FRUIT-PRESERVING. 



363 



minutes to three-quarters of an hour to complete 

 the process. 



Raspberries. — These are even more delicate 

 fruits than the Strawberry, but the flavour is 

 so rich and distinct that they are invaluable 

 for preserving, indeed they are chiefly used in 

 this way. Amongst the older varieties Red 

 Antwerp has always been a great favourite for 

 jam, owing to its fine colour and high flavour. 

 Baumforth's Seedling is also valuable for the 

 same reasons, together with Fastolf. Some 

 other varieties have, however, come into favour 

 for their fertility or the large size of the fruits, 

 and amongst these Carter's Prolific, Superlative, 

 and Hornet are notable. 



For Raspberry jam alone 7J lbs. of sugar to 

 10 lbs. of fruit are required, and twenty minutes 

 boiling is sufficient. This will also be enough 

 if a mixture of Raspberries and Red Currants 

 is prepared, in the proportion of one-third of the 

 former to two-thirds of the latter; but if Apples 

 are substituted for the Red Currants it is ad- 

 visable to partly cook the Apple -pulp before 

 adding the Raspberries. Both the above mix- 

 tures are excellent and saleable products. 



There is a limited but constant demand for 

 Raspberry vinegar, which can be readily pre- 

 pared in the following manner: — The fruit must 

 be thoroughly ripe, of the best-flavoured varieties, 

 and should be placed in a large earthenware 

 vessel; upon this the vinegar must be poured 

 and allowed to stand for a day. A fresh sup- 

 ply of Raspberries must be used the next day, 

 and if the vinegar has not absorbed sufficient of 

 the flavour the process must be repeated a third 

 time. It is often recommended to use the best 

 white vinegar, but an ordinary pure brand may 

 be employed, and the proportion of fruit for 

 each steeping should be about 3 lbs. to a gallon 

 of vinegar. If the Raspberries are abundant, 

 or the grower has a quantity of fruit too 

 smashed for ordinary sale, a larger proportion 

 may be used, say about 4 or 5 lbs. to the 

 gallon. After the steeping is completed the 

 liquor is strained, 8 lbs. of the best sugar is 

 added to each gallon, the whole is simmered 

 for an hour, and then bottled after it has cooled 

 sufficiently. The bottles should be neat ones, 

 with long narrow necks, and from ^-pint to 

 J-pint are the usual sizes, the former being the 

 more convenient. 



Blackberries. — In some instances attempts have 

 been made to cultivate the Blackberry with a 

 view to profit, and where land is suitable, but 

 not fitted for better crops, fairly good results 

 can be had. Still, under these circumstances, 



it is not advised to grow the common type; the 

 best is the cut-leaved variety, Rubus hciniatus, 

 which crops heavily, and has large fruits of 

 good flavour. This, however, repays for liberal 

 treatment. By far the greater quantities of 

 Blackberries used in preserving, and for culi- 

 nary purposes, which amount to many tons, 

 are grown wild in hedgerows, are gathered by 

 villagers and collected by dealers. 



The chief mode of utilizing the fruit is in 

 the form of jam; but this is rarely used alone, 

 though in conjunction with Apples an excellent 

 and popular preserve is produced. A service- 

 able proportion may be formed by 10 lbs. Black- 

 berries, *l\ lbs. of sugar, and 5 lbs. Apples. 

 Rather acid varieties of the last-named are pre- 

 ferred, as they serve to correct the tendency to 

 insipidity in the other fruit when cooked. It is 

 advantageous to use the prepared Apple-pulp 

 already described, as then it will only be neces- 

 sary to boil the mixture sharply for twenty 

 minutes, and place it at once into jars. If the 

 Blackberries are not fully ripe a longer period 

 will be needed. 



Jelly can be prepared from this fruit, but it 

 is difficult to obtain it of a good flavour and well 

 coloured, it is apt to be dull and muddy-looking. 



Red Currants. — This fruit can be readily turned 

 to a good purpose in a variety of ways. They 

 are popular for bottling, as, if the best varieties 

 are employed, they have a pleasing appearance 

 and are very serviceable. For bottling, the 

 larger-fruited varieties of bright colour should 

 be used, such as Raby Castle or Cherry, as these 

 are seen to much greater advantage than the 

 smaller-fruited sorts, like Red Dutch, which is 

 so valuable for general preserving purposes. In 

 bottling Red Currants less time is required than 

 for stone-fruits, but a fierce and sudden heat 

 must be avoided, as well as a too long exposure 

 to it, or the fruit becomes colourless. A gradual 

 rise to the boiling-point in about one hour should 

 suffice. If Red Currant jam is prepared alone, 

 10 lbs. of fruit and 7 J lbs. sugar, with a boiling 

 of twenty minutes, will be all that is required: 

 but, as previously pointed out, this fruit is much 

 more frequently used in combination with Rasp- 

 berries. 



An excellent jelly can be produced from Red 

 Currants and is in good demand. The fruit 

 should be simmered slowly for twenty minutes, 

 then strained, and sugar must be added at the 

 rate of 8 lbs. to each gallon of juice, and then 

 boiled for ten minutes. This process must be 

 carefully watched and tested, as a few minutes* 

 excess will be enough to spoil it. 



