Mother's Remedies Part 216

Then put up in small jars.

9. Citron Preserves.--Select sound fruit, pare it and divide into quarters, (carefully take out the seeds) and cut in very small pieces, any shape you desire, and weigh it. To every pound of fruit allow a half pound of loaf sugar; put the citron on to cook until it is quite clear, then remove it from the kettle where it can drain, and pour out the water it was cooked in. Then put on the sugar you have weighed, with water enough to wet it through; let it boil until very clear, and before putting in the citron again add to the syrup two large lemons sliced, and a small piece of ginger root, to give it a fine flavor; then add the citron and let all cook together about fifteen minutes; fill the jars with citron and pour over the hot syrup, then seal up.

10. Citron and Quince Preserves.--Pare and cut the citron into inch pieces; boil hard in a medium strong alum water thirty minutes; drain and boil in fresh water till the color is changed and they are tender; wash the quinces carefully, pare, quarter, core and halve the quarters; boil the cores and parings in water to cover them, an hour and a half; remove them and add the prepared juice to the liquid; boil, and when they begin to be tender, add the citron and three-fourths of a pound of white sugar to every pound of the fruit. These are delicious.

11. Preserved Pears.--Have a pan of cold water ready to drop pears into after they are pared, halved and the cores removed. This will prevent them from turning black. Select smooth, sweet pears of a kind which will not break when cooked. Put a little over one quart of granulated sugar into your preserving kettle; add just water enough to moisten the sugar; when warm put into this two quarts of pears; let them cook very slowly several hours; when the syrup is thick put your fruit in jars.

12. Pineapple Preserves.--Pare and slice the pineapple. Then weigh the fruit and allow a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit; then put a layer of the slices in a jar and cover them with a layer of sugar; do this until the apples and sugar are used up; let them stand over night. The next morning take the apples out of the syrup, cook the syrup until it thickens, replace the apples and boil fifteen minutes; remove the pineapple from the syrup and let them cool, then put in jars and pour the syrup over them. A few pieces of ginger root boiled in the syrup will improve it.

[CANNING, PICKLING AND PRESERVING 843]

13. Tomato Preserves.--Select small, pear-shaped tomatoes, not too ripe.

p.r.i.c.k with a needle to prevent bursting, and put their weight in sugar over them. Let this stand over night, then pour off the juice into a preserving kettle and boil until it is a thick syrup, clarifying it with the white of an egg; add the tomatoes and boil until they look transparent. One lemon to a pound of fruit, sliced thin and cooked with the fruit, together with a piece of ginger root, will improve it.

14. Preserved Strawberries. No. 1.--Take a couple of quarts of berries at a time, remove the stems, and place in a colander. Pour water over them to cleanse them. Make a syrup of two pounds of white sugar and a half cup of water. Drop the berries into this and allow them to boil rapidly for twenty minutes, removing all sc.u.m that rises, but do not stir the fruit.

Pour into tumblers, and when you are done cook your syrup and juice to a jelly and fill up your jelly gla.s.ses. Keep in a dry place.

15. Preserved Strawberries. No. 2.--To one pound of berries use three-fourths of a pound of sugar,--in layers (no water). Place in a kettle on the back of the stove until the sugar is dissolved into syrup; then let it come to a boil, stirring from the bottom. Spread on platters, not too thickly and set out in the hot sun till the syrup thickens--it may take two or three days. Keep in tumblers or bowls like jelly. Strawberries done in this way retain their color and flavor.

16. Spiced Currants.--Three pounds white sugar, five pounds ripe currants, one tablespoonful each of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice. Boil currants one hour, then add sugar, spices and a half pint vinegar, boil a half hour longer.

17. Spiced Gooseberries.--Six quarts gooseberries, nine pounds sugar, cook one and a half hours, then add one pint vinegar, one tablespoonful each cloves, cinnamon and allspice. Boil a few minutes. When cold they should be like jam. Boil longer if not thick enough.

18. Tomato Preserves.--Peel the tomatoes and to each pound add a pound of sugar and let stand over night. Take the tomatoes out of the sugar and boil the syrup, removing the sc.u.m. Put the tomatoes in and boil gently twenty minutes; remove fruit again and boil until the syrup thickens. On cooling put the fruit into jars and pour the syrup over. The round yellow variety of tomato should be used and as soon as ripe.

[844 MOTHERS' REMEDIES]

19. Preserved Pears.--Peel the fruit which should not be overripe, cut into halves, extract cores and throw at once into a dish of cold water.

From the water put into jars, arranging the pieces as compactly as possible, cover with cold water and then drain off. Make a syrup of sugar and water, allowing a teacupful of sugar to a jar and fill the jars to the brim; put on the covers, without rubbers and place in a kettle of cold water over the fire. The water in the kettle should come to the neck of the jars. Note carefully when the water comes to a boil, and let it boil twenty minutes or more, according to ripeness of the fruit. Take the jars from the water, adjust the rubbers and screw on the tops tighter and tighter as the jars cool. A plated knife should be used in peeling the fruit as a steel one discolors the fruit.

20. Preserved Peaches.--Plunge the fruit into boiling water to make the skins come off easily, then throw into cold water. For three pounds of fruit use one pound of sugar and half a teacup of water. When the syrup boils put in the peaches, a few at a time, and cook until tender. Fill jars as for pears. The stones will add to the flavor.

21. Brandied Peaches.--Put the peaches in boiling water for a few minutes, when the skin will peel off easily. Make a syrup of half a pound of sugar and half a teacupful of water for each pound of peaches. Skim as the sc.u.m rises in boiling, then put in the peaches and boil them gently until tender, no longer. Take them out carefully and fill your cans or jars.

Remove the syrup from the fire, and add to it half a pint of best brandy to every pound of peaches.

