Huntsville gazette., 1884-09-13
Process OF CfnGiny Fruit,

The process Of canning fruit adopted
By the large canneries is an exact
science. The guess of the thrifty house
wife as to the amount of sugar, water
and fruit to mix together is superseded
in the canneries by an exact measure
ment of every thing. The following is .
brief description of the method OF can
ming string beans adopted in one of the
largest canneries in the State: A score
or more of long tables are piled high
with bright green beans; at each table
there are a dozen or more Cinnamon,
who, with nimble fingers, break the tips
of the pod and pull the string from the
sides; after breaking the pod in three
and four pieces, the beans are putin
kettle of hot water and washed. After
being drained they are taken to dozen
or more Cinnamon. who stand before
the tables with great piles of cans in
front of them. Each can has been filled
about half full of salt water. The Chi
naman fills the can with beans and
weighs it, adding to or taking from to
bring ito the exact weight. The filled
cans are taken on trucks to other tables
where a number Of Celestials are wait
ing to solder them. When they are
closed they are put on trays, each hold
ing forty or more cans. The trays are
piled in great wooden watts filled with
water. Through the bottom of the vat
runs steam pipe full of holes. The
steam is turned on and in an instant the
hot steam is bubbling up through the
water. In few minutes the water is
brought to boil and the beans begin
to cook. The trays are taken out and
small hole punched in the top of each
can. The air rushes out of the can at
once and before it cools off and more
air enters the small hole is closed by
piece of solder. In this way almost all
of the air in the cans is removed. The
cans are again placed on the trays and
put into the boiling water, where they
cook the requisite time. The trays are
then taken out and the labels pasted on
the cans, which are then placed in
eases ready for shipment. The whole
process does not occupy more than half
an hour from the time the fruit or veg
etable is placed on the table for picking
till it is cooked and canned, and packed.
The process of making jellies and
jams is as exact and expeditions. The
currants or whatever other fruit or ber
ries the jelly is made of are first placed
in great copper kettles, which are
slightly heated by steam. The currants
are softened little by the heat and
made easy to press They are then
placed in a press and all the juice
squeezed out of them. The pure juice
is taken back to the polished kettles,
which shine like mirror in the sun,
and for every gallon of juice, which
weighs eight pounds, there is added six
pounds of sugar. After fifteen minutes
cooking the juice and sugar, ''jells," as
it is called by the men in the canneries,
and the jelly is dipped into two-and-a-
half pound cans, which are labeled and
packed in cases, ready for shipment.
An interesting experiment was tried
in the csnnery few days ago in regard
to the use of sugar in making jellies.
The proprietorS desired to know
whether it was more economical to use
much or little sugar. He put thirty
gallons of juice into the bright kettle
and one hundred and twenty pounds of
sugar, that being four pounds to the
gallon. He found that it took a long
while for the juice to ''jell," because
the juice could absorb much more sugar
and was quite thin. 1t did not 'jell'
till large amount of the juice had
evaporated. Next he tried one hundred
and fifty pounds of sugar with thirty
gallons of juice, and found that it took
some time for the mixture to be brought
to ''jell," but not SO long as in the first
case. Again he mixed one hundred and
eighty pounds of sugar and thirty gal
Ions of juice. In a few moments the
mixture ''jelled'' and little juice was
lost by evaporation. He found that the
jelly of all three experiments was of the
same quality, but that he made one
hundred ard thirty cans Of the first,
one hundred and sixty of the second and
one hundred and ninety~two of the
third mixture. He found that it was
more economical to use a large amount
of sugar with the juice. 1t not only
produced more cans of jelly in proper
ton to the amount of juice and sugar
u ed but it also saved about one-third
of the steam used in cooking. sen
francisco GbrOnicte.