Canned Fruit, Preserves, and Jellies: Household Methods of Preparation Part 4

WHOLE TOMATOES.

8 quarts of medium-sized tomatoes.

4 quarts of sliced tomatoes.

Put the pared and sliced tomatoes into a stewpan and cook as directed for stewed tomatoes. When they have been boiling twenty minutes take from the fire and rub through a strainer. Return to the fire.

While the sliced tomatoes are cooking, pare the whole tomatoes and put them in sterilized jars. Pour into the jars enough of the stewed and strained tomato to fill all the interstices. Put the uncovered jars in a moderate oven, placing them on a pad of asbestos or in shallow pans of hot water. Let the vegetable cook in the oven for half an hour. Take from the oven and fill to overflowing with boiling hot, strained tomato, then seal. If there is any of the strained tomato left, can it for sauces.

CANNED FRUIT COOKED IN THE OVEN.

This method of canning fruit, in the opinion of the writer, is the one to be preferred. The work is easily and quickly done, and the fruit retains its shape, color, and flavor better than when cooked in the preserving kettle.

Cover the bottom of the oven with a sheet of asbestos, the kind plumbers employ in covering pipes. It is very cheap and may usually be found at plumbers' shops. If the asbestos is not available, put into the oven shallow pans in which there are about two inches of boiling water.

Sterilize the jars and utensils. Make the sirup; prepare the fruit the same as for cooking in the preserving kettle. Fill the hot jars with it, and pour in enough sirup to fill the jar solidly. Run the blade of a silver-plated knife around the inside 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 ten minutes; remove from the oven and fill the jar with boiling sirup. Wipe and seal. Place the jars on a board and out of a draft of air. If the screw covers are used tighten them after the gla.s.s has cooled.

Large fruits, such as peaches, pears, quinces, crab apples, etc., will require about a pint of sirup to each quart jar of fruit. The 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. The data on page 14 will be a guide. The quant.i.ties given will not make the fruit very sweet. The quant.i.ty of sugar may be increased or diminished to suit the taste.

CANNED FRUIT COOKED IN A WATER BATH.

Prepare the fruit and sirup as for cooking in the oven.

Fill the sterilized jars and put the covers on loosely. Have a wooden rack in the bottom of a wash boiler (see p. 10). Put in enough warm water to come to about 4 inches above the rack. Place the filled jars in the boiler, but do not let them touch one another. Pack clean white cotton rags, or perhaps better, cotton rope, between and around the jars to prevent them from striking one another when the water begins to boil.

Cover the boiler and let the fruit cook ten minutes from the time the water surrounding it begins to boil.

Draw the boiler back and take off the cover. When the steam pa.s.ses off take out one jar at a time and place in a pan of boiling water beside the boiler, fill up with boiling sirup, and seal. Put the jars on a board and do not let cold air blow upon them. If screw covers are used tighten them when the gla.s.s has cooled and contracted.

PRESERVING FRUIT.

In the case of most fruits, canning with a little sugar is to be preferred to preserving with a large quant.i.ty of sugar. There are, however, some fruits that are only good when preserved with a good deal of sugar. Of course, such preparations of fruit are only desirable for occasional use. The fruits best adapted for preserving are strawberries, sour cherries, sour plums, and quinces. Such rich preparations should be put up in small jars or tumblers.

STRAWBERRIES.

Use equal weights of sugar and strawberries. Put the strawberries in the preserving kettle in layers, sprinkling sugar over each layer. The fruit and sugar should not be more than 4 inches deep. Place the kettle on the stove and heat the fruit and sugar slowly to the boiling point. When it begins to boil skim carefully. Boil ten minutes, counting from the time the fruit begins to bubble. Pour the cooked fruit into platters, having it about 2 or 3 inches deep. Place the platters in a sunny window, in an unused room, for three or four days. In that time the fruit will grow plump and firm, and the sirup will thicken almost to a jelly. Put this preserve, cold, into jars or tumblers.

WHITE CURRANTS.

Select large, firm fruit, remove the stems, and proceed as for strawberries.

CHERRIES.

The sour cherries, such as Early Richmond and Montmorency, are best for this preserve. Remove the stems and stones from the cherries and proceed as for strawberry preserve.

CHERRIES PRESERVED WITH CURRANT JUICE.

12 quarts of cherries.

3 quarts of currants.

2 quarts of sugar.

Put the currants in the preserving kettle and on the fire. When they boil up crush them and strain through cheese cloth, pressing out all the juice.

Stem and stone the cherries, being careful to save all the juice. Put the cherries, fruit juice, and sugar in the preserving kettle. Heat to the boiling point and skim carefully. Boil for twenty minutes. Put in sterilized jars or tumblers. This gives an acid preserve. The sugar may be doubled if richer preserves are desired.

PLUM PRESERVE.

4 quarts of green gages.

2 quarts of sugar.

1 pint of water.

p.r.i.c.k the fruit and put it in a preserving kettle. Cover generously with cold water. Heat to the boiling point and boil gently for five minutes.

Drain well.

Put the sugar and water in a preserving kettle and stir over the fire until the sugar is dissolved. Boil five minutes, skimming well. Put the drained green gages in this sirup and cook gently for twenty minutes.

Put in sterilized jars.

Other plums may be preserved in the same manner. The skins should be removed from white plums.

QUINCES.

4 quarts of pared, quartered, and cored quinces.

2 quarts of sugar.

1 quart of water.

Boil the fruit in clear water until it is tender, then skim out and drain.

Put the 2 quarts of sugar and 1 quart of water in the preserving kettle; stir until the sugar is dissolved. Let it heat slowly to the boiling point. Skim well and boil for twenty minutes. Pour one-half of the sirup into a second kettle. Put one-half of the cooked and drained fruit into each kettle. Simmer gently for half an hour, then put in sterilized jars. The water in which the fruit was boiled can be used with the parings, cores, and gnarly fruit to make jelly.