Canning fruits
by olivia law
Over the 19 pages of instructions on how to can fruit, Mrs Andrea acknowledges the importance of gathering fruits in accordance to the season. She recommends beginning the canning process as soon after picking as possible. Mrs Andrea’s tone is, as in the rest of the book, very conversational. She italicizes the important words, and takes the time to explain the pros and cons of various jars in relation to different fruits.
Inside this section of the book, there is a cut-out from a newspaper – the beginning of an article on domestic sciences, model kitchens and the “analytical age.” The paper inside the book has discoloured slightly where the cut-out has been folded for so long, showing the acidity of the newspaper paper.
The writer here, Mollie Glenn, was – according to a 1990 paper on BC Studies – the society and women’s pages editor for the Evening Sun, and demonstrated an ability to exercise a certain amount of social control. Writers in this position were generally looked down upon by others in the journalistic profession, but clearly provided relevant information to women like Mrs Andrea.
Most of the chapter is similar in style to the previous – the name of the fruit is typed in bold, and is followed by a paragraph or two of instructions, tips and ideas of what to look for in the process. Syrups for the canned fruits in the chapter are divided by Mrs Andrea as “thin, medium-thin, medium-thick and thick.” The method for these syrups are used for all recipes in the chapter.
Mrs Andrea never spears to use weights in her recipes for the fruit, but the liquids – both for syrups and for the sterilization – are always quantified.