Grand Forks daily herald and the evening times., 1914-08-04
mothers discovered that when they

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keep. But they did not Know that 1t
was because the long-tontinued heat
had killed all the bacteria present.
They also knew that by sealing the
not fruit in air-tight Jars it would
keep Indefinitely. But they did not
Know that this procedure prevented
the entrance Of mor OF these small
plants.
Molds are very easy to deal with.
In order to grow they require a sup
ply Of oxygen; hence all that is
necessary to prevent their growth Is
to shut of their air supply. This
ma be done very easily; for instance,
amply pouring melted paraffn over
the top Of jelly shuts out air well
enough to prevent the growth Of
nolds on the Jelly. Fruit jars filled
quickly sealed never contain mold.
With bacteria, however, the prob
lem Is not so easy. Many of the BAG
terra that thrive in fruit are able to
live without a constant supply of air;
they secure oxygen from the breaking
down Of the fruit itself. In this case
a different method must be used. The
vised to meet this situation:
1. Killing the bacteria by heating
the fruit and then at ono sealing it
in Jars so that no more bacteria can
secure access to It.
2. Preserving the fruit in a strong
sugar solution, az bacteria can not
work If there IL more than twenty
five per cent OF sugar present. Be-
fore the method Of canning was dis
covered the preservation OF fruit in
heavy sugar solutions was used ex-
tensively.
8. Preserving fruit by means OF
its own acid.
Every housewife should know, first
Of all, that the method she selects for
canning her fruit should depend up
on the amount Of acid and proteid. or
Acid is a gernh-killer. ana scientists
have demonstrated that the bacteria
which live in fruit can not cause de-
cay If much acid is present. Some
fruits, such as rhubarb, gooseberries,
red raspberries and currants, contain
80 much acid that they can be pre-
served without any heat at all. 9th
er fruits, such as Strawberries and
cherries. contain less acid, but HAY
Be canned with very little heat.
Peaches Or grapes, on the other
hand. contain 10 little acid and so
much proteid that they require much
heat. Sugar solutions are possible
only with Jams. Jellies and preserves.
Preserving fruit by e Of its own
acid is both desirable and effective
with nearly all the delicate fruits, I'M
every case SO much acid that only lit
tie heat is needed to make the bAc-
terra harmless.
Strawberries, g~ooseberries, cherries,
red raspberries, currants, rhubarb-
all these contain SO much acid that
there is no need to sacrifce the delic-
acy Of the fresh fruit by applying
neat. 1t may be a surprise to many
housewives, but nevertheless it is q
fact, that the use Of cold water and
sugar and a little care-and in some
cases q very little heats sufficient
to preserve all these fruits with the
help of the natural. acid. This may
be done in more ways than one.
The Cold-Water Method.
The first and easiest method is what
is called the cold-water method. Rhu-
barb, gooseberries, and even straw
berries. may be canned by this meth
cd. RhubArb may be taken as. an ex-
ample. Select young, tender rhubarb.
Wash It carefully ana cut into small
pieces without peelins It. Pack it in
a jar rs closely a. possible without
MASKING 1t, place a new rubber on the
jar, fill 1t to overlooking with cold
water and seal it. Allow It to stand
twenty-four hours. At the end of this
time the amount Of water in the lar
will apparently be diminished-that
is, although the jar was filled to over
owing, the water will now be two
inches from the top. The explanation
is that the water has soaked into the
rhubarb and forced out the air. Drain
this remaining water from the jar and
fill it once more to overlooking with
fresh cold water and again seal it.
Allow 1t to stand another t~wenty-four
hours. At the end OF this time the
same thing will be noticeable, but in
a less degree. Drain the water, refill
the jar to overlooking with fresh cold
water, ana seal 1t permanently. Rhu-
barb canned in this way keeps per-
fectly and is therefore very tart. This
method is best when the rhubarb is
used for pies.
The Sirup Method.
Strawberries must be handled with