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

<h2>PRESERVING FRUIT.</h2> <p>In the case of most fruits, canning with a little sugar is to be preferred to preserving with a large quantity 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.</p> <h3>STRAWBERRIES.</h3> <p>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.</p> <h3>WHITE CURRANTS.</h3> <p>Select large, firm fruit, remove the stems, and proceed as for strawberries.</p> <h3>CHERRIES.</h3> <p>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.</p> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</SPAN></span></p> <h3>CHERRIES PRESERVED WITH CURRANT JUICE.</h3> <ul> <li>12 quarts of cherries.</li> <li>3 quarts of currants.</li> <li>2 quarts of sugar.</li> </ul> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <h3>PLUM PRESERVE.</h3> <ul> <li>4 quarts of green gages.</li> <li>2 quarts of sugar.</li> <li>1 pint of water.</li> </ul> <p>Prick 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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>Other plums may be preserved in the same manner. The skins should be removed from white plums.</p> <h3>QUINCES.</h3> <ul> <li>4 quarts of pared, quartered, and cored quinces.</li> <li>2 quarts of sugar.</li> <li>1 quart of water.</li> </ul> <p>Boil the fruit in clear water until it is tender, then skim out and drain.</p> <p>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.</p> <h3>FRUIT PURÉES.</h3> <p>Purées of fruit are in the nature of marmalades, but they are not cooked so long, and so retain more of the natural flavor of the fruit.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</SPAN></span> This is a particularly nice way to preserve the small, seedy fruits, which are to be used in puddings, cake, and frozen desserts.</p> <p>Free the fruit from leaves, stems, and decayed portions. Peaches and plums should have the skins and stones removed. Rub the fruit through a purée sieve. To each quart of the strained fruit add a pint of sugar. Pack in sterilized jars. Put the covers loosely on the jars. Place the jars on the rack in the boiler. Pour in enough cold water to come half way up the sides of the jars. Heat gradually to the boiling point and boil thirty minutes, counting from the time when the water begins to bubble.</p> <p>Have some boiling sirup ready. As each jar is taken from the boiler put it in a pan of hot water and fill up with the hot sirup. Seal at once.</p> <h3>MARMALADES.</h3> <p>Marmalades require great care while cooking because no moisture is added to the fruit and sugar. If the marmalade is made from berries the fruit should be rubbed through a sieve to remove the seeds. If large fruit is used have it washed, pared, cored, and quartered.</p> <p>Measure the fruit and sugar, allowing one pint of sugar to each quart of fruit.</p> <p>Rinse the preserving kettle with cold water that there may be a slight coat of moisture on the sides and bottom. Put alternate layers of fruit and sugar in the kettle, having the first layer fruit. Heat slowly, stirring frequently. While stirring, break up the fruit as much as possible. Cook about two hours, then put in small sterilized jars.</p> <h3>FRUIT PRESERVED IN GRAPE JUICE.</h3> <p>Any kind of fruit can be preserved by this method, but it is particularly good for apples, pears, and sweet plums. No sugar need be used in this process.</p> <p>Boil 6 quarts of grape juice in an open preserving kettle, until it is reduced to 4 quarts. Have the fruit washed and pared, and, if apples or pears, quartered and cored. Put the prepared fruit in a preserving kettle and cover generously with the boiled grape juice. Boil gently until the fruit is clear and tender, then put in sterilized jars.</p> <h3>BOILED CIDER.</h3> <p>When the apple crop is abundant and a large quantity of cider is made, the housekeeper will find it to her advantage to put up a generous supply of boiled cider. Such cider greatly improves mince-meat, and can be used at any time of the year to make cider apple sauce. It is also a good selling article.</p> <p>The cider for boiling must be perfectly fresh and sweet. Put it in a large, open preserving kettle and boil until it is reduced one-half.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</SPAN></span> Skim frequently while boiling. Do not have the kettle more than two-thirds full.</p> <p>Put in bottles or stone jugs.</p> <h3>CIDER APPLE SAUCE.</h3> <ul> <li>5 quarts of boiled cider.</li> <li>8 quarts of pared, quartered, and cored sweet apples.</li> </ul> <p>Put the fruit in a large preserving kettle and cover with the boiled cider. Cook slowly until the apples are clear and tender. To prevent burning, place the kettle on an iron tripod or ring. It will require from two to three hours to cook the apples. If you find it necessary to stir the sauce be careful to break the apples as little as possible. When the sauce is cooked, put in sterilized jars.</p> <p>In the late spring, when cooking apples have lost much of their flavor and acidity, an appetizing sauce may be made by stewing them with diluted boiled cider, using 1 cupful of cider to 3 of water.</p> <h3>CIDER PEAR SAUCE.</h3> <p>Cooking pears may be preserved in boiled cider the same as sweet apples. If one prefers the sauce less sour, 1 pint of sugar may be added to each quart of boiled cider.</p> <div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />