Posted 10 years ago
UncleRon
(41 items)
One of the early methods of preserving fruit was to pack it in barrels with large amounts of sugar. The sugar helped to dehydrate the fruit and keep the air from it. After long periods of storage the mixture became very solid. The fruit auger, referred to colloquially as a "sugar devil," was essentially a drill which was used to break out chunks of the preserved fruit. This one is cast iron, 16" long, with a wooden handle inserted through a sleeve at the top. On the shaft is cast "Patd. July 27, '76."
Don't know a thing about either early or current preservation methods. Was the fruit in the (wooden???) barrel covered during the process (with a wooden lid???) or left uncovered? After preservation was completed, was the fruit covered or left uncovered??? Was the barrel kept in a temperature-controlled room during the preservation process??? After??? Fascinating stuff, early technology and how far we've "advanced". Thanks for sharing. ; )
As I understand it the simplest technique is to put the fruit in layers in a wooden barrel, cover it with coarsely ground sugar, and alternate layers. The sugar draws water out of the fruit thus inhibiting microbial growth but the entire mass gets fairly solid. The barrel could be sealed for shipment but left with only a loose cover to keep out dirt (perhaps in your "cold cellar") after being opened for use. You probably would want to use the fruit before the humid days of summer set in (remember, this is before air conditioning or even really humidity-tight buildings). Meat was preserved in this way with salt.
Thanks, UncleRon ~ GREAT info!