CANNING.

GENERAL RULES.

USE none but glass cans for canning fruits and vegetables. You will find them the cheapest in the end, for you can use them year after year by replacing new elastics for the old ones, which must be done yearly. Keep your canned fruit and vegetables in a cool, dark place, and be sure the place is dry as well. Strawberries and red raspberries lose their color very quickly if exposed to the light. I knew a lady that packed her canned strawberries away in a box for fear of their discoloring. A good plan is to wrap each can in paper. You must pay strict attention to the following rules in canning: Remember it is worth while to put up your own fruit, for it is cheaper and better than the fruit you buy; and then a good housekeeper is proud of her own work, especially in this line:

First. Clean your cans thoroughly and roll them in boiling water; be sure that they are not cracked; fit the elastic firmly around the neck of the can, so when you are ready to screw on the top there will be no time lost, as this has to be done quickly, and there will be no room for the air to get in. Screw tight, this is important.

Have the tops lying in hot water, so that no time may be lost in screwing them on. You must always fill the cans to overflowing, for the fruit will shrink some as it cools, and that, you know, is dangerous, for it invites the air to enter. Screw the top on immediately. Fill one can at a time, and tighten this one before you go to the next. Be sure to examine each can as it cools, then screw tighter. Never put them away until the following day, and then examine narrowly again, screwing tighter if needed.

To each pound of fruit use three-fourths of a pound of sugar. After the berries are picked and washed, measure or rather weigh the fruit, and strew the sugar over the fruit. Let them stand at least three hours, then pour off the juice into your preserving kettle, and let it boil. Remove all the scum that rises, and when perfectly clear put in the berries carefully. Just let them come to a boil. Put your cans on an old try right near the boiling berries. Can immediately and observe the above rules. To make perfectly sure of their keeping (for strawberries ferment very easily), place them in a wash boiler with hay, and let them come to a boil. Do this after a few days. I have described how to do this in some previous receipt. In case one of the cans in not quite full, and you have more berries to can, just set the can in hot water until the fruit is ready. If you have none, why, the best plan is to use it as soon as possible, for it will not keep. Follow rules for canning carefully.

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. Have the cans ready, and roll each one in hot water. Have the rubbers at hand, and the covers also rolled in hot water. Fill each can to overflowing, clap the covers on immediately, screw tight, see that the rubbers are on as they should be and screw tighter as they grow colder. Examine each can the next day and screw tighter if possible. Set away in a dark, dry closet.

Prepare in the same manner as you would for preserving (see Preserved Cherries), allowing half a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit. After putting the cherries into the syrup do not let them boil more than five minutes; then fill your cans to overflowing, seal immediately and then screw tighter as they grow cold. Remove the little bag of stones which you have boiled with the syrup. The object in boiling the stones with the syrup is to impart the fine flavor to the fruit, which cherries are robbed of in pitting.


Cherries canned expressly for pies, which are scarcely inferior to those filled with fresh fruit, are put up in the following manner: Stem the cherries--do not pit them--pack tight in glass fruit jars, cover with sweetened water, say about two tablespoonfuls of sugar to a quart of fruit; put on the rubbers evenly, clap on the covers and screw tight. Line your wash-boiler with hay, put in the cans, fill in hay between them, so that they will not knock against each other in boiling. Fill the boiler up to the neck of the cans with cold water, then set on to boil. Let them boil fifteen minutes from the time they begin to boil. Lift the boiler off the stove and do not take out the cans until perfectly cold. Wipe each can and screw the tops as tightly as possible. Next day screw tighter if possible. You may stone the cherries just before using for pies. They have a much nicer flavor put up in this way. I have never had a single can of fruit spoil put up in just this simple way.

Select the finest yellow quinces in the market; pare and core, and throw into cold water. Put the parings and cores on to boil just as you would for preserves, and then strain. Allow a quarter of a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit. If you like them very sweet take half a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit. Add sugar to the strained juice, boil, throw in the quinces and boil until tender, so they may be easily pierced with a fork. Have your cans ready, previously rinsed in hot water. Now pack fruit in jars and fill to overflowing with the boiling syrup, which must be kept boiling until all the cans are filled and sealed. Seal each can as soon as filled and do not forget to fill to overflowing, and as the cans cool they must be screwed tighter. Look after them in a day or two and try to screw them tighter if possible.

Select the large "cherry currants," pick from the stem; sugar, about half a pound to a pound of fruit, weighing after being stemmed. Boil ten minutes and seal hot, as you do other fruit.

(No. 1.) The worst part of the work is the picking over, which requires a great deal of patience. After picking wash well and fill in glass jars. I do not mean to just fill, you must jam them in as tight as possible, using a potato beetle or some other wooden tool to squeeze in the berries, no matter if they are bruised. Fill to the brim, clap on the rubbers, then screw on the lid. When you have all the jars filled, set in a wash boiler, which has been lined with hay and pack between the jars also. Fill jars almost to the neck with cold water, then set on to boil, and boil about fifteen minutes from the time it begins to boil. Lift the boiler from the fire and let the jars remain in the boiler until cold. Now examine each jar closely, screw tighter and examine every other day for a week, always screwing tighter. Add sugar when you intend to use them. They are equal to fresh berries, especially for compote.

