CANNING AND PRESERVING
Preserving fruit is cooking it with from three-fourths to its whole weight of sugar. By so doing, much of the natural flavor of the fruit is destroyed; therefore canning is usually preferred to preserving.
Canning fruit is preserving sterilized fruit in sterilized air-tight jars, the sugar being added to give sweetness. Fruits may be canned without sugar if perfectly sterilized, that is, freed from all germ life.
Directions for Canning
Fruit for canning should be fresh, firm, of good quality, and not over-ripe; if over-ripe, some of the spores may survive the boiling, then fermentation will take place in a short time.
For canning fruit, allow one-third its weight in sugar, and two and one-half to three cups water to each pound of sugar. Boil sugar and water ten minutes to make a thin syrup; then cook a small quantity of the fruit at a time in the syrup; by so doing, fruit may be kept in perfect shape. Hard fruits, like pineapple and quince, are cooked in boiling water until nearly soft, then put in syrup to finish cooking. Sterilized jars are then filled with fruit, and enough syrup added to overflow jars. If there is not sufficient syrup, add boiling water, as jars must be filled to overflow. Introduce a spoon between fruit and jar, that air bubbles may rise to the top and break; then quickly put on rubbers and screw on sterilized covers. Let stand until cold, again screw covers, being sure this time that jars are air-tight. While filling jars, place them on a cloth wrung out of hot water.
To Sterilize Jars
Wash jars and fill with cold water. Set in a kettle on a trivet, and surround with cold water. Heat gradually to boiling-point, remove from water, empty, and fill while hot. Put covers in hot water and let stand five minutes. Dip rubber bands in hot water, but do not allow them to stand. New rubbers should be used each season, and care must be taken that rims of covers are not bent, as jars cannot then be hermetically sealed.
Canned Porter Apples
Wipe, quarter, core, and pare Porter apples, then weigh. Make a syrup by boiling for ten minutes one-third their weight in sugar with water, allowing two and one-half cups to each pound of sugar. Cook apples in syrup until soft, doing a few at a time. Fill jars, following Directions for Canning.
Canned Peaches
Wipe peaches and put in boiling water, allowing them to stand just long enough to easily loosen skins. Remove skins and cook fruit at once, that it may not discolor, following Directions for Canning. Some prefer to pare peaches, sprinkle with sugar, and let stand over night. In morning drain, add water to fruit syrup, bring to boiling-point, and then cook fruit. Peaches may be cut in halves, or smaller pieces if desired.
Canned Pears
Wipe and pare fruit. Cook whole with stems left on, or remove stems, cut in quarters, and core. Follow Directions for Canning. A small piece of ginger root or a few slicings of lemon rind may be cooked with syrup. Bartlett pears are the best for canning.
Canned Pineapples
Remove skin and eyes from pineapples; then cut in half-inch slices, and slices in cubes, at the same time discarding the core. Follow Directions for Canning. Pineapples may be shredded and cooked in one-half their weight of sugar without water, and then put in jars. When put up in this way they are useful for the making of sherbets and fancy desserts.
Canned Quinces
Wipe, quarter, core, and pare quinces. Follow Directions for Canning. Quinces may be cooked with an equal weight of sweet apples wiped, quartered, cored, and pared; in this case use no extra sugar for apples.
Canned Cherries
Use large white or red cherries. Wash, remove stems, then follow Directions for Canning.
Canned Huckleberries
Pick over and wash berries, then put in a preserving kettle with a small quantity of water to prevent berries from burning. Cook until soft, stirring occasionally, and put in jars. No sugar is required, but a sprinkling of salt is an agreeable addition.
Canned Rhubarb
Pare rhubarb and cut in one-inch pieces. Pack in a jar, put under cold water faucet, and let water run twenty minutes, then screw on cover. Rhubarb canned in this way has often been known to keep a year.
Canned Tomatoes
Wipe tomatoes, cover with boiling water, and let stand until skins may be easily removed. Cut in pieces and cook until thoroughly scalded; skim often during cooking. Fill jars, following directions given.
