Every Step in Canning Part 11

Apricots are delicious combined with pineapple.

Blackberries, elderberries and loganberries make delicious juices and shrubs for summer beverages.

The total time of making blueberry jelly need not exceed 10 minutes.

Cranberries are not always put through a jelly bag, but are rubbed through a sieve.

Cherries are most delicious if preserved in the sun. A good combination for preserves is equal parts of cherries and strawberries.

Crab apples can be combined with some juices, such as peach, pear and pineapple, to furnish necessary pectin.

One-half currants and one-half raspberries make a delicious jelly; currants are in best condition for jelly making from June 28 to July 3.

Black currant jam is considered quite a delicacy these days.

Acid grapes are best for jelly; sweet, ripe grapes contain too much sugar. Equal portions ripe and green grapes are satisfactory.

If gooseberries are fully ripe they make finer-flavored jam than do green-as-gra.s.s gooseberries.

Some women are successful in making peach jelly, but be sure to test for pectin before completing the process, to save time and effort.

Pineapple is best canned alone or used as foundation for conserves.

An underripe, acid plum is best.

Plums and apples combined make an excellent tasting jelly.

Quince parings are often used for jelly, the better part of the fruit being used for preserving.

Raspberries and other berries should not be gathered after a rain, for they will have absorbed so much water as to make it difficult, without excessive boiling, to get the juice to "jell."

Rhubarb is an excellent foundation for the more expensive fruit. It will take the flavor of other fruits and thus we can make an otherwise expensive jam "go a long way."

Strawberries combine well with other fruits and can be utilized in many ways.

Select sour, smooth-skinned oranges.

Lemon Marmalade. After the 9 oranges and 6 lemons are sliced, put in kettle; add 4 quarts water, cover and let stand 36 hours; then boil 2 hours. Add 8 pounds sugar and boil one hour longer.

Grapefruit used alone is bitter. Oranges or lemons or both are usually combined with grapefruit.

All wild fruits or berries used for jelly making must be fresh and not overripe. Barberry jelly is firmer and of better color if made from fruit picked before the frost comes, while some of the berries are still green.

CHART FOR JELLY AND JAM MAKING

KIND OF FRUIT CHARACTER OF HOW TO AMOUNT OF AMOUNT OF FRUIT PREPARE WATER NEEDED SUGAR NEEDED FOR COOKING FOR JELLYING ------------------------------------------------------------------- APPLES, SOUR Excellent Wash, One-half as cupful of for jelly discard any much water sugar to 1 making unsound as fruit cupful of portions, juice cut into small pieces. Include APRICOTS Not suitable Leave a few For jam use cupful of for jelly stones in just enough sugar to 1 making. for flavor. water to cupful of Excellent keep from apricots for for jam. burning jam BLACKBERRIES Excellent Wash 1 cupful of cupful of for jelly water to 5 sugar to 1 making quarts of cupful of berries juice BLUEBERRIES Excellent Wash 1 cupful of 1 cupful of for jelly water to 5 sugar to 1 making; make quarts of cupful of a sweet berries juice jelly CRANBERRIES Excellent Wash One-half as cupful of for jelly much water sugar to 1 making as berries cupful of juice CHERRIES Pectin must Pit the For jam, use cupful of be added for cherries for just enough sugar to 1 jelly making jam water to cupful of keep from cherries for burning jam CRAB APPLES Excellent Same as One-half as cupful of for jelly apples much water sugar to 1 making as apples cupful of juice CURRANTS, RED Excellent Do not 1 cupful of 1 cupful of for jelly remove stems water to 5 sugar to 1 making for jelly quarts of cupful of currants juice CURRANTS, Better for Remove stems Enough water cupful of BLACK jam to keep from sugar to 1 sticking cupful of currants GRAPES, Excellent Wash, do not 1 cupful of 1 cupful of UNRIPE for jelly stem; use water to 5 sugar to 1 making stems quarts of cupful of grapes juice GOOSEBERRIES Excellent "Head and 1 cupful of 1 cupful of for jelly tail," using water to 5 sugar to 1 making scissors quarts of cupful of gooseberries juice PEACHES Pectin must Peaches, Just enough cupful of be added for apples and water to sugar to 1 jelly making raisins make keep from cupful of a delicious burning juice conserve PINEAPPLES Pectin must Prepare as For jams, cupful of be added for for table enough water sugar to 1 jelly making use to keep from cupful of burning juice PLUMS, Suitable for Mash fruit 1 quart of cupful of GREENGAGE jelly making and remove water for sugar to 1 stems; cook each peck of cupful of stones with fruit juice fruit PLUMS, DAMSON Suitable for Wipe and 1 quart of cupful of jelly making pick over; water for sugar to 1 p.r.i.c.k every peck cupful of several of plums juice times with large pin QUINCES Excellent Cut out the One-half as cupful of for jelly blossom end. much water sugar to 1 making, if Mash and cut as quinces cupful of not too in quarters juice ripe. If so, add crab apple RASPBERRIES Excellent Wash them 1 cupful of 1 cupful of for jelly thoroughly, water to 5 sugar to 1 making but do not quarts of cupful of let them berries juice soak in the water RHUBARB Pectin must Wash and cut For jam, cupful of be added for into small half as much sugar to 1 jelly pieces water as cupful of making. fruit. juice Better for jam. STRAWBERRIES Pectin must Wash and For jam, cupful of be added for remove just enough sugar to 1 jelly hulls. water to cupful of making. keep from pulp.

burning. CITRUS FRUITS ORANGES Excellent For orange Cook in Three-quarters for jelly marmalade water to their weight making and weigh cover. in sugar.

marmalade oranges slice cross- wise with sharp knife as thin as possible; remove seed. LEMONS Excellent For 8 pounds of for jelly marmalade 9 sugar making and oranges and to supply 6 lemons are pectin to a good other fruits combination GRAPEFRUIT Best for Grapefruit Three-quarters marmalades is sliced their weight very thin, in sugar.

seed removed. WILD FRUITS RASPBERRIES, All Prepare as Just enough 1 cupful of BLACKBERRIES, excellent other water to sugar to 1 BARBERRIES, for jelly fruits. keep from cupful of GRAPES, BEACH making. burning. juice.

