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Preserving and Canning Fruit and Vegetables: Measure

For cherries use 14 quarts of sugar and pint of water to 6 quarts of fruit. Measure after stemming. Stone or not as preferred, but if the stones are removed, take care to save the juice. First stir the sugar into the water over the fire until dissolved, then add the cherries and bring slowly to a boil.

Let boil ten minutes, skimming carefully.

For grapes use 1 quart of sugar and 1 gill of water to 6 quarts of fruit. First squeeze the pulp from the skins. Cook it five minutes and rub through a fine sieve to remove the seeds. Now bring the water, skins and pulp slowly to a boil.

Skim, stir in the sugar and boil fifteen minutes. If the grapes are sweeter or more sour than ordinary, use more or less sugar, according to taste.

Rhubarb may be cooked and canned with sugar in the same manner as gooseberries, or either rhubarb or gooseberries may be canned without heat as follows: Cut the rhubarb when young ana tender, wash thoroughly, pare and divide into pieces about two inches long.

Pack in sterilized jars, fill to overflowing with cold water and let stand ten minutes. Drain off the water and once more fill to overflowing with fresh cold water. Seal with sterilized rings and covers. When the cans are opened the rhubarb may be used in all respects the same as if fresh.

CANNING LARGE FRUIT Such large fruit as apples, pears, peaches and quinces must usually be pared and cored before canning. Select first class fruit just before it is ripe-preferably underripe rather than overripe-and discard all imperfect specimens. It is better not to can or preserve spotted or bruised fruit, but if such are used, all decayed or bruised spots must be freely cut out. Measure the fruit as soon as it is pared and cored into a large bowl containing cold water made slightly acid with lemon juice at the rate of one tablespoonful to the quart. This will keep the fruit from turning brown. For each measure add the proportionate quantity of sugar into another bowl until the amount of fruit and sugar needed to fill the preserving kettle or required number of jars is at hand. a To peel peaches, plums or tomatoes, have ready a deep kettle little more than half full of boiling water. Fill a wire basket or colander with the fruit and suspend it by means of a string through the handles, or otherwise, in the boiling water for three minutes. Now remove and plunge the basket for a moment into a pan of cold water.

Let drain a few moments and peel.

The process of canning in general is much the same for all fruits, but the following special modifications for particular fruits may be observed: