204 



GRAPES FOR WINTER CONSUMPTION. 



are fully appreciated as winter fruit ; nevertheless they 

 are consumed in large quantities in New York city and 

 other places. The Catawba is the favorite. This fruit is 

 raised principally on Lake Keuka, and growers in that 

 vicinity have houses in which they keep it in perfect con- 

 dition until quite late in the winter. On the tables of 

 the best hotels in New York can be found, until nearly 

 spring, the very choicest 

 grapes, mostly of the Ca- 

 tawba variety. The lona 

 is a long keeper but is not 

 grown extensively. Ver- 

 gennes is another long 

 keeper, to be valued on 

 that account. Every culti- 

 vator should have a place 

 of his own where all kinds 

 of fruits can be kept in 

 good condition during the 

 winter ; very few people 

 have good pears after No- 

 vember or December, 

 whereas they could just as 

 well as not, if they had 

 places to keep them, have 

 an abundance of splendid 

 fruit until almost April. 

 The farmers throughout 

 the country suffer great 

 losses on this account. This 

 is a question which d e - 

 serves consideration, and 

 we think more fruit is an- 

 nually lost through lack of 

 proper places to put it than 

 would build a good many 

 storage-houses. 



DR. STAYMAN PREFERS 

 CANNING. 



I know no way of keep- 

 ing grapes all winter except 

 by cold-storage. The Ver- 

 gennes or any other grape 

 presented in good condi- 

 tion would no doubt find 

 a ready sale at fair prices. 

 The difficulty appears to be 

 that when fruits are kept 

 in cold-storage, they soon 

 deteriorate when taken out, 

 and cannot be kept and 

 shipped long distances in a 

 good salable condition. The 

 cold-storage business can be 



carried on successfully only in good grape-growing loca- 

 tions near large cities. The general grape-growers of the 

 country cannot make it pay. The only general and feas- 

 ible means of having grapes in winter or out of season is 

 by canning. This I consider even better than cold-stor- 



The Vergennes Grape. (See page 



age ; and it is decidedly cheaper, for the fruit in the glut 

 of the market can be procured at the lowest price, while 

 the best can be selected. Moreover, grapes which are 

 not palatable fresh from the vines can be canned and put 

 up so that they will be good. But, of course, some varie- 

 ties are better than others, even for that purpose. There 

 is another advantage. We consume the skins of canned 

 grapes, which are lost in 

 eating them fresh. This 

 is a very important mat- 

 ter, as every wine-maker 

 knows from experience, 

 since the skins contain 

 the bouquet. But few 

 persons know exactly 

 how best to can them, 

 so that they will be extra- 

 fine. 



The following is m y 

 method, which, from 

 more than 30 years' ex- 

 perience, I think the very 

 best, as we all prefer 

 grapes canned in this way 

 even to fresh fruit in the 

 grape season. In fact, I 

 very often prepare them 

 during the season and put 

 them on the table. They 

 are welcomed in prefer- 

 ence to the fresh fruit 



Take clean grapes, 

 " pop them," that is, burst 

 the pulp out of the skins, 

 put the pulp with the 

 seeds in a kettle to boil 

 until tender, so that the 

 pulp can be rubbed 

 through a fine sieve or 

 colander to separate the 

 seeds, as they should 

 never be put with canned 

 fruit. Then put the skins, 

 with enough juice, or, if 

 there is not enough, some 

 water, in a kettle, and 

 bring to a boil ; then add 

 the seedless pulp to the 

 skins, with enough granu- 

 lated sugar to make them 

 just right according to 

 individual taste. Stir the 

 whole mass together un- 

 til the sugar is entirely 

 dissolved, and just as soon as brought to a boil, can and 

 seal air-tight at once. Never continue the boiling after 

 the sugar is added, or you will convert the sugar into 

 glucose, thereby destroying the sweetness as well as the 

 fine fresh taste of the grapes. Foxy grapes, like the 



