Evening star., 1943-05-27

It usually takes y to l cup Of
LIQUID to each quart jar of fruit to
fill In around the solid food and to
cover it well.
The home canning sugar ration
allows about u cup Of sugar to use
IN each quart jar, as an average.
Here are pointers from the home
economists for canning the berries,
cherries and other summer fruits
as they come along, SO that the
fruits, the sugar ration and the
home Gamer herself may all keep
in step.
l. Shift the sugar to fit the fruit.
Sour fruits may demand-and get
more than the average. In that
case. you will count on giving short
rations Of sugar to some Of your very
juicy and sweet fruits. Often you
can taste the natural favor of sweet
fruit better when less sugar is used.
2 Put up some fruit without sugar,
1t necessary. It's true that a little
sugar helps canned fruits to hold
color and flavor. But the sugar isn't
essential to keep the canned fruit
from Spelling. Fruit for pie making
Is often canned without sugar, by
choice. So is fruit for diabetic diets,
So, if you have more good fruit
than sugar at any time this sum-
mer, don't let it go to waste. Can
the fruit and mark the jars plainly
to indicate mo sugar" Then YOU
can plan to serve and sweeten the
1rult to taste when the family can
best spare sugar from its weekly
ration.
g. Precook fruit for canning. You
can heat the fruit in fruit juice, or
sirup, or water. Adding sugar be-
fore heating the fruit will help draw
out juice. Some fruits thus treated
yield enough juice of their own SO
that no additional liquid is needed.
There is good reason for heating
the fruit before it goes into the can
ner. Precooking shrinks the fruit,
helping you to get more into each
Jar-Which Is good wartime economy
OF glass jars and metal caps, and
economy of shelf space, besides.
However - never cram the food
down tight, of course Allow
good proportion of liquid to each
jar.
4. Thin or moderately thin sirup
is in step with the sugar ration. For
thin sirup, use cup of sugar to 3
cups of water or juice For mod
erately thin sirup, use l cup Of
sugar to 2 cups Of water or juice.
II sour cherries or other really sour
fruits require medium thick sirup,
use cup of sugar to cup of water
or juice.
S. To extract juice: Crush and
heat some of your softer juicy fruits
to boiling. Use very low heat or set
the pan over hot water, 50 the fruit
won't stick to the pan. Be sure the
fruit used for juice is as perfect as
any fruit you put up. Cut out any
trace OF bruise or decay, for the can
ming saying holds good: "A bit Of
decay may spoil a batch" When the
juice flows freely, strain it. Sweeten
to taste. if desired.
s. In place of sugar, use If YOU
wish some of d-aavored sirup
like honey or corn sirup Use honey
to replace up to half of your sugar,
or corn sirup to replace up to one
third OF your sugar. A larger pro-
portion of the sirup would mask the
delicate fruit flavor.
7. Three don'ts to end with: Don't
use in your canning any sirups that
have high flavor of their own, such
as maple, sorghum or molasses.
Don't use brown sugar. Don't use
saccharine in canning; if you wish
to use saccharine to sweeten canned
fruit, add it just before serving,
or the fruit may take on a bitter
| taste