Strawberries

The first thing of importance in canning strawberries is to select good, sound fruit. Those that have been water-soaked by a heavy rain are not good for canning, as they will almost always spoil. The dark red strawberry holds its color better than the light red one, and is therefore preferable for canning.

Wash the berries by putting them in a wire basket, and dipping them into a large pail partly filled with water, lifting up and down to rinse off all the sand and dust; then remove the hulls, being very careful not to mash the berries. If they are still sandy or dirty, they can be rinsed again; but the less, the better, after the hulls are removed.

Fill the cans, and with one hand over the mouth of the jar, shake down as much as possible without jamming the fruit; then fill the cans with a syrup which is made by boiling 1 cup of sugar in 6 cups of water. Screw on the covers, leaving the rubbers off. Cook in a steam-cooker; or boil in a wash-boiler, by putting a rack made of lath in the bottom of the boiler so the cans will not come too close to the fire. Three or four thicknesses of cloth will also prevent the cans from breaking. Fill the boiler with cold water until the cans are about two thirds covered with it, cover tightly, and after the water comes to a boiling-point, let the berries boil twenty minutes. Then remove the boiler from the stove, and let cool for twenty or thirty minutes. Remove from the cooker or boiler, one can at a time. As soon as one is taken out, remove cover, fill can with boiling-hot syrup, put on the rubber, screw the cover down as tightly as possible, and invert the can. If the can is not air-tight, the juice will ooze out, or there will be a sizzling sound. When this occurs, try again, endeavoring to screw down the cover more tightly. If this does not help it, the probable cause is in the cover. Very often the edges are turned up and made uneven; for the usual way of opening fruit cans is by running a thin-bladed knife around the can, between the rubber and the glass. This often results in the edge of the cover being bent upward; and when the cover is used the next fruit season, it should be hammered down. This may be done on the can, hitting the edge of the cover with a hammer. There is not much danger of breaking the cans, as when filled with fruit, they do not easily break.

When all are filled and tightened, set the cans on their covers until cold; then turn over, wrap in brown paper, and set away in a cool, dark place. The brown paper helps to keep them dark. Light fades all fruit to some extent, and strawberries especially are made lighter in color by the light.

If these directions are strictly followed, the fruit will not only keep well, but will be of a natural color and perfectly whole, making an attractive and inviting dish for the table.

Raspberries

The raspberry is a seedy fruit, and it is therefore necessary to select as large, pulpy ones as possible. Look over carefully. Wash by putting in a wire basket, and dipping in a pail of water. Then put into the cans, shaking down some, but being careful not to bruise the berries. Fill with a syrup made by boiling 1 cup of sugar in 7 cups of water. Screw on the cover tightly, leaving off the rubber. Cook in a steam-cooker, or common boiler, arranging the same as for canning strawberries, and cooking about the same length of time. Finish the same as strawberries, excepting the wrapping with brown paper, which may be left off if desired, as raspberries will not fade very much, if kept in a dark place.