Canned Fruit (II)

Fill the jars with the raw fruits and put them in a boiler as above. Let cook until half done, and then open the cans and fill up with a nice syrup made of sugar and water. Have this boiling hot when poured over the fruit. Screw up the cans and set away. By having the syrup very rich a delicious preserve may be had, and the fruit has the added advantage of looking fresh and nice instead of becoming a pulpy mass. Always try the cans after setting away. New cans sometimes need to be tried more than once. Other methods of canning fruits are also given.

Grapes, (To Can)

Press the pulp from the skin. Save the skins. Put the pulps in a porcelain kettle with a very little water. Boil until the seeds begin to separate. Then rub through a coarse sieve held over a large pan, using the back of a wooden spoon. Put the pulp and skins back in the kettle; sweeten to taste and can, sealing up hot.

Pears, (To Can)

Peel the pears, cut in halves or leave whole as preferred. Throw into cold water as they are pared, to keep them from blackening. Put a steamer with a plate inside over boiling water. Pile the plate with pears and steam until a straw can be run through them easily. While they are steaming, make a syrup in the proportions of 1 large cupful of sugar, to 1 pint of water. When done fill the cans with fruit. Pour in syrup until the cans are full and seal.

Peaches, (To Can)

Peel, halve, remove pits and steam as directed for pears. Prepare the syrup the same, cover the fruit with it and seal up as above. Peaches may be pared more easily by pouring boiling water over them, turning it off instantly and covering them with cold water. This will simplify the matter, but can only be used where the fruit is firm. A few peach kernels in each can improves the flavor.

Elderberries, (To Can)

To 7 pounds of the berries, add 3 pounds of sugar and 1 pint of good vinegar. Stew and can. Keep in a cool place. Nice for pies or sauce. The juice of wild grapes can be thoroughly scalded and used instead of vinegar. Nice for pies or sauce.

Apples And Raisins, (To Can)

Make a nice sauce from tart-apples, cook quite smooth. Bell Flowers are the best. This is a nice way to keep them when they begin to spoil. To each can of this sauce add 1 or 1½ cupfuls nice raisins. Put in when the fruit first begins to cook. This adds both to flavor and appear-ance. Or make a nice sauce and can without raisins.

Pie Plant (To Can)

Cut in small pieces, sweeten well and stew until tender, as for sauce. Fill the cans. Seal.

Plums (To Can)

Pack quart cans compactly with fruit, fill up with cold water and put on the covers lightly. Set the cans in cold water. Let this boil ten minutes. Screw on the covers while the jars are hot, and set away in a cool, dark place. Add sugar when used. If for sauce stew until done.

Cherries For Winter Use

Take fresh ripe cherries, remove the stems and put them into wide-mouthed bottles, filling nearly full. Then pour in New Orleans molasses to cover completely; fasten up the bottles with two or three thicknesses of egg-paper, driving in first a closely-fitting cork, as it will be necessary to shake them occasionally in order to mix the contents well. Some of the molasses will be absorbed by the cherries which will render them sufficiently agreeable to be made into puddings or pies without the addition of further sweetening. Any of the molasses remaining in the jar will be found pleasantly flavored, so that the addition of some of it to a glass of water forms a refreshing drink.