Part 32

Wash and pick ripe cranberries and set on to boil in a porcelain-lined kettle closely covered. When soft strain the pulp through a fine wire sieve. Measure the juice and add an equal quantity of sugar. Set it on to boil again and let it boil very fast for about ten minutes--but it must boil steadily all the time. Wet a mold with cold water, turn the jelly into it and set it away to cool, when firm turn it into a glass salver.

*PRESERVED FRUIT*

PRESERVED FIGS

Lay fresh figs in water overnight. Then simmer in water enough to cover them until tender, and spread upon dishes to cool. Make a syrup of a pound of sugar to every pound of fruit. Allow a small teacup of water to a pound of sugar. Boil until a very clear syrup; remove every particle of scum; put in the figs and boil slowly for ten minutes. Take them out and spread upon dishes, and set them in the hot sun. Add the juice of as many lemons as you have pounds of sugar, and a few small pieces of ginger. Boil this syrup until thick. Boil the figs in this syrup for fifteen minutes longer. Then fill in glass jars three-quarters full, fill up with boiling syrup and cover. When cold, screw air-tight or seal.

PRESERVED CHERRIES

The sour red cherries, or "Morellas," are the best for preserves. Never use sweet ones for this purpose. Stone them, preserving every drop of juice, then weigh the cherries, and for every pound take three-quarters of a pound of sugar. Set the sugar and juice of the cherries on to boil, also a handful of the cherry stones pounded and tied in a thin muslin bag. Let this boil about fifteen minutes. Skim off the scum that rises. Now put in the cherries, and boil until the syrup begins to thicken like jelly. Remove from the fire, fill in pint jars, and when cold, cover with brandied paper and screw on the cover tight.

PRESERVED PEACHES

Weigh one pound of sugar for each pound of fruit. After weighing them brush each peach with a stiff whiskbroom. This should be done in putting up peaches in any way. After brushing them peel the peaches very thin with a sharp silver knife. Do not use a knife with a steel blade, as it discolors the fruit. As fast as the peaches are peeled lay them on porcelain platters. Put the peelings in the preserving kettle with enough water to keep from sticking. Stand the kettle over rather a quick fire and let the peelings boil with the kettle covered until very soft. Then drain them through a colander and pour the juice strained back into the kettle. Add sugar to this and let it simmer gently until it is a thick syrup. During the time the syrup is cooking it must be frequently stirred and skimmed. As soon as the syrup is thick enough, drop in the peaches, twelve at a time if for quart jars, and six at a time if for pint jars. Let the peaches cook gently until each one may easily be pierced with a broom splint.

Then quickly skim them out and lay them on a platter to cool. Repeat this process until all the peaches are done, then let the syrup cook until thick as molasses. Skim it thoroughly. When cool put the peaches, one at a time, in the jars with a spoon. When the syrup is sufficiently thick, pour it through a strainer over the peaches in the jars until they are full, then seal down quickly and stand them upside down for several hours before putting them in the store-room.

STRAWBERRIES IN THE SUN

To two pounds of berries take two pounds of sugar and three-quarters cup of water. Put the syrup in the preserving kettle; bring it to a boil and cook for about ten minutes, or until it begins to thicken. Add the berries; cook for ten minutes and pour them out in shallow dishes or meat platters. Cover with sheets of glass, allowing a little air for ventilation; place in the sun until the juice is thick and syrupy. This will take two days or more, but the rich color and delicious flavor of the fruit will fully repay the effort expended. Put into small jars or tumblers and cover according to directions.

PRESERVED STRAWBERRIES

To one pint of strawberries take one pint of sugar and one-half cup of water. Unless strawberries are cooked in the sun they should be prepared only in small quantities or they will be dark and unpalatable. If the following directions are carefully observed the berries will be plump and of a rich red color.

Bring the sugar and water to a boil; add the strawberries and cook ten minutes. Remove the berries carefully with a skimmer and cook the syrup until it is of the consistency of jelly. Return the berries to the syrup; bring all to a boil and when cool put in glass tumblers.

STRAWBERRIES AND PINEAPPLE

Follow the recipe for Preserved Strawberries, using two-thirds pineapple and one-third strawberries.

PRESERVED PINEAPPLE

To one pineapple take three-quarters of its weight in sugar and one cup of water. Peel the pineapple and put it through the food-chopper. Weigh and add three-quarters of the weight in sugar. Bring slowly to a boil and simmer for about twenty minutes, or until the consistency of marmalade.

