Tenth Annual Meeting 169 



with ginger and lemon added, a delicious preserve is made, or 

 combined with quince they are equally good ; also spiced and 

 made into a sweet pickle they serve as an appetizer. 



For strawberries, I prefer firm, solid, highly colored berries 

 with deep red flesh. These look well in the cans, and retain 

 both form and flavor. 



Raspberries should always be cooked in the jars; in fact, each 

 year I am cooking more this way, and consider it the ideal 

 method. The only objection is the quantity of syrup required, 

 by reason of the shrinking of the fruit, but the product is far 

 superior in flavor and texture. The past season the writer put 

 up several hundred cans by this method, and not one can so far 

 has failed to keep perfectly. Many housekeepers consider this 

 a long, tedious method, but I do it easily in this way. If doing 

 peaches, I am able to keep two girls busy paring and filling the 

 jars with the uncooked fruit. I cook nine and ten jars at a time 

 by using an ordinary wash-boiler. I have a wooden rack which 

 I put in the bottom of the boiler, and place the cans upon this in 

 such a manner that the cans do not touch each other. Fill the 

 cans half full of cold water, and as the peaches are pared drop 

 into the water to avoid discoloration. When the jars are full, 

 turn off the water and fill nearly to the neck of the jar with a 

 good syrup, which has been previously prepared, place on the 

 rack in the boiler and fill the boiler nearly to the top of the cans 

 with warm water, and bring to a boil; after cooking a short time 

 from two to four more peaches may be added to each can. As 

 soon as the air is expelled from the fruit, remove the jars from 

 the water, put on the rubbers and seal immediately. 



The secret of jelly-making is fresh and not overripe fruit. 

 Never allow the fruit or juice to come in contact with metal, as 

 it gives a harsh flavor. After the jelly has cooled, have ready 

 melted paraffine, turn a thin layer over the top of each tumbler 

 and put on the covers; this excludes all air and keeps the con- 

 tents from molding over the top. When the fruit is opened 

 the paraffine can be carefully removed and washed for use the 

 following season if desired. For jelly use one pound of sugar to 

 a quart of juice, for preserves three pounds of sugar to four of 

 fruit, and in canning use no more sugar than is needed to bring 

 out flavor and make the fruit palatable. Carelessness and hap- 



