substances which contain moisture. Nearly every housekeeper has seen this in the molding of a loaf of bread or cake.

In the work of canning, preserving, and jelly making it is important that the food shall be protected from the growth of molds as well as the growth of yeasts and bacteria.

To kill mold spores food must be exposed to a temperature of from 150° F. to 212° F. After this it should be kept in a cool, dry place and covered carefully that no floating spore can find lodgment on its surface.

STERILIZATION.

To sterilize a substance or thing is to destroy all life and sources of life in and about it. In following the brief outline of the structure and work of bacteria, yeasts, and molds, it has been seen that damage to foods comes through the growth of these organisms on or in the food; also that if such organisms are exposed to a temperature of 212° F., life will be destroyed, but that spores and a few resisting bacteria are not destroyed at a temperature of 212° F., unless exposed to it for two or more hours.

Bacteria and yeasts, which are intimately mixed with food, are not as easily destroyed as are those on smooth surfaces, such as the utensils and jars employed in the preparation of the food.

Since air and water, as well as the foods, contain bacteria and yeasts, and may contain mold spores, all utensils used in the process of preserving foods are liable to be contaminated with these organisms. For this reason all appliances, as well as the food, must be sterilized.

Stewpans, spoons, strainers, etc., may be put on the fire in cold or boiling water and boiled ten or fifteen minutes. Tumblers, bottles, glass jars, and covers should be put in cold water and heated gradually to the boiling point, and then boiled for ten or fifteen minutes. The jars must be taken one at a time from the boiling water at the moment they are to be filled with the boiling food. The work should be done in a well swept and dusted room, and the clothing of the workers and the towels used should be clean. The food to be sterilized should be perfectly sound and clean.

As in this bulletin we have only to do with fruits, it will not be necessary to say anything more about long cooking at a high temperature.

In canning fruits it is well to remember that the product is more satisfactory if heated gradually to the boiling point and then cooked the given time.

UTENSILS NEEDED FOR CANNING AND PRESERVING.

In preserving, canning, and jelly making iron or tin utensils should never be used. The fruit acids attack these metals and so give a bad color and metallic taste to the products. The preserving kettles should be porcelain lined, enameled, or of a metal that will not form troublesome chemical combinations with fruit juices. The kettles should be broad rather than deep, as the fruit should not be cooked in deep layers. Nearly all the necessary utensils may be found in some ware not subject to chemical action. A list of the most essential articles follows:

Two preserving kettles, 1 colander, 1 fine strainer, 1 skimmer, 1 ladle, 1 large-mouthed funnel, 1 wire frying basket, 1 wire sieve, 4 long-handled wooden spoons, 1 wooden masher, a few large pans, knives for paring fruit (plated if possible), flat-bottomed clothes boiler, wooden or willow rack to put in the bottom of the boiler, iron tripod or ring, squares of cheese cloth. In addition, it would be well to have a flannel straining bag, a frame on which to hang the bag, a sirup gauge and a glass cylinder, a fruit pricker, and plenty of clean towels.

The regular kitchen pans will answer for holding and washing the fruit. Mixing bowls and stone crocks can be used for holding the fruit juice and pared fruit. When fruit is to be plunged into boiling water for a few minutes before paring, the ordinary stewpans may be employed for this purpose.

Fig. 1.—Wire basket.

Scales are a desirable article in every kitchen, as weighing is much more accurate than the ordinary measuring. But, knowing that a large percentage of the housekeepers do not possess scales, it has seemed wise to give all the rules in measure rather than weight.

If canning is done by the oven process, a large sheet of asbestos, for the bottom of the oven, will prevent the cracking of jars.

The wooden rack, on which the bottles rest in the washboiler, is made in this manner: Have two strips of wood measuring 1 inch high, 1 inch wide, and 2 inches shorter than the length of the boiler. On these pieces of wood tack thin strips of wood that are 1½ inches shorter than the width of the boiler. These cross-strips should be about 1 inch wide, and there should be an inch between two strips. This rack will support the jars and will admit the free circulation of boiling water about them. Young willow branches, woven into a mat, also make a good bed for bottles and jars.

Fig. 2.—Wire sieve.

The wire basket is a saver of time and strength (fig. 1). The fruit to be peeled is put into the basket, which is lowered into a deep kettle partially filled with boiling water. After a few minutes the basket is lifted from the boiling water, plunged for a moment into cold water, and the fruit is ready to have the skin drawn off.

Fig. 3.—Fruit pricker.

A strong wire sieve is a necessity when purées of fruit are to be made (fig. 2). These sieves are known as purée sieves. They are made of strong wire and in addition have supports of still stronger wire.

A fruit pricker is easily made and saves time (fig. 3). Cut a piece half an inch deep from a broad cork; press through this a dozen or more coarse darning needles; tack the cork on a piece of board. Strike the fruit on the bed of needles, and you have a dozen holes at once. When the work is finished, remove the cork from the board, wash and dry thoroughly. A little oil on the needles will prevent rusting. With needles of the size suggested there is little danger of the points breaking, but it is worth remembering that the use of pricking machines was abandoned in curing prunes on a commercial scale in California because the steel needles broke and remained in the fruit.

Fig. 4.—Wooden vegetable masher.

A wooden vegetable masher is indispensable when making jellies and purées (fig. 4).

Fig. 5.—Glass cylinder (A) and sirup gauge (B).

A sirup gauge and glass cylinder (fig. 5 A and B) are not essential to preserving, canning, and jelly making, but they are valuable aids in getting the right proportion of sugar for fruit or jelly. The sirup gauge costs about 50 cents and the cylinder about 25 cents. A lipped cylinder that holds a little over a gill is the best size.

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