The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1897-08-14
A CHAPTER ON CANNING,
VALUABLE HINTS AND RECIPES FOR
ANXIOUS HOUSEKEEPERS,


Fruits For the Cooking Kettlc-Th
Ecst Jars-Hecipes Useful in Canning
In recent article on modern house
hold improvements, writes Eliza r
Parker, in the Housewife, the art 0
canning fruits and vegetables wa
mentioned as one of the most import
ant III lesseniug the labor of the house
wife, and contributing generally to til,
comfort of the family. BY the pro
cess OF canning, the pantry shelves ii
every household may always be flleo
with vegetables and fruits, as we'll a.
fish and meats The inquiry comes te
us every spring from many anxious
housekeepers: Is it more economical
to can your own fruits and vegetables,
or to purchase them? After much
consideration given the matter, ou1
Judgment confirms the belief that can.
nlnS can be done more economically
at home; true, an inferior article can
be purchased very cheap, but such is
never satisfactory; only the best brands
are tit for family use, and they sell
high, and are in no way superior to
those canned at home.
But, in order to do the work prop
erly, so the articles canned will retain
their natural flavor and keep we'll,
great care and attention to details are
necessary. The most perfect and
freshest fruits should be selected, and
such rs are at all decayed, or even
overripe, should never be used, as the
results will never be satisfactory.
Most fruits ore best put up in thin
slrup, but the use Of sugar is not at all
necessary for their preservation.
Large firm fruits should be pared
thin with silver knife, and laid in
cold water until ready to cook, when,
if tough, they should be boiled in clear
water until tender and then dropped in
the boiling sirup.
I: Small fruit, such as strawberries.
currants, raspberries and blackber-
RES, must he very carefully handled if
IT. desired to retain their shape and
color. They should never be too ripe,
and may be sprinkled with sugar and
set aside few hours, then the sirup
may be drained off and heated before
the fruit is put in, and brought very
slowly merely to the boiling point.
Glass or stone jars only should be
used for fruit, and those with self
sealing tops will be found most con-
venient, though the tin sealed tops,
which are much cheaper, will answer
very we'll, if care is given the proper
sealing. The cans should be thor
oushl y heated before filling, by set
ting in pan of water and heating
gradually, and then fill quickly, fun
nel being used for the purpose.
While filling, cloth wrung out of
boiling water may be folded around
the jars to prevent cracking. When
full to the top, the fruit may be
pressed down with a spoon and the
top screwed or sealed on at once.
Inc jars should be set where they may
be inspected the next day, and looked
after for a week Or so, when, if looking
well, they should be set in q cool, dark
place, until ready to use. If signs of
fermentation are observed, the cans
must be opened ct once, and the fruit
may be recooked and used, but never
recanned The best sugar should be
usedi in canning, as the fruit will be
much less liable to ferment
Such variety of cooking kettles is
now manufactured that few house
keepers use brass or copper kettles;
but if either is used, it should be we'll
secured to cleanse it thoroughly from
verdigris.
1t is never we'll to cook too large
quantity Of fruit at onc.; therefore
only sufficient to fill two or three lars
should be put in at time.
If these directions are carefully fol-
lowed, the fruit and vegetables cannot
fail to keep. AS general directions
cannot be given that will apply to Diff
ferent varieties, the following recipes
will be found useful in canning:
Canned Pems-Pare, cut in halves
md remove the core. Throw into
very cold water; when sufficient to
put up ct one time prepared, drain
md weigh, put in preserve kettle,
'over with boiling water and simmer
about twenty minutes. Make q sirup
If one-fourth of q pound of sugar and !
pint OF water for every pound of +
'ears, let boil and skim. Lift the ,
'ears carefully from the kettle, and :,
lrop one piece at time in the boiling : :
irup, let them heat, put in the can :
nd seal. =
Canned Peaches-Pare three pounds =
I firm, ripe peaches, remove the q
tones and throw the peaches into +
old water. Put three-fourths of a -
ound of sugar in a preserve kettle, 7 7
lth water to make sirup, and let come n
boil; put the peaches in and cook r
owly until tender, take up each i
lece separately, put carefully in the =
IN; when nearly full, pour over sirup ~
till, press down with n o,,oo, ,oa, "