10 Dec, 1918.] Bottling of Fruit for Home Use. 713 



BOTTLING OF FRUIT FOR HOME USE. 



By Miss A. Knight, Fruit Preserving Expert. 

 Introduction. 



The range of women's work is widening almost daily, and one useful 

 way in which it can be profitably extended is in the production and 

 preservation of food both for immediate and future use. 



The actual food value of most fruits certainly is not high, but the 

 acids in composition are an agreeable and wholesome solvent of. the 

 fibrous portions of a meal. The potash salts and other mineral com- 

 pounds, in which fruits are rich, are needed in order to keep the blood 

 in a healthy condition, while the fibrous portions give bulk, and tend 

 to promote a healthy condition of the organs of excretion. "We often 

 hear it said that " Health is the greatest of all possessions, and is not 

 quoted in the market because it is without price." Therefore the use 

 of plenty of wholesome fruit, Avhen it is in season, should be encouraged, 

 and by preserving it in various ways a good supply for winter use will 

 help to lighten the food bill, and give variety to the table in winter as 

 well as summer. It will also provide a palatable dessert, which can be 

 taken from the pantry shelf and served immediately, without cooking 

 or other preparation. There are also a large number of simple, dainty 

 desserts that can be prepared from preserved fruits, many of which are 

 inexpensive and tasty. The woman who is interested in her home and 

 home life should be able to conserve all the excess products from the 

 garden, orchard, or market purchases at a moderate cost, thereby pre- 

 venting any waste. The home product, when well preserved, is both 

 attractive and palatable, and many leading grocers have customers who 

 prefer such goods, causing a constant demand for first-class home-made 

 preserves. 



There are a num.ber of ways of dealing with fruit and vegetables, all 

 of which come under the heading of " preserves." Each method, of 

 course, differs^ very much from the other, yet to be able to mnke the most 

 of what we have, a knowledge of the different methods will be found 

 to be a distinct advantage, because they can be worked one with the 

 other, thus reducing the possibility of waste. 



This article deals exclusively with the bottling of fruits for home 

 use, but other preserves Vv-ili be dealt Avith in future issues. 



Destructive Organisms. 



It is absolutely necessary in the preservation of foods to completely' 

 destroy all the minute plant organisms, and if those met in the process 

 of canning or food preserving are not destroyed fermentation or putre- 

 faction will be set up in the contents after the containers have been 

 sealed. Consequently, when preserving food, it must be processed until 

 it reaches a condition in which these minute bodies cannot attack it. 



These organisms may be classed, roughly, into three groups — bac- 

 teria, yeasts, and moulds. In the following brief outline of the structure 

 and work of these germs it AA-ill be seen that their growth on, or in, the 

 food will^ completely spoil it, the change they cause being known as 

 putrefaction or decay, and as the food decomposes acids, carbonic acid 

 gas, and ©ther useless compounds are formed. 



