Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-08-27
THE HOESEJfOLD.
Bo,.IInE, Canning and Picking Fruit.

The time is at hand when housewives be-
come anxious about laying in a store Of fruit
in an unperishable condition This is part
of the business Of the farm that all parties
are interested in, and few words here by
way OF advice aud suggestion, will not be out
Of place.
Technically, "bottling" aud canning" are
different Putting the fruit in glass jars or
bottles, with either cOrks or lids, and fastcn-
ing them down by atmospheric pressure or
otherwise, Is called bottling, while putting the
fruit in tin cans is canning. These terms ART
often coufuunded or used INTERCHANGEABLE.
Bottling is the more common process in domos
tic operations, and for home use is more sim
pie, and, on the whole less expensive, rs the
bottles or jars may be used for several years,
and when put up with care the fruit is quite
as good as when put into tin cans.
The first requisite in bottling is to have a
good variety to retain flavor. Strawberries
come so carly that it is difficult to keep them
with perfect flavor; yet, put up with care,
air-tight, they can be kept. The bottles
should be buried in the cool earth, either in a
box or simply in the ground, kept from the
light and as cool as possible In this way
they retain flavor nicely, and make q delight.
full change ON the table later on in the year
Cherries, raspborries, whortluberries aud
blAckberries come on in the order named, aud
should be put up and treated with equal care.
Peaches should not become soft before put
ting up. HIale's Early retains its flavor as
we'll as any variety, though its coming so ear
ly makes 1t more difficult to keep but if bur
led in the earth, rs before described, there is
much less danger. The yellow varieties
though less delicate in flavor, possess more of
the peculiar peach flavor (hydrocianic acid,
and are generally preferred rs best retaining
tl,a paaal Ia. ultt. -. u,
all be put up when quite hard The stone in
creases the peach flavor, and hence many pre-
fer to PIT them up whole. Those who talk
of saving the labor Of pairing by taking off
tho skin in very strong, hot I've, or caustic So
da, do not know how much of the fruit is de-
stroyed. Pare them by all means, unless for
picking, when the fuLz may be rubbed of
with a flannel cloth or crash towel
For domestic use, all the sugar needed to
flavor should be made into syrup and put into
the bottles or cans when tho fruit is put up
Cook the fruit in porcelain-lined vessel or
brass kettle cook until heated thoroughly
through, so as to expel the air put hot into
the jars fill up full with the prepared syrup,
boiling hot, and put in corks or put on covers
when as hot as possible. A quarter of pound
of sugar to a pound OF fruit is about right
II corks are used, cover them right away with
a preparation of rosin and tallow to prevent
the passage of air through them. Well-fittng
corks are used for two-inch mouth bottles
The melted rosin and tallow should be ready
and convenient, and the corks or tops of lars
dipped into it while hot As good fruit as we
ever ate was kept in this way. Glass jars
with covers easily adjusted will keep very
nicely if put on with care.
Peaches, pears and plums, also green toma-
toes and cucumbers may be kept perfectly by
packing them in fine salt, in stone jars, al
lowing them TO make their own brine. They
must be kept covered with salt until the brine
made by the salt and extracted juice covers
them then kept under this brine till wanted
for use, when they must be soaked in several
waters until fresh enough to put into vinegar
We have eaten fruit kept thus for two years
1t makes change grateful to some appetites
especially to lovers of pickles.-OhiO Farmer