The Farm Table, 689 



cups and funnel. Place a shallow milkpan, partially filled with boiling 

 water, near the boiling fruit. When ready to put the prepared fruit 

 into the jars, slip a broad skimmer under a jar and lift it carefully 

 from the boiling water. Drain the jar and set into the milkpan, then fill 

 with the boiling fruit. Slip the blade of the silver plated knife also 

 sterilized around the inside of the jar. This will pack the fruit and juice 

 more solidly. Dip the rubber ring into boiling water and put it smoothly 

 into place. Put on the cover and fasten. Place the jars on a board and 

 out of a current of air. 



All three of the foregoing methods give slightly different results. 

 In the last method the fruit does not hold its shape well. This is par- 

 ticularly true of the small fruits. 



In filling the fruit jars from the preserving kettle there is the chance 

 of floating spores dropping onto them and later germinating in the jar. 

 The second method is better. The fruit holds its shape and there is 

 hardly a shadow of a chance of the spores reaching the sterilized fruit. 

 There is one objection to the second method. The jars are covered while 

 the fruit is being cooked. The gases developing in cooking have no 

 means of escape and are therefore reabsorbed by the fruit. Such fruit 

 will not be as fine flavored and digestible as fruit that has perfect ventila- 

 tion while being cooked. 



By the oven method the fruit holds its shape and the gases pass off ; 

 the sterilized rubber band and the cover are put on as soon as the fruit 

 leaves the oven ; the labor of putting the jars into the oven and taking 

 them out is slight when compared with getting the boiler ready and pack- 

 ing the jars for safety; the flavor of the oven-cooked fruit is much finer 

 than that by either of the other two methods. 



Hard fruits, such as ciuinces, must be simmered gently in clear water, 

 then drained well before being put into the jars with the syrup. If such 

 fruit is desired rather rich, a rich syrup must be added, and the cooking 

 in the jars be continued for thirty instead of ten minutes. Tomatoes 

 must cook in the jars for thirty minutes. 



Points on Jars, Scaling, etc. 



Among the makes of fruit jars there are two that are in general 

 use. In one both jar and cover are glass. When the rubber ring and the 

 glass cover are put on, a wire band is drawn over the cover and the jar 

 is sealed. The other make has a metal top lined with porcelain. This 

 top is screwed on the jar. This must be done as soon as the cover is put 

 on. But the heat has expanded the glass and the cover cannot be screwed 

 perfectly tight until after the glass has cooled and contracted. When 

 using this kind of jar make it a rule to screw on the covers as tight as 



