Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1876-08-31


them in dish-pan, just before canning have
ready another can of water quite hot, and
put in two or three cans that have already
been warmed in water; take out as you are
ready to fill with fruit and stand them on a
hot platter while filling them; the platter
keeps the jars from coming in contact with
a cold surface like the table, and catches
what fruit may drop in filing.
Look over the fruit carefully, and if it has
pits remove them, leaving only few to
heighten the flavor. Use porcelain kettle
for cooking the fruit, and only sugar enough
to render it palatable. If fruit is made very
sweet it is unhealthy, indigestible, and ex-
pensive; it is the pleasant natural acid of
the fruit which our systems require, and
sugar spoils it all.
Raspberries, same as Strawberries, be sure
that they are heated to good boiling tenn
perature; if cooked too long they will be
hard and undesirable. One can hardly time
the cooking for others, because so much de-
pends upon the intensity Of the fire-a hot,
steady fire, as for ironing, is the best. Fruit
ought to cook quickly; a slow fire consumes
time, renders the fruit hard, and drives off
in steam all the delicate flavor it is desirable
to preserve.
Blackberries should be canned the same
as raspterries.
Gooseberries and currants require more
sugar and perhaps more cooking. The
gooseberries should be well done, so that
the slsins may be tender, and they will adj
NIT more than twice the water used with
! strawberries.
Tomatoes should be nicely pared by scaId-
ing and slipping the skin off; place in
large porcelain kettle or tin wash-boiler,
never in copper or iron, squeeze out enough
juice to wet the bottom of the kettle, and
thus prevent their scorching, but no water
should be added to them there is enough of
the juice; boil briskly for five or ten min
utes until they are thoroughly heated, and
sealed in tin cans. A bushel of good toma-
toes will make about sixteen quart cans
when cooked.
The cans can be securely sealed with the
prepared sealing-wax found at the drug
stores and is by most preferred to solder. It
can be saved when the can is opened and
used the second or third time. 10 open
can sealed with wax, strike the wax with a
tack-hammer until it starts, pry the lid with
the claw of the hammer, and the rest will
loosen SO that it all can be picked off and the
can brushed before removing the'lid. This
keeps the particles from the fruit and is
much nicer than melting the wax with
hot iron.
When fruit cans have been sealed and are
ready to be put away, turn the top down.
ward on a table and let them stand until the
next morning, examine carefully, and if no
juice has worked out, you may be sure they
are well sealed.
Place on shelves in cool, dry cellar, and
keep them there until ready for use If tin
cans are used paste labels on while the wax
is hot, that you may know what they con-
| tain when ie becomes necessary to open
them.
TOMATO FIGs.-Take six pounds of sugar
to sixteen pounds Of fruit, scald and remove
the skins in the usual way, cook them over
the fire until the sugar penetrates them and
they are clarified; take them out, hatten,
spread OH dishes, and dry them in the sun;
keep the syrup and sprinkle a little Of it
over them occasionally while they are dry
ing, after which pack them in boxes sprin-
| kle powdered sugar between each layer.
| CUCUMBER FRITrERs.-Peel and boil, pick
out the large seeds, mash them and add pep
| per and salt flour and beaten eup mix we'll