Damson Preserves
Wipe damsons with a piece of cheese-cloth wrung out of cold water, and prick each fruit five or six times, using a large needle; then weigh. Make a syrup by boiling three-fourths their weight in sugar with water, allowing one cup to each pound of sugar. As soon as syrup reaches boiling-point, skim, and add plums, a few at a time, that fruit may better keep in shape during cooking. Cook until soft. It is well to use two kettles, that work may be more quickly done, and syrup need not cook too long a time. Put into glass or stone jars.
Strawberry Preserves
Pick over, wash, drain, and hull strawberries; then weigh. Fill glass jars with berries. Make a syrup same as for Damson Preserve, cooking the syrup fifteen minutes. Add syrup to overflow jars; let stand fifteen minutes, when fruit will have shrunk, and more fruit must be added to fill jars. Screw on covers, put on a trivet in a kettle of cold water, heat water to boiling-point, and keep just below boiling-point one hour.
Raspberries may be preserved in the same way.
Pear Chips
8 lbs. pears
4 lbs. sugar
ΒΌ lb. Canton ginger
4 lemons
Wipe pears, remove stems, quarter, and core; then cut in small pieces. Add sugar and ginger, and let stand over night. In the morning add lemons cut in small pieces, rejecting seeds, and cook slowly three hours. Put into a stone jar.
Raspberry and Currant Preserve
6 lbs. currants
6 lbs. sugar
8 quarts raspberries
Pick over, wash, and drain currants. Put into a preserving kettle, adding a few at a time, and mash. Cook one hour, strain through double thickness of cheese-cloth. Return to kettle, add sugar, heat to boiling-point, and cook slowly twenty minutes. Add one quart raspberries when syrup again reaches boiling-point, skim out raspberries, put in jar, and repeat until raspberries are used. Fill jars to overflowing with syrup, and screw on tops.
Brandied Peaches
1 peck peaches
Half their weight in sugar
1 quart high-proof alcohol or brandy
Remove skins from peaches, and put alternate layers of peaches and sugar in a stone jar; then add alcohol. Cover closely, having a heavy piece of cloth under cover of jar.
Tutti-Frutti
Put one pint brandy into a stone jar, add the various fruits as they come into market; to each quart of fruit add the same quantity of sugar, and stir the mixture each morning until all the fruit has been added. Raspberries, strawberries, apricots, peaches, cherries, and pineapples are the best to use.
Canned Red Peppers
Wash one peck red peppers, cut a slice from stem end of each, and remove seeds; then cut in thin strips by working around and around the peppers, using scissors or a sharp vegetable knife. Cover with boiling water, let stand two minutes, drain, and plunge into ice-water. Let stand ten minutes, again drain, and pack solidly into pint glass jars. Boil one quart vinegar and two cups sugar fifteen minutes. Pour over peppers to overflow jars, cover, and keep in a cold place.
Preserved Melon Rind
Pare and cut in strips the rind of ripe melons. Soak in alum water to cover, allowing two teaspoons powdered alum to each quart of water. Heat gradually to boiling-point and cook slowly ten minutes. Drain, cover with ice-water, and let stand two hours; again drain, and dry between towels. Weigh, allow one pound sugar to each pound of fruit, and one cup water to each pound of sugar. Boil sugar and water ten minutes. Add melon rind, and cook until tender. Remove rind to a stone jar, and cover with syrup. Two lemons cut in slices may be cooked ten minutes in the syrup.
Tomato Preserve
1 lb. yellow pear tomatoes
1 lb. sugar
2 ozs. preserved Canton ginger
2 lemons
Wipe tomatoes, cover with boiling water, and let stand until skins may be easily removed. Add sugar, cover, and let stand over night. In the morning pour off syrup and boil until quite thick; skim, then add tomatoes, ginger, and lemons which have been sliced and the seeds removed. Cook until tomatoes have a clarified appearance.