METHODS OF -FRUIT PRESERVING. 



589 



Silas Wilson. — 1 lb. sugar to 1 lb. fruit, unpeeled ; good flavour, but skin 

 tough. 



American Eagle. — f lb. sugar to 1 lb. fruit ; deep red, rather tough skin, 

 medium quality. 



Cheney. — 1 lb. sugar to 1 lb. fruit, unpeeled ; unattractive colour, but skin 

 breaks well. 



Figs. 



In the United States considerable attention has been paid to the preservation 

 of Figs, and it has been found that where a very superior variety is grown it 

 may occasionally be profitable to use any dryer, in order to save a crop that 

 might be injured by inclement weather ; but, generally speaking, localities 

 where artificial drying is necessary are not suited to the most prolific pro- 

 duction of commercial Figs, as any extra handling greatly increases the cost of 

 the product. Figs with a rough and tough skin, intended for drying— whether 

 sun-dried or artificially — are also especially benefited by being dipped in a hot 

 solution of salt and saltpetre, or even lye, but the best grades are not improved 

 thereby. In dipping, the Figs should first be placed in a perforated bucket and 

 rinsed in cold water to free them from dust. They should then be transferred 

 to a kettle containing boiling lye, made of 1 lb. of potash to 10 gallons of water, 

 where they should remain from fifteen to sixty seconds, according to the size of 

 the Figs and the pliability and thickness of the skin. Boiling salt water may 

 be substituted for the lye water for the dipping of some Figs, different varieties 

 requiring different solutions to secure the desired result. When salt or salt- 

 petre is used, 1| lb- of either to 50 gallons of water is a good proportion, and 

 the saltish taste generally improves the flavour. 



For canning, Figs should be picked when still firm enough to hold their 

 shape. To secure the best results they require the use of more sugar than do 

 some other fruits. If under- sweetened they seem tasteless and lacking in 

 quality. The amount of sugar used and the method of procedure vary greatly 

 in different households. A pound of sugar to three or four pounds of fruit would 

 probably suit most tastes, though some prefer the regular "pound for pound " 

 preserve. Ginger-root or orange-peel is sometimes added to give variety of 

 flavouring, and Figs are often made into sweet pickles by adding spices and 

 vinegar. Figs are sometimes peeled before canning, and this is considered to 

 increase their delicacy of flavour. More frequently, however, they are cooked 

 unpeeled and with the stems on, just as they come from the tree. They hold 

 their shape better and look more attractive when treated in this way, and the 

 difference in flavour, if any, is very slight. 



There seems to be no reason, aside from the larger quantity of sugar 

 required, why Figs should not be grown and canned as cheaply as Peaches. If 

 this were done, the demand would soon be very large. It is in this direction, if 

 at all, that there seems to be an opening for the building up of the Fig industry 

 in the South. 



The processes used by the factories in canning Figs differ somewhat from 

 household methods. They also differ among themselves. Each factory has 

 worked out a plan of its own, the details of which are regarded to some extent 

 as trade secrets. In one factory, whose product has been much admired, the 

 process consists of boiling the fruit at first in a very slight syrup, allowing it to 

 cool, and then transferring it with successive heatings and coolings to syrups of 

 gradually increasing density. The whole process requires nearly two days. In 

 the finished product the Fig, while holding its shape perfectly, has become 

 partially transparent, and as the final syrup is clear and free from sediment the 

 fruit is very attractive. 



