CANNING AND PRESERVING FRUIT IN THE HOME 
member that the fruit and juice are not 
luxuries, but an addition to the dietary 
that will mean better health for the 
members of the family and greater econ- 
omy in the cost of the table. 
Fresh and Preserved Fruit for the 
Market 
If the supply of fruit is greater than 
the family needs, it may be made a 
source of income by sending the fresh 
fruit to the market, if there is one near 
enough, or by preserving, canning, and 
making jelly for sale. To make such an 
enterprise a success the fruit and work 
must be first class. There is magic in 
the word “Home-made,” when the pro- 
duct appeals to the eye and the palate; 
but many careless and incompetent peo- 
ple have found to their sorrow that this 
word has not magic enough to float in- 
ferior goods on the market. As a rule 
large canning and preserving establish- 
ments are clean and have the best appli- 
ances, and they employ chemists and 
skilled labor. The home product must be 
very good to compete with the attractive 
goods that are sent out from such estab- 
lishments. Yet for first class home made 
products there is a market in all large 
cities. All first class grocers have cus- 
tomers who purchase such goods. 
To secure a market, get the names of 
several first class grocers in some of the 
large towns. Write to them asking if 
they would be willing to try a sample of 
your goods. If the answer is favorable, 
send samples of the articles you wish to 
sell. In the box with the fruit inclose a 
list of the articles sent and the price. 
Write your name and address clearly. 
Mail a note and a duplicate list at the 
time you send the box. Fixing the price 
of the goods is important. Make it high 
enough to cover all expenses and give you 
a fair return for your labor. The expenses 
will be the fruit, sugar, fuel, jars, glasses, 
boxes, packing material, wear and tear of 
utensils, etc., transportation and commis- 
sion. The commission will probably be 
20 per cent of the selling price. It may 
be that a merchant will find your prices 
are too high or too low for his trade, or 
he may wish to purchase the goods out- 
715 
right. In any case it is essential that 
you estimate the full cost of the product 
and the value that you place on your 
labor. You will then be in a position to 
decide if the prices offered will compen- 
sate you for the labor and expense. Do 
not be tempted for the sake of a little 
money to deprive your family of the fruit 
necessary to health and pleasure. 
Packing and Shipping 
Each jar or jelly glass must be wrapped 
in several thicknesses of soft paper 
(newspapers will answer). Make pads of 
excelsior or hay by spreading a thick 
layer between the folds of newspapers. 
Line the bottom and sides of the box with 
these pads. Pack the fruit in the padded 
box. Fill all the spaces between the jars 
with the packing material. If the box is 
deep and a second layer of fruit is to go 
in, put thick pasteboard or thin boards 
over the first layer and set the wrapped 
jars on this. Fill all the spaces and cover 
the top with the packing material. Nail 
on the cover and mark clearly: GLASS. 
THIS SIDE UP. 
The great secret in packing is to fill 
every particle of space so that nothing 
can move. 
Principles of Canning and Preserving 
In the preservation of foods by canning, 
preserving, etc., the most essential things 
in the processes are the sterilization of 
the food and all the utensils and the seal- 
ing of the sterilized food to exclude all 
germs. 
Bacteria, Yeasts and Fermentation 
Over 100 years ago Francois Appert 
was the first to make practical applica- 
tion of the method of preserving food by 
putting it in cans or bottles, which he 
hermetically sealed. He then put the full 
bottles or cans in water and boiled them 
for more or less time, depending upon 
the kinds of food. 
In Appert’s time and, indeed, until re- 
cent years, it was generally thought that 
the oxygen of the air caused the decom- 
position of food. Appert’s theory was that 
the things essential to the preservation 
of food in this manner were the exclusion 
of air and the application of gentle heat, 
