Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-09-27
GOOD HOMEMADE
FRUIT BUFFERS
Surplus Fruits May Be Con-
served in This Way For
Winter Use

Washington, Sept. 27.-As a final
drive on fruit preserving the United
States Department of Agriculture
urges the making of homemade
fruit buffers. This is recommended
not only to those who grow the fruit,
but to those in the city who may
take advantage of large supplies and
cheap prices. In a great many cases
it will be possible for city people
to get from outlying farms fruit
which might otherwise be wasted.
Various fruit buffers recon-
mended are apple butter with cider,
apple butter without cider, apple
butter with grape juice, apple but
ter with lemons, pear butter, peach
butter, plum butter and Garfield
butter made with plums and peaches
With the exception, of a good pre-
serving kettle very little equipment
is needed for the preparation of
such buffers.
Apple Butter
There is no better way to use good
apples, says the department, than to
make them into butter. The sound
portions of windfalls, wormy, and
bruised apples may also be used.
The better the apple the better the
butter Will be. In apple butter with
cider either fresh sweet cider, or
commercial sterilized cider should
be used, after being boiled down to
about half its original quantity. The
peeled and sliced apples may be
cooked in the boiled cider or they
may be first made into apple sauce
which is then cooked in cider. 1t
usually takes about equal quantities
of sweet cider and sliced apples TO
make butter of the right consistency.
In other words, two gallons of sweet
cider should be boiled down to one
gallon, and two gallons of the pre-
pared apples should be added to it
either uncooked or as apple sauce.
The two essentials of good apple but
ter are long, slow cooking-from
four to six hours-and frequent stir
ring. If sugar is used, it should be
added after the cooking is about two
thirds done. About one pound of
sugar is the usual proportion for
each gallon of apple butter but more
or less may be used to suit the taste.
The butter may be spiced with Gin
namon, cloves and allspice, or with
any one of the three, the spices be-
ing stirred in when the cooking is
finished.
While still boiling hot the butter
should be packed in sterilized glass
receptacles. or in stone jars, with
thorough precautions against spoil
ing as with any other preserves.
Without Cider
Good apple butter may be made
without cider. In this case enough
water is added to make a thin apple
sauce. Brown sugar rather than
white sugar is ordinarily used. If
grape flavor is desired, it may be
obtained by the use of grape juice
in the proportion of one pound to
each gallon of the peeled and sliced
apple. There should also be added
a cup of brown sugar and one-fourth
teaspoonful salt. When the desired
thickness is obtained, one teaspoon
full cinnamon is stirred in.
Pear butter is made like apple
butter without cider.
In making peach butter it is de-
sirable to put the peaches into a wire
basket and dip them in boiling water
for a few second suntil the skin slips,
then dip the peaches into cold wa
ter, peel them, and pit them. Well
ripened freestone peaches are best.
They should be mashed and cooked
in their own juice without adding
water, and if butter of a fine texture
is wanted the pulp should be put
through a colander or coarse wire
sieve. To each measure of pulp add
half measure of sugar. Peach but
ter can be made also from dried or
canned peaches. Lemon juice in the
proportion of one lemon to fifteen
pounds of peaches may be added to
give tartness.
Plum butter is made like peach
butter except that the skins and pits
are separated by rubbing the pulp
through a eolander or wire sieve
after the plums have been cooked
Freestone plums. however, may be
treated exactly like peaches.
The Garfield butter is made of
two-thirds plums and one-third
peaches and needs rather more sugar
than. the plain peach butter.
Farmers Bulletin 900. Home
made Fruit Buffers" which contains
detailed directions for making var
! ious fruit buffers, may be obtained
free from the United States Depart
Inent of Agriculture, Washington, as
| long as the supply lasts.