22. Preserved Quinces.--Pare and quarter, taking out cores and all hard parts. Boil in clear water until tender; spread out to dry. Allow a half pound of sugar and one-third cup water to a pound of fruit. When the syrup boils, put in the fruit, set back on stove and cook very slowly for an hour or more if not too tender, as the longer it cooks the brighter will be the color. Put in jars, the same as other fruit.

23. Preserved Grapes.--A delicious preserve can be made of California grapes. Cut each grape with a knife and extract the seeds; add sugar to the fruit, pound for pound; cook slowly for half an hour or longer until the syrup and pulp of the grape are perfectly clear and transparent.

24. Purple Plums Preserved.--A very fine preserve can be made from these plums, if you take equal weight of fruit and sugar. Take a clear stone jar and fill it with the fruit and sugar. First a layer of fine granulated sugar, then the plums and so on until the jar is filled. Cover them and set the jar in a kettle of water over the fire. Let them stand in the boiling water all day, filling up the kettle as the water boils away. If at any time they seem likely to ferment, repeat this process. Any housewife trying this recipe will be greatly pleased with the results.

25. Spiced Grapes.--Select five pounds of nice grapes, pulp them, and boil until tender. After the pulps are thoroughly cooked, strain through a sieve, then add to it three pounds of sugar, two teaspoonfuls of cinnamon and allspice, and half teaspoonful of cloves. Add enough vinegar and spices to suit the taste. Boil thoroughly and cool. This is very nice.

[CANNING, PICKLING AND PRESERVING 845]

26. Spiced Peaches.--Take five pounds of peaches, wipe them thoroughly and boil until tender in one quart of vinegar and two pounds of brown sugar.

When done remove them from the liquid, and add one ounce each of cinnamon, cloves and mace. Boil the liquid for some time after the spices have been added, then place the fruit in jars and pour this over them.

27. Pear Chips.--Ten pounds of pears sliced thin, seven pounds of sugar, four lemons boiled soft; press out the juice and pulp; chop the peel very fine. Boil the fruit and sugar together until soft, then add the lemon, a half pound green ginger root sc.r.a.ped and cut into small pieces. Let the above mixture boil until quite thick. This can be placed in jelly gla.s.ses, and will keep nicely. This is an excellent recipe.

JAMS AND JELLIES.

1. Crab Apple Jelly.--Select nice ripe apples, wash and cut out any imperfections; place on the stove and cover with water, cook slowly until soft enough to strain, then take them off and drain through a jelly bag.

To every four pints of juice use three pints of sugar; heat the sugar very warm in the oven. Boil the juice fourteen minutes, stir in warm sugar, and boil altogether three to five minutes, then turn into moulds or jelly gla.s.ses.

2. Apple Jelly.--After you have selected nice tart, juicy apples of good flavor, pare them, core and quarter, then put them with the skins and cores, in a jar in a slow oven. When they are quite soft, strain all through a coa.r.s.e muslin bag, pressing hard to extract all the flavor of the fruit. Put a pound of loaf sugar to every pint of juice and the juice of one lemon, and put the liquor over the fire in a preserving kettle.

Boil steadily for twenty minutes or so, skimming occasionally. Boil the jelly gla.s.ses in hot water and fill them with the jelly while hot. This jelly will keep for an unlimited time if kept in a cool, dry place.

3. Currant Jelly.--The currants should be washed very thoroughly, but do not stem; put in a kettle, scald them but do not cook. Cool and strain; boil the juice alone for twenty minutes. Weigh the sugar, and to a pint of juice use a pound of sugar. Have the sugar in the oven browning lightly and heating thoroughly. When the juice has boiled twenty minutes stir in the sugar until it dissolves; then put into gla.s.ses and keep in a cool place.

4. Blackberry Jelly.--Cook the berries until tender, then strain the juice from them. Add an equal quant.i.ty of sugar. Boil hard for twenty minutes, then pour into moulds or jelly gla.s.ses.

5. Cranberry Jelly.--Take two pounds of sugar, granulated, one quart of water and three quarts of cranberries. Cook thoroughly, mas.h.i.+ng all the berries fine, then put all through a fine sieve. Return the juice to the stove and cook fifteen minutes more; pour into gla.s.ses and seal when cool.

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6. Grape Jelly.--Select grapes that are partially ripe, as they make the prettiest jelly, and to every eight pounds of fruit take a large cupful of water; put them into a porcelain-lined kettle and boil until quite soft; strain through a cloth. Measure the juice, then measure and put away the same quant.i.ty of sugar. Let the juice boil half an hour, then add the sugar and let it boil five or ten minutes longer. All jellies to be good, should have nearly all the boiling done before the sugar is added.

7. Rhubarb and Apple Jelly.--Cut up your rhubarb and wash it; put on the fire without any water at all. Take good sour apples, pare and quarter and cook in a very little water. Strain the juice from both and put them on the stove to cook for fifteen minutes. Then add the heated sugar, using three-fourths as much sugar as juice. Boil hard for twenty minutes, turn into gla.s.ses and set in the sun, if possible, for half a day. Seal the next day.

8. Spiced Grape Jelly.--Take grapes half ripe, crush all the juice out well and strain. Take equal quant.i.ties of juice and sugar; to each quart of juice add one-half teaspoonful of cloves and one tablespoonful cinnamon. Cook very hard for twenty minutes, then remove from the stove and pour into gla.s.ses.

9. Rhubarb Jelly.--After the rhubarb has been thoroughly washed and cut up in small pieces, stew until tender in a preserving kettle. Strain through a jelly rag and flavor with extract of lemon. Put in enough to suit the taste. To each pint of juice add a pound of sugar; boil until it jellies on the skimmer, then remove and place in gla.s.ses. Keep in a cool place.