FRUIT-PRESERVING IN THE HOME.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XIII, Issue 5, 20 November 1916, Page 356

FRUIT-PRESERVING IN THE HOME.

T. E. RODDA,

Orchard Instructor, Timaru.

During the season when fruit is plentiful every housewife should endeavour to preserve as much as possible for use during the winter and spring months. The modern method of -preserving does not appear to be as widely understood as one would imagine. Many people seem to think that the process requires considerable skill and previous experience, but such is not the case. Any person with average intelligence, provided he or she exercises ordinary care and thorough cleanliness, can quickly become proficient in the work. In this article it is not my intention to explain the factory method. My aim is to describe a process made as simple as possible by utilizing appliances to be found in the average home. Any class of fruit can be preserved successfully provided it is fresh, not overripe, and- free from bruises. . All badly bruised fruit should be rejected and can be made into jam. The major portion of fruit preserved is processed in sugar syrup, but I wish to stress the point that it is not essential that the fruit should be so treated to ensure the product keeping for an indefinite period. Pure water will, do equally well. The whole secret of preserving is thorough pasteurization, or the killing by heat of the ferment germs contained in the fruit, and hermetically sealing the jars ,or containers while the whole is still hot. Sugar syrup certainly makes the fruit more palatable, especially if it is intended for consumption as a cold dessert. In such case the use of syrup is advised, but in the case of pie-fruits, or fruits intended for cooking or to be eaten. hot, water alone is sufficient. Sugar can then be added according to taste. For general home preserving the fruit should be put up in bottles or jars, which are obtainable at reasonable rates. Possibly the best makes or brands of jars are the “ Lightning,” “ Atlas,” and “ Golden State Mason.” The latter is an exceptionally good jar, having a very wide mouth, an advantage that needs no comment.

MAKING THE SYRUP. The syrup should be made before the fruit is prepared for processing. The strength of syrup most generally used is i lb. sugar to i gallon of water. This can be increased to 3 lb. and even 4 lb. per gallon, according' to the variety of fruit under treatment. To

prepare the syrup place the sugar with the requisite amount of water in a saucepan on the kitchen-range, and heat to nearly boiling-point, stirring meanwhile. Remove from the fire and let stand until required.

PREPARATION OF THE FRUIT. For convenience in cooking, pears should be halved or quartered, peaches and apricots halved and pits or stones removed, cherries stoned, and quinces cut into slices or cubes. Plums are treated whole. Pears, peaches, and quinces require peeling, but the other fruits can be cooked with the skin on.

The peeling process in the case of peaches is a very tedious operation if a large quantity is being prepared. The skin or fur can, however, be quickly removed by placing a few fruits at a time —say, ten or a dozenin a netting bag and dipping them for a few seconds into boiling weak lye made of 1 lb. caustic soda to 7 or 8 gallons of water. The fur is then easily rubbed off by wiping with a rough towel. Care must be taken that the fruit is not allowed to remain in the lye too long. The time can usually be judged with the dipping of the first bag. If the skin still clings on removal, allow to remain a little longer, but if , the -skin and a little flesh as well comes away with the towel, decrease the period of immersion by a second or so.

After the skin is removed the fruit should be thoroughly rinsed in clear water, and then cut in halves. In the case pf freestone peaches, this is quickly and easily done by cutting round the fruit with a knife and pulling apart. Clingstones present a different problem, but the difficulty can be overcome and the pit extracted neatly and quickly if the following method is adopted: First procure an old but strong teaspoon, and cut the broad portion off the handle. Next obtain a piece of hard wood about r in. by I in. and 4 in. or 5 in. long. With a gimlet bore a hole lengthwise in one end, long enough and large enough to insert the handle of the spoon so. that it fits firmly. Spokeshave the wood smooth, and round . off the top so that it will not injure the palm ■ of the hands whilst in use. Sharpen the end and edges of the spoon with a file, and the pitting-knife, as it is now called, is ready for use. To remove the pit take the fruit between the thumb and a finger of the left hand, and place the flower end down on a flat board on the table, but keeping the suture of the fruit parallel with the side of the table from which one is operating. Retaining a grip on the fruit, insert the point of the knifeconcave side towards one —at the stem end of the fruit, and press down so that the blade cuts round the farther side of the stone or pit. Withdraw

the blade, turn the fruit round, and again insert the knife at the same point, repeating, the cutting motion. Then with an ordinary knife cut the fruit in half by following the line of suture, when the pit will fall free.

