Year: 1871

A lady correspondent furnishes the fol-
lowing hints to the american Agricultu.
riSt


The season when fruit will be plenty is
fast approaching and those housekeepers
who have seen how much their canned
fruit was enjoyed the last winter, will be
making calculations to put up large sup
| ply the present summer. There is moth.
ing healthier, and hardly anything cheap
er than canned fruit. 1t may seem un-
necessary to those who are already adopts
70 the art to write anything on this sub.
ject; but can assure such, there are hun
dreds of bushels Of fruit spoiled every
year in every large town. A lady not
long since was telling me that last fall she
had put up three baskets of as handsome
peaches as was ever gathered. and every
bottle spoiled. constantly hear the la
dies talk about their spoiled fruit. There
is another remark | often hear, and which
seems absurd to me. 1t is this My fruit
always white moulds, and | think it i'm
proves it," There is thick, eathery
white mould, which often forms on the ton
of the fruit, and which can be removed
without affecting, apparently, the flavor oil
the fruit but it is not desirable to have
even this sort of mould. 1t would be out
of the question to send such bottles to
long distance, as the mould would be





spread all over the fruit If it did not i'm
part any unpleasant flavor. There is such
a thing as having bottled fruit without
any mould whatever. | think the reason
white mould forms is, that the lid of the
can IS not applied soon enough, and many
ladies consider this part OF the process.
A friend told me she always waited three
or four minutes after the fruit was in the
bottle before putting on the lid. "It lets
out the air. You know there are always
bubbles of air that have come up" "Oh,
yes :" | said, IL know; but always run a
knife quickly down the inside, and that
brings them up" The quicker the lid is
applied the better, and it should not be
|, disturbed until you want the fruit. In
regard to the air bubbles, which often
form while the bottle is filing little care
will obviate the difficulty. In putting
the fruit into the bottle. do not pour it in
such way as to close the whole mouth Of
the bottle, because that prevents the es-
cape OF air; but rather let it slide gently
down the side of the bottle. 1t can be
, done just as quickly this way as the other.
The secret Of having bottled fruit keep,
is to have perfectly air-tight cover, and
; to be sure the fruit perfectly bos through
out, before putting it into the bottles, and
} then to be quick about putting on the COW
e-, and letting the cover alone until you
want to use the contents of the bottle. 1t
is not necessary to let out the steam or
air, after the cover is on. Do not place
a string under the rubber for this purpose.


Do not insert pen-knife under the rub
Der according to some directions) to le.
out air q know lady that learned this


lesson after her peaches had all terment-
ed.) 1t is not necessary to bury the bot
. ties in the earth, or to have dark vault
made in the cellar for the purpose Mine
keep perfectly, without mould, on shelf


in rather light cellar. If you bottle
your fruit in the right way, it will keep
almost anywhere but by the stove if you
: don't do it right, and let in air with a
knife, or some other way, it won't keep,
no matter where you put it. Of course,
if you have done it right it will keep long.
er in dark, cold place, but it will sue
cumb to the atmosphere in the end. Bot
tied fruit put up in proper manner will


keep for years if desired. / had some
splendid peaches at a friends the other
evening, and she said she did not know
whether they were two or three years old
But she knew they were not last years,
! for she did not put W any, as she had
used up all her empty bottles for cherries
plums, raspberries, etc., and as she had
several bottles of peaches on hand. she
did not think it necessary to put up 9
fresh supply.