The Portland daily press., 1894-09-10
THE HON E.


Only perfect fruit, neither unriDe nor
over-ripe, should be selected. Huckle-
berries and currants need no farther
| preparation than washing and picking
over. Cherries and plums need to have
their pits removed, and peaches require
in addition to be pared and Quartered
while the other fruits need to be pared,
cored and cut into quarters or still
smaller divisions.
Tin dishes or fat sheets of tin are
most convenient for drying, but are apt
to impart a disagreeable flavor. Thin
boards of some odorless wood answer a
good purpose, but, it is not easy to so
place them that the oven will hold many
at time. There is no danger OF their
burning, for the oven that is hot enough
to burn the wood is quite too hot for
the fruit, which is to be cooked instead
OF dried. The best way is to have set
OF agate ware or porcelain-lined dripping
pans Kept for this purpose only. In each
spread a layer of the fruit. Place the
pans In the oven in pile one above the
closed Dishes of them, but scrisscross,"
SO that the hot air may have free access
TO the frult-till the oven will hold no
more. In this way a good deal of fruit
may be done at one time The heat of
the oven may be fl rst tested by putting
| in small portion of the fruit to be
dried. as not only do different fruits re-
quire different temperature, but even
| various sorts of the same fruit; good
deal depending upon whether the season
has been wet or dry, that which is gath
cred in dry season demanding not only
a lower degree of heat, but a shorter time
than that gathered in wet season.
All varieties Of even the same fruit are
| not equally good for drying. AS a rule,
| The more acid the fruit the better will ii
| preserve it's qualities. The old fashioned
| sour red cherry-known in some parts
| of the country as the English, lis far
| better for drying or preserving >than any
of the sorts which are much more delic-
| ious when eaten fresh. The same is true
plums dry well. Comparatively few
sorts of pears are good for drying. The
sweetest and juiciest sorts, like the Bart
lett, Virgalieu and Seckel, being almost
worthless. But there is nameless sort,
hard, green. sour thing, not worth
gathering for any other purpose save
picking, which is perfectly delicious
when dried and stewed. This pear is
the only fruit we know of which is bene-
fitted by the use Of sugar in drying. IT
about tablespoonful of granulated
sugar is sprinkled over each quart of the
fruit, and allowed to stand upon it for
an hour or two before being put in the
oven,a rich syrup is drawn out in which
the pears can be dried. When done they
in stone jars and sealed, otherwise they
attract both ants and flies.
Fruits which are dried without sugar
are best kept in sealed paper bags, and
hung in B dry, cool storeroom until
needed for use. Unlike the sour pears,
ounces, though equally tart, would be
injured by sugar. Every one who has
be cooked until quite tender before the
| sugar is added, for from that moment
no amount of cooking will have any
other effect than to harden the fruit.
Ounces for drying should be cut into
| comparatively thin slices the round
way of the fruit, pared and cored When
| cooking the dried fruit remember to
add no sugar until the ounces are as
tender as desired, and then add as little
as may be palatable The less sugar
used the better both for the flavor of the
fruit and the health Of the person eat
ing it. ace AZ a
Dried fruits should be carefully and
quickly washed before cooking quickly,
because none of the flavor should escape
Then the fruit should be put into cold
water, and allowed to soak until it be-
gins to plump our into something re-
sem bling Its original proportions. Then
put into a preserving Kettle, set upon
the fire and bring TO quick scaId. after
" hich it may be set back from the fire
to where it will just simmer until done.
Perhaps one OF the chief reasons why
dried fruits are SO healGhful is th at they
cannot be used without good deal of
cooking This destroys the tendency of
fermentation, which is the bane of fresh
fruits, especially those which have had
to come far to market. II sugar is to be
added it may be done few minutes be-
fore removing from the fire, or wait un-
til it is brought to the table, wher each
person may suit himself as to amount,
It should be mentioned that all fruits
for all have acid qualities-should be
cooked only in vessels which can impart
no flavor. Agate iron or iron with
porcelain lining, is good when new, but
should not be use after the lining is at
all broken. An earthernware preserving
kettle is best. -Harper's Bazaar.
Wells.
Fashion is queen, but if her subjects
could always remember to be sensible in
their devotions the burdens imposed by
her would often be much lighter, and
yet the spirit of the law would be obeyed
This is especially true just now in the
matter of wells.
1t cannot be doubted that the necessi-
| ty, if such it was, that invented wells
brought forth what under some circum-
| stance may be beneficial: but it is ex-
| ceediugly doubtful if such praise can be
| bestowed upon the articles worn at the
present time.
On windy and dusty day wells of
| proper sort may be worn with no little
| comfort. They not only serve to keep
| he wearer from an appearance of un-
| tidiness, but are of benefit in protecting
| the eyes from PARTICLES of dust.
| On a clustering winter day, when one
| is riding, heavy veil, in the form of
scarf, bound around the forehead and
over the ears, with the ends we'll tied
about the neck and chin, is nearly as
useful, without being SO cumbersome,
as the old fashioned muff1er.
| But all this does not excuse the risk
| of injury to the eyes incurred by the con-
| tiual obscurity of the sight caused by
wearing the fanciful fabrics now in
vogue.