190 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
put it out in the bright sun on a 
clear bright day. Stir once in 
fifteen minutes to aid drying. 
When dry enough put the mass 
in a plate or pan and let it stand 
a couple of weeks. After that 
put in a bowl and mix it thorough- 
ly with sweet oil; when well 
mixed pack it solidly in an 
earthen jar and cover with an 
oiled and salted cloth or paper. 
Keep the jar in a cool place. In 
case the paste dries out rapidly 
pour a little oil over it again. 
NOTES ON THE TOMATO PASTE 
RECIPE. 
Mrs. Rorer in her “New Cook 
Book,” p. 307 : 
“In almost all the Italian shops 
one can buy tomato conserve in 
small cans for ten cents. A table- 
spoonfnl of this conserve will take 
the place of many times its bulk 
in tomatoes. It is, in my own 
house, used constantly during the 
summer in the beef extracts for 
soups, which saves the purchase 
and keeping of large quantities of 
meat. # * * for four ounces 
of macaroni or spaghetti # # * 
add * * * a teaspoonful of to- 
mato paste dissolved in two or 
three tablespoonsful of cream or 
milk.” 
In the recipes given the Ameri- 
can housewife will find an eco- 
nomical method of preserving her 
tomatoes and yet save the use of 
self-sealing jars or time. This 
method enables one to put down 
in gallon or larger earthen or 
stone ware crocks an immense 
amount of tomatoes in an ex- 
tremely concentrated and port- 
able form. Owing to the present 
scarcity of oilve oil, a good cotton- 
seed salad oil may be satisfactor- 
ily substituted. I have used a 
well known brand of cottonseed 
salad oil with perfect satisfac- 
tion for several years in preserv- 
ing pickles, and open bottles of 
olives and dill pickles, from mould 
and scum. Pickles have kept 
well with it in loosely covered 
jars for nearly three years. In 
using oil for a seal or preserva- 
tive, one precaution must be rig- 
idly observed— the container and 
contents must be kept in a cool, 
dark place. The oil absolutely 
prevents mould and scum. 
It is suggested that housewives 
having any means of drying fruits 
and vegetables as described in 
the June number of Wisconsin 
Horticulture will prefer to use 
them rather than face the unpro- 
tected exposure to Hies and dust 
in the sun. Enamel ware pans or 
plates covered by glass could be 
used for small quantities, which 
could be packed in jelly glasses 
instead of large jars; indeed, the 
writer has been told that the Ital- 
ians prefer to pack it in small 
jars rather than large. Of 
course in using jelly glasses it 
would be necessary to wrap them 
in brown paper to prevent the ac- 
tion of light turning the oil ran- 
cid. 
If considered desirable, this 
same paste could be spiced and 
seasoned like American tomato 
catsup without the vinegar, 
spices being boiled in the paste 
after straining, bay leaf, cinna- 
mon, clove, allspice, etc., but with 
the exception possibly of onion 
juice and celery seed it seems bet- 
ter to add desired flavors at the 
time of using. 
A Canning Economy. 
Blanchard Harper. 
Sugar is by no means necessary 
for the successful canning of sum- 
mer fruits. Nearly every fruit 
can be preserved without a par- 
ticle of sugar, and at the same 
time preserve more of its delicate 
July, 1917 
flavor and delicious aroma than 
when sugar is used. 
TO CAN WITHOUT SUGAR 
Wash carefully, pick over the 
fruit to have no particle of decay, 
skin or peel where necessary and 
also where juice is desirable. Fill 
the jar with boiling water, after 
the fruit has been compactly 
packed in it, put on rubber and 
cover, partly fasten the cover but 
do not tighten it, then immerse 
the jar two-thirds its height in the 
water bath and boil, counting 
from when the water commences 
to boil, from ten minutes for 
strawberries to twenty-five for 
pears. Seal immediately and set 
to cool. If the shrinkage is very 
great as in strawberries fill the 
jars up from one or two extra 
ones and then boil again for five 
minutes all that have been 
opened. 
When wanted for use open an 
hour or so before serving and add 
sugar to taste. If economy is 
necessary sweetening can be very 
satisfactorily accomplished with 
honey, or any good corn syrup in 
place of sugar. 
The writer has kept strawber- 
ries canned in this way for three 
years and when they were opened 
found them sound and good and 
the perfume of fresh strawberries 
seemed to fill the room while the 
snow of the bleakest winter 
whirled outside. 
Notes. 
If every house-keeper has not 
secured copies of the free bulle- 
tin issued by the University of 
Wisconsin Extension Service, 
“Canning for Pleasure and Pro- 
fit,” she should send for one at 
once. Send to the College of Ag- 
riculture Extension Service, Uni- 
versity of Wisconsin, Madison, 
Wis. 
