Sugar helps canned fruit hold its shape, color, and flavor. Directions
for canning most fruits call for sweetening to be added in the form of
sugar sirup. For very juicy fruit packed hot, use sugar without added
liquid.
_To make sugar sirup._—Mix sugar with water or with juice extracted from
some of the fruit. Use a thin, medium, or heavy sirup to suit the
sweetness of the fruit and your taste. To make sirup, combine—
4 cups of water 2 cups sugar For 5 cups THIN sirup.
or juice
3 cups sugar For 5½ cups MEDIUM sirup.
4¾ cups sugar For 6½ cups HEAVY sirup.
Boil sugar and water or juice together 5 minutes. Skim if necessary.
_To extract juice._—Crush thoroughly ripe, sound juicy fruit. Heat to
simmering (185° to 210° F.) over low heat. Strain through jelly bag or
other cloth.
_To add sugar direct to fruit._—For juicy fruit to be packed hot, add
about ½ cup sugar to each quart of raw, prepared fruit. Heat to
simmering (185° to 210° F.) over low heat. Pack fruit in the juice that
cooks out.
_To add sweetening other than sugar._—You can use light corn sirup or
mild-flavored honey to replace as much as half the sugar called for in
canning fruit. Do not use brown sugar, or molasses, sorghum, or other
strong-flavored sirups; their flavor overpowers the fruit flavor and
they may darken the fruit.