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Grape Juice (Wash the grapes pick them)

Wash the grapes, pick them from the stems, and dispose in a "waterless cooker" or in a very large double boiler; as the grapes heat, crush them with a pestle; let drain in a jelly bag, then reheat in a saucepan to the boiling point, turn into the sterilized jars, and finish as all canned food. Or turn into the cans, set in a cooker or boiler, adjust rubber rings and covers, and tighten the covers when the water boils.

Remove the last of the juice by pressure, or add water to the pulp; let boil about fifteen minutes, then drain again; can this to use in jelly, but do not forget to either "boil down" or add less sugar.

Pasteurized Grape Juice (U. S. Department of Agriculture) Grape juice is satisfactorily pasteurized without appreciable change of flavor when it is heated to a temperature varying from 165° to 176° F. If the temperature is allowed to reach 200° F., the flavor of the juice is changed for the worse.

For home use there are a large number of varieties of grapes which will make a pleasant and healthful drink. No matter what the kind of grape, however, only clean, sound fruit should be used, and it should be well ripened, but not overripe. The grapes should first be crushed and pressed. The subsequent procedure depends upon whether a white or a red juice is desired. For a light-colored juice, the crushed grapes are put in a cloth sack and twisted until the greater part of the juice is extracted, one person holding each end of the sack. The juice is then put in some convenient form of double boiler in which it does not come into direct contact with the fire but is surrounded by hot water, and gradually heated to a temperature close to 200° F. As has already been said, however, it should not be allowed to go over this point. If no thermometer is available, it is best to heat the juice until it steams and then to take it from the fire before it is allowed to boil.

It should then be poured into a glass or enamelled vessel and allowed to settle for twenty-four hours, after which it can be drained from the sediment and run through some form of cloth filter. The strained juice is then put into clean bottles and sterilized once more in a water bath. An ordinary wash-boiler with a thin board on the bottom for the filled bottles to rest on is a convenient home device for this purpose. After sterilization, the bottles should be corked immediately with new corks, the corks having been previously soaked for about thirty minutes in hot water.

For red juice, the crushed grapes are first heated to the same temperature as before and then strained through a clean cloth or drip bag without pressure. Thereafter, the process is the same as for light-colored juice.

Grape juice should be stored away in bottles or jars that are not too large, for after these have been opened, the juice is likely to spoil.

If properly made, however, the juice should keep indefinitely as long as it is kept in sealed bottles. In this respect it is, of course, like other canned goods, which should always be used as soon as possible after they have been opened.

Of the various varieties of grapes common in this country, the Delaware gives a juice of delicate aroma and excellent flavor. The Concord is darker, with a sprightly taste and well known aroma. The Catawba, Isabella, and Salem grapes also yield an excellent product. The California varieties produce a very sweet juice, but in many cases there is little characteristic flavor. For home use, however, the kind of grape that is most abundant in the vicinity will, of course, be used.

Strawberries Canned to retain Color Hull and weigh the berries. For each pound of berries allow ten ounces of sugar and one fourth a cup of water. Cook the sugar and water to a thick syrup, let cool a little, then pour over the berries, washed, drained, and put into fruit jars. Fill the jars to overflow, adjust the rubbers, and screw down the covers loosely.

Set the jars on the rack, in a steam-kettle, covered with folds of cloth or paper, and surround with water at about the temperature of the jars. Bring slowly to the boiling-point and let boil ten minutes. Tighten the covers and let the jars cool in the kettle. Store in a dark, dry, and cool place.