The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1881-09-01
Msefal aud Curious.
A TALK ABOUT PRESERVING FRUITS

Fruits of all kinds arr easily preserved; as are
also rhuharb or pie-plant, and tomatoes. The
main supply of fruits proper for the year consists
in the order of abundance, l. of peaches, when
plenty; 2d, Strawberries; Bal, cherries, when
plenty; 4th, pears; 5th, raspberries and black
berries; 9th, huckleberries etc. Apple-sauec is
put up plentifully at different seasons, usually
in the bottles first used for other fruits. Pie
plant and Tomatoes are preserved in large guam
titles, so as to have an abundance whenever
wanted, until they come again:
We now mainly use some kind Of the patented
bottles with covers closing upon an iniia-rubber
ring. which dispenses with wax. Any form that
will absolutely shut out all access Of air will
Baker" or ''Potter Bodiner Jar, which is
wide-Inonthed quart bottle, with tin or glass
cover and india-rubber ring, and held by half
oval clamp that is pressed down by turning il
into half screw swelling or projection upon
| the outside of the bottle neck. These are quick
ly put and taken off. Any good form Of bot
ties, though costing most Mt first, will in the end
be the cheapest, ashley will last for many years,
with an occasional renewal of cheap rubber rings.
We seldom break more than two three bottles
| in hundred, in a years use.
THE COOKING VEssEL-The hest is the iron
porcelain kettles now quite common, which
very convenient for many cooking purposes.
They are iron vessels coated in the inside with
porcelain. or white earthen ware, glazed. One
holding five six quarts will answer. Wide
vessels, if well cleaned, will do; or tin pail OF
pan can he used.
THE SCGAE.-For very nice preserved fruits,
such as white peaches and pears, the best refined
sugar is desirable, and for all kinds, we think
sugar good as the refined u sugar is the best,
and even cheapest on the whole. For apple
sance, put into eans for general family use, Z, or
| the best light brown, will answer. Our rule is,
To just sugar enough to fit the different kinds
| of fruit for the table. Some families like more,
| given. For the swceter fruits, Strawberries,
peaches sweet pears, huckleberTies, and the like,
| we Use to pounds of sugar to the gallon of
| water, or TO Id. to the pint. For more acid
fruits, cherries, plums, sourer pears, eurrants,
crab apples etc, about lib. to the pint, more or
less, according to the acidity and ripcness.
COOKING THE FRUIT.-Threc methods are used:
Some place the fruit in bottles with sugar added,
put on the covers nearly tight, set the bottles in
warm water, and heat to boiling, and after time
| is given to heat the fruit through, the covers
are fastened down closely. We prefer, as being
much less troublesome, to first cook the fruit in
| the porcelain or tin vessel and then dip il hot
into the jars, which must have been previously
! warmed to prevent their breaking. For the
incest preserves the fruit may be cooked in a
| syrup first, then dipped out into the hot jars,
| and a syrup be filled in hot. The cooking
syrup may be ured for several successive patches
of fruit, and finally for poorer kinds of fruit,
| making common sauce. Forordinary preserving,
be dipped together into the bottle. The amount
| of cooking is important.
| Strawberries should cook but three or four
minutes before dipping them into the bottles,
which should be previously all ready and hot.
| With this precaution they retain their natural
| form and flavor.
| Peaches. being larger, require a little
| time to heat through, but when fully ripe, 3 TOT
minutes is long enough, and the same is true of
well ripened pears, especially the Bartletts, and
| al;aus VIII hk he la
| delicious preserve.
| Ounces, and hard pears may cook 10 to Is
minutes, more, for they should become tender.
The general rule for cooking is, to have the
| soft fruits just heated through tn the centre.
quickly as may lie after they go into the syrup,
| and then get them into the bottles immediately,
giving no time for the escape of the aroma.
| Tomatoes, well rpened, scalded to skin
| them easily, then put into just water enough to
| prevent burning, and carefully cooked to full
hour, thus reducing their bulk materially. A
very little salt is added, but M sugar. They
can he seasoned and sugared when wanted for
use.
RHUBARB or PIE PLANT.-Cut the stems in
| small pieces, as usual. Cook with only n few
spoonsful of water to keep it from burning before
its own juices at liberty. Boil hour, or 50,
OF until ready for the table. and bottle without
sugar added. This is excellent for winter and
| early spring Use rs sauce, and in making pies.
| Ii NAV he used in various WAYS. With crackers
| pie very closely resembling apple pie can DE
made.
| BoTTLING.-ffaye all needed bottles, corks,
covers, wax if used, etc, ready before beginning
| to cook the fruit. Have u kettle of hot water
| on the stove, and the last thing before cooking
the frnit, dip bottle rapidly in and ont of the
| hot water until heated through, then fill it with
| the hot water aud let it stand, and so with all
| the bottles needed for one batch of fruit. When
that is cooked pour oat the hot water, and dip
full of fruit and syrup, or if new syrup is used,
rs noted above, fill with the hot fruit skinned
ont, and pour in the new syrup last. For soft or
nice fruits dip in carefully, with the jar inclined,
| to avoid bruising or breaking. Let the bottles
stand about two minutes, Earring them to facil-
| itate the escape of air bubbles; wipe the tops
carefully clean with damp hot cloth, then pour
| in enough more syrup to fill them, if there is
much settling. Now apply the caps and clamps,
or other covers corks, and close the bottles
as closely as may be-Or air tight. One point is,
| to have little if any air left in the fruit. As
there is always a little, often enough to produce
tuft of monldness the top, which does not
| njure the in the bottles, if not mixed with
il in handling, it is well in opening bottle, to
| always remove thin film from the top. Store
the bottles on shelves in the cellar other cool
| place. where they will not he exposed to great
changes of temperature.-imeriedH Igrieultarist.