PLUMS. -------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER VII

MEAT

Canned meat adds variety to the diet in the winter-time and makes a pleasant change from the cured and smoked meats. You put meat into jars in the raw state and extend the sterilizing period or you can cook the meat partially or completely and then sterilize for a shorter period of time. Of course a reliable method of canning meat must be used, such as the cold-pack process, where the sterilizing is done in the tin or jar in either boiling water or steam under pressure. We usually recommend the partial cooking, roasting or boiling of the meat before canning especially for beginners. If you are a beginner in the business of cold-pack canning then by all means cook the meat before putting it in cans. If you have canned peas, beans and corn successfully for years then you are ready for all kinds of raw meat canning.

To save criticism of the cold-pack method of canning meat and to guard against any danger from eating poorly prepared and improperly sterilized meat we do not urge beginners to experiment with meat, although the meat can be safely canned by any one whether new at the canning game or a veteran in it if directions are carefully followed.

But it is the big "If" that we have to watch.

Many farmers and farmerettes are canning meats of all kinds all over the country and there is never a can lost. We need more meat canning done at home and you can do it if you will practice cleanliness in all your work and follow directions.

The fear of getting botulinus bacteria from eating canned meat is just a "bug-a-boo." It should be clearly understood that botulism is one of the very rare maladies. The chances for getting it by eating canned goods, say the experts, is rather less than the chances from dying of lockjaw every time you scratch your finger. To regard every can as a source of botulism is worse than regarding every dog as a source of hydrophobia. Moreover, for the very timid, there is the comforting certainty that the exceedingly slight danger is completely eliminated by re-cooking the canned food for a short time before eating it.

There are always a few cases of illness traceable to bad food, not only to canned food but to spoiled meats, fish, bad milk, oysters and a number of things. There are also cases of injury and death by street accidents, but we do not for that reason stop using the streets. If you put good meat into the can and do your canning right then you will have good results. Never put into a can meat that is about ready to spoil, thinking thereby to "save it."

If you want to be absolutely sure, even if the jar of meat seems perfectly fresh when it is opened, you can re-cook the meat, thus insuring yourself against any possibility of botulinus poisoning. So you see, there is nothing at all alarming about that frightful sounding word "botulinus." Using fresh products, doing the canning properly and reheating before serving eliminates all danger.

For canning meat, tin cans are in most respects superior to gla.s.s, as they eliminate all danger of breakage, preserve the meat just as well as gla.s.s, and by excluding the light prevent any change of color. If you use gla.s.s jars be sure to get the best brand of jar rubbers on the market. This is very important.

If, as I have said, you are a beginner--cook the meat first by frying, roasting, broiling, baking or stewing--just as you would prepare it for immediate use. The meat is usually seasoned according to taste and is cooked until thoroughly heated through, before putting in the cans.

Do not cook until tender as that will be too long with the additional sterilizing. If too tender it will fall apart and be unappetizing although perfectly good. See that nothing is wasted in the canning. If you are canning a young steer or a calf you would go about it as follows:

Select the meat that you would ordinarily want. Slice the meat wanted for steak. What is not suited for either of these can be used for stews, or be put through the meat grinder and made into sausage meat, formed into little cakes, fried and canned. What meat is left clinging to all bones will be utilized when the bones are boiled for soup stock. The sinews, the head and the feet, after being cleaned may be used for soup stock also.

The liver should be soaked in water, the coa.r.s.e veins cut out and the liver skinned and prepared any way that is desired before canning it or it may be made into liver sausage. The heart can be used for goulash. The kidneys should be soaked in salt water, split open and the little sack removed; then they can be either stewed or fried and then canned. The sweetbreads may be prepared in various ways and then canned.

The brain is soaked in water to remove the blood, and the membrane enclosing it is removed. It can be fried or prepared in any favorite way and then canned. The ox tail is used for soup. The tongue is soaked in water, scrubbed, cleaned, salted, boiled, skinned and packed in cans with some soup stock added.

If you do not care to use the head for soup stock and if it comes from a young animal, split it open and soak in cold water. Use a brush and scrub thoroughly. Remove the eyes and mucous membrane of the nostrils and then boil it. After it is boiled, remove all meat and make a mock turtle stew or ragout. Prepare the tripe as for table use and then can.

After the soup stock is made and the bones are cracked for a second cooking, the bones need not be thrown away. You can dry them, run them through a bone crusher and either feed them to the chickens or use them for fertilizer. In this way not a particle of the dressed animal is wasted.

Here are a few ways to utilize the cuts that are really "left-overs."

GOULASH

2 Pounds of meat sc.r.a.ps which can consist of beef, veal or pork.

2 Ounces of any fat.

2 Onions chopped fine.

1 Stalk celery, cut in small pieces.

2 Carrots.

2 Cups tomatoes either canned or fresh.

1 Bay leaf.