Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1871-07-28
Hints ON Canning Fruit.

A lady correspondent furnishes
the following to the 41merican -Ig-
ricmlurist:
The season when fruit will be
plenty is fast approaching, and those
housekeepers who have seen how
much their canned fruit was enjoy
cd the last winter, will be making
calculations to put up large sup
ply the present summer. There IS
nothing healthier, and really hardly
anything cheaper than canned fruit.
1t may seem unnecessary to those
who are already adopts at the art to
write anything on this subject; but
| can assure such, that there are
hundreds of bushels of fruit spoiled
every year in every large town. A
lady not long since was telling me
that last fall she put up three bas-
kcts of as handsome peaches as were
ever gathered, and every bottle was
spoiled. I constantly hear the la
dies talking about their spoiled fruit.
mere Is dHollci ISiilath oilSH
hear, and which seems absurd to
me. 1t is this: "My fruit always
white moulds, and l think it i'm
proves it," There is 4 thick leath-
cry white mould, which often forms
on the top Of the fruit, and which
can be removed whole without af-
fecting, apparently, the flavor of the
fruit; but it is not desirable to have
even this sort of mould. 1t would
be out of the question to send such
bottles to long distance, as the
mould would be spread all over the
fruit, if it did not impart any I'M
pleasant flavor. There is such a
thing as having bottled fruit with
out any mould whatever. | think
the reason white mould forms is,
that the lid of the can is not applied
soon enough, and many ladies con-
slider this as part of the process. \
friend told me she always waited
three or four minutes after the fruit
was in the bottle before putting on
the lid. sit lets out the air. You
know there are always bubbles Of
air that have to come up.' ooh,
ves!." | said, 81 know; but always
run a knife quickly down the inside,
and that brings them up" The
quicker the lid is applied the better,
and it should not be disturbed until
you want to use the fruit. In re-
gard to the air-bubbles, which Oft
en- form while the bottle is filling, 4
little care will obviate the difficulty.
In putting the fruit into the bottle,
do not pour in such a way as to close
the whole mouth of the bottle, be-
cause that prevents the escape of
the air; but rather let the fruit slide
gently down the side of the bottle.
1t can be done ust as quickly this
way as the other. The secret Of
having bottled fruit keep, is to have
Il perfectly air-tight cover, and to be
sure that the fruit perfectly boils all
throughout, before putting it into
the bottles, and then to be quick
about putting on the cover, and let
ting the cover alone until you want
to use the contents Of the bottle. 1t
is not necessary to let out the steam
or air, after the cover is on. Do
not place Il string under the rubber
for this purpose. Do not insert Il
penknife under the rubber accord
ing to some directions) to let out
air Il know lady that learned this
lesson after her peaches had all fer
mented.) 1t is not necessary to
bury the bottles in the earth, or to
have dark vault made in the eel
lar for the purpose. Mine keep per-
fectly, without mould, on shelf in
rather light cellar. If you bottle
your fruit in the right way, it will
keep almost anywhere but by the
stove; if you don't do it right, and
let in the air with knife, or some
other way, it won't keep, no matter
where you put it. OF course, if you
have not done it right, it will keep
longer in a dark, cold place, but it
will succumb to the atmosphere in
the end. Bottled fruit put up in
proper manner will keep for years,
if desired. had some splendid
peaches at friends the other eve
ming, and she said she did not know
whether they were two or three
years old. But she h,,e,r they were
not last years, for she did not put
up any.