Wild Grapes, For Winter Use

Pick the grapes from the stem; fill into a jar and cover with New Orleans molasses. Nice for winter pies.

Strawberries (To Can)

All berries are canned after much the same fashion. Either use one or the other of the two rules given at the beginning or this division, or proceed as follows:

Put the berries in a porcelain kettle. Heat slowly; as they commence boiling add sugar according to the table given at beginning of this chapter. If strawberries', boil eight or ten minutes before putting in the sugar; dip out any extra juice. Can hot, and seal at once.

Tomatoes (To Can)

Pour boiling water over the tomatoes to loosen the skin. Peel, crush each tomato in the hand; this wrings out the juice in a way that cannot be, accomplished by slicing. When enough are prepared, let them stand awhile and pour off the accumulated juice; press a plate on them and pour off the remainder of the juice. Let them boil up several times in the preserving-kettle; skim and can. Stone jars, jugs and glass cans may be used. Some prefer to season them slightly with salt before canning.

To serve tomatoes prepared in this way, all that is necessary is to heat them sufficiently to melt the butter. Thicken slightly with broken crackers, toast or stale bread. Tighten the can-covers before putting away, and wrap glass cans in paper to prevent fading.

Pumpkin (To Can)

Steam the pumpkin, first slicing and removing seeds; leave in the shell. When done, scrape from the shell. Mash, fill into cans, hot, being careful that no air bubbles remain in filling the can. Seal up. It can be prepared for pies the same as fresh pumpkin, from which it cannot be told. Instead of steaming, it may be baked and scraped from the shell.

Canning Without Cooking

6 ounces of sugar.

36 grains salicylic acid (this can be bought at any drug store and is perfectly harmless).

Dissolve the acid in 1 cupful quite warm water. Pack 12 1/3 quarts of fruit tightly in a jar; pour the water and acid over; tie the cover down tightly. The fruit will be fresh as when first gathered. Sweeten to taste.

Canning Corn

Cut the corn from the cob; scrape the cob and can according to the first rule for condensed canning.

This will be found an extra way. The corn will be so solid in the can that it will have to be loosened with a spoon, and will only need cooking sufficiently to heat the butter and other seasoning.