The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1879-10-09
HONE INTERESTS.
Hints on Picking, Preserving, Canning,
Etc, Etc.
From the Detroit Free Press.1


Hints on Picking, Preserving, Canning,
Etc, Etc.
from the Detroit Free Press.l
In preparing catsups, pickles, etc,
vessels of earthenware, stOneware or
well-tnned copper pans should alone be
used, as salt, vegetable juices and vine
gar rapidly corrode copper and render
the results poisonous. Nothing in the
shape of copper, lead or pewter should
be allowed to come in contact with them
at any time. Even a plated copper
spoon left in a bottle of catsup for some
time win render its contents dangerous.
A porcelain kettle is always best for this
purpose, though many prefer the granite
ware, and I see that is the kind Miss
bod uses in her cooking operations in
her school.
In making pickles use none but the
best cider vinegar. Never keep pickles
in glazed earthenware, but in glass or
hard stoneware, and well covered with
vinegar. They should be examined
every month or two and soft pieces re-
moved. If there is much tendency to
soften it is advisable to strain off the
vinegar, add to each gallon a cupful of
sugar, boil it and return it to the pickle
jar while hot. The occasional addition
of little sugar keeps pickles good and
improves them. Spices in pickles
but preferably not grouud; if ground
bags Most pickles, if well kept, i'm
prove with age by the vinegar
losing its raw taste and the flavor
of the spices improving and blending.
To strengthen weak vinegar, if in
pickles, turn it off, heat it scalding hot,
put it on the pickles and when luke
warm put in small piece of alum the
size of n filbert and brown paper four
inches square wet with mOlasses. If it
does not grow sharp in two weeks it is
past recovery and must be thrown away.
If in winter freeze it and remove the ice
on the surface, for the water alone
freezes, leaving the vinegar.
To keep up a constant supply Of vine
gar: Before the barrel is quite out, fill
the barrel with one gallon of molasses
to every eleven gallons of soft water.
This mixture will become good vinegar
in about three weeks. IF the barrels
stand on end, there must be a hole made
in the top, protected with gauze to keep
out insects. If standing on the side the
bunghole must be left open and SINH
larly protected.
Meat can be preserved with vinegar
by washing the meat, drying it and lay
ing in strong vinegar, or by being boiled
in the vinegar, leaving 1t in until cold,
and then set aside III a cool cellar.
Fish can be preserved for long time
by sprinkling with sugar, keeping the
| fish in horizontal position, so that the
sugar may penetrate as much as posi-
| BILE. Salmon thus treated has a more
agreeable taste, and this method does
not destroy the flavor of any fish if so
treated.
| To insure success in canning fruit, Sc
| lect that which is perfectly ripe and at
| the same time sound. To can fruit in
tin cans, fill them full of the fruit and
solder securely, then pierce a small pin
hole in the top of each can to allow the
air to be expelled; place the cans in a
! boiler as deep as the cans are high,
pour boiling water into the boiler until
| within One-ha1f inch of the top of the
cans; keep the water hot over mOder-
ate fire, but not boiling, until the air
ceases to escape from the cans, and then
seal the air-holes with solder before re-
moving the cans from the water. The
cans should then be taken out, wiped
dry and allowed to cool; when cold, If
the cans have been closed perfectly air
tight, the vacuum inside will cause the
top and bottoms of the cans to become
concave, or followed inwards. TOma-
toes are also canned in this manner
Meat can be canned in this manner by
removing the bones, parbOil the flesh
put into cans and fill up with rich sea
soned soup. Proceed as above. Nc
water should be used with fruits, except
in cases where a little is necessary to
dissolve the sugar. Small fruits are
]
half pound of white sugar to each pound
of fruit, letting them come to the boil
and then filling the cans quite full,
soldering the lid of the can Immediately
Most vegetables can be kept i'll this way,
emitting the sugar and scalding them in
water sufficient to cover them.
To can peaches by the cold process,
pare and halve the peaches, pack them
as closely as possible in a can without
any sugar. When the can is full, pOuI
in sufficient cold water to fill all the in
terstices between the peaches and reach
the brim of the can. Let it stand long
enough for the water to soak into all the
crevices-say six hours-then pour in
the water to replace what has sunk
away. Seal up the can and all is done.
Canned in this way, peaches retain all
their freshness and flavor. There will
sipid If preferred, cold sirup could
be used instead of pure water, but the
peaches taste most natural without
sweetening.
Glycerine of purest quality has been
recommended for the preservation OF
fruits (have not tried it,, previous to
eating which, the glycerine should be
removed, by immersing the fruit in wa
ter. To keep apples and pears fresh,
gather the fruit during a dry day, and
put it at once into earthen, glazed pans,
deep enough to contain two or three
LAYERS of fruit, and each one having a
4 tightly-ftting lid. If the fruit sweats,
the emulation dries on the fruits sur
face, and helps to keep in the moisture
and flavor. The cover helps to do the
same, and to exclude the light. Keep
the pans in a cool, dry place, and never
wipe the fruit until required for dessert.
Pears may be kept in the same way, but
require constant watching. After fruit
has been allowed to lay on the shelves
in the fruit-roOm, and sweat, they should
be wiped dry and packed in boxes, with
dry sawdust enough to exclude the ali
from them. The sawdust from resinOus
woods should not be used. If they were
packed in dry sand they would KEEP
equally well, but it is difficult to clean
them from the sand, and therefore they