out the blossom-ends, and pack in a large pudding dish. Pour in a cupful
of water, cover the dish closely, set in a moderate oven, and steam till
the apples are tender. Remove from the dish, and pour the liquor over
them frequently as they cool.
COMPOTE OF APPLES.--Pare and extract the cores from moderately
tart, juicy apples. Place them in a deep pudding dish with just enough
water to cover them. Cover, place in a moderate oven, and stew until
they are tender. Remove the apples and place in a deep dish to keep hot.
Measure the juice and pour it into a saucepan, add a few bits of lemon
rind, and boil up until thickened almost like a jelly. While the juice
is boiling, heat some sugar, one tablespoonful to each cup of juice, in
the oven, and add to the juice when thickened. Pour scalding hot over
the apples, and cover until cold.
APPLE COMPOTE NO. 2.--Pare eight or ten rather tart, finely
flavored and easy-cooking apples, carefully removing the cores, and put
them into a broad, shallow, granite-ware saucepan with just enough hot
water to cover the bottom. Cover tightly and place over the fire. The
steam will cook the apples tender in a short time. Do not allow them to
fall to pieces. Make a syrup by dissolving one cup of sugar in a pint of
hot water. Add three teaspoonfuls of the juice of canned pineapple, and
pour over the apples while both are hot.
STEWED PEARS.--Select some fine Bartlett pears which are ripe, but
have hardly begun to soften; remove the skins, cut in halves or
quarters, and take out the seeds. Put loosely in a granite-ware kettle,
and add a pint of water for three and a half quarts of fruit. Cover
closely, and when it begins to boil, set it where it will just simmer
until the top pieces are tender. Serve cold. Sugar will not be necessary
if the fruit is of good quality.
SMOOTH APPLE SAUCE.--If fruit is not sufficiently perfect to be cut
into uniform quarters, a good way to prepare it is to pare, core, and
slice into thin slices. Cook in as small a quantity of water as
possible, the fruit covered closely, so that the top portion will steam
tender as soon as the bottom, and when done rub through a colander, or
beat smooth with a wooden spoon or an egg beater. Let it cool before
adding sugar. A little lemon peel may be added to the fruit just long
enough before it is done to flavor it, if desired.
BOILED APPLES WITH SYRUP.--Halve and remove the cores of a half
dozen nice apples, leaving the skins on. Boil till tender in sufficient
water to cover them. Take out with a fork into a glass dish. Add to the
juice three or four slices of a large lemon; boil for ten or fifteen
minutes; sweeten to taste; then pour over the apples, and cool.
STEWED APPLES.--Select fine fruit of a sub-acid flavor and not
over-ripe. Pare, remove the cores and all blemishes, and divide into
sixths if large, into quarters if small. Put into a porcelain or
granite-ware kettle with enough boiling water to cook and leave a good
liquor. Cover, and simmer gently, without stirring, from one to two
hours. Do not add sugar till cold. Be careful not to break the fruit in
serving.
STEWED CRAB APPLES.--Select perfect fruit. Wash and stew in but
little water until they are very soft. Rub through a coarse sieve or
colander to remove the seeds and skins. Sweeten to taste.
SWEET APPLE SAUCE WITH CONDENSED APPLE JUICE.--For the juice, wash,
divide, and core rather tart apples and cook until softened with one cup
of water for every six pounds of fruit. When soft, put into a percolater
and drain off the juice or extract it with a fruit press. Boil until it
is reduced one half. Skim if needed while boiling, and if not perfectly
clear allow it to settle before using. A considerable quantity of the
juice may be thus prepared and put into stone jars, to be used as
needed. For the sauce, pare, core, and quarter sweet apples. Put into a
porcelain kettle with enough of the condensed juice to cover. Cook
slowly until tender.
APPLES WITH RAISINS.--Pare, core, and quarter a dozen or more
medium sized sour apples. Clean thoroughly one fourth as many raisins as
apples, and turn over them a quart of boiling water. Let them steep
until well swollen, then add the apples, and cook until tender. Sugar to
sweeten may be added if desired, although little will be needed unless
the apples are very tart. Dried apples soaked over night may be made
much more palatable by stewing with raisins or English currants, in the
same way.
