PRESERVING AND CANNING 



167 



New rubber rings should be provided each year, 

 though a few of those left over may be usable. 

 Sometimes two rings should be used, they are so 

 thin. Wide-mouthed bottles may be tightly corked 

 and covered v/ith a cement of rosin and beeswax. 

 Bottles are suitable for the fruit syrups, but the 

 self -sealing ones are best. For all purposes, even 

 for jellies, air-tight jars with glass covers have 

 many advantages. Sterilization is as necessary for 

 jelly tumblers as for jars. After jars are filled 

 properly, they should be labeled and dated. Printed 

 labels already gummed may be bought at low rates, 

 so there is no excuse for indistinct or untidy labels. 



The closet where filled jars are kept should be 

 light, dry and easy to keep clean. For the first 



Fig. 245, Anmnita muscaria. A poisouous white-spored 

 agaric, 



month, watch all jars, and, if there is any indica- 

 tion of fermentation, open, scald, and use at once. 



Summary. 



This is no place for detailed recipes, since those 

 may be found in cook-books and bulletins. The 

 essential points in all canning, jelly-making, pre- 

 serving and pickling may be given in few words : 

 The article to be preserved and everything to come 

 in contact with it must be sterilized, and then the 

 air must be kept from it. Constant watchfulness 

 and absolute cleanliness are the only magic arts 

 employed. The housekeeper of today must not for- 

 get the traditions and experience of past genera- 

 tions, but even in these e very-day processes she 

 must apply also the results of the experiments of 

 modern scientists. Though many of these processes 



have passed out from the home, there is still a 

 place for the homemade preserves which have a 

 distinct quality and with which no factory goods 

 can compete. 



Preserving and preparing mushrooms. (By B. M. 

 Duggar.) 



In the preservation of mushrooms the processes 

 may be either by drying or canning. By both 

 processes some of the flavor of the mushroom is 

 lost, but, nevertheless, the product is an impor- 

 tant article of commerce, and commands a price 

 averaging, perhaps, half that of the fresh mush- 

 rooms. A discussion of edible native mushrooms 

 will be found on page 474. Figs. 245-247 show 

 some of the mushrooms to be avoided. 



Drying. — The simpler method is by drying, and 

 this is commonly used by the peasantry of Europe 

 for the preservation of such common forms as 

 Boletus edulis {Steinpilz eepe), Agaricus eampestris 

 (the common mushroom), and, in addition, several 

 species which are used primarily for soups and 

 stews. The method is, however, applicable to a 

 large number of fleshy species. The method which 

 is recognized as giving the best results consists in 

 thoroughly cleaning the fungi and then immersing 



them for a moment 

 in boiling water 

 which is slightly 

 acidulated with 

 vinegar or lemon 

 juice. It is asserted 

 that the acidulation 

 prevents, to some 

 extent, the darkening of the 

 mushrooms, yet the addition 

 of acid is not a universal 

 custom. Taken from the 

 boiling water, the mush- 

 rooms, if small, are fre- 

 quently strung on threads 

 and hung in the sun or over 

 the stove. Large specimens 

 should be sliced. When dried 

 in quantity, it is unquestion- 

 ably desirable to desiccate 

 more promptly by placing 

 the material in a slow oven 

 (a temperature of 90° to 

 100° C, or 194° to 212° 

 Fahr.) or it may be disposed 

 over wire netting suspended 

 over a stove or oven. When 

 dry they are frequently hung 

 in sacks, or merely as strung, 

 Oi^^ rff/f in a dry room where pep- 



Iv 'if^'^ P^rs, dried apples, and other 



iV * such products are preserved. 



For commercial purposes, 

 however, they may be imme- 

 diately placed in glasses or 

 tins, well closed or sealed. 

 In moist weather much mois- 

 ture may be taken up, if 

 exposed, and molding will 



Fie. 246. 

 Amanita phalloides. A 

 deadly poisonous, 

 whitB-spored agaric. 

 Sliowing cap, stem, 

 ring and cup - like 

 volva with a free, 

 prominent limb. 



