Preserving

New Zealand Listener, Volume 18, Issue 462, 30 April 1948, Page 23

Preserving

Dear Aunt Daisy, Views given in The Listener on preserving are very interesting. Have you room for just one more method? I was a total failure in this very necessary branch of housekeeping when using the rubber ring and screw-top, but the seal cap is a sheer delight to me and my pantry shelves confirm my success, True, in common with many others this season, I found some difficulty at first, but since my grocer examines the caps before he sells them to me, I have had my old success. I prepare fruit in the usual way and use two methods-one with jar

filled to within 4% an inch of top, and the other 3 parts full, filling to overflowing with (15 minutes-sterilised) boiling water. I preserve all my fruit in the oven, placing in cold oven, element at LOW, and leaving till the temperature reaches 325 degrees, then taking out immediately and finalising. This method takes from 2 to 21% hours, but I have proved it almost foolproof. The fruit is perfectly done, and does not rise in the bottle. There is no worry of watching and judging "is it ready," for at 325 degrees the tiny bubbles rise, and the skin of some fruit slightly cracks. I have tested out letting temperature rise higher, but the fruit became overcooked. For sweetening I use one tablespoon of sugar to each jar. I read of this method in an American cooking book several years ago-but have not heard of anyone else using it, Even my friends were dubious of the results until they saw my pantry shelves. I remember reading that the longer it took to reach 325 degrees the better, so I developed the method of working on "Low." "Help One Another." Thank you very much. Do not, however, do vegetables in oven, only fruit.