St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1891-09-24
FRUIT CANNING PHILOSOPHY.

Many of the directions for canning
mistake the point on which success
depends. We are told, for example,
that the fruit is boiled to expel the
air, and that the jars must be filled
to the brim and the contents first
stirred so that all bubbles may be
expelled But the lid encloses some
air after all these efforts; and some
jars keep well while others fail with
out the mystifed operatress being
able to assign any satisfying reason
for the varia ton of result. The error
is that the innocent and healthful air
is wrongly charged with doing harm
which is really done by tiny living
germs which float in it, and abound
in the season when fruits ripen, but
are invisible to the una1ded eye.
When the temperature and TODD
medium become suitable to them
they multiply with a rapidity COM
parable to the multiplication OF bub-
bles in a mass of foam, but on an in
fnitessimally smaller scale, and soon
entirely change the composition OF a
few gained admission. These germs,
which originate ferment or moulds in
such liquids cannot endure heat of
over $50 degrees. Boiling, therefore,
effectually kills them and they can
not exist in the heat arising from a
stove Then the heated juice can be
placed in jars, covered and sealed to
prevent the latter admission OF any
cooler air containing them, without
fear of failure. 1t does not matter
how much of this heated and there
fore sterilized air, is included in the
Jar under the seal; it will make no
difference as to the keeping OF the
contents And such a jar may be
opened and filled up at any time if it
be done where the air is too much
heated for the germs to live.
If any frult.julce, as sweet cider,
becomes unpleasantly changed in
flavor by boiling, it will keep quite
as well, and for years, if merely heat
ed to 40 degrees, or rs degrees be-
low the boiling point. This can be
conveniently done by placing the
filled bottles in a wash-boiler with
clothes under and between and in
cold water up to the necks. Have
corks ready in a pan Of hot water,
and when the juice in the bottles is
heated to from 135 to 40 degrees,
asindicated by cream thermometer
inserted down the neck, wipe the
mouth and the cork, press this in
tightly, and seal with wax as soon
as lifted out, and after again drying
with a hot cloth to secure alright
adherence of the wax to the glass.
Experience" tells how treshfavOred
tomatoes are if merely scalded and
sealed up while hot. Green goose
berries are often kept in water which
has been boiled and then allowed to
get cold before filling the bottles Of
fruit with it, and then sealing up, all
cold. AS this is done in May and the
bottles are kept in a cold place, the
ferment-germs, if present at all, have
probably too low a temperature for
multiplicatio The expressed juice
of stewed blackberries or of ripe cur
rants is very easily kept as noted
above for sweet cider. If sweetened
into a syrup either before or after
bottling it is an invaluable remedy
for disordered bowels, greatly to be
preferred to laudanum-laden carmina-
tives. These fruits also make very
agreeable syrups for table use, or for
pleasant summer drinks when diluted
with cold water Hortulanus.