Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1871-07-06
Hints on Canning Fruit.

The season when fruit will be
plenty is fast approaching, and
those housekeepers who have seen
how much their canned fruit was
enjoyed the last winter, will be
making calculations to put up a
large supply the present summer.
There is nothing healthier, and re.
ally, hardly anything cheaper
than canned fruit.
Ii 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 BUSH
els Of fruit spoiled every year.
A LADY not long since was tell
ing me that last fall she put up
three baskets ofas handsome peach
es as were ever gathered, and every
bottle was spoiled. / constantly
hear the ladies talking about their
spoiled fruit. There is another
remark | often hear, and which
seems absurd to me. 1t is this !:
"My fruit always white-molds
and | think it improves it." There
Is a thick leathery white mold,
which often forms on the top of
the fruit, and which can be re-
moved whole without affecting,
apparently, the flavor of the fruit;
but it is not desirable to have even
this sort of mold. 1t would be
out of the question to send such
bottles to a long distance, as the
mold would be spread all over the
fruit, if it did not impart any I'M
pleasant flavor. There is such q,
thing as having bottled fruit with
eat any mold whatever. / think
the reason white mold forms, is,
that the lid of the can is not ap-
piled Son enough, and many la
dies consider this as part of the
process. Only yesterday a friend
told me that she always waited
three or four minutes after the
fruit was in the bottle before put
ting OH the lid. at let's out the
air, she said. / looked surprised.
"You know there are always bub.
bles of air that have to come up"
"Oh, yes!' l said, 81 know; but
always run knife quickly down
the inside, and that brings them
up" The quicker the lid is ap-
piled the better, and it should not
be disturbed until you want to
use the fruit.
In regard to the air-bubbles,
which often form while the bottle
is filling, little care will obviate
the difficulty. In putting the fruit
into the bottle, do not pour in such
way as to close the whole mouth
of the bottle, because that prevents
the escape of air; but rather let
the fruit slide gently down the
side of the bottle. 1t can be done
just as quickly this way as the
other.
The secret of having bottled
fruit keep, is to have perfectly
air tight cover, and to be sure that
the fruit perfectly boils all through.
out, before putting it into the bot
tie, and then to be quick about
putting on the cover, and letting
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 a string under the
rubber for this purpose. Do not
insert a pencil under the rubber
according to some directions) TO
let out air q know a lady that
learned this lesson after her peach
es had all fermented.l 1t is not
necessary to bury the bottle in the
earth, or to have a dark vault
made in the cellar for the purpose.
Mine keep perfectly, without mold,
on a shelf in a rather light cellar.
If you bottle your fruit in the
right way, it will keep almost any
where, but by the stove if you
don't do it right, and let in the
air with a knife, or some other
way, it won't keep, no matter
where you put it. Of course, if
you nave not done it right, it will
keep longer in a dark, cold place,
but it will succumb to the atmos-
phere in the end. Bottled fruit
put up in a proper manner will
keep for years, if desired. had
some splendid peaches at a friends
the other evening, and she said
she did not know whether they
were two or three years old. But
she knew they were not last years,
for she did not put up any, as she
had used up all her empty bottles
for cherries, plums, raspberries,
ETC.; and as she had several bot
ties of peaches on hand, she did