1861.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
2 15 
may be made in the same manner, and are more 
genteel. If sweet cream is to be had, mix one 
teaspoonful of soda, and two of cream of tartar, 
in the flour. With this, sweetmeats are un¬ 
necessary, though proper. Custards, at a farm¬ 
er’s, can be made in a few moments at any 
time—dished in cups, with cream cake, with and 
without sugar, they make a genteel tea meal, fit 
for a king. This is the only cake except ginger 
cake, that we use hot, and we are supposing 
there is not time for cake to cool before tea, and 
besides, it can be made in ten minutes. 
By July, early chickens are fit to cook. If in 
haste, pull out the wing and tail feathers, split 
the skin on the back, and take it off, feathers and 
all. Fry or broil, and either for a dinner or a 
country supper, they will not be despised. They 
can be prepared in half an hour, with mashed 
potatoes, and cold or hot slaw, lettuce, or cu¬ 
cumbers. Mrs. E. F. Haskell. 
-—«--- 
Plain Directions for Keepinar Fruits— 
Best Method of “Preserving.” 
The old method of “ preserving ” fruits, by 
cooking with pound for pound of sugar, 
thus making them exceedingly hard to digest, 
and seriously impairing the flavors , is still much 
in vogue. During several years past we have 
done what we could to point out a letter way, and 
not without good results as we have reason to 
know; but there is much still to be said on the 
subject, and improvements are constantly being 
made. Let it be understood by all, who do not 
know the fact, that it is just as easy to keep the 
various fruits in almost 
their natural condition, 
as it is to preserve them 
in the old way, and that 
the new method is 
cheaper and every way 
better on the score of 
health and pleasure. 
Perhaps we can not bet¬ 
ter point out the means, 
and the results, than by 
describing our own ex¬ 
perience for a year past. 
First, let us say, that 
we have discarded the 
use of tin cans. These 
operated well, and when 
carefully treated so as to avoid all rusting, they 
are harmless, at least if used only once or 
twice; but after having learned by experience 
that glass bottles are equally effective, we greatly 
prefer them on the score of absolute safety. 
The salts formed by the corrosion of tin are not 
pleasant to the taste, and when existing in any 
appreciable amount in canned fruit, they are 
more or less poisonous. 
Bottles. —Last year, we procured a supply of 
quart glass bottles with wide necks. Some of 
them were common cheap glass, costing four to 
eight cents each, such as could be picked up at 
the druggists’ and glass stores. A better form, 
which we could not get in the quantity desired, 
last year, were “Yeoman’s Fruit Bottles.” 
These are made with a small shoulder on the 
inside of the neck, to prevent the corks from be¬ 
ing driven inward. A few bottles holding two 
quarts each were used, but the one quart size is 
to be preferred in most families. 
Dorks—Cement — Tin Covers. —Good corks, 
4 to I inch long, and in diameter nearly } inch 
larger than the neeks of the bottles, were pro¬ 
vided. These are to be soaked in hot water be¬ 
fore using, which softens them so that they can 
be compressed into an opening much smaller 
than their diameter when dry. For cement, we 
put into a 2 quart basin, say 3 lbs. of rosin, and 
a trifle over 3 ounces of tallow, and melted it 
together. This can be re-heated and used as 
often as required. By mixing a large quantity at 
a time, and securing the proper consistency, it is 
always ready for use, and what is left over one 
year, keeps perfectly well until the next; it can 
be made harder or softer as experience may in¬ 
dicate. For each bottle we procured a small 
tin cover or dish large enough to hold the top of 
the neck. Small “ patty pans ” costing 8 to 12 
cents a dozen, are just the thing. 
Strawberries. —These come first in the sea¬ 
son. Good, ripe, but not over ripe fruit, was 
picked over to sort out stems and partially de¬ 
cayed and unripe berries. The fruit was then 
placed in a glazed iron, or tin vessel, and just 
covered with a hot syrup made with a pound 
of white sugar to a quart of water. The whole 
was carefully heated for a few minutes, avoiding 
burning, but not stirring to break the berries. In 
the mean time, the bottles were heated by the 
fire, or in water, and when the fruit was fairly 
scalded through, it was dipped into the bottles, 
making them full. The corks were then taken 
from the hot water where they were soaking, 
wiped dry, and crowded firmly into the bottles 
a little below the top of the necks. Ho air 
should be left under the corks. The top of the 
corks and the necks and tops of the bottles were 
wiped thoroughly clean with a warm wet cloth, 
and then dipped into the basin of melted ce¬ 
ment. They were next set down into the tin 
dishes, as shown in the engraving, and cement 
dipped in until the tins were nearly full. If 
any bubbles of air were seen in the cement, they 
were closed with the spoon, and a little more 
hot cement. The bottles were then set away on 
shelves in a cool place in the cellar—it matters 
little whether right side up or inverted in the pat¬ 
ty pans, or left on the side. The cooling of the 
contents tends to produce a vacuum, and create a 
pressure inward which binds on the tin covers 
firmly; and these with the cement around the 
neck prevents the possibility of the corks being 
driven in, or of the ingress of air. The whole 
operation, though described at length, is very 
simple and easily and quickly performed. 