(No. 2.) Following is another way of canning blueberries or huckleberries: Heat slowly to a boil in a large porcelain kettle. When they begin to boil add sugar in the proportion of two tablespoonfuls to each quart of fruit. Before doing this, if there is too much juice in the kettle, dip out the surplus with a cup. Leave the berries almost dry before putting in the sugar. Boil together fifteen minutes and can. Have the rubbers at hand to clap on immediately, and have the tops rolled in hot water. Fill each can to overflowing, seal and look after them as they grow cold.

Heat slowly, and when they begin to boil add about three tablespoonfuls of sugar to each quart of berries. Boil about ten minutes. Have the cans ready, rolled in hot water. Fill the cans to overflowing. If you have a surplus of juice add more sugar and boil down to a syrup, which is very nice for pudding sauces, or to drink in ice water.

Make a syrup of three-quarters of a pound of sugar to every pound of fruit and allow about a pint of water to every three pounds of fruit. Prick the damsons with a needle to prevent bursting. When the syrup is clear, put in your damsons, a quart at a time. Boil each quart five minutes, not fast, or they will burst badly. Fill up the jars with the fruit, pour in the syrup until it is overflowing and seal immediately as you do other fruit.

(No. 1.) In selecting peaches for canning, see that the fruit is ripe and firm of texture, but not too soft. The yellow "Crawford" peaches are nicest for this purpose. Pare the fruit, cut in halves and stone, taking care not to break the fruit, and drop each piece in cold water as soon as it is pared, and leave them in the water until all are pared, halved and stoned. Now prepare enough sugar water to cover your peaches after you have packed them in glass jars. Pack them in tight, and put two blanched peach kernels on top of each can and fill to overflowing with very sweet sugar water. To do this, take about three pounds of granulated sugar, put it in a bowl and fill it with cold water and stir the sugar and water until dissolved. Now place your cans of peaches in a row, and pour a cupful of this sugar water over each can, and repeat it until all are overflowing: now seal tight. Set them in a washboiler, filled with cold water, up to the neck. Put sticks of wood and straw or hay, if you have it, between and around the jars and boil steadily for fifteen minutes or more. Lift from the fire carefully and let them grow cold in the boiler. Lift out carefully and screw each one as tightly as possible. Try to screw tighter the next day again. Keep in a dry, cool place.

(No. 2.) Prepare same as No. 1. Allow two heaping tablespoonfuls of sugar to each quart of fruit, and scatter between the layers also a few peach kernels, and put a pint of water at the bottom of the kettle before packing in the fruit. After the kettle is filled heat slowly to a boil. Boil five minutes, just long enough to heat every piece through thoroughly. Fill the cans to overflowing, one at a time, and seal each one as soon as filled. When cold, screw tight as possible. You may can peaches whole in this way, using a little more sugar. They are much finer in flavor when whole.

Prick with a needle to prevent bursting and prepare a syrup, allowing a pint of water and two pounds of sugar to every three quarts of plums. When the sugar is dissolved put in the plums. Heat slowly to a boil. Let them boil slowly for five minutes, not fast, but they must boil. Lift them out with a perforated skimmer upon platters. When all the plums have boiled, pack in jars three-fourths full, clap on the rubbers evenly around the rim, fill with the scalding syrup until it runs down the sides, and seal without a moment's loss. You may can red plums and greengages in the same way. Boil down the surplus juice for jelly, only adding a little more sugar, say half as much sugar as you have juice.

Scald, remove all the skin, cut out any places that are green or imperfect. Then cut them up and put on to boil, adding a little salt. Boil until perfectly soft, then strain through a collander; return them to the kettle and boil again. Now can them quickly, sealing air-tight. You may leave them whole if you so prefer.

Boil on the cob all the corn you can pack into a large wash-boiler, and boil about half an hour in salted water. Cut all the corn from the cobs, and pack in Mason jars; fill, and pour slightly salted water over all to overflowing. Seal and arrange in a wash-boiler, fill the bottom with hay, and fill the boiler with cold water up to the necks of the cans. Boil about fifteen minutes. Allow the cans to cool in the boiler. Examine narrowly, and screw each lid tighter if possible.

Keep in a dry, cool, dark place. To make doubly sure of its keeping, you may add to the salted water three drams of salicylic acid, and four ounces of salt to one gallon of water.

Choose "Bartletts" or "Sickles"; pare, and if "Bartletts," cut in halves, leaving the stems on. Throw into cold water as soon as pared, to prevent them from turning dark. Put on sweetened water to boil, and throw in the fruit, not too many at a time. When so tender that you can pierce with a straw, can as you would other fruit. Fill the cans to overflowing. Lose no time in sealing, and so on until all are boiled and canned. It is the easiest fruit to can, and if sealed properly, not a single can will spoil. You may put up the common variety of pears in this way, for puddings, compotes, etc.

Boil in salt water; drain off all the water, by throwing the peas on a large, clean board and allowing them to get perfectly cold. Then pack in glass jars, air-tight, allowing the salt water to overflow before clapping on the lids. Boil cans and all, like in foregoing receipt.

Asparagus and cauliflower are canned in the same way.