Weekly journal-miner., 1919-09-10

take oft all the black CorroSlOn ln- side and out and the lid polished on a soft cloth will be clean as a new lid. If old lids are cleaned in this way and the porcelain is not broken or the outer part dented they are per fectly safe to use on fruit canned by the open kettle method-that is the old way of cooking the fruit in a kettle and then filling the jar and sealing it up. 1 learned this way ot cleaning jar lids from a Prescott woman and, 1 can back 1t up with my own experience-it is perfect. Every year 1 learn lot of fine things from my friends and neighbors who put up fruit-good things that even the government bulletins do not have.
 Now, my visitor whose husband got shot on the head with jar of exploding peaches had not cleaned her jars or lids, hadn't boiled them, 1 mean, and probably her fruit was over-ripe and not cooked done. Then probably she had used some poor grade of rubber rings and had not gotten them fitted down well around the neck of the jar. Every jar of fruit should be turned upside down as soon as sealed and stand that way at least 24 hours to show whether the seal is perfect. After that set the fruit away in a dark place or wrap each jar in newspapers and set in a cool place; heat and light injure the quality of canned fruit and often cause fermenting.
 Putting Up Pears
 Bartlett pears are just coming to their best, and several other varieties are ready for use. Almost daily am asked about canning pears; there is very mistaken idea that pears should be canned when quite hard and green; this accounts for the other idea that pears are rather tasteless when cooked and hard to put up.
 A green pear is not it for any sort of use except pig feed; ripe pear is one of the best of canning fruits At the ranch 1 never use pears till they are soft and full of flavor. They require much less sugar than when green, cook quickly and develop more and more flavor as they stand ill the jars. For canning peel and quarter the fruit, remove seeds, cover with just water enough to come to the top of the fruit in the kettle, and add about half a teacup of sugar to a quart ot fruit. Boil till tender and seal. Fol variety I often add one lemon sliced as thin as possible to about six quarts of fruit, or sometimes put a fresh mint leaf into each jar as pour ill the hot fruit. Preserved Chinese ginger root is particularly good in canned or preserved pears and if quinces are ripe I often add a quince or two to a kettle.
 Candied Pears
 Pears are the best of fruits can died; peel rather firm fruit, cut in half, remove seeds and core and dror into kettle of heavy syrup made by I boiling four cups of sugar with three cups of water When the fruit i: clear all the way through set the ket tie away with the fruit ill it for two days, then remove the fruit, draining 1t well, and lay on waXed paper il i the sun for day. Dust with 6 little powdered sugar and pack il tin boxes.
 Candied pears have dates and fig;
 skinned a mile' as one of my little visitors said when l caught hin sampling the fruit in the sun, ana they are easily made and keep we'll under lock and key.
 1 find that many of my ranch wis itors do not know that musk melon; and casabas make fine pickle anc preserves with flavor distinct and delicious If the melon is ripe enough to be rather soft, prepare a syrup of two cups water to one heaping cup of sugar and bring thi. to a hard boil and skim off the white scum, then put in the melon peeled and cut in small cubes and cook til clear and tender This preserve is very good if spiced lightly with Gin. namon, nutmeg and cloves, or if d lemon cut in wafer slices is boiled in the syrup. The casaba if firm may be boiled in just enough water tc cover for half an hour, the half a cup of sugar for a cup of fruit added and the boiling continued till the fruit is clear
 The old-time watermelon preserve Is made in the same way and is well worth remembering i'll the home food saving.
 Why We Need to Save Food This Year
 ] have just had long talk with ] a Prescott merchant who is probably l in closer touch with the food situa- ton than any other man in Yavapai. He urged me to urge our home folks to put up all the fruit and foodstuffs