Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1900-11-01
FALL. PRESERVING.
less Sugar Now Used with Fruits.
Putting Up Peaches and Pears.


Spring and Summer preserving is
important, but autumn'S possibilities
are the richest of the year. The pre-
pairing Of peaches, pears, plumS,
ounces, bmCbcrrics Ghc one fruit
which is as good cooked or preserved
as raw, besides all the picking and
relish making-thc list of delicacies the
housewife can make is irresistibly at
tractive. There is nothing radically
new in methods or results, but there
are always variations of the common
ways of making the old specialties. In
these days Of rich and varied living we
feel digestive rccoil from old fashion
ed pound for pound preserves, popular
up to a decade ago. Preserves today
means or should mean one-half to
three fourths of pound of sugar to
one pound of fruit. Canned fruit
should be just "sweetened to taste"
which should never mean more than
one-fourth Of a pound Of sugar to one
pound of fruit. Even jams and mar
malades are better if made in the pro-
portion of twO-thirds or three-fOurths
of pound of sugar to one pound Of
fruit instead of pound for pound. Jel-
lies alone must keep to the old proper
tions to give them proper consistency.
For any and all preserving, canning
and jelly and jam making use only
porcelain lined iron kettle and wooden
or silver spoons, says writer in Wo-
mans Home Companion, who gives the
following among other recipes:
Do not waste time, sugar and jars on
fruit that is inferior Fill wire bas
ket holding a couple Of quarts with
selected peaches and plunge it into a
pot of boiling water, letting it remain
from three to five minutes, according to
the ripenesS of the fruit. Remove now
and roll out on a platter. Skin and if
to be canned drop into hot jars, as no
more cooking will be necessary, then
cover with boiling hot sirup and seal.
Make the sirup of ~ pints of sugar to
quart of water, boiling 10 minutes.
Peaches are best when canned whole,
because of the flavor the pit gives
them. If halvcd, four or five pits
should be put into each jar. In pre-
serving peaches first weigh the skinned
fruit, then get three-fourths of its
weight in sugar Make a Sirup of this
sugar in the proportion of one pint to
one-half pint of water. AS soon as it
boils skim until clear, add the fruit,
which should be halved and cook, new
er allowing it to boil violently, until
transparent.
The Duchess is perhaps the finest
favored and best pear for putting up.
1t ripens very late and is of handsome
shape and size There are Of course
other pears which are excellent for
preserving. In either canning or pre-
serving first wash the fruit, pare, halve
and neatly core it and then lay it on a
platter under wet cloth to prevent its
discoloring. Put all the parings in the
preserving kettle and more than cover
them with cold water. Fit steamer
over the kettle. put in two layers of
fruit and steam till tender. Repeat this
operation until all is done, adding boil
ing water to the parings as it wastes
away When the fruit is cooked, put
the parings in a jelly bag and drain off
all the juice. Measure this juice and
return it to the kettle, adding for can
ned pears One-half as much sugar as
there is juice in the kettle and for pre-
served pears twice as much sugar. AS
soon as the sirup has boiled enough to
be skinned clear drop in as much fruit
as can be managed without crowding.
Cook ten minutes for canning and until
the fruit looks somewhat transparent
for preserves.