ECONOMY OF PULPING

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 13064, 5 February 1943, Page 3

ECONOMY OF PULPING

A SDIPLE METHOD

VEGETABLES AND FRUIT Even though sugar is scarce for jam-making, we must not let this fact prevent us saving every bit of fruit and vegetable available. There are other means of preserving these, writes Jessie J. Williams in “Home and Country.” First let us consider pulping, which is as useful with vegetables as it is with fruits, and is a distinct economy of storage for far more pulped fruit than jam can be put into a jar. Moreover, pulping calls for no special outlay for equipment. Pulped fruit, which keeps perfectly if rightly prepared, can be used for flans, tarts, puddings, and later on—if sugar becomes more plentiful—it can be converted into jam, when it will not take such longboiling before setting. A Simple Method

There are several methods of pulping, but after many experiments I consider the following combines the greatest amount of simplicity with the least expenditure of time, labour and fuel, consistent with reliable results. Any kind of fruit can be pulped, but it must be well ripe. Soft fruits, need no preparation, other than picking over and stalking. Other fruits should be cut up small, so as to make their conversion into puree more easy. No sugar should be used in the process of pulping. Put the prepared fruit into a preserving pan. With such fruits as apples and plums a very little water —just enough to prevent the fruit burning before the juice begins to flow —may be' added. But whenever possible avoid this addition of water. Heat the pan very gently until sufficient juice has been drawn from the fruit to minimise the danger of burning. During this time stir the fruit with a wooden spoon bearing in mind that burning is more likely to start in the middle of the pan, but that the sides must also be kept clean. When juice has been drawn, increase the-heat until the fruit boils, stirring it constantly, and then boil for an hour. The fruit must not be allowed to go off the boil, and it must not be considered boiling when only a few bubbles rise, but only when the entire surface is covered with bubbles.

Meanwhile have the jars intended to hold the fruit spotlessly clean and well-warmed. They may be filled at once with the hot pulp—one at a time tied down quickly and brushed over with a coating of gum. But to ensure still further the safe keeping of the pulp, I have found that treating the jars with sulphur fumes is an excellent plan. Keep the heated jars turned down and introduce the sulphur fumes in the following way. Put some sulphur into an iron spoon; light it with a match and slip the smoking spoon under the neck of the jars—one at a t

ime—keeping the spoon there until he jar has a smoky appearance. This terilises the jars and ensures good

keeping of the pulp. Finish off one

jar before filling another, keeping the pulp boiling all the time. Converting Fruit Pulp into Jam Jam from pulp is easily superior in flavour to that made from fresh fruit, because the higher proportion of sugar which you have to add to fresh fruit to ensure keeping properties, sometimes tends to make sweetness predominate over the flavour of the fruit. As a guide to proportion of sugar to use with pulp in converting it into jam, add about half a pound of sugar to a pint of pulp, a little more or less according to the natural acidity or sweetness of the fgruit. If pulp is too thick a little water may be added previous to boiling. Pulping Vegetables The same principles with vegetables as with fruit. The vegetables for pulping must not be old. They must be fresh and, after washing, scraping or peeling, they must be cut into small pieces. When cooked until soft, rub through a sieve and again bring to boiling point before packing into jars.