Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-08-17
Canning.

Yes ma'sm; we know that the can
ming season is at hand, and that the in
experienced 'odes are fretting themselves
sick through fearthat the fruit will not
~'keep," an that Il is our. duty to give
these youn! housekeepers fhe benefit of
the wisdoms thai we have gained by sew
eral centuriessof experience in canning,'
picking, preserving, etc.
In the first place, perfect cans are
among the ipdispensables to success IN
canning. Sef-sealing glass cans are the
ones that you can trust under all cir
cumstances. Fruit properly put up
will keepin tin cans and doubtless II the
tin cam are,well made of honest tin, as
they sofnstimes are, they would answer
lust as well as glass; but in these days
when much of our tinware IS not coated
with tin at all, but with lead, no woman
who values tire health of her family
should think of putting up anything IN
tin cans, unless she is sure of her article.
The glazed earthenware cans are "a de-
Jusion and a snare" Sometimes fruit
will keep in them, and sometimes it viii
not-generally not. Glass cans cost
more to begin with, but like a good
many other expensive articles they are
the cheapest in the end. Fruit properly
put up in self-sealing glass cans will last
as long as you will. - e. 81.
All fruit and berries used for canning
should be fresh and ripe, but not over
ripe. Berries should be firm, and
peaches and pears must be canned be-
fore they get mellow. 1t is not abso-
lutely necessary to use sugar when can
ming, but as most fruits and berries need
the sugar sometime, you might as we'll
put considerable in to begin with.
Granulated sugar is undoubtedly the
best for canning. 1t costs a cent more
. pound than the best brown sugar, but
then one pound of granulated sugar will
sweeten considerably more than pound
Of the best brown sugar that you can
get. Nearly all the brown sugar that
we buy is adulterated with sand and
glucose Our rule is q quarter of a
pound of granulated sugar for every
pound of fruit or berries, but for cur
rants and cherries we use little more,
and for peaches little less. Put your
fruit and sugar together in a porcelain
kettle, adding a little water if
necessary, cook until the fruit is boiling
hot clear through, fill the cans full while
the fruit is hot; wipe the TOP, dry and
put on the cover :, screw down firmly,
and as the fruit cools tighten the cover
until itcan be moved no further. If you
notice ANY ahs bnbbles in the can run a
spoon down to them and let the air es-
cape before you put the top on. To
prevent bfeakinS thecans, fill them with
quiteswarm water until they are warmed
through; then pour out the water, set
the cans in pan containing little hot
water. and put, in the. fruit. ~
Rare;aa4 a Al FER; NJ AZ IL a 1T r., rorsh
up by much handling, will look better
if cooked in the cans. Fill the cans with
fruit, pour over syrup made by melt
ing the sugar that you intend to use in
some water-say from half pound to
a pound of.sugar to quart of water
put on the glass top loosely, set the cans
in the washboifer with cold water
enough to comewithinE three inches of
the top of the cans. Heat until the fruit
is boiling hot and then boil fifteen min
utes longer. The fruit will settle down
in the cans, but take the contents of one
or two cans to fill up the rest, and then
seal up Immediately. Do not set the
cans on the bottom of the boiler. Get
the sswOrser half'' to shape board a lit
tie smaller than the inside of the boiler,
bore it full of holes an inch apart, and
nail three strips an inch thick across the
under side to rest on the bottom of the
boiler. Set the cans ON this board and
they will be all right. Fruit put up this
.waNwin keep. because it can not do 9TH
erwise.
Canned fruit should be kept in a eel
lar if you have one. The next best place
is cool mlk-house, but if you have
neither, put in adark closet, in the cool
est place at command. Mind you, this
is not written for the old housekeepers,
but for the inexperienced ones.-Cor.
Prairie iFGrnser. = az - t