225 recipes for British Columbian fruit, during the First World War, 1916 and 1918

1916

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A Little will work wonders when used in conjunction with many of the recipes contained in this booklet, lending that touch of individuality that often turns an ordinary dish into a delightful dainty.  Remarkably strong and not baking out.  Why not give it a trial?

1918

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Preserve your fruits without sugar

The high price of sugar, due to the war, has possibly led some economical housewives (without the vote) to consider curtailing the quantities of fruit they will put up this year.

As to the general question of economy, it may be pointed out that while so many essential articles of food have risen in price on account of the war, fruit has been, and will be as cheap as ever.  There will be a decided saving, therefore, in using it to replace as far as possible, other more expensive foods.  It should be further considered that war conditions have greatly increased the cost of English jams, so that it will be economy to replace these as far as possible with home-made jams and preserves.

With regard to the high price of sugar, why use sugar at all?  The prevalent idea that fruit cannot be kept without the addition of sugar in the process of canning is quite a mistake.   If made into a thick syrup, sugar acts as an antiseptic, keeping perfectly sound fruit from decay even in without heat, bu, in the quantities ordinarily used in canning, it takes absolutely no part in the preservation of the fruit from deterioration.  Authorities all agree that fruit put up without sugar retains its delicate and distinctive flavor very much better, and is altogether superior to that put up in the ordinary way.  Of course, sugar will eventually have to be used in preparing the fruit for the table, but much less is required to sweeten to taste after cooking.  This is so for a well-understood, scientific reason.  Our ordinary white granulated is a pure cane sugar, and is the sweetest of all sugars.   When cane sugar is heated in the presence of an acid, it gradually changes into other forms of sugar having much less sweetening power.  One of these, glucose, has only about 30 per cent the sweetening power of pure cane sugar.

And for Laila Yuile who likes sugar........rhubarb:

Rhubarb Fool

Page 14 of 83  Note: teacupful= 4 fluid ounces

Cut a dozen sticks of rhubarb into small pieces; put them in a jar with 3 oz. moist sugar and a teacupful of water, and place in the oven till the juice is drawn out.  Beat to a pulp and press through a sieve.  Stir in a teacupful of milk, or more if necessary.  Set it aside till cold, then put in custard glasses.

Rhubarb Butter

Wash and chop fine the desired amount of rhubarb.  To each pound allow in pint of sugar and just enough water to keep it from burning.  Let it simmer very gently for an hour or even longer.   The time depends entirely upon the age of the rhubarb.   An asbestos mat should be kept under the preserving kettle and the rhubarb stirred frequently.  This makes a delicious butter, which may be varied by adding half an orange pulp, when a delicious marmalade may be the result.

NB:
1916 No vote for Women

1917  Vote for Women

1918 Women's Sufferage

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Commenter SailorBob has an excellent link to Fruit Ranching in British Columbia 1909 


1890 BC Fruit Growers Association has some interesting names, like in Street Names in BC eg. J M Spinks

Directors