Select self-sealing glass cans of some good variety. Those with glass or porcelain-lined covers are best. Test the cans to see if they are perfect, with good rubbers and covers that fit closely, by partly filling them with hot water, screwing on the tops, and placing bottom upward upon the table for some time before using. If none of the water leaks out, they may be considered in good condition. If the cans have been previously used, examine them with special care to see that both cans and covers have been carefully cleaned; then thoroughly sterilize them, and fit with new rubbers when necessary.

Cans and covers should be sterilized by boiling in water for half an hour, or by baking in an oven, at a temperature sufficient to scorch paper, for two hours. The cans should be placed in the water or oven when cold, and the temperature allowed to rise gradually, to avoid breaking. They should be allowed to cool gradually, for the same reason.

Select only the best of fruit, such as is perfect in flavor and neither green nor overripe. Fruit which has been shipped from a distance, and which is consequently not perfectly fresh, contains germs in active growth, and if it is the least bit musty, it will be almost sure to spoil, even though the greatest care be taken in canning.

Poor fruit will not be improved by canning; overripe fruit will be insipid and mushy; and though cooking will soften hard fruit, it cannot impart to it the delicate flavors which belong to that which is in its prime. The larger varieties of fruit should not, for canning, be quite soft enough for eating.

Cook the fruit slowly in a porcelain-lined or granite-ware kettle, using as little water as possible. It is better to cook only small quantities at a time in one kettle. Steaming in the cans is preferable to stewing, where the fruit is at all soft. To do this, carefully fill the cans with fresh fruit, packing it quite closely, if the fruit is large, and set the cans in a boiler partly filled with cold water, with something underneath them to prevent breaking, - muffin-rings, straw, thick cloth, or anything to keep them from resting on the bottom of the boiler; screw the covers on the cans so the water cannot boil into them, but not so tightly as to prevent the escape of steam; let the water boil until the fruit is steamed tender.

Fruit for canning should be so thoroughly cooked that every portion of it will have been subjected to a sufficient degree of heat to destroy all germs within the fruit, but overcooking should be avoided. The length of time required for cooking fruits for canning varies with the kind and quality of fruit and the manner of cooking.

Fifteen minutes may be considered as the shortest time for which even the most delicate fruits should be subjected to the temperature of boiling water, and at least thirty minutes will be required by most fruits. Fruits which are not perfectly fresh, or which have been shipped some distance, should be cooked not less than thirty minutes. The boiling should be very slow, however, as hard, rapid boiling will break up the fruit, and much of its fine flavor will be lost in the steam.

Use the best sugar, if any, two tablespoonfuls to a quart of fruit is sufficient for most subacid fruits, as berries and peaches; plums, cherries, strawberries, and currants require from five to eight tablespoonfuls of sugar to a quart.

Perfect fruit, properly canned, will keep without sugar, and will thus retain its natural flavor more perfectly than when cooked with sugar. The necessary amount of sweetening may be added when it is opened for use.

If the fruit is to be cooked previously to being put into the cans, the cans should be heated before the introduction of the fruit, Which should be put in at a boiling temperature. Fill a large dish-pan nearly full of scalding (not boiling) water, gradually introduce each can, previously baked, into the water, dip it full of water, and set it right side up in the pan. Repeat the process with other cans until four or five are ready. Put the covers likewise into boiling water. Have in readiness for use a granite ware funnel and dipper, also in boiling water; a cloth for wiping the outside of the cans; a silver fork or spoon; a dish for emptyings; and a broad shallow pan on one side of the range, half filled with boiling water, in which to set the cans while being filled. When everything is in readiness, the fruit properly cooked, and at a boiling temperature, turn one of the cans down in the water, roll it over once or twice, empty it, and set in the shallow pan of hot water; adjust the funnel, and then place first in the can a quantity of juice, so that when the fruit is put in, no vacant places will be left for air, which is sometimes quite troublesome if this precaution is not taken; then add the fruit. If any bubbles of air chance to be left, work them out with a fork or spoon handle, dipped first in boiling water, and then quickly introduced down the sides of the jar and through the fruit in such a way that not a bubble will remain. Fill the can to overflowing, remembering that any vacuum invites the air to enter; use boiling water or sirup when there is not enough juice. Skim all froth from the fruit, adding more juice if necessary; wipe the juice from the top of the can, adjust the rubber, put on the top, and screw it down as quickly as possible. If the fruit is cooked in the cans, as soon as it is sufficiently heated, fill the can completely full with boiling juice, sirup, or water; run the handle of a silver spoon around the inside of the can, to make sure the juice entirely surrounds every portion of fruit, and that no spaces for air remain, put on the rubbers, wipe off all juice, and seal quickly. When the cans are filled, set them away from currents of air and not on a very cold surface, to avoid danger of their cracking.

As the fruit cools, the covers should be tightened, this being done several times in the first twenty-four hours after the fruit is sealed. When the tops have finally been screwed down tightly, place them in a cool place, bottom upward, and watch closely for a few days. If the juice begins to leak out, or any appearance of fermentation is seen, it is a sign that there has been some failure, and the only thing to do is to open the can immediately, boil the fruit, and use as quickly as possible; recanning will not save it unless boiled a long time. If no signs of spoiling are observed within two or three weeks, the fruit may be safely stored away in a dark, cool place. If one has no dark storeroom, it is an advantage to wrap each can in brown paper, to keep out the light.