WHOLE FRUIT PRESERVING.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4339, 8 February 1893, Page 3

WHOLE FRUIT PRESERVING.

TheMisnotliing more delicious in the wmrerr.ionths, when fresh fruit is not obtainable, than a dish of canned frUit, and when this is prepared in a careful manner, it is equal to, if not better than, the best stewed fruit of summer, The preserving of fruit is a simple process, which will infallibly succeed with duo attention to the following details,, Glass jars should be used, as they are the safest and best in the end. With care they will be almost everlasting, though new elastic rubbers may liavo to be supplied from time to time, Jars with glass tops are tho best, In preserving fruit whole, sugar is not tho " keeping" power, as in jam-making; it is the entire exclusion of air from tho fruit that keops it. With tbis fact in mind it will be seen that great care must bo taken to have the jars in perfect condition. They should be thoroughly clean, About a cupful of water must then be put into them, and the rubber must be placed in position and the top screwed securely down. 'I hen turn tlio jar upside down, and let it remain in this position for ten minutes; if any water oozes out, the jar is not perfect, and should be set asido for some other kind of fruitpreserving, such as jam, jelly, etc. Ofton, howover, changing tho top and rubber will render the jar air tight. The fruit must be quite fresh and

firm, and should be looked over carefully, ancMfey crushed or over ripe fruit should be rejected. When the jars have been tested, and tho fruit has been carefully and lightly rubbed with a soft cloth, pluce the rubber in position on tlio top of the jar, with the cover that has been tested by tho Bide. Then place the fruit in the jars, shaking it well down to fill tlio interstices as closely as possible. To every quart jar of peaches or apricots allow six ounces of sugar, for raspberries tlio same amount; sweat pears and cherries, eightounces. When the fruit is woll packed, place the sugar in a saucepan on the fire with just enough boiling water to dissolve it. When thoroughly melted, allow it to cool a little, and then divide the syrup among the jars, a spoonful at a time. After it has been equally divided, if it does not fill the jars (and it seldom does) add enough warm water to fill each jar, and easily screw on tho cover. Have in readi-

ness a deep boiler or kettle, with a flat bottom; set the jars closely together in this, and fill the kettle with water as

lvarm as the hand can bear, until the water is within an inch of the top of

the jars; then set the whole over the fire to boil, The water must not come to the boil quickly or boil too fast, It is nover wiso to place the

boiler directly over the fire; there is no (ear of the jars cracking if the whole is heated gradually. When tlio water has boiled ton minutes or so. the cover should bo romoved from a jar, and if the fruit can be easily pierced with a steel fork, and each piemseems soft through, it has cooked Ten minutes is usually enough for small fruit, but moro is required for large and solid fruits, By the oxercise of a little common sense one soon knows when the fruit is done, When the fruit is quite dono the boiler should bo set at the side of the fire, and each top must be screwed firmly down, so that they may be taken out of the water easily, When out, the top should be taken off quickly, and the jar filled to tho very top with boiling water, or boiling fruit and juice from another jar. Treated in this manner thefruit is much better flavoured than when the jar is filled with water, 'Chen quickly adjust tlio top again for a final fastening, Aftor the jars are all fast they should be inverted lor a final test aB to air-tight-ness, As the jura cool the top must again be tightened with the wrench that is sold with the jars, The fruit will keep much better if it is set in a cool and durk riWL.Peaches and apricots pack muSflJjKiei' if they are halved, and flavourlD improved if a few uf the pits are packed with the fruit. Apples and pears must be peeled and quartered, but the seeds aro better left in, Quinces are pared, cored, and quartered. Preserved fruit should aways bo opened for some hours before using, so that the oxygen which has been lost may be restored, Vegetables can be preserved in touch the same manner as fruit, Tomatoes especially adapt themselves for this purpose, , Tlio method is simple enough, but requires great care. Tomatoes may be preserved with the skin or not, but as a rule they keep belter for not boing . peeled. They should bo packed closoly in largo wide-necked jars, and filled with cold wator, After fixing tlio tops they are set in a boiler as for fruit, In this case the jars should boil for two hours at least, When quite done ifcars will want filling to the top . wi* tomatoes from another jar; as a rulo one jar will fill two, Tho transfer from one jar to another requires to bo dono as quickly as possiblo, _ so that boiling heat is retained during tho process. When the jar is quite full ecrow the top as tight as possible; tho covers should be again tightened when cold, Peas and young beans can ho preserved by boiling them till tender, and then putting them into jars boiling hot, and screwing them down, Rhubarb prepared as follows will keep splendidly Take off all tho skin from tho rhubarb, and cut it into shoit pieces, pack as closely as possible, and fill tho jars again when the rhubarb is dono, If the jars aro perfectly air-tight, a mpet delicious

winter preserve will be the result. Tho fruits that preservo beat are plums (those that are just beginning to come in now), apricots, poaches, pears and apples,—Australasian,