APPLES WITH APRICOTS.--Pare, core, and quarter some nice, sour
apples. Put them to cook with two halves of dried apricot for each
apple. When tender, make smooth by beating or rubbing through a
colander, and sweeten. Dried apples may be used in place of fresh ones.
PEACHES, PLUMS, CHERRIES, BERRIES, and all small fruits may be
cooked for sauce by stewing in a small amount of water, adding sugar to
sweeten when done.
BAKED APPLES.--Take any good tart apples; peel, cut in halves, and
remove the cores. Scatter a few spoonfuls of sugar in the bottom of a
dish, and lay the apples in, flat side down; add a teacupful of cold
water, and bake till tender. Let stand in the dish till cold, then take
up the pieces in a vegetable dish, and poor over them what juice
remains. Sweet apples are good baked in this way without sugar.
BAKED PEARS.--Peel ripe pears; cut in halves, and pack in layers in
a stone ware jar. Strew a little sugar over each layer, and add a small
cupful of water, to prevent burning. Cover tightly, and bake three or
four hours in a well-heated oven. Let them get very cold, and serve
with sweet cream.
BAKED PEACHES.--Peaches which are ripe but too hard for eating, are
nice baked. Pare, remove the stones, and place in loose layers in a
shallow, earthen pudding dish with a little water. Sprinkle each layer
lightly with sugar, cover and bake.
CRANBERRIES.--Cranberries make an excellent sauce, but the skins
are rather hard of digestion, and it is best to exclude them. Stew in
the proportion of a quart of berries to a pint of water, simmering
gently until the skins have all burst, and the quantity is reduced to a
pint. Put through a colander to remove the skins, and when nearly cool,
add for the quart of berries two thirds of a cup of sugar.
CRANBERRIES WITH RAISINS.--Cook the cranberries as in the preceding
recipe, and when rubbed through the colander, add for every pound of
cranberries before cooking, one fourth pound of raisins which have been
steeped for half an hour in just sufficient boiling water to cover. A
little less sugar will be needed to sweeten than when served without the
raisins.
CRANBERRIES AND SWEET APPLES.--Stew equal parts of cranberries and
sweet apples together. Mash, rub through a fine sieve or colander to
remove the skins and make the whole homogeneous. This makes a very
palatable sauce without the addition of sugar. California prunes and
cranberries stewed together in equal proportion, in a small quantity of
water, also make a nice sauce without sugar.
ORANGES AND APPLES.--The mild, easy cooking, tart varieties of
apples make an excellent sauce stewed with one third sliced oranges from
which the seeds have been removed. Pare, core, and slice the apples, and
cook gently so as to preserve the form of both fruits until the apples
are tender. Add sugar to sweeten, and if desired a very little of the
grated yellow of the orange rind.
STEWED RAISINS.--Soak a pint of good raisins, cleaned and freed
from stems, in cold water for several hours. When ready to cook, put
them, with the water in which they were soaked, in a fruit kettle and
simmer until the skins are tender. Three or four good-sized figs,
chopped quite fine, cooked with the raisins, gives an additional
richness and thickness of juice. No sugar will be needed.
DRIED APPLES.--Good apples properly dried make a very palatable
sauce; but unfortunately the fruit generally selected for drying is of
so inferior a quality that if cooked in its fresh state it would not be
good. The dried fruit in most of our markets needs to be looked over
carefully, and thoroughly washed before using. Put into a granite-ware
kettle, cover with boiling water, and cook gently until tender. Fresh
steam-dried or evaporated apples will cook in from one half to three
fourths of an hour; if older, they may require from one to two more
hours. Add boiling water, as needed, during the cooking. If when tender
they are lacking in juice, add a little boiling water long enough before
lifting from the fire to allow it to boil up once. If the fruit is very
poor, a few very thin slices of the yellow portion of lemon or orange
rind added a half hour before it is done, will sometimes be an
improvement.
DRIED APPLES WITH OTHER DRIED FRUIT.--An excellent sauce may be
made by cooking a few dried plums with dried or evaporated apples. Only
enough of the plums to give a flavor to the apples will be needed; a
handful of the former to a pound of apples will be sufficient. Dried
cherries, raisins, English currants, dried apricots, prunelles, and
peaches are also excellent used in combination with dried apples.