PRESERVED DAMSON PLUMS

Pick the plums over carefully, removing every one that has a decayed spot or blemish. Leave the stems on. After picking the fruit over, wash it carefully in cold water; then weigh it and allow one pound of sugar to each pound of fruit. Put a gill of water in the preserving kettle for each pound of sugar, stand the kettle over a moderate fire and add the sugar. Stir it almost constantly with a wooden spoon until the sugar melts; then turn on a little more heat and let the melted sugar boil gently until it is a thick syrup. Stir, and skim it frequently. When the required thickness (which should be like syrup used for griddle cakes) put the plums in the boiling syrup and let them cook gently for half an hour; then skim out the plums and put them in glass jars, filling each jar half full. Let the syrup boil till almost as thick as jelly, then pour it in the jars, filling them quite full. Fasten the tops on and stand the jars upside down until the preserves are cold; then put them where they are to be kept for the winter.

DAMSON JAM

Weigh 3/4 of a pound of sugar for each pound of fruit. After washing the plums carefully, put them in a preserving kettle with just enough water to keep them from sticking to the bottom. Set them over a moderate fire and let them simmer for half an hour; then turn them, juice and all, into a colander, filling the colander not more than half full. Have the colander set over a large earthen bowl. With a potato masher, press juice and pulp through the colander into the bowl, leaving skins and pits as dry as possible. Remove these from the colander and repeat the process until all the pulp and juice is pressed out; then pour it into the kettle and, while it is heating slowly, heat the sugar in the oven. As soon as the juice and pulp begins to simmer stir in the hot sugar, and when it drops from the spoon like a thick jelly pour it into the glasses. This is one of the most delicious fruit preserves made and is always acceptable with meat and poultry or as a sweetmeat at afternoon teas.

RASPBERRY JAM

To five pounds of red raspberries (not too ripe) add five pounds of loaf sugar. Mash the whole well in a preserving kettle (to do this thoroughly use a potato masher). Add one quart of currant juice, and boil slowly until it jellies. Try a little on a plate; set it on ice, if it jellies remove from the fire, fill in small jars, cover with brandied paper and tie a thick white paper over them. Keep in a dark, dry, cool place. If you object to seeds, press the fruit through a sieve before boiling.

JELLIED QUINCES

Jellied quinces are made after the direction for preserved quinces, only the fruit is cut in tiny little pieces and when put in the syrup is allowed to cook twenty minutes longer, and is put in small glasses with the syrup and not skimmed out as for preserves. Leave the glasses open till the jelly sets, then cover.

QUINCE CHEESE

Wipe off each quince before paring, core and slice them, weigh your fruit and sugar, allowing 3/4 of a pound of sugar for every pound of fruit and set the sugar aside until wanted. Boil the skins, cores and seeds in a clean vessel by themselves, with just enough water to cover them. Boil until the parings are soft, so as to extract all the flavor, then strain through a jelly-bag. When this water is almost cold, put the quinces in the preserving kettle with the quince water and boil until soft, mash with a wooden spoon or beetle. Add the juice of an orange to every two pounds of fruit, being careful not to get any of the seeds into the preserves. Now add the sugar and boil slowly for fifteen minutes, stirring constantly; if not thick enough boil longer, being very careful not to let it burn. Take off the fire and pack in small jars with brandied paper over them.

PRESERVED QUINCES

The quince that comes first into the market is likely to be wormy and corky, and harder to cook than the better ones. It requires a good deal of skill to cook quince preserves just right. If you cook them too much they are red instead of a beautiful salmon shade, and they become shriveled, dry and tart, even in the sweetest syrup, instead of full and mealy, and sweet.

Weigh a pound of sugar for each pound of fruit. Wipe each quince carefully with a coarse linen towel. Peel, quarter and core the quinces. Put peels and cores in the preserving kettle with just water enough to cover them, and let them simmer with the kettle covered for two hours. Then strain the liquor through a fine sieve and return it to the kettle.

Cut the quartered quinces in small pieces and put as many of them in the kettle as the liquor will cover. Let them boil gently, with the kettle uncovered, until so tender they may be easily pierced with a broom splint. Take them out with a skimmer and lay on flat dishes to cool. Repeat this process until all the fruit is properly cooked; then put the sugar in the liquor and let it boil gently to a thick syrup; put in as many of the cooked quinces as the syrup will cover and let them cook in the syrup for twenty minutes; skim them out and lay on flat dishes to cool. Repeat this process until all the quinces are cooked in the syrup.

When they are cool put the quinces in glass jars, filling each one half full. Let the syrup boil until very thick, stirring it frequently and skimming it clear. Then pour it through a fine strainer, while very hot, over the fruit; and as soon as a jar is full, fasten on the cover. It is tiresome work to preserve quinces, but the result pays for all the trouble.

