CANNED PEACHES
To eight quarts of peaches take one quart of sugar and three quarts of water. Make a syrup of the sugar and water; bring to a boil; skim it and draw the kettle aside where the syrup will keep hot but not boil. Pare the peaches, cutting them in halves or not as desired; if in half leave one or two whole peaches for every jar, as the kernel improves the flavor. Put a layer of fruit in the kettle; when it begins to boil skim carefully; boil gently, for ten minutes; put in jars and seal. Then cook more of the fruit in similar fashion. If the fruit is not ripe it will require a longer time to cook.
All fruit may be canned in this manner, if desired.
PINEAPPLE, No. 1
The large juicy pineapple is the best for this purpose. Have your scales at hand, also a sharp-pointed knife and an apple-corer, a slaw-cutter and a large, deep porcelain dish to receive the sliced pineapple. Pare, do this carefully, dig out all the eyes as you go along. Lay the pared pineapple on a porcelain platter and stick your apple-corer right through the centre of the apple, first at one end and then at the other; if it acts stubbornly put a towel around the handle of the corer and twist it, the whole core will come out at once. Now screw the slaw-cutter to the desired thickness you wish to have your pineapple sliced. Slice into receiving dish, weigh one pound of fine granulated sugar and sprinkle it all over the apple, and so on until all are pared and sliced, allowing one pound of sugar to each very large pineapple. Cover the dish until next day and then strain all the juice off the apples and boil in a porcelain or bell metal kettle, skimming it well; throw in the sliced pineapples, boil about five minutes and can. Fill the cans to overflowing and seal immediately, not losing a moment's time. As the cans grow cold screw tighter and examine daily, for three or four days, and screw tighter if possible.
PINEAPPLE, No. 2
Prepare the pineapples as above, allowing half a pound of sugar to two pounds of fruit. Steam the sliced pines in a porcelain steamer until tender. In the meantime make a syrup of the sugar, allowing a tumblerful of water to a pound of sugar. Skim the syrup carefully, put in your steamed pineapples and can as above.
*JELLIES AND PRESERVES*
In making preserves or jellies use none but porcelain-lined or bell-metal kettles, being very careful to have them perfectly clean. Scour with sapolio or sand before using. Take plenty of time to do your work, as you will find that too great hurry is unprofitable. Use glass jars and the best white sugar, and do not have any other cooking going on while preserving, as the steam or grease will be apt to injure your preserves.
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 sealed in airtight jars; because bacteria do not readily form in the thick, sugary syrup. It is, however, best kept in small sealed jars.