More or less sugar may be used, but we prefer a 
pound to a quart, which makes the fruit just 
about sweet enough for the table.—As the result, 
we have had good nice strawberries, almost as 
fresh and perfect in form as when first picked, 
and not a single bottle has been lost. Those 
still on hand (June 10th) promise to be just as 
good at the end of another year, and perhaps 
five years hence. 
Cherries are very easily kept in bottles, and 
come out in beautiful order. We have annually 
put up a large supply in cans and in bottles, for 
several years past, and have never lost one by 
fermentation or poor keeping. They preserve 
their flavor admirably, and the white varieties, 
especially, show finely when poured out into the 
sauce dish. One can scarcely have too many. 
They are treated just as described above for 
strawberries, but may be cooked a trifle more 
without breaking. The prospect is that the 
cherry crop will be very light this year. 
Raspberries. —These were put up just as 
described above for strawberries, and with 
equally satisfactoiy results. 
Rrubare or Pie Plant will make an excel- 
| lent bottled sauce, especially this year, when 
sugars are so cheap. Peel and cut the tender 
stems in short pieces, stew and sweeten well, 
just as if for pies; then put hot into the bottles, 
and cork and seal as above. 
Whortleberries, or “ Huckleberries,” 
always keep well with us, and are good for pies, 
etc., at any season. Cook 10 or 15 minutes in a 
syrup of only 4 to | lb. of sugar to a quart of 
water, and bottle hot as above. 
Blackberries keep well, and are good for 
sauce or pies the year round. Treat exactly 
as strawberries, but make the syrup a little 
sweeter, say 11 lbs. of sugar to a quart of water. 
This is especially needed for the New-Rochelle, 
and the low bush wild varieties, which are more 
tart than the common wild high bush sorts. 
Peaches, and the Softer kinds of Pears 
Nothing makes a better or more beautiful bot¬ 
tled fruit than these. A little more care is need¬ 
ed in putting them up, to preserve their form 
and aroma. We peel, and halve or quartei 
them, and put the pieces directly into the bottle 
packing them closely and full. The bottles are 
then sunk in a vessel of water nearly up to 
their necks, and heated to near or quite the boil¬ 
ing point. A hot syrup is then poured in, anc 
the corking and sealing done as for strawberries. 
They should remain long enough in the vessel 
of water to become heated through , but not long 
enough to cook them soft, or dispel their flavor. 
Quinces, and Hard Pears.— These are first 
cooked soft—but not to a jam—in a covered 
vessel, using a syrup of 1 pound of sugar to a 
quart of water. Bottle hot, just as described for 
strawberries. If cooked soft, they will not 
harden in the sealed bottles as they do when 
preserved in the ordinary way. 
Plums are readily preserved in bottles. The 
sourer varieties require rather more sugar than 
a pound to the quart. Plums require a little 
longer cooking than smaller fruits, to heat them 
through to the pits. The skin preserves the 
flavor until they break. Though they do not ap¬ 
pear so well on the table, wc prefer to have them 
break a little, as the syrup saturates them better. 
Tomatoes. —These are cheap, and every wliei'6 
accessible; and they should be put up in bot¬ 
tles in large quantity by every family, as a 
standard sauce for the year. They lose little 
flavor in cooking. We peel and cook them in 
their own juice, without sugar, boiling them 
down to a thick pulp, adding salt enough for 
seasoning. They are then ready for the table, 
and also to put directly into bottles while hot, 
to be corked and sealed as above. The keeping 
depends mainly upon the thoroughness of the 
cooking. If not perfectly sealed, a little mold 
often collects upon the top, but this seldom in¬ 
jures the fruit, unless stirred up with it. 
In Conclusion, let us again advise every 
family to lay in a stock of all kinds of fruit ac¬ 
cessible. Bottles of some sort can be obtained 
anywhere. For the smaller fruits and for to¬ 
matoes, narrow necked, junk, or other bottles 
will answer, if the more convenient wide necks 
can not be obtained. The latter are, of course, 
more convenient for filling and emptying, and 
are necessary for putting in the larger fruits 
without breaking. 
We have made the directions as plain as pos¬ 
sible. A little experience will enable any per¬ 
son of ordinary skill to put up all these fruits in 
bottles, where they will require less sugar, and 
come out more like fruit, than in the ordinary 
methods. A few losses may be experienced by 
the novice, but practice makes perfect, and the 
practice may as well be taken this year as next, 
