Putting Food By - Janet Greene [104]
JUICE
For beverages, use ripe currants. For future jellies, mix in some slightly underripe currants for added pectin.
Crush currants and warm to 165 F/74 C over low heat until juice is released. Drain through a jelly bag. Cool.
Wet pack, juice. Sweeten with ¾ to 1 cup sugar to each 1 quart of juice, or pack unsweetened. Leave appropriate headroom. Seal; freeze.
Gooseberries
Wash; remove stems and tails. If Dry packing, scatter washed berries in a single layer on cloth or paper towels and allow to air dry.
Dry pack, no sugar. (Best for future pies and preserves.) Pack whole berries; leave ½ inch of headroom. Seal; freeze.
Wet pack, syrup. Cover whole berries with 50 percent Syrup. Leave appropriate headroom. Seal; freeze.
Raspberries
The versatile and very tender raspberries freeze even better than strawberries do. The wild ones, though small, have fine flavor. Really seedy berries are best used in purée or as juice.
WHOLE
If you picked the raspberries yourself, from unsprayed bushes, you may wish to freeze without washing, especially if Dry packing, as washing damages the texture of these berries. Otherwise, sort, wash very carefully in cold water, and drain thoroughly. If Dry packing, arrange washed berries hulled side down in a single layer on cloth or paper towels and allow to air dry.
Dry pack, no sugar. Fill containers gently, leaving ½ inch of headroom. Seal; freeze.
Wet pack, sugar. In a shallow pan, carefully mix ¾ cup sugar with each 1 quart of berries so as to avoid crushing. Pack; leave ½ inch of headroom. Seal; freeze.
Wet pack, syrup. Cover with 40 percent Syrup. Leave appropriate headroom. Seal; freeze.
CRUSHED OR PURÉED
Crush or sieve washed berries.
Wet pack, juice. Add ¾ to 1 cup sugar to each 1 quart of berry pulp; mix to dissolve sugar. Pack; leave appropriate headroom. Seal; freeze.
JUICE
Select fully ripe raspberries. Crush and slightly heat berries until juice is released. Or use a juice extractor. Strain through a jelly bag.
Wet pack, juice. For beverage, sweeten with ½ to 1 cup sugar to each 1 quart of juice. (For future jelly, do not sweeten.) Pour into containers; leave appropriate headroom. Seal; freeze.
Strawberries
Choose slightly tart firm berries with solid red centers. Plan to slice or crush the very large ones. Sweetened strawberries hold better than unsweetened.
WHOLE
Sort; wash in cold water; drain. Remove hulls.
Wet pack, sugar. In a shallow pan, add ¾ cup sugar to each 1 quart of berries and mix thoroughly. Pack; leave ½ inch of headroom. Seal; freeze.
Wet pack, syrup. Cover berries with cold 50 percent Syrup. Leave appropriate headroom. Seal; freeze.
Wet pack, water (unsweetened). To protect the color of the berries, cover them with water in which 1 teaspoon crystalline ascorbic acid to each 1 quart of water has been dissolved. Leave appropriate headroom. Seal; freeze.
SLICED OR CRUSHED
Wash and hull as for whole berries, then slice or crush partially or completely.
Wet pack, sugar. Add ¾ cup sugar to each 1 quart of berries in a shallow pan. Mix thoroughly. Pack; leave appropriate headroom. Seal; freeze.
JUICE
Crush berries; hold berries at 165 F/74 C until juice is released. Or use a juice extractor. Drain juice through a jelly bag.
Wet pack, juice. Add ⅔ to 1 cup sugar to each 1 quart of juice—or omit sugar if you wish. Pour into containers; leave appropriate headroom. Seal; freeze.
Cherries, Sour (for Pie)
As pie timber these are better canned ready to bake (see two recipes in Chapter 12); but if you want to freeze them, here’s how.
WHOLE
Use only tree-ripened cherries. Stem, wash, drain, and pit. (The rounded end of a clean paper clip makes a good cherry-pitter.)
Wet pack, sugar. Add ¾ cup sugar to 1 quart of pitted cherries; stir until dissolved. Pack, leaving appropriate headroom. Seal; freeze.
Wet pack, syrup. Cover pitted cherries with cold 60 to 65 percent Syrup. Leave appropriate headroom. Seal; freeze.
CRUSHED
Wet pack, juice. Add 1 to 1½ cups sugar to each 1 quart of crushed cherries. Mix well. Pack;