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.
