Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1871-07-28
Hints on Canning Fruit.

following To the American Agrleulturlst:
The season when fruit will be plenty
is fast approaching, and those house
keepers 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 really hardly
anything cheaper than canned fruit. 1t
may seem unnecessary to those who are
already adopts at the art to write any
thing 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 putup three baskets
ofas handsome peeches as were ever gath
cred, and every bottle was spoiled. l
constantly hear the ladies talking about
their spoiled fruit. There is another re-
mark | often hear, and which seems ab-
surd to me- Its this: "My fruit always
white molds, and | think it improves it. !"
There is thick, leathery white mold,
which often forms on the top Of the fruit,
and which can be removed whole with
out affecting, apparently, the favor 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 unpleasant flavor. There is
such thing as having bottled fruit with
out any mold whatever. | think e
reason white mold forms is, that the lid
ofthe can is not applied soon enough,
and many ladies consider this part of
the process. A friend told me she al
ways waited three or four minutes after
the fruit was in the bottle before putting
on the lid. at lets out the air You
know there are always bubbles of air
that have to come up" "Oh, yes" l
said, q know; but always run knife
quickly down the inside, and that brings
them up" The quicker the lid is APP
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 put
ting the fruit into the bottle, do not
pour in such way as to close the whole
mouth of the bottle, because that pre-
vents the escape of the 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 Sc
cret of having bottled fruit keep, is to
have perfectly air-tight cover, and to
be sure that the fruit perfectly boils all
through, before putting it into the bot
lies, 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 string under the rubber for
this purpose. Do not insert pen-kniie
under the rubber (according to some di-
rections) to let out air. q know lady
that learned this lesson after her peaches
had all fermented). 1t is not necessary
to bury the bottles in the earth, or to
have dark vault made in the cellar for
the purpose. Mine keep perfectly, with
out mold, on a shelf in a rather light ce-
lar. If you bottle your fruitin theright
way, it will keep almost anywhere but 6y
thestove; If you don't do itrigh ut, 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 have not done it
right, it will keep longer in dark, cold
place, but it will succumb to the atmos-
phere in the end. Bottled fruit put up in
proper manner will keep for years, if de-
sired. l had some splendid peaches at
friends the other evening, and she said |
she did not know whether they were two |
or three years old. BIT she knew they |
were not last years's for she did not put |
up any, as she had used up all her emp
ty bottles for cherries, plums, raspberries,
ETC. and as she had several bottles of
peaches on hand, she did not think it
necessary to buy more bottles for fresh
supply.
A HINT TO GAMBLERS" What a
noisy world this is croaked an old |
frog, as he squatted on the margin of the |