 (See washing fruit, p. 13.)
+
+p. 26: crytallize to crystallize (to crystallize in time)
+
+p. 26: 19 to 15 (See p. 15.)
+
+Irregularity in hyphenation (e.g. jelly-making vs. jelly making) and
+compound words (e.g. wash boiler vs. washboiler) has not been corrected.
+
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Canned Fruit, Preserves, and Jellies:
+Household Methods of Preparation, by Maria Parloa
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 30441 ***