New Britain herald., 1924-06-20
CANNING AND PRESERVING
 STRAWBERRIES

| CANNING AND PRESERVING
 STRAWBERRIES
 Strawberries for canning or pre- serving or tanning should be per fectly ripe but not the least bit over- ripe.
 So, sort strawberries carefully and use the perfect large berries for plain canning and preserving and the im- perfect berries requiring cutting for old fashioned strawberry jam.
 When washing berries do not pour water directly onto the fruit. Drop the berries into a big pan of cold water or into a deep colander. Set the colander in a larger pan of water to wash berries and when clean gently lift the coander from the water, letting the berries settle slowly together without any violence. Wa ter softens delicate fruit and rough handling breaks the gossamer-like covering and allows the immediate escape of the juices.
 The ideal way to can strawberries is by the cold pack method. The berries keep their shape and retain their flavor much better than when canned by the open kettle method.
 To Can Strawberries by the Cold
 Pack Method
 Pack perfect, well washed berries l in sterilized cans, adjust tested rub7 bers and pour over medium syrup to cover fruit. Half seal cans and put in hot water bath. The water must cover the jars by at least an inch. When the water begins 10 bubble be- gin to count the time for sterilization and sterilize quart jars Is minutes. kemoVe from boiler, tighten covers and turn cans upside down where they will cool quickly but not be i'm draught If draught of cold air strikes a boiling hot can hreaksgo may occur. When cold, store in A dark. cool, dry place.
 Pack the fruit closely but do not ! mash or crush.
 To sterilize cans for packing, wash cans Tn hot soap suds and rinse in scalding water. Cool and put in inc boiler you will use for cooking the fruit. Fill boiler with cold water and bring to the boiling point Boil ID minutes Remove cans from boiler when needed for filling with fruit. This gives you your boiler of boiling water for processing and steriiizes your cans at the same time. The covers should be included. l Medium sirup is made by hoiIinr cups sugar and cups water far live minutes or until the slrun is thlck and elings to a spoon. Allow 4 cup sugar for each quart can of fruit. Be sure Co mako enough sirup to flll all the cans. Extra sirnn can be kept in a glass jar in cold place until needed for the next batch of canning. Fin can to within 1.a inch from the top with the boiling sirup.
 To half seal screw-top jar, tighten cover with thumb and little finger. To seal, screw down as tight as possible.
 To half-seal springtop jar. A on cover and adjust top bail To seal, clamp bail over jar,
 sunshine Strawberry prescr,es Select large. perfect berries. Hull and wash. Drain. Weigh fruit. Use pound for pound of berries and sugar. Put q layer of berries in A smooth porcelain preserving kettle, cover with sugar and add another layer until all is used. Let stand over night In the morning put over slow fire and bring to the boiling point. Remove scum and let boil gently for five minutes. Turn ont onto big platters. Cover with glass or mosquito netting and put on table in the sun outdoors or In sunny window. Cook until the sirup IS thick, stirring occasionally. If 2 glass is used it must be removed and dried frequently. Twelve hours of direct hot sunshine will rock tha fruit and sirup 10 the desired thick ness and deliciousness. Pour into sterilized pint glass jars and scal. IT mosquito netting is used the air helps thicken the sirup, but unless you live in dustless community the glass covering should be used.
 Old Fashioned Strawberry Jam
 Hull and wash berries. Imporfer, ones that have been cut can he used for this jam. Weigh fruit and for every four pounds Of fruit use three pounds or sugar Put fruit and sugar in preserving kettle and mash fruit with wooden potato mashcr. Cook. stirring constantly until the fruit is soft and the juice is sirupy. The jam will. not bc siia because strawberries win not jelly. The juice should be clear and quite sparkling when the jam is done. It will take about s5 minutes, althourb the length of time will very some ac- cording 10 the julciness of the fruit. Pour into sterilized jars and scal Too long cooking will make the ian rather strong favored.
 Total calories in strawberry pre serves. 1 pound berries and pouul sugar. 1890 Protein, 20; fat. 2H, carbohydrate. 1850.
 Copyright 1924. NEA sertice. Incl