The art of cookery

To Can Peaches. — Halve and pare the peaches intended for canning, put them in glass cans, and set the cans on racks in a boiler as directed for canning strawberries. Fill the cans of fruit with a syrup made by adding one pound of granulated sugar to each pint of water used and letting it simmer five minutes, put on the caps loosely, cover the boiler, let the fruit cook half an hour, if the peaches are soft, an hour if they are hard, then screw the caps tightly on the jars, and proceed as directed for canning strawberries. To Can Pine- Apples — Pare the pine-apples, flake from the cores with a fork, fill heated glass cans with the prepared fruit, and set them on a rack in a boiler. Make a syrup by cooking together, five minutes, one pound of sugar to each pint of water. Remove the scum from the syrup, fill the cans containing the fruit with the hot syrup, screw on the caps loosely, cook half an hour, tighten the caps, and remove the cans from the boiler. When the cans are cold again tighten the caps, wrap in paper, and set in a cool, dry closet. To Can Quinces. — Quarter, pare, and core the quinces. Put the prepared fruit into a preserving kettle, cover with water, simmer until tender enough to pierce with a straw, then put into glass cans and set in a warm place. To each pint of the water in which the quinces were cooked add half a pound of granulated sugar, simmer 1 66 The Art of Cookery, five minutes, remove the scum, fill the cans containing the ft-uit with the syrup, screw on the caps, and when cold wrap in paper and put in a dry closet. To Can Pears. — If the pears are ripe and soft can like peaches ; if they are hard can like quinces. To Can Plums. — Pierce the plums with a fork, or girdle them with a knife. If they are very acid use three fourths of a pound of sugar to each pound of plums, if very mild use but a quarter of a pound of sugar to each pound of plums. Put the sugar, with half a pint of v/ater to each pound of sugar, into a preserving kettle, simmer five minutes, remove the scum, then put the plums into the syrup and cook fifteen minutes, or until the fruit is soft and looks cooked. Stir the plums frequently while cooking, and when soft put them in heated glass cans, filling the cans quite full, screw the caps on tightly, and after the cans are cold wrap in paper and set away. To Can Cherries No. i. — Fill glass cans with large, ripe cherries and set them on racks in a boiler partly filled with warm water. Make a syrup, using one pound of sugar to each pint of water, and after it has simmered five minutes fill the cans containing the fruit with it, screw -on the caps lightly, cook half an hour, then tighten the caps and remove the cans. When cold tighten the caps again, wrap the cans in paper, and set in a dry, cool closet. To Can Cherries No. 2. — Pit the cherries, put them in a preserving kettle, add half a cup of water to each quart of cherries, cover closely, heat to boiling point, simmer ten minutes, then add sugar to taste. If the Canning, Preservings and Pickling. 167