166 



HOME PRESERVING AND CANNING 



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flavor, put in jars and set in a pan of water in the 

 oven or in a steamer to cook and then be iilled with 

 thin syrup. Before sealing, a spoon should be put 



down between jar 

 and fruit to let out 

 all air-bubbles. 



The pressure of 

 the atmosphere on 

 the surface of the 

 preserving kettle 

 causes some vari- 

 ation in the dens- 

 ity of syrup, how- 

 ever the sugar and 

 water were pro- 

 portioned at first. 

 When canning 

 acid fruits, the 

 syrup used to fill 

 the jars may be 

 made of equal 

 measures of sugar 



Fig. 240. Common wash-boiler and 

 slats for heating cans preparatory to 

 sealing. 



and water, while, for sweet fruits, the sugar may 

 be reduced. 



The canning of vegetables is usually considered 

 a more difficult process under ordinary conditions 

 than that of canning fruits. With due precautions 

 as to cleanliness and a long period of cooking in 

 the jars placed in a steam cooker or wash-boiler 

 (Fig. 240), many housekeepers are as successful 

 with vegetables as with fruits. 



Some vegetables are more subject to fermenta- 

 tion than others. Where the skin is cut, as in 

 sweet corn, there is greater opportunity for bac- 

 terial action. String beans may well be parboiled 

 in salted water before putting into the jars, where 

 the cooking process must be continued two or 

 three hours. Tomatoes are less 

 liable to spoil if thoroughly 

 skimmed while cooking. When 

 they have proved most trouble- 

 some to housekeepers, it ap- 

 pears that they have not been 

 cooked long enough for the 

 center of the tomato to be 

 raised to the boiling point. 



The country 

 housekeeper who 

 can bring perfect 



fruits and vegetables from her gar- 

 den directly into the preserving 

 kettle and air-tight can will have 

 little trouble with "germs"; but the 

 city woman who must secure raw 

 materials through many middlemen 

 would better depend on reliable 

 canneries for her main supply. 



Utensils. 



While excellent results have been 

 Fig, 242. accomplished by many housekeepers 



flTanTsyrap ^^^^ "^^^^ ^°°^ appliances, any one 

 gage (B) who is to make preserves as a busi- 



Fame^^^B^i- "®®^ "^^'^^ ^^^ ^^^^ utcnsils, not 

 letinNo. 203). the most expensive, but those best 



Fig. 241. 



Fruit pricker. 



Made by thrusting 



needles through 



cork. 



Fig. 243. 



Wire basket for scalding 



the fruits. 



adapted to the purpose. Everything should be of 

 shape and substance easy to handle, not readily 

 affected by acids, and affording little hiding-place 

 for molds and ferments. 

 Scales give greater 

 accuracy than measures. 

 A silver-plated fruit- 

 knife with sharp edge is 

 best for paring and cor- 

 ing, or steel knives, if 

 used, should be kept 

 bright. Wooden, enamel, 

 or silver spoons should 

 be used, never tin or 

 iron. 



The 1 d porcelain- 

 lined iron kettles trans- 

 mitted moderate heat 



with little danger of burning the con- 

 tents. There are brown earthenware 

 kettles, raised from the stove by short 

 legs or a metal rim, that are useful 

 when slow evaporation is essential, as 

 for marmalades or ketchups. Agate- 

 ware kettles are light, easy to lift, and 

 clean, and with asbestos or a metal 

 trivet underneath do not burn readily. 

 There should be several of different 

 sizes, and new ones are desirable since 

 fruit acids often remove stains which 

 cannot be scoured off, — and that does 

 not improve the hue of a jelly. Broad 

 rather than deep kettles should be 

 A wooden chosen, since evaporation is thus hast- 

 masher for ened, and whole fruits should be cooked 

 in shallow layers. 

 A wire basket is a great help in scalding fruit 

 to remove skins. A wire spoon or bright skimmer 

 is needed occasionally. Enamel strainers and col- 

 anders are convenienfj. A wooden masher is best 

 for jam. Fruit -presses, cherry-stoners, and the 

 like are required when large quantities are to be 

 prepared. For accurate results, a thermometer and 

 syrup gage are as essential as any other tools. 

 Never try to fill many jars without a large- 

 mouthed tin funnel. Strong linen cheese-cloth 

 strainers and a flannel bag are necessary for 

 jellies. To protect tables from stains and make it 

 easy to clear up afterward, cover with several 

 layers of paper, those on top being clean brown 

 paper. 



Jars. 



To hold different quantities of fruit and, later, 

 to serve a family of varying size, the jars should 

 be of all sizes, half -pint, pint, quart and two- 

 quart. Better pay a few cents more than to get 

 jars with imperfect edge, sure to result in cut 

 fingers, or with blisters of glass inside that will 

 break and mingle with the contents of the jar, or 

 with letters and trade-marks in the way of complete 

 sterilization. The best covers are those of glass held 

 in place by a metal spring fastened about the neck 

 of the jar. When a glass top is fastened in a metal 

 rim it is impossible to keep it perfectly clean. 