The fruit should next be placed in a brine bath composed of 1 lb. of salt to 1 gallon of water, to prevent discoloration until sufficient fruit is prepared for packing in the bottles. When sufficient fruit is prepared it is packed neatly in the jars, which have been thoroughly cleansed by washing in warm water. The jars are then filled with syrup or water, as the case may be, and the caps screwed on lightly without the rubbers. The whole is now ready for boiling.

THE BOILER AND COOKING-PLATFORM.

The ordinary household washing-copper makes an excellent boiler for boiling the fruit, provided it is thoroughly scoured out beforehand. A wooden platform should be made, with two or three blocks of wood 3 in. thick and about 7 in. long nailed on the under-side to support it, without allowing its edges to actually touch the sides of the copper. This precaution prevents the platform from jamming when it is being hoisted out of the copper. Two wire handles reaching barely to the copper's brim are next attached to the platform, to enable the operator to lift both platform and bottles out when the fruit is sufficiently cooked. . This can be improved upon still further by placing a small pulley in the ceiling of the washhouse directly over the centre of the copper, to allow of a strong cord being passed round and attached to the handles of the platform. With such . an attachment it is a very easy matter to hoist the whole bodily out of the copper, place two narrow boards over the top of the copper, and lower the platform on to them, removing the jars of fruit as soon as the caps are screwed on.

COOKING THE FRUIT.

The bottles should be placed on the platform in the copper so that they do not .actually touch one another. Now place water in the copper until it reaches to within i in. or i| in. of the top of the bottles, place the lid on the copper, start the fire, and bring the whole to the boil. The times for boiling the various fruits are shown in the table on opposite page, and are calculated from the moment the water in the copper starts to boil. When the fruit has finished boiling hoist the platform out of the water, remove the caps, fill the bottles to the brim with boiling syrup or boiling water, as the case may be, place a new rubber that has been rinsed in hot water under the cap, and screw down tight. The bottles should then be

stood on their heads and allowed to cool. Just here a word' of warning : Never place the jars to cool in a spot where they are likely to be struck by a current of cool air, because such a condition of atmosphere will often cause some of the jars to crack or burst.

Tomatoes do not require cooking like the other fruits mentioned. The following is a very satisfactory and simple method: Select medium-sized and firm fruit, and cleanse the skins by washing in warm water. Before placing in the bottles it is advisable to puncture the skin of each fruit in five or six places with a sharp skewer or darning-needle, to prevent its bursting while in the boiler. After placing the tomatoes in the bottles each bottle should be filled with water and placed in the boiler, and the whole brought to the boil. Immediately boiling has commenced hoist the jars out and screw on the caps.

Currants can be preserved in a similar manner, or cooked for eight or ten minutes in heavy syrup.

The following table shows the times required to cook the various fruits, also the quantities .of sugar to be added to a quart of wate • for preparing the syrup. The figures have been taken from a paper by Mr.- E. Shelton, Instructor in Agriculture, Queensland. I have tested these figures in actual practice for two seasons, and have found the times for cooking and the quantities of sugar as stated to be very satisfactory, but of course the quantity of sugar can be modified according to taste.

Quantity of Variety of Fruit. Time for Cooking. Sugar to Quart Minutes. of Water. Pears (halved) . . . . 20 6 oz. Peaches (halved) . . .. .. 8 4 oz. Peaches (whole) . . . . 15 4 oz. Apricots .. . . . . 15 4 oz. Quinces (sliced) .. . . .. 15 10 oz. Gooseberries .. .. .. 8 8 oz. or more. Plums ... . . . . .. 10 8 oz. Cherries .. .. .. .. 5 6 oz. Tomatoes . . .... Bring to boil None.

The New Zealand Holstein - Friesian Association has decided to drop the word “Holstein” from its name, which henceforth will be New Zealand Friesian Association. -

(Note. —The time of cooking is judged from the time the water in the copper commences to boil.)