Putting Food By - Janet Greene [48]
GENERAL HANDLING
Boiling–Water Bath. Use Raw or Hot pack. Use jars or cans (plain, R-enamel, or white enamel, cans if it’s a dark grape).
Sort, wash, and stem.
YIELDS IN CANNED FRUIT
Since the legal weight of a bushel of fruits differs among states, the weights given below are average; the yields are approximate.
RAW PACK
In jars. Fill tightly but without crushing grapes, leaving ½ inch of headroom. Add boiling Medium Syrup, leaving ½ inch of headroom; adjust lids. Process in a Boiling–Water Bath (212 F/100 C)—pints for 15 minutes, quarts for 20 minutes. Remove jars; complete seals if using bailed jars.
• Adjustment for my altitude_________________.
In cans (plain, R-enamel, or white enamel). Fill, leaving ¼ inch of headroom. Add boiling Medium Syrup to top. Exhaust to 170 F/77 C (approx. 10 minutes); seal. Process in a B–W Bath (212 F/100 C)—No. 303 cans for 20 minutes, No. 401 for 25 minutes. Remove cans; cool quickly.
• Adjustment for my altitude_________________.
PREFERRED HOT PACK
Prepare as for Raw pack. Bring to a boil in Medium Syrup. Drain, reserving syrup, and pack.
In jars. Pack with hot grapes, leaving ½ inch of headroom. Add boiling syrup, leaving ½ inch of headroom; adjust lids. Process in a Boiling–Water Bath (212 F/100 C)—pints for 15 minutes, quarts for 20 minutes. Remove jars; complete seals if using bailed jars.
• Adjustment for my altitude_________________.
In cans (plain, R-enamel, or white enamel). Fill with hot grapes, leaving ¼ inch of headroom. Add boiling syrup to the top. Exhaust to 170 F/ 77 C (approx. 10 minutes); seal. Process in a B–W Bath (212 F/100 C)—No. 303 cans for 15 minutes, No. 401 for 20 minutes. Remove cans; cool quickly.
• Adjustment for my altitude_________________.
Grapefruit (or Orange) Sections
FEASIBILITY
Only if you have a good supply of tree-ripened fruits is canning worthwhile—but canning makes an infinitely handier product than freezing does. Don’t overlook Mixed Fruit; and don’t forget marmalades and conserves.
GENERAL HANDLING
Boiling–Water Bath only. Use Raw pack only. Use jars only (cans could give a metallic taste to home-canned citrus).
Wash fruit and pare, removing the white membrane as you go. Slip a very sharp thin-bladed knife between the dividing skin and pulp of each section, and lift out the section without breaking. Remove any seeds from individual sections. Prepare Thin Syrup.
RAW PACK ONLY
In jars only. Fill hot jars with sections, leaving ½ inch of headroom. Add boiling Thin Syrup, leaving ½ inch of headroom; adjust lids. Process in a Boiling–Water Bath (212 F/100 C)—10 minutes for either pints or quarts. Remove jars; complete seals if necessary.
• Adjustment for my altitude_________________.
Juices
See grouped handling at the end of Fruits section.
Peaches
FEASIBILITY
The benefits and pleasures of canning are exemplified in peaches: home-canned peaches are full of flavor, are versatile, and are considered by many cooks to be better than frozen ones.
GENERAL HANDLING
Boiling–Water Bath only. Use Raw or Hot pack. Use jars or plain cans.
Unusually good tip: halve and pit peaches preferably freestone, before they are blanched and peeled; doing so prevents the cut surfaces and the pit area from discoloring.
Wash, halve, and pit. Dip into boiling water for 5 to 15 seconds (that is, blanch), allowing the greater time for underripe fruit, and then slip off the skins. From the cavity, scrape away dark fibers with a melon-baller or small spoon. Hold peeled fruit in an anti-discoloration solution as for Apples; rinse and drain before packing. Use Thin or Medium Syrup, or a combination of juice and water/syrup.
For Peach Melba, pack as halves, Raw for best texture, in wide-mouth jars. Light corn syrup is good here: look at Liquids for Canning Fruits, earlier in this chapter.
RAW PACK
In jars only. Pack halves or slices attractively, leaving ½ inch of headroom. Add boiling syrup, leaving ½ inch of headroom; adjust lids.