WOMEN'S WORLD APPLES

Te Ao Hou, December 1955, Page 57

WOMEN'S WORLD APPLES By BETTY M. JOHNSTON FIELD OFFICER IN RURAL SOCIOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE WELLINGTON Soon the apple crop will be ready for harvesting and in many homes the later varieties will be stored away for winter eating. A good way to store apples is to pack them in a wooden fruit case lined with clean brown paper (newspaper should not be used) and to cover them with another layer of brown paper. The box is then put away in a cool, dry shed or in a cave made in the earth in the side of a hill. A sack can be fastened over the entrance of the storage cave. Apples can be bottled in the same way as peaches or pears. 1. First, choose sound, well-matured fruit without any cracks or spots of rot or blight. 2. Wash the fruit, peel and core it and cut into slices. To stop the apple slices from discolouring, allow them to drop into a large bowl of cold water which has had 2 teaspoons of salt dissolved in it. 3. Wash the jars and lids thoroughly, rinsing them with clean water. Stand them in hot water or on a warm rack until they are needed. Boil the inner seals gently in water for. 3 minutes. 4. Make a syrup of 1 cup of sugar to 1 cup of water. Partly cook the sliced apples in some of this syrup. 5. Pack the partly cooked apples to a halfinch from the top of the hot jars. Wipe the rims with a clean, newly boiled cloth and carefully place the inner seals in position. Screw on the outer caps. The lids should be tightly screwed