BOTTLING FRUIT

Chronicle (Levin), 11 March 1946, Page 3

BOTTLING FRUIT

^ , EAT WIIAT YOU CAH— CAN WHA'T YGU CAN'T (Contributed by the Sarali Anne Rhodes Fellowship in Home Science.) While fruit is plentiful, bottle "in season ' ' for ' ' out-of-season ' ' use. Are .'ou coufused between differout methods read and told youf Tliere •ire dift'erent methods, but once the prineipal of food preservation is grasped, varj-ing mqthods and recipes t'all into line and oft'er little trouble. We have chosen perhaps the easiesi aud xiiost eflSeient method of bottling. But remember to "follow through'the procedure listed below. To those who are already suecessful. read these notes — you may get souu new ideas and hints. To the amateur. try our methods and see if it will bring you success.

General Procedure 1. Wash jars, caps and rubbers in ho soapy water, rinse and let stand in hoi water until ready to use. Discaru cracked javs and imperfect covers. 2. Prepare food to be bottled accord ing to specilic methods. This includes preparation of syrup for fruits and pre cooking fruits when necessary. 3. Eemove oue jar ffom the hot water and adjust rubber. Pack food iuto jai aceording to directions. Filb jar to within half an inch of top with boiling syrup; -leave 1A inches if self sealing jar is used. 4. Wipe free from food and liquiil. and adjust tops; with screw tops, screw tightly arnl tlien turn 'back -1-iilch; with glass-topped jars, snap t'op-ciamp into place aiul leave clamp up. 5. Eepeat step 3 and 4 untill all jars are paelted. "Work quickly so all jars will be hot when processed. 6. Proeess at the required tcmpera ture and for fhe required time. 7. Eemove jars from processes- ; tighten screw tops; snap . elamps oi glass-topped jars into place. Cool jars and tlien invert and observe for leak age. Coiitents of leaking jars shouiil be reheated, repacked in new containers and processed again. 8. Store in cool, dry place protectefl t'rom strong light. We reconimend in general the lioi pack m'ethod of presetving. In this method fruits are prepared as follow: — (a) Select sound ripe fruit. (b) Blanch. This cohsists of placing peaches or tomatoes in steam or boiling water for 15 to 60 secoiuls and tlien dipping in cold water. This sets th colour and loosens the skin so it wili slip o(T easily. Blanch only suflicieni fruit for two or three egiitaijiers at n time. (c) Drop in lirine, to prevent dis colouration. Oue teaspoon of salt to 1 quart of cold water. Put in brine only suflicient to (111 2 or 3 containers. Long standing in brine gives salty taste. (d) Cook in pre-inade syrup. (e) Pack while hot; working as quickly as possible. Boiling water may be added if there is not suflicient syrup to cover. Temperatures in all stages should be even.

(f) Proeess in: (i) Waterbath. A wash boiler or iarge containcr with a tight lid can be used. It should have a rack to give cireulation of tlie water tmder tlie jars, and be deep enough to cover plus 2 inehes. The water must lie well over the jars. Bring watei to boiling point. Count. proeessing timo from when water is actually boiling vigorously. Tveep water boiling. (ii) Oven. Plaee jars two inches apart on a tray or pan. Pour suflicient watei in the pan to prevent burning should some syrup boil over. Count proeessing time from the time the oven has re turried to the required temperature; Temperatures must be kept constant during proeessing. Table for Syrups For each quart jaf ailow 1 to U cups for small fruits and to 2 cups for iarge fruit. 1. Yerv thin syrup, 1 cup sugar to 3 cups water. Yields approxiinately 31 cups. 2. Thin syrup, 1 cup sugar to 2 cups water. Yields approximatelv 24 cups. 3 Aloderately thin syrup, 1 cup sugar to 11 cups water. Yields approximately 2 cups. 4. Medium syrup, 1 cup sugar to 1 cup water. Yiehls approximately 14 cups. Very thin syrup is for very sweel fruits such as blackberries and pears. Thin and inoderately thin syrups are for sweet fruits such as peaches. Medium syrup for plums. Table for Times Peaches: Prepare, drop in brine; drain, sinuner 4 to 8 inins.; pack proeess water 15 inins. or oven 25 mins. Pears: Prepare. Drop in brine; drain.' simmer 4 to 8 inins.; pack proeess water 20 mins. or oven 35 mins. Plums: Prepare. Prick skins, simmer 5 mins., pack proeess, water 15 mins. oi oven 25 mins. We do not recommend the home bottling of meats or non-acid vegetables. For peas and beans dehydrate or salt. Without being an alarmist there is always the dan'ger of botulism (food poisoning) occuring from meats and vegetables bottled by the usual home methods.