George C. Husmann

“ Unfermented grape juice has no doubt been used ever since wine has been made from the grape. The following practical suggestions will enable housewives to put up unfermented juice at the time of the fruit harvest, and thus to utilize much fruit that is now annually lost through inability to preserve it in the fresh state. In this form it is a pleasant, wholesome drink and food well adapted to home use. On some farms enough such preventable wastes occur almost every year to largely reduce the possible profits, or even to cause failure to meet the running expenses of the farm. ”

“ It is evident, therefore, that grape juice is essentially an energy yielding food, and may help the body to become fatter, though it can not materially assist in building nitrogenous tissue. Sugars in moderate amounts are wholesome foods, and grape juice offers such material in a reasonably dilute as well as palatable form. Undoubtedly the agreeable flavor increases the appetite, a by no means unimportant consideration. ”

“ The value of the juice made from any grape is determined by the relative proportion and composition of these various parts.
CAUSES OF FERMENTATION.
It is well known that grapes and other fruits when ripe have the invisible spores of various fungi, yeasts (ferments) , and bacteria adhering to their skins and stems. When dry these spores are inert, but after the grapes are crushed and the spores are immersed in the juice they become active and begin to multiply. If the juice is warm, the changes take place rapidly; if, on the other hand, it is cool, the change is slower. ”

“ Time is also a factor. An organism may not be killed if heated to a high temperature and quickly cooled. If, however, the temperature is kept at the same high degree for some time, it will be killed. It must also be borne in mind that fungi, including yeasts, exist in the growing and the resting states, the latter being much more resistant than the former. A characteristic of the fungi and their spores is their great resistance to heat when dry. In this state they can be heated to 212° F. without being killed. The spores of the common mold are even more resistant. ”

“ For instance, the richer, sweeter, and better in quality the fruit we use, the richer, sweeter, and better will be our unfermented juice. If, on the other hand, the fruit is sour, green, and insipid, the juice will be likewise. ”

“ It is food and drink, refreshment and nourishment, all in one. Not a by product, but made from fruit going to waste—one of the blessings given us, that some are too careless, others too ignorant, to make use of. ”

“ Either the final sterilization in bottles has been at a higher temperature than the preceding one, or the juice has not been properly filtered or has not been filtered at all. In other cases the juice has been sterilized at such a high temperature that it has a disagreeable scorched taste. It should be remembered that attempts to sterilize at a temperature above 195° F. are dangerous, so far as the flavor of the finished product is concerned. ”

“ An ordinary cider press is not expensive; nevertheless the majority of farms do not have one, and it frequently occurs that a farm is located « 11 » so far away from any establishment dealing in such implements that the fruit might spoil or not be sufficiently valuable to justify the purchase price and time lost and expense incurred in getting it. Fig. 8 gives an illustration of a lever press, very efficient for this and similar uses, which any farmer handy with tools can make, the material for which can be found on almost any farm at any time. ”

“ Many people do not even go to the trouble of letting the juice settle after straining it, but reheat and seal it up immediately, simply setting the vessels away in a cool place in an upright position where they will be undisturbed. ”

“ Boil together 1 pound of sugar and half a pint of water until it spins a thread; take from the fire and when cool add the juice of 6 lemons and a quart of grape juice. Stand aside overnight. Serve with plain water, apollinaris, or soda water.
GRAPE SHERBET.
For 8 persons mix 1 pint of grape juice (unfermented) , juice of lemon and 1 heaping tablespoonful of gelatine, dissolved in boiling water; freeze quickly; add beaten white of 1 egg just before finish. ”

“ Mechanical means are sometimes employed. The germs are either removed by some mechanical means, such as filtering or a centrifugal apparatus, or they are destroyed by heat, electricity, etc. Of these, heat has so far been found the most practical. ”

“ Then take the bottles out and cork or seal immediately. It is a good idea to take the further precaution of sealing the corks over with sealing wax or paraffin to prevent mold germs from entering through the corks. Should it be desired to make a red juice, heat the crushed grapes to not above 200° F., strain through a clean cloth or drip bag, as shown in fig. 4 (no pressure should be used) , set away to cool and settle, and proceed the same as with light-colored juice. ”

“ This should be well considered in sterilizing bottles and corks, which should be steamed to 240° F. for at least fifteen minutes.
Practical tests so far made indicate that grape juice can be safely sterilized at from 165° F. to 176° F. At this temperature the flavor is hardly changed, while at a temperature much above 200° F. it is. This is an important point, as the flavor and quality of the product depend on it. ”

“ Then take a sulphur match, made by dipping strips of clean muslin about 1 inch wide and 10 inches long into melted brimstone, cool it and attach it to a piece of wire fastened in the lower end of a bung and bent over at the end, so as to form a hook (fig. 6) . Light the match and by means of the wire suspend it in the barrel, bung the barrel up tight, and allow it to burn as long as it will. Repeat this until fresh sulphur matches will no longer burn in the barrel. ”