DRIED APRICOTS AND PEACHES.--These fruits, if dried with the skins
on, need, in addition to the preparation for cooking recommended for
dried apples, a thorough rubbing with the fingers, while being washed,
to remove the down. Put into boiling water in about the proportion of
two parts of fruit to three of water. If the fruit was pared before
drying, a little more water will be required. Cook quickly, but gently,
until just tender, and take from the fire as soon as done. If too soft,
they will be mushy and insipid.
EVAPORATED PEACH SAUCE.--Soak the peaches over night in just enough
water to cover. In the morning put to cook in boiling water. When
tender, sweeten and beat perfectly smooth with an egg beater.
DRIED PEARS.--These may be treated in the same way as dried apples.
SMALL FRUITS.--These when dried must be carefully examined,
thoroughly washed, and then cooked rather quickly in boiling water. They
swell but little, do not require much water, and usually cook in a few
minutes. They should be taken from the fire as soon as soft, as long
standing makes them insipid.
PRUNES.--Use only the best selected prunes. Clean by putting them
into warm water; let them stand a few minutes, rubbing them gently
between the hands to make sure that all dust and dirt is removed; rinse,
and if rather dry and hard, put them into three parts of water to one of
prunes; cover closely, and let them simmer for several hours. If the
prunes are quite easily cooked, less water may be used. They will be
tender, with a thick juice. The sweet varieties need no sugar whatever.
Many persons who cannot eat fruit cooked with sugar, can safely partake
of sweet prunes cooked in this way. A slice of lemon added just before
the prunes are done, is thought an improvement.
PRUNE MARMALADE.--Cook sweet California prunes as directed above.
When well done, rub through a colander to remove the skins and stones.
No sugar is necessary. If the pulp is too thin when cold, it may be
covered in an earthen pudding dish and stewed down by placing in a pan
of hot water in a moderate oven.
THE PRESERVATION OF FRUIT.
Fresh fruit is so desirable, while at the same time the season during
which most varieties can be obtained is so transient, that various
methods are resorted to for preserving it in as nearly a natural state
as possible. The old-fashioned plans of pickling in salt, alcohol, or
vinegar, or preserving in equal quantities of sugar, are eminently
unhygienic. Quite as much to be condemned is the more modern process of
keeping fruit by adding to it some preserving agent, like salicylic acid
or other chemicals. Salicylic acid is an antiseptic, and like many other
substances, such as carbolic acid, creosote, etc., has the power of
preventing the decay of organic substances. Salicylic acid holds the
preference over other drugs of this class, because it imparts no
unpleasant flavor to the fruit. It is nevertheless a powerful and
irritating drug, and when taken, even in small doses, produces intense
burning in the stomach, and occasions serious disturbances of the heart
and other organs. Its habitual use produces grave diseases.
What is sold as antifermentive is simply the well-known antiseptic,
salicylate of soda. It should be self-evident to one at all acquainted
with the philosophy of animal existence, that an agent which will
prevent fermentation and decay must be sufficiently powerful in its
influence to prevent digestion also.
The fermentation and decay of fruits as well as that of all other
organic substances, is occasioned by the action of those minute living
organisms which scientists call germs, and which are everywhere present.
These germs are very much less active in a dry, cold atmosphere, and
fruit may be preserved for quite a long period by refrigeration, an
arrangement whereby the external air is excluded, and the surrounding
atmosphere kept at an equal temperature of about 40° F. The most
efficient and wholesome method of preserving fruit, however, is
destruction of the germs and entire exclusion from the air. The germs
are destroyed at a boiling temperature; hence, if fruit be heated to
boiling, and when in this condition sealed in air-tight receptacles, it
will keep for an unlimited period.
CANNING FRUIT.
Canning consists in sealing in air-tight cans or jars, fruit which has
been previously boiled. It is a very simple process, but requires a
thorough understanding of the scientific principles involved, and
careful management, to make it successful. The result of painstaking
effort is so satisfactory, however, it is well worth all the trouble,
and fruit canning need not be a difficult matter if attention is given
to the following details:--
Select self-sealing glass cans of some good variety. Tin cans give more
trouble filling and sealing, are liable to affect the flavor of the
fruit, and unless manufactured from the best of material, to impair its
wholesomeness. Glass cans may be used more than once, and are thus much
more economical. Those with glass covers, or porcelain-lined covers, are
best. Test the cans to see if they are perfect, with good rubbers and
covers that fit closely, by partly filling them with cold water,
screwing on the tops, and placing bottom upward upon the table for some
time before using. If none of the water leaks out, they may be
considered in good condition. If the cans have been previously used,
examine them with special care to see that both cans and covers have
been carefully cleaned, then thoroughly sterilize them, and fit with new
rubbers when necessary.
