BOTTLING 



79 



Report to the Worcestershire C.C. on dried fruits, 

 vegetables and herbs, with the article in Journal of 

 R.H.S., vol. xxvi., part ii., should be consulted, and 

 " Fruit Preserving," by R.L.C., in Watson, vol. v. 

 Thick-skinned plums, e.g., Czar, Prince Englebert, 

 Diamond and Monarch are best for the purpose. 

 Plums placed on trays, dried in a very slow oven, and 

 allowed to cool several times, are often equal to French 

 prunes. 



BOTTLING 



This is a simple and most useful process. Plums 

 well bottled will last for years. Gather clean and 

 dry fruit before it is quite ripe, that the heat may 

 not crack the plums. Remove the stalks and pack 

 closely in bottles not over I T inches high, without bruis- 

 ing, up to shoulder of bottle. Provide a boiler a foot 

 deep ; place hay or canvas at the bottom, then put the 

 bottles in the boiler with hay or canvas around them 

 to prevent fracture. Now fill the boiler up to the necks 

 of the bottles, and place it on a slow fire. Heat very 

 gradually until the water is at boiling point. Then take 

 each bottle out with a cloth, fill with boiling water kept 

 close at hand, and cover while boiling with air-tight 

 stoppers. Another method is to fill the bottles nearly 

 full with cold water or thin syrup, and boil for fifteen 

 minutes. Messrs De Luca have received silver and 

 bronze medals from the R.H.S. for self-closing bottles 

 now sold by Messrs Abbott of Southall, near London. 

 Their method is as follows: "Pour in water or cold 

 thin syrup (one tablespoonful of crystalised cane-sugar 

 to the pint) sufficient to cover the fruit. Adjust the 

 indiarubber in the groove made for it on neck of the 

 bottle, place the disc on it, and lightly screw down 

 the outer ring. (Steam must be allowed to escape.) 

 Boil as before for twenty minutes ; take out each bottle, 



