titles should be so arranged as to be placed near the kitchen fire when
taken in at night or during stormy days. Those who have hot-bed
sash, can easily arrange a drying apparatus which will dry rapidly
and at the same time keep ofiF insects. A hot-bed frame with a-
bottom to it) and raised above the ground, makes a capital drying
box. The sash should be elevated at one end to allow the moisture
to pass off, covering the opening with netting. Or the fruit will dry
nicely if spread in shallow boxes or box covers, covered with mos-
quito netting to prevent flies reaching it. When impossible to dry
out of doors, the fruit may be placed on plates and dried in the oven,
but care must be taken to prevent scorching. A recently patented
convenience is a fruit evaporator for family use, which consists of
a rectangular pan of thick tin about two and a half feet long by four*
teen inches wide, with a double bottom. The space between the
bottoms is filled with hot water by means of a little pipe that pro-
jects to the top of pan from one comer ; the fruit is placed on the
upper bottom and the separator is set on the stove or range to keep
the water hot. The pan can be moved about on the range, or set off
for a few minutes if wished and the fruit dries rapidly with no dan-
ger of burning. Methods of preparing and drying the different fruits
are described hereafter. When thoroughly dried, put away in jars
in dry places and cover closely, or tie up in paper sacks. The secret
of keeping dried fruit is to exclude the lighty and to keep in a rfry
and cool place. Paper sacks, or a barrel or box lined with papen
are secure against moths. Reheating fruit, which is necessary if it
becomes damp, makes it dark in color and impairs its flavor, and
should be avoided if possible by keeping in a thoroughly dry place.
When a jar or sack of dried fruit is opened, always fill a fruit can
or small sack, land keep for present use, to avoid opening often. It
is said that dried fruit put away with a little sassafras bark (say a
large handful to a bushel) will keep for years unmolested by those
troublesome little insects which so often destroy hundreds of bush-
els in a single season.
, Any of the fruits that have been preserved in syrup may be con-
verted into dry preserves by first draining them from the syrup, and
then drying them in a stove or very moderate oven, adding to them
a quantity of powdered loaf sugar, which will gradually penetrate
the fruit, while the fluid parts of the syrup gently evaporate. They
should be dried in the stove or oven on a sieve, and turned every six
DBIED FRUITS. 811
or eight hours, fresh powdered sugar being sifted over them every
time they are turned. Afterwards, they are to be kept dry in draw-
ers or boxes. Currants and cherries preserved whole in this manner,
in bunches, are extremely elegant, and have a fine flavor.
Fruits of every kind may be candied by first boiling them in
syrup, then take out and dry in a pan on stove or before the fire ;
boil the syrup to a candy, dip fruit into it once more, and set to dry.
Put into covered boxes or patent jars it will keep a long time.
To freshen figs, wash them thoroughly and dry on a towel .and
' heat them in the oven ; take out and roll in powdered sugar.
Page 259
Presented as published in 1890. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
A modernized reading is not available for this page yet. You are seeing the original text.
titles should be so arranged as to be placed near the kitchen fire when
taken in at night or during stormy days. Those who have hot-bed
sash, can easily arrange a drying apparatus which will dry rapidly
and at the same time keep ofiF insects. A hot-bed frame with a-
bottom to it) and raised above the ground, makes a capital drying
box. The sash should be elevated at one end to allow the moisture
to pass off, covering the opening with netting. Or the fruit will dry
nicely if spread in shallow boxes or box covers, covered with mos-
quito netting to prevent flies reaching it. When impossible to dry
out of doors, the fruit may be placed on plates and dried in the oven,
but care must be taken to prevent scorching. A recently patented
convenience is a fruit evaporator for family use, which consists of
a rectangular pan of thick tin about two and a half feet long by four*
teen inches wide, with a double bottom. The space between the
bottoms is filled with hot water by means of a little pipe that pro-
jects to the top of pan from one comer ; the fruit is placed on the
upper bottom and the separator is set on the stove or range to keep
the water hot. The pan can be moved about on the range, or set off
for a few minutes if wished and the fruit dries rapidly with no dan-
ger of burning. Methods of preparing and drying the different fruits
are described hereafter. When thoroughly dried, put away in jars
in dry places and cover closely, or tie up in paper sacks. The secret
of keeping dried fruit is to exclude the lighty and to keep in a rfry
and cool place. Paper sacks, or a barrel or box lined with papen
are secure against moths. Reheating fruit, which is necessary if it
becomes damp, makes it dark in color and impairs its flavor, and
should be avoided if possible by keeping in a thoroughly dry place.
When a jar or sack of dried fruit is opened, always fill a fruit can
or small sack, land keep for present use, to avoid opening often. It
is said that dried fruit put away with a little sassafras bark (say a
large handful to a bushel) will keep for years unmolested by those
troublesome little insects which so often destroy hundreds of bush-
els in a single season.
, Any of the fruits that have been preserved in syrup may be con-
verted into dry preserves by first draining them from the syrup, and
then drying them in a stove or very moderate oven, adding to them
a quantity of powdered loaf sugar, which will gradually penetrate
the fruit, while the fluid parts of the syrup gently evaporate. They
should be dried in the stove or oven on a sieve, and turned every six
DBIED FRUITS. 811
or eight hours, fresh powdered sugar being sifted over them every
time they are turned. Afterwards, they are to be kept dry in draw-
ers or boxes. Currants and cherries preserved whole in this manner,
in bunches, are extremely elegant, and have a fine flavor.
Fruits of every kind may be candied by first boiling them in
syrup, then take out and dry in a pan on stove or before the fire ;
boil the syrup to a candy, dip fruit into it once more, and set to dry.
Put into covered boxes or patent jars it will keep a long time.
To freshen figs, wash them thoroughly and dry on a towel .and
' heat them in the oven ; take out and roll in powdered sugar.