Cans and covers should be sterilized by boiling in water for half an
hour, or by baking in an oven, at a temperature sufficient to scorch
paper, for two hours. The cans should be placed in the water or oven
when cold, and the temperature allowed to rise gradually, to avoid
breaking. They should be allowed to cool gradually, for the same
purpose.
Select only the best of fruit, such as is perfect in flavor and neither
green nor over-ripe. Fruit which has been shipped from a distance, and
which is consequently not perfectly fresh, contains germs in active
growth, and if the least bit musty, it will be almost sure to spoil,
even though the greatest care may be taken in canning.
Poor fruit will not be improved by canning; over-ripe fruit will be
insipid and mushy; and though cooking will soften hard fruit, it cannot
impart to it the delicate flavors which belong to that which is in its
prime. The larger varieties of fruit should not be quite soft enough for
eating. Choose a dry day for gathering, and put up at once, handling as
little as possible. Try to keep it clean enough to avoid washing. If the
fruit is to be pared, use a silver knife for the purpose, as steel is
apt to discolor the fruit. If the fruit is one needing to be divided or
stoned, it will be less likely to become broken if divided before
paring.
Cook the fruit slowly in a porcelain-lined or granite-ware kettle, using
as little water as possible. It is better to cook only small quantities
at a time in one kettle. Steaming in the cans is preferable to stewing,
where the fruit is at all soft. To do this, carefully fill the cans with
fresh fruit, packing it quite closely, if the fruit is large, and set
the cans in a boiler partly filled with cold water, with something
underneath them to prevent breaking,--muffin rings, straw, or thick
cloth, or anything to keep them from resting on the bottom of the boiler
(a rack made by nailing together strips of lath is very convenient);
screw the covers on the cans so the water cannot boil into them, but not
so tightly as to prevent the escape of steam; heat the water to boiling,
and steam the fruit until tender. Peaches, pears, crab apples, etc., to
be canned with a syrup, may be advantageously cooked by placing on a
napkin dropped into the boiling syrup.
Fruit for canning should be so thoroughly cooked that every portion of
it will have been subjected to a sufficient degree of heat to destroy
all germs within the fruit, but overcooking should be avoided. The
length of time required for cooking fruits for canning, varies with the
kind and quality of fruit and the manner of cooking. Fruit is more
frequently spoiled by being cooked an insufficient length of time, than
by overcooking. Prolonged cooking at a boiling temperature is necessary
for the destruction of certain kinds of germs capable of inducing
fermentation. Fifteen minutes may be considered as the shortest time for
which even the most delicate fruits should be subjected to the
temperature of boiling water, and thirty minutes will be required by
most fruits. Fruits which are not perfectly fresh, or which have been
shipped some distance, should be cooked not less than thirty minutes.
The boiling should be very slow, however, as hard, rapid boiling will
break up the fruit, and much of its fine flavor will be lost in the
steam.
Cooking the sugar with the fruit at the time of canning, is not to be
recommended from an economical standpoint; but fruit thus prepared is
more likely to keep well than when cooked without sugar; not, however,
because of the preservative influence of the sugar, which is too small
in amount to prevent the action of germs, as in the case of preserves,
but because the addition of sugar to the water or fruit juice increases
its specific gravity, and thus raises the boiling point. From
experiments made, I have found that the temperature of the fruit is
ordinarily raised about 5° by the addition of the amount of sugar needed
for sweetening sub-acid fruit. By the aid of this additional degree of
heat, the germs are more certainly destroyed, and the sterilization of
the fruit will be accomplished in a shorter time.
Another advantage gained in cooking sugar with the fruit at the time of
canning, is that the fruit may be cooked for a longer time without
destroying its form, as the sugar abstracts the juice of the fruit, and
thus slightly hardens it and prevents its falling in pieces.
