Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1881-09-15
Domestic Fruit.Canning.

Canning fruit is comparatively mod
| ern invention, introduced about quar-
ter of century ago. Previous to that
era the s'pound for pound'' system was
| universally practiced, that is, one pound
of fruit to one pound of sugar, boiled
down to the consistency of honey and
placed in jars with paper covers tied
over the mouth. In those days pre-
serves were constant source of care
| and vexation to the prudent housekeep-
er by their liability to ferment and sour.
But rich preserves are by no means
out of fashion. Many still prefer them
| to canned fruit. True, the necessity of
boiling down to avoid fermentation no
longer exists, for in alright cans pre-
serves may be kept perfectly sweet any
number of years.
There are variety of ways in which
peaches may be prepared for the table.
For preserves, take eight pounds of ripe
fruit, pared and halved; pour over them
seven pounds of white sugar q use the
best grade of A sugar) and let them
stand over night to harden before cook
ing. This process will prevent peaches
from boiling to pieces. Cook the fruit
through, and place in cans in the ordi-
nary way. Another rule is this: Ten
pounds of peaches, and the same weight
of sugar. Brush the fruit smooth with
a soft, fine brush, and boil in water till
soft; melt the sugar and cook a few
peaches at a time in the syrup; skim
them out and add more until they are
| all done; lastly, pour the syrup over the
peaches, which must not be broken in
boiling or handling.
Peaches, pears, apricots and the sweet,
mellow varieties of plums should be
cooked in the cans. By careful manip-
ulation the interstices may be filed, and
no waste of room allowed; take a pud-
ding-stick to assist in packing the fruit
in the vessels. Place the rounded half
of the pared fruit uppermost in regular
layers, and pack as close as you like;
push the plums in their places in layers;
have the syrup ready to fill up the cans.
This syrup is made by adding one pound
of sugar to every quart of water, and
boiling twenty minutes. When cold,
fill the, cans even full, and screw down
the lids tightly; place the cans in YES
sci of cold water; put over the fire; let
the water bubble fifteen minutes after it
comes to a boil; remove from the fire,
and when the water is nearly cold, take
out the cans, and tighten the lids that
have become loose by the action of the
heat. The next morning give final
screw to the lids, and put away in the
store-room upside down. Never store
canned fruit the day it is cooked. Ex-
anime the lids carefully the following
day. Almost invariably they will need
an additional parting wrench. If pared
fruit is discolored, drop it in water a
few minutnS and the stains will disan-
pear.
Picked peaches are achoice preserve.
Rub the fruit smooth with a soft brush,
and stick cloves, cinnamon bark, and
small strips OF orange peel or mace into
every peach. To seven pounds of fruit,
take three and half pounds of sugar,
aud one pint of vinegar made boiling
hot; pour this over the fruit and cover
up tightly; letthem remain undisturbed
one week, then drain off the syrup, boil
it and skim off the impurities; return it
to the fruit boiling hot; repeat the pro-
cess one or two succeeding weeks, and
then your picked peaches are fit for
use. I do not know of a more delicious
morsel than a peach prepared in this
way. The syrup that remains after the
fruit is consumed is welcome addition
to mince-meat in the preliminary prep
aration of that favorite compound.
Pears, plums and apricots may be
picked by the same rule. The pears
ought to be pared Fruit for picking
must be ripe and mellow.-Cor. En-
anatiser and Chronicle.
He who foresees calamities suffers
them twice over