CITRON PRESERVE

Pare and core the citron; cut it into strips and notch the edges; or cut it into fancy shapes. Allow a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit, and to six pounds of the fruit allow four lemons and a quarter of a pound of ginger root. Tie the ginger in a cloth, and boil it in a quart and a half of water until the flavor is extracted; then remove it, and add to the water the sugar and the juice of the lemons; stir until the sugar is dissolved and the syrup is clear; take off any scum; then add the citron and cook until it is clear, but not soft enough to fall apart. Can and seal while hot.

MARMALADES

Marmalades require great care while cooking because no moisture is added to the fruit and sugar. If the marmalade is made from berries the fruit should be rubbed through a sieve to remove the seeds. If large fruit is used have it washed, pared, cored, and quartered.

Measure the fruit and sugar, allowing one pint of sugar to each quart of fruit.

Rinse the preserving kettle with cold water that there may be a slight coat of moisture on the sides and bottom. Put alternate layers of fruit and sugar in the kettle, having the first layer fruit. Heat slowly, stirring frequently. While stirring, break up the fruit as much as possible. Cook about two hours, then put in small sterilized jars.

ORANGE MARMALADE

The white part between the yellow rind and the inner skin of the orange used to be most sedulously removed, but now we know that there is great economy in using it. By doing so we can use large quantities of water in proportion to fruit, for it has the property of converting this into jelly.

The Seville orange used to be the orange used in Scotland and England for marmalades because of its bitter flavor, but we can get the same effect by using the grapefruit. An all grapefruit marmalade is not nearly so attractive and pretty as one of combined fruits, nor does it have the zest that the grapefruit seems to give to a marmalade where it is only one of the constituents.

AMBER MARMALADE

Slice thin, skin and all, one grapefruit, one orange, one lemon. Add to this three times its measure of water and allow to stand overnight. Cook for ten minutes the next morning and then allow to stand until the next morning, when finish by adding as much sugar as there is liquid and boiling slowly until done, or until it jellies. The time commonly given is two hours, but a half hour less than this is ample.

RHUBARB AND ORANGE MARMALADE

Cut three pounds of pie plant into small pieces (unpeeled). Peel three oranges and cut into small pieces. Put with this two cups of sugar and the grated rind of one orange. Let stand overnight. Cook until clear, stirring often. Then add three pounds of granulated sugar heated in oven. Cook until clear; ten to twenty minutes. Pour into jelly glasses and cover with paraffin.

APPLE AND QUINCE CONSERVE

A novelty for the preserve closet and one that is very good is made from ripe apples and quinces. Use one peck of juicy cooking apples and two quarts of sugar. Pare the quinces and cut out the cores. Put the parings and cores into a preserving kettle with two quarts of water and boil gently for forty-five minutes. Meanwhile, cut the quinces into eighths, put them into a kettle with three pints of water and simmer until the fruit can be pierced with a straw; then lift the fruit from the water and lay them on a platter to drain. Strain the water in which the parings and cores have cooked into the water in which the quinces have cooked, and after adding the sugar boil for ten minutes. Pare, core and quarter the apples, and place in the syrup with the cooked quinces. Cook slowly for fifteen minutes and seal immediately in sterilized jars. The combined flavors of the quince and apple are very pleasing.

CHERRY CONSERVE

Take three and 1/2 pounds of large red cherries, stone them and cook for fifteen minutes. Heat two and 1/2 pounds of sugar in the oven; add it to the cherries; also 1/4 pound of seeded raisins and the juice and pulp of three oranges. Cook until the mixture is as thick as marmalade.

APPLE BUTTER

Boil down any desired quantity of sweet cider in your preserving kettle to 2/3 the original quantity. Pare, core and slice as many wine apples as you wish to use. Boil slowly, stirring often with a silver or wooden spoon. Spice with stick cinnamon and cloves, and sweeten to taste. Boil from four to five hours; take from the fire, pour all together into a large crock. Cover and let it stand overnight, then return it to the preserving kettle and boil down, stirring all the while until it is the consistency of mush, and of a dark brown color.

GRAPE PRESERVES

Squeeze the pulp into one bowl and put the skins into another. Press the pulp through a sieve, weigh the grapes before you squeeze them and allow three-quarters of a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit. Put the strained pulp and sugar on to boil, the skins also, and boil slowly until thick. It will be much easier for you to heat the pulp before straining.

GERMAN PRUNE BUTTER

Remove pits and wash prunes, take three-quarters of a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit, and enough water to keep from burning; do not stir but remove from the sides of the kettle occasionally. Let boil for hours; when done, place in glasses. Let cool; cover with paraffin.

