I 9°5-] Preparation of Fruit Pulp. 113 



In the case of hard fruits such as apples and pears the fruit is 

 first cut up into small pieces without being peeled and without 

 removing the cores or seeds. For the finer kinds of jellies 

 it is, however, better to grind or crush the fruit in a pulping 

 machine. The pieces of fruit are afterwards put into cold water 

 to prevent them turning brown, and if they show a tendency to 

 discolour quickly, salt is added to the water at the rate of rather 

 over 1 J oz. to the gallon. The next step is to deposit the cut 

 fruit in the vats in which it is boiled with a little added water 

 until it becomes quite soft. This operation is assisted by the use 

 of a wooden stirrer. When the fruit has been boiled to a pulp 

 it is strained through cow-hair sieves which remove all the 

 coarse parts, cores and seeds. The strained pulp is then again 

 boiled and continually stirred until it is of such a consistency 

 that it will hang without dropping from a silver spoon dipped, 

 into the mass. 



Apples or pears will usually yield a fifth of their weight in pulp. 

 If very hard or unripe fruit is used sugar should be added at the 

 rate of ^ to 1 J lb. per 10 lb. of fruit as required. 



For plums and soft fruits the process is almost identical with 

 that described above. Ripe plums, the fruit of which separates 

 easily from the stones, make the best pulp. The plums are put 

 into the copper vats described above, and sufficient water is added 

 to cover the top layer of fruit. The process of boiling is then 

 proceeded with, the contents of the vats being constantly stirred 

 until the whole becomes a pulpy mass. This is then poured 

 through a cow-hair sieve to remove the skins, stones, and coarse 

 particles, and the strained pulp is again boiled ; but at this stage 

 sugar is usually added at the rate of lb. to each cwt. of fruit 

 converted into pulp. The boiling and stirring are continued 

 until the pulp is thickened sufficiently to hang from a spoon 

 without dropping. 



For raspberries and strawberries the boiling must not be 

 prolonged, and the pulp need not be strained through so fine 

 a sieve as in the case of plums. 



The scum must in all cases be skimmed from the pulp at the 

 first boiling, and this operation should never be neglected in 

 the pulping of stone fruits. 



Fruit pulp can be prepared without the addition of sugar, 



K 



