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Preserving and Canning Fruit and Vegetables: Bring

CANNING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES For strawberries use equal weights of sugar and fruit. Put a layer of berries in the bottom of the preserving kettle and sprinkle over it a layer of sugar. So continue until the fruit and sugar are about four inches deep. Bring slowly to a boil, skim carefully and boil ten minutes from the time it begins to bubble.

Now pour upon platters to a depth of about two or three inches and place these in a sunny window in an unused room for three or four days, when the preserve will thicken to a jelly-like consistency. Put the cold preserve into jars or tumblers and seal. The large proportion of sugar present in this and other preserves is unfavorable to the growth of bacteria and thus prevents them from spoiling.

For white currants select large firm fruit, remove the stems and proceed as for strawberries.

For cherries select the sour varieties such as Early Richmonds and Montmorency. Remove stems and stones and proceed as for strawberries. Or cherries may be preserved with currant juice. Use for this purpose 2 quarts of sugar to 3 quarts of currants by heating in a preserving kettle, crushing them as they boil up and straining through cheese cloth. Stem and stone the cherries taking care to save all the juice.

Add the cherries to the fruit juice, stir in the sugar over the fire, bring to a boil slowly and carefully skim.

Boil twenty minutes. Put in sterilized jars or tumblers and seal. This gives an acid preserve. The quantity of sugar may be doubled if desired. For plum preserve use 2 quarts of sugar to 1 pint of water and 4 quarts of greengage or other plums.

If the skins are left on, prick the fruit and cover with plenty of cold water. Bring slowly to a boil and let boil gently for five minutes.