CANNED RHUBARB READY TO USE
Strip the skins from the stalks, and cut into small pieces as you would for pies. Allow eight ounces of loaf sugar to every quart of rhubarb.
Set the sugar over the fire with as little water as possible, throw in the rhubarb and boil ten minutes. Put in jars and seal.
CANNED RHUBARB
Wash the rhubarb thoroughly in pure water; cut it into pieces and pack it in sterilized jars. Cover with cold water; let it stand ten minutes; pour off the water; fill again to overflowing with fresh cold water; seal with sterilized rubber rings and covers, and set away in a cool, dark place.
CANNED PLUMS
To four quarts of plums take one quart of sugar and one cup of water.
Wash, drain and p.r.i.c.k the plums. Make a syrup of the sugar and water; put part of the fruit in the boiling syrup; cook five minutes; fill and seal the jars. Put more fruit in the syrup; remove and continue the process until all the fruit has been cooked.
CANNING IN THE PRESERVING KETTLE
Canning in the preserving kettle is less satisfactory; but is sometimes considered easier, especially for small fruits. Cook the fruit according to the directions and see that all jars, covers and utensils are carefully sterilized. When ready to put the fruit in the jars, put a broad skimmer under one, lift it and drain off the water. Set it in a shallow pan of boiling water or wrap it well in a heavy towel wrung out of boiling water; fill to overflowing with the fruit and slip a silver-plated knife around the inside of the jar to make sure that fruit and juice are solidly packed. Wipe the rim of the jar; dip the rubber ring in boiling water, place it on the jar; cover and remove the jar, placing it upside down on a board, well out of drafts until cool. Then tighten the covers, if screw covers are used; wipe the jars with a wet cloth and stand on shelves in a cool, dark closet.
CANNED PEACHES
To eight quarts of peaches take one quart of sugar and three quarts of water. Make a syrup of the sugar and water; bring to a boil; skim it and draw the kettle aside where the syrup will keep hot but not boil. Pare the peaches, cutting them in halves or not as desired; if in half leave one or two whole peaches for every jar, as the kernel improves the flavor. Put a layer of fruit in the kettle; when it begins to boil skim carefully; boil gently, for ten minutes; put in jars and seal. Then cook more of the fruit in similar fashion. If the fruit is not ripe it will require a longer time to cook.
All fruit may be canned in this manner, if desired.
PINEAPPLE, No. 1
The large juicy pineapple is the best for this purpose. Have your scales at hand, also a sharp-pointed knife and an apple-corer, a slaw-cutter and a large, deep porcelain dish to receive the sliced pineapple. Pare, do this carefully, dig out all the eyes as you go along. Lay the pared pineapple on a porcelain platter and stick your apple-corer right through the centre of the apple, first at one end and then at the other; if it acts stubbornly put a towel around the handle of the corer and twist it, the whole core will come out at once. Now screw the slaw-cutter to the desired thickness you wish to have your pineapple sliced. Slice into receiving dish, weigh one pound of fine granulated sugar and sprinkle it all over the apple, and so on until all are pared and sliced, allowing one pound of sugar to each very large pineapple.
Cover the dish until next day and then strain all the juice off the apples and boil in a porcelain or bell metal kettle, skimming it well; throw in the sliced pineapples, boil about five minutes and can. Fill the cans to overflowing and seal immediately, not losing a moment"s time. As the cans grow cold screw tighter and examine daily, for three or four days, and screw tighter if possible.
PINEAPPLE, No. 2
Prepare the pineapples as above, allowing half a pound of sugar to two pounds of fruit. Steam the sliced pines in a porcelain steamer until tender. In the meantime make a syrup of the sugar, allowing a tumblerful of water to a pound of sugar. Skim the syrup carefully, put in your steamed pineapples and can as above.
*JELLIES AND PRESERVES*
In making preserves or jellies use none but porcelain-lined or bell-metal kettles, being very careful to have them perfectly clean.
Scour with sapolio or sand before using. Take plenty of time to do your work, as you will find that too great hurry is unprofitable. Use gla.s.s jars and the best white sugar, and do not have any other cooking going on while preserving, as the steam or grease will be apt to injure your preserves.
When fruit is preserved with a large amount of sugar (a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit) it does not need to be sealed in airtight jars; because bacteria do not readily form in the thick, sugary syrup. It is, however, best kept in small sealed jars.
In damp weather jelly takes longer to form. Try to select a sunny, dry day for jelly making. You can prepare your juice even if it is cloudy, but wait for sunshine before adding the sugar and final boiling.
UTENSILS FOR JELLY MAKING
Large enamelled kettle, syrup gauge, two colanders, wooden masher, wooden spoon, jelly gla.s.ses, one-quart measure, two enamelled cups, one baking-pan, two earthen bowls, paraffin wax, enamelled dishpan for sterilizing gla.s.ses and two iron jelly stands with cheese-cloth bags.
HOW TO TEST JELLY MADE AT HOME
Much waste of sugar and spoilage of jellies can be avoided by using a simple alcohol test recommended by the Bureau of Chemistry, United States Department of Agriculture. To determine how much sugar should be used with each kind of juice put a spoon of juice in a gla.s.s and add to it one spoon of ninety-five per cent grain alcohol, mixed by shaking the gla.s.s gently.
Pour slowly from the gla.s.s, noting how the pectin--the substance in fruits which makes them jell--is precipitated. If the pectin is precipitated as one lump, a cup of sugar may be used for each cup of juice; if in several lumps the proportion of sugar must be reduced to approximately 3/4 the amount of the juice. If the pectin is not in lumps, the sugar should be one-half or less of the amount of juice.
The housewife will do well before making the test to taste the juice, as fruits having less acid than good tart apples probably will not make good jelly, unless mixed with other fruits which are acid.
TO COVER JELLY GLa.s.sES
There are three common methods of covering jelly tumblers: (1) Dip a piece of paper in alcohol; place it on top of the tumbler as soon as the jelly is cold; put on the tin cover and force it down firmly. (2) Cut a piece of paper large enough to allow it to overlap the top of the tumbler at least one-half inch on all sides; dip the paper in slightly-beaten white of egg; cover the gla.s.s as soon as the jelly cools and press down the paper until it adheres firmly. (3) When the jelly has become cold, cover the top with melted paraffin to a thickness of one-third of an inch.
To mark jelly gla.s.ses sealed with paraffin, have the labels ready on narrow slips of paper not quite as long as the diameter of the top of a gla.s.s, and when the paraffin is partially set, but still soft, lay each label on and press gently.
*JELLIES*
CURRANT JELLY
Pick over half ripe currants, leaving stems on. Wash and place in preserving kettle. Pound vigorously with wooden masher until there is juice enough to boil. Boil slowly until fruit turns white and liquid drops slowly from the spoon. Stir to prevent scorching.
Remove from fire. Take an enamelled cup and dip this mixture into the jelly bags, under which large bowls have been placed to catch the drip.
Drip overnight.
Next morning measure the juice. For every pint allow a pint of granulated sugar, which is put in a flat pan. Juice is put in kettle and allowed to come to boiling point. Sugar is placed in oven and heated.
When juice boils add sugar and stir until dissolved.
When this boils remove from fire and skim. Do this three times. Now test liquid with syrup gauge to see if it registers twenty-five degrees.
Without gauge let it drip from spoon, half cooled, to see if it jells.
Strain into sterilized jelly gla.s.ses. Place gla.s.ses on a board in a sunny exposure until it hardens Cover with melted paraffin one-fourth inch thick.
RASPBERRY AND CURRANT JELLY
Follow the recipe for Currant Jelly, using half raspberries and half currants.