Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1870-07-29
CANNING AND PRESERVING
FRUITS

The season for this duty is now up-
on us, and every good housckecpcr
will begin to lay up in store provis'
ions for the months when the leaves
lie drilled in hollows and snow covers
corn fields and apple orchards, land
candle light comes at o'clock.
Only little while ago the expenses
of putting up fruits prevented many
families from preserving them, but
now that the cost of the cans is the
only item which requires outlay every
body can afford supply of this nee
essary and wholesome diet. During
seasons when peaches are scarce there
are plenty of berries, pie-plant, and
apples: tomatoes may always be OBJ
tanned, giving us when put up in syrup
delicious preserves, and in their own
juice one of the most favorable vcge-
tables. The process of canning, as
most of our readers know, is very
simple. The fruit and vegetables
must be fully ripe and every defect re-
moved before they are ready to be put
up. Rhubarb must be peeled, cut up,
thoroughly cooked, and sealed In
glass cans. The usual, and as good u
mode as any, especially where glass
is used, is to prepare the fruit, ill the
cans, set them into the large boiler
with boards on the bottom to keep the
glass from contact with the metal, and
thus prevent breakage, let the water
h., 1o.In, IN about f,roo
quarters of the height of the can, put
on the cover of boiler, raise the whole
to the boiling point, and keep it there
till the fruit is done. The time re-
CURED for the various fruits
and vegetables may be found in the
table below. If cans with glass COW
ers are used, and these are by all
means the best, let the covers be on
the cans while they are in the boiler
to keep the hot water from bubling in
ty them. But if the can covers are
of Tin they will be apt to injTe the
appearance of the fruit, and should
not be put on till they are required in
the sealing up. For corn, peas, and
tomatoes many prefer tin to glass,
though others have as good "luck"
when using the latter as with the tin.
Stone jars are found by some house
keepers to be excellent for tomatoes.
Al agree that light should be exclu-
lcd from canned fruit, ard as this can
more readily be done by tin or stone
,nan in glass, cans of that material
are preferred for this purpose. In the
table below the proportions of sugar
required by each Kind of fruit arc
given. but if the cans are filled with
hot water, or from another can when
hey are scalaed up the contents will
keep as well as when sugar is added.
Jlany months since the writer sealed
cycral gallons Of stewed cramberries
n glass cans without using sugar, ant
hose now left Of the berries arc a!
fresh as whel FIRST put up. 1t is very
title trouble to add the sugar whcr
he cans are opcued. We mention
his because 10 the demand for sugar
greater in the fruit season than al
other times the price advances,
'lacing it beyond the reach of some
families except for ordinary use. II
cranberries, the most acid of all oul
fruits, can be kept without sugar any
others may be preserved in the same
way. Those who have experimental
for many years in the various ways Of
preserving fruits and vegetables ma,
aid others by giving the results of theil
observation to the readers of this col
umn, and this they are cordially iny'
ted to do.