The temperature to which the fruit is subjected may also be increased by
the same method as that elsewhere described for sterilizing milk, the
covers of the cans being screwed down tightly before they are placed in
the sterilizer, or as soon as the boiling point is approached, so that
the steam issues freely from the can. See page 396. If this method is
employed, it must be remembered that the cans should not be removed from
the sterilizer until after they have become cold, or nearly so, by being
allowed to stand over night.
Use the best sugar, two tablespoonfuls to a quart of fruit is
sufficient for most sub-acid fruits, as berries and peaches; plums,
cherries, strawberries, and currants require from five to eight
tablespoonfuls of sugar to a quart. Have the sugar hot, by spreading it
on tins and heating in the oven, stirring occasionally. See that; it
does not scorch. Add it when the fruit is boiling. Pears, peaches,
apples, etc., which contain a much smaller quantity of juice than do
berries, may be canned in a syrup prepared by dissolving a cup of sugar
in two or three cups of water. Perfect fruit, properly canned, will keep
without sugar, and the natural 'flavor of the fruit is more perfectly
retained when the sugar is left out, adding the necessary amount when
opened for use.
If the fruit is to be cooked previous to being put in the cans, the cans
should be heated before the introduction of the fruit, which should be
put in at a boiling temperature. Various methods are employed for this
purpose. Some wrap the can in a towel wrung out of hot water, keeping a
silver spoon inside while it is being filled; others employ dry heat by
keeping the cans in a moderately hot oven while the fruit is cooking.
Another and surer way is to fill a large dishpan nearly full of scalding
(not boiling) water, then gradually introduce each can, previously
baked, into the water, dip it full of water, and set it right side up in
the pan. Repeat the process with other cans until four or five are
ready. Put the covers likewise into boiling water. Have in readiness for
use a granite-ware funnel and dipper, also in boiling water; a cloth for
wiping the outside of the cans, a silver fork or spoon, a dish for
emptyings, and a broad shallow pan on one side of the range, half filled
with boiling water, in which to set the cans while being filled. When
everything is in readiness, the fruit properly cooked, and _at a boiling
temperature,_ turn one of the cans down in the water, roll it over once
or twice, empty it, and set in the shallow pan of hot water; adjust the
funnel, and then place first in the can a quantity of juice, so that
when the fruit is put in, no vacant places will be left for air, which
is sometimes quite troublesome if this precaution is not taken; then
add the fruit. If any bubbles of air chance to be left, work them out
with a fork or spoon handle, which first dip in boiling water, and then
quickly introduce down the sides of the jar and through the fruit in
such a way that not a bubble will remain. Fill the can to overflowing,
remembering that any vacuum invites the air to enter; use boiling water
or syrup when there is not enough juice. Skim all froth from the fruit,
adding more juice if necessary; wipe the juice from the top of the can,
adjust the rubber, put on the top, and screw it down as quickly as
possible. If the fruit is cooked in the cans, as soon as it is
sufficiently heated, fill the can completely full with boiling juice,
syrup, or water; run the handle of a silver spoon around the inside of
the can, to make sure the juice entirely surrounds every portion of
fruit, and that no spaces for air remain, put on the rubbers, wipe off
all juice, and seal quickly.
[Illustration: Canning Utensils.]
As the fruit cools, the cover can be tightened, and this should be
promptly done again and again as the glass contracts, so that no air may
be allowed to enter.
If convenient to fill the cans directly from the stove, the fruit may be
kept at boiling heat by placing the kettle on a lamp stove on the table,
on which the other utensils are in readiness. Many failures in fruit
canning are due to neglect to have the fruit boiling hot when put into
the cans.
When the cans are filled, set them away from currents of air, and not on
a very cold surface, to avoid danger of cracking. A good way is to set
the cans on a wet towel, and cover with a woolen cloth as a protection
from draughts.
After the cans have cooled, and the tops have been screwed down tightly,
place them in a cool place, bottom upward, and watch closely for a few
days. If the juice begins to leak out, or any appearance of fermentation
is seen, it is a sign that the work has failed, and the only thing to do
is to open the can immediately, boil the fruit, and use as quickly as
possible; recanning will not save it unless boiled a long time. If no
signs of spoiling are observed within two or three weeks, the fruit may
be safely stored away in a dark, cool place. If one has no dark
storeroom, it is an advantage to wrap each can in brown paper, to keep
out the light.