The Frontier

Guard Sugar Supply: Use It Carefully When Doing Canning

Cherries red, cherries ripe yield bright jewel-colored jams and jellies to brighten the table. Make a small quantity this year to save on sugar. Short cooking protects their fresh color.

One of our longest-lasting shortages is still with us this summer when we do our canning. Yes, it's sugar. Those of you who before and during the war learned of the great usefulness of the well-stocked canning cupboard will again make your plans for canning this summer. And, in spite of sugar difficulties, the canning cupboard can still be filled to the brim to help tide over those days when you have just to reach out and get fruit, jams, pickles or vegetables.
Tomatoes were mighty scarce this past year for folks who did not have their own supply. We don't know yet what the supply picture is for the coming year, but home-canned tomato juice is so delicious it would be well to put up your own. Here's how:

Tomato Juice.
Use firm, red-ripe, freshly picked tomatoes. Discard any that are bruised or specked with decay and fungus. Wash carefully and leave whole to steam; or, cut into small pieces and cook until soft. Press hot tomatoes through a sieve and re-heat to the simmering point. Pour into hot, sterile jars and process for 20 minutes in a hot-water bath at the simmering point, or 10 minutes at the boiling point.

If you like to use tomato puree for cooking during the fall and winter, you'll want a supply of that on hand, too. I'm giving you a recipe for the seasoned type which is perfectly delicious to use for casseroles and meat dishes. Don't forget that a supply of homemade tomato soup and vegetable soup comes in mighty handy on busy days, and there's no time like the present to can it:

Tomato Puree.
4 quarts chopped tomatoes
6 onions
3 carrots
2 cups chopped celery
3 sweet peppers
Salt and pepper

Wash, chop and measure firm, ripe tomatoes. Steam until soft. Press through fine sieve and cook until thick. Chop other vegetables, cover with boiling water and cook until soft. Press through a sieve and add to tomato pulp. Reheat and pour into sterilized jars. Process 60 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Tomato Soup.
1 teaspoon mixed spices
6 quarts chopped tomatoes
1 cup chopped parsley

Add spices to vegetables and water and simmer until soft. Drain and save juice. Press vegetables through a fine sieve. Melt butter, add flour, stir until blended and add juice. Stir until smooth and thick. Add vegetables, sugar, salt and pepper. Cook until thick. Pour into sterile jars and process 35 minutes at 10 pounds pressure or 2 hours in a hot water bath. Thin with water or soup stock before serving.

Vegetable Soup Mixture.
5 quarts chopped tomatoes
2 quarts sliced okra or small green lima beans
2 quarts corn
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons salt

Cook tomatoes until soft, then press through sieve, removing skin and seeds. Add other ingredients and cook until thickened. Pour into sterile jars and process at 10 pounds pressure for 60 minutes.

Our jelly recipes are smaller in quantity this season because we know that you'll want to save sugar for actual fruit canning. A few jars of jelly or jam, however, and some of the pickles are an excellent picker-upper, so do make up a few jars of each.

Peach Jam.
(Makes 6 6-ounce glasses)
2½ cups fruit
2½ cups sugar
1 bottle fruit pectin

Peel and pit about 2½ pounds fully ripe peaches. Crush or chop very fine. Measure 2½ cups into a large saucepan. Add sugar to fruit in saucepan and mix well. Place over high heat and bring to a full rolling boil and boil hard one minute, stirring constantly.

Fully ripe peaches are best for making luscious jams. They will not turn dark if cooked quickly with pectin added to insure jelling quality.

Remove from heat and stir in bottled fruit pectin. Stir and skim by turns for three minutes to cool fruit slightly, to prevent floating fruit. Pour quickly into glasses. Paraffin at once.

Sour Cherry Jam: make as directed above, using 1½ pounds of fully ripe sour cherries to get 2½ cups of fruit. Use 3½ cups of sugar.

Jams are made by cooking crushed fruits with the sugar until the mixture shows little or no free liquid. They require about ¾ pound of sugar to each quart of fruit. One-half of the sugar may be replaced with honey or corn syrup in the following recipe, which may be used for blackberries, dewberries, loganberries, raspberries, boysenberries or youngberries.

Berry Jam.
Wash and crush the berries. Add ¼ cup water to each quart of berries. Cook until soft. Press the cooked berries through a strainer to remove seeds, if necessary. Add ¾ pound sugar (or half sugar and half corn syrup) to each pound of berries. Boil until thick. Pour, boiling hot, into sterile jars and seal at once.

Any of the current crops of fruits may also be used for jams. Use ¾ as much sugar as fruit and make sure the jam is cooked until thick, with no free liquid. You'll have to stir frequently to keep the jam which is a very thick mixture, from burning.

Released by Western Newspaper Union.

Lynn Says:
Don't Waste Fats:
Those extra household fats are still needed for making soap, nylons and other essentials. What you cannot use at home, store in a can and give to your butcher.

To render fat, collect any excess fat trimmings from uncooked or cooked meat and store in refrigerator until you have collected a goodly portion. Grind or chop them fine, then render over a slow flame, a double boiler or in a slow oven (while you roast meat, for example). Strain through a cloth and keep refrigerated.

Crush or grind the cracklings—the small crisp pieces left after fat is rendered—and use in quick breads, particularly corn bread.

Use cured pork rinds for seasoning vegetables, casseroles and other cooking.

Skim excess fat from soups, gravies and stews and use in making gravies and sauces.

Rendered fats may be used in all types of frying at home or for spiced cakes and cookies.