CHERRY MARMALADE

To three pounds of sweet and one pound of sour cherries allow two pounds of sugar. Weigh the cherries when stemmed and pitted. Make a syrup of the sugar, add cinnamon bark and cloves. Put in the sweet cherries first, adding the sour ones half an hour later; boil down thick and cover the jars with brandied paper.

GRAPE CONSERVE

Remove the stems and skins from five pounds of grapes and boil the pulp until tender; then press it through a sieve. Boil the skins of three juicy oranges until tender, then chop fine. Put the grape skins and the pulp into a saucepan; add the orange juice, the boiled skins, five pounds of sugar, one pound of raisins--the muscat seeded--and one pound of shelled walnuts and boil until quite thick.

PLUM CONSERVE, No. 1

Wash five pounds of blue plums or German Prunes, cut them in halves and remove the stones. Peel four oranges, slice them fine and cut each slice in half. Cut the rind of two of the oranges into small squares, add one pound of seeded raisins. Take a measure of sugar and a measure of the mixture, place in preserving kettle on the stove and let come slowly to the boiling point and cook steadily for several hours until the fruit is clear and thick. Put in jelly glasses or jars.

PLUM CONSERVE, No. 2

Wash three pounds of German prunes, remove the stones and cut them into small pieces. Mix one pound of seeded raisins, two oranges cut in small pieces, the juice of two lemons, one pound English walnuts broken in chunks, and three pounds of sugar. Place all the ingredients in the preserving kettle on the stove and let come slowly to the boiling point and cook steadily until the fruit is clear and thick. Put in jelly glasses or jars.

PEACH SYRUP

This is very nice for all kinds of griddle cakes. Use the peelings of your peaches when you are through canning and preserving. Add 1/3 of the peach kernels and put all on to boil in a stone jar on the back of the stove with a little water. When soft, strain through a jelly-bag by letting it drip all night. In the morning add the juice of two or three lemons and boil as you would jelly. Set a pint of juice on to boil and boil for five minutes. Add a pound of sugar and boil five minutes more, but it must boil very hard. Bottle in wide-mouthed bottles or jars. Seal.

PEACH BUTTER

Weigh the peaches after they are pared and pitted. Allow a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit. Cook the peaches alone until soft, then add 1/2 of the sugar and stir frequently. In half an hour put in the remaining sugar. Now watch carefully, stirring almost constantly for two hours. Boil slowly, and add 1/4 of the peach kernels. Spice with cinnamon and cloves, using whole spices.

RAISIN COMPOTE

Peel six oranges (California), cut the skin in very small narrow strips, or run through a food chopper. Slice the oranges very thin and quarter the slices. Let it stand overnight in three pints of cold water. Place this in a preserving kettle with three pounds of seeded raisins, three quarts of currants (picked and washed) and three pounds of granulated sugar. Boil all together for two hours and put in glass jars, closing them while hot.

If preferred, three pints of currant juice strained may be used instead of the whole fruit. This compote will keep perfectly well after the jar is opened.

PICKLED PEACHES

Brush but do not peel the peaches. Select medium-sized ones. When all are well brushed, stick each peach quite full of cloves.

Make a thick syrup of half a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit. Cook the peaches in the syrup until they may be easily pierced with a broom splint. Then carefully skim them from the syrup and after they have cooled on the platters put them in glass jars or stone crocks. To the syrup in the kettle add a few pieces of stick cinnamon and a few whole allspice. Add half a pint of good cider vinegar and a tablespoon of tarragon vinegar to each quart of syrup, and when the syrup just comes to a boil after adding the vinegar pour it over the peaches. Delicious with cold chicken.

SPICED GRAPES

Pulp seven pounds of Concord grapes; cook the pulp and skins until soft; put them through a fine sieve; then add four and one-half pounds of granulated sugar, one pint of cider vinegar, two tablespoons of ground cinnamon, and two tablespoons of ground cloves. Bring to a boil; then cook slowly for one and one-half hours. Put in an earthen crock when cool.

This recipe may also be used with currants; use five pounds of sugar instead of four and one-half pounds.

GREEN OR YELLOW PLUM TOMATO PRESERVES

Wash and dry four pounds of small yellow or green tomatoes and prick each one in five or six places. Stir three pounds of sugar in one-half cup boiling water until dissolved; add the tomatoes and cook until clear. When half done add the juice and the rind of two lemons sliced very thin. When the fruit is clear remove it with a skimmer; put in small jars, filling them two-thirds full. Boil the syrup fast for a few minutes longer or until thick and syrupy, fill up the jars; cover with a cloth until the next day; then cover closely and stand away in a cool place.

SPICED OR PICKLED APPLES