Evening star., 1923-07-20
How to Select and Prepare Fruit
For Canning and Preserving

added to them. The only exception
| to this is when they are cooked in a
| heavy sirup.
| Preserving.
| The process of making a sirup is
very simple. but there are a few
! points that must be observed il sirup
| and fruit are to be perfect. Put
! the sugar and water in the saucepan
| and stir on the stove until all the
sugar is dissolved. Heat slowly to
| the boiling point and boil "er'lv
without stirring. The length of time
| that the sirup should boil VIII ue.,,nd
upon how rich it is to be. All sirups
should be boiled from ten to thirty
| minutes. If rich sirups are boiled
hard, Jared or stirred they are apt
to crystalline. Sirup may be made a
day or two in advance of preserving
time. Light sirups will not keep long
unless sealed, but heavy sirups will
keep well If thoroughly covered.
Such sirups as are used in pre-
serving and canning are made with
sugar. When the proportion of sugar
is large and that of the water is
small. the sirup is said to be heavy.
When the water predominates the
sirup is light. ,One pint of sugar and
one gill of water will give a Sirup to
| use for preserving Strawberries and
cherries. One pint of sugar and three
gills of water will give a sirup for
preserving peaches, plums, ounces
and currants. One pint of sugar and
| one pint of water will give a sirup to
use in preserving very acid fruits.
! One pint Of sugar and two pints of
water Will give Sirup to use for
preserving pears. sweet plums, rasp-
berries, biueberries and black be rries
Ine Hghtest sirups may be used for
! hlling up the jars after they are
taken from the oven or boiler.
Canned Fruit Cooked in the Oven.
In this method of canning fruit the
work is easily and quickly done and
the fruit retains its shape. color and
! flavor. Cover the bottom of the oven
with sheet of asbestos or put into
the oven shallow pans in which there
are about two inches of boiling water
| Sterilize the jars and utensils Make
the Sirup and prepare the fruit the
same as for cooking in a preserving
Kettle. Fill the hot jars with the
fruit and pour in enough sirup to
NIL the jar solidly. Run the blade of
| silver plated knife around the in
side of the jar. Place the jars in the
oven either on the asbestos or in the
pan of water. The oven should be
moderately hot. Cook the fruit for
| ten minutes. Remove from the oven
and fill the jar with boiling sirup
Wipe and seal. Place the jars on d
| board and out of draft of air. If
screw covers are used, tighten them
after the jars have cooled.
Large fruits, such as peaches. pears
ounces and crab apples, Will require
about pint of Sirup to each quart
| jar of fruit Small fruit will require
a little over half a pint of sirup The
amount of sugar in each quart of
sirup should be regulated to suit the
fruit with which it is to be used, as
| stated above.
Picture Labels for Fruit Jars.
Give the children a stack of old
magazines and seed catalogues sew
eral envelopes and some scissors and
tell them to cut out all the pictures
of fruits and vegetables that they can
find. Each envelope should have a
| label indicating the kind of fruit pic
lures that it contains. For instance.
one with a picture of grapes on the
outside would indicate that grape
pictures only are inside. When the
fruit or the fruit juice is in the jars
let the children put on the labels
Have them use the largest pictures
for the large jars of canned. fruit.
those of medium size for the smaller
Jars or preserves and jam and the
very small ones for jelly glasses
Jars and cans of fruit labeled in this
way Will present an attractive ap-
pearance on the shelves and when
you want certain kind of fruit there
is no chance of making a wrong Sc
lection.
Plums i'm Jelly.
Either the red or the blue plums
can Fbe used for this, and the yellow
plums If they are not too soft For
every pound of fruit allow a pound
of granulated sugar. Put the sugar
in the preserving kettle over a slow
fire. adding a very little water to
help melt the sugar. Half a cupful
of water will be enough for several
pounds of sugar When melted. let
simmer slowly. Wash the plums and
dry them. then prick each several
times with a darning needle Put
just enough plums In the sirup to
make close layer all on one surface
and cook until the skins begin to
break, then lift them out carefully
with a skinner and put in layer
in fiat dish while another LAYER OF
plums cooks in the sirup. When all
are cooked and cool. return those first
cooked to the sirup. which all this
time has been simnering, and cook
until transparent looking. Repeat the
process with each layer. and when
all are done put in glass Jars and
pour the boiling hot sirup over them
until the jars are brim full. Let
stand until cold. filling up with sirup
II the jar contents shrink, and finish.
as usual, with a layer OF paraffin
The plums after few DAYS Will be
incased In beautiful rich jelly.