CANNING FRUITS

The line display of canned fruits at the Centennial Exhi- bition was prepared as follows : The fruits were selected with great care, of uniform size and shape, and all perfect. They were carefully peeled with a thin, sharp, silver fruit-knife, which did not discolor them, and immediately plunged into cold water in an earthen or wooden vessel to prevent the air from darkening them. As soon as enough for one can was prepared, it was put up by laying the fruit piece by piece in the can, and pouring syrup, clear as crystal, over it, and then, after subjecting the whole to the usual heat, sealing up.

All kinds of fruit can be canned by using one-fourth pound of sugar to the pound of fruit. For preserves we take one pound of sugar to one pound of fruit. Seal all kinds of pre- serves, and you will have no trouble with them in hot weather.

BERRIES — PLAIN.

Pick out stems or hulls, if any — if gathered carefully the berries will not need washing — put in porcelain kettle on the stove, adding a small tea-cup water to prevent burning at first. When they come to a boil, skim well, add sugar to taste (for pies it maybe omitted), let boil five minutes, fill in glass, stone, or tin cans, and seal with putty, unless self-sealers are used. This rule applies to raspberries, blackberries, currants, gooseberries, or any of the small berries.

Have one porcelain kettle with boiling water, and another with a syrup made sweet enough with white sugar for the peaches; pare, halve and drop them into the boiling water, let

Canning Fruits.

them remain until a silver fork will pierce them, lift them out with a wire spoon, fill can, pour in all the boiling syrup the can will hold, and seal immediately. Continue in this way, preparing and sealing only one can at a time, until done; boil down the water in first kettle with the syrup, if any is left; if not add more sugar, and quite a nice marmalade will result. This manner of canning peaches has been thoroughly tested, and is pronounced by the experienced the best of all methods.

Pare, cut in two and core Bartlett pears; take half pound granulated sugar for each pound of fruit; set sugar on the fire with a little water; when boiling drop pears in and let cook about half an hour, put into jars, let syrup boil down thick as drips, pour over fruit, and seal. They will keep for years.

Peaches are done in the same way. Pare all fruit with a silver knife.

Quinces have to be boiled in a little clear water before being put into boiling syrup, which would otherwise toughen them.

Preserved plums are done in the same manner, only take one pound of sugar to one pound of fruit.

STRAWBERRIES.

Fill glass jars with fresh, whole strawberries, sprinkled with sugar in the proportion of half pound of sugar to a pound of berries, lay covers on lightly, stand them in a wash-boiler filled with water to within an inch of tops of cans (the water must not be more than milk-warm when the cans are placed in it). When it has boiled for fifteen minutes, draw to back of stove, let steam pass off, roll the hand in a towel, lift out cans and place on a table. If the berries are well covered with their own juice, take a table-spoon and fill up the first jar to the very top of the rim from the second, wipe the neck, rub dry, and screw the top down firmly, observing carefully the general directions for canning berries. Fill another from the second, can, and^so on until all are finished.

Canning Fruits.

The tomatoes must be entirely fresh and not over-ripe; pour over them boiling water, let stand a few minutes, drain off, remove the skins and slice crosswise into a stone jar, cutting- out all the hard or defective portions ; cook for a few minutes in their own juice, skimming off the scum which rises, and stirring with a wooden spoon or paddle; have the cans on the hearth filled with hot water; empty, and fill with the hot tomatoes ; wipe the moisture from the tops with a soft cloth, and put on and secure the covers. If tin cans are used, press down the covers and pour hot sealing wax into the grooves. If put up in glass jars, set away in a dark place. Either tin, glass or stone cans may be used, and all may be sealed with putty instead of wax, it being much neater and more conve- nient. See general instructions for canning fruit.

The following additional directions will be found convenient for reference, and reliable:

Cherries, boil 5 minutes ; 6 ounces sugar to pound of fruit. Raspberries, boil 6 minutes; 4 ounces sugar to pound of fruit. Blackberries, boil 10 minutes ; 4 ounces sugar to pound of fruit. Peaches, boil 8 minutes; 4 ounces sugar to pound of fruit. Plums, boil 10 minutes ; 8 ounces sugar to pound of fruit. Pears, boil 20 minutes; 6 ounces sugar to pound of fruit. Currants, boil 6 minutes; 8 ounces sugar to pound of fruit. Grapes, boil 10 minutes; 8 ounces sugar to pound of fruit. Gooseberries, boil 8 minutes ; 8 ounces sugar to pound of fruit.

The arrangement of fresh fruits for the table affords play for the most cultivated taste and not a little inventive genius. Melons, oranges, and indeed all kinds of fruits, are appro- priate breakfast dishes; and a raised centre-piece of mixed fruits furnishes a delicious dessert, and is an indispensable ornament to an elegant dinner table. Melons should be kept on ice, so as to be thoroughly chilled when served. Clip the ends of water melons, cut them across in halves, set up on the clipped ends on a platter, and serve the pulp only, removing it with a spoon ; or, cut across in slices, and serve with rind. Nutmeg melons should be set on the blossom end, and cut in several equal pieces from the stem downward, leaving each alternate piece still attached; the others may then be loosened and the seeds removed, when the melon is ready to serve. Fruit should be carefully selected. Havana and Florida oranges are the best, but do not keep well, and, on the whole, the Messina are preferable. A rough yellow skin covers the sweetest oranges, the smooth being more juicy and acid; a greenish tinge indicates that they were picked unripe. The Messina lemons, " November cut," are the best, and come into market in the spring.

APPLE SAUCE,

Pare, core, and cut in quarters apples that do not cook to pieces easily, and put on to stew in cold water with plenty of sugar. Cover close and stew an hour or more. The addition of the sugar at first preserves the pieces whole. If they are preferred finely mashed, add sugar after they are done.