PRESERVES.

IN making preserves or jellies use none but porcelain-lined or bell-metal kettles, being very careful to have them perfectly clean. Scour with sapolio or sand before using. Take plenty of time to do your work, as you will find that too great hurry is unprofitable. Use glass cans and the best white sugar, and do not have any other cooking going on while preserving, as the steam or grease will be apt to injure your preserves.

Select peaches of the finest quality. Weigh them after they are pared and stoned, and allow one pound of sugar to each pound of fruit. Crack part of the stones, extract the kernels, and steep them in a covered vessel in a very little water. Throw the peaches in cold water as soon as they are pared, to keep from discoloring. Make a syrup of the sugar, allowing a pint of water to every three pounds of sugar. Let it boil up gently, and skim until perfectly clear. It is then ready for the peaches. Boil the peaches steadily until they are tender and clear. Then take them out with a perforated skimmer and lay upon large platters to cool. Boil the syrup, add the water the kernels were steeped in, and boil fast like jelly. Skim off all the scum until it looks clear and thick like honey. Fill the peaches into your glass jars two-thirds full, and pour the boiling syrup over them. When cold cover with brandied paper. This is not necessary if you use patent glass jars with rubbers. You may then seal while hot, screwing tighter as the cans grow colder. You may cut up a whole pineapple and add to the preserves. I like the additional flavor very much, though it does not look so well as the large halves of the peaches alone.

Preserve just as you would peaches. Pare, divide, take out the cores, but leave the stems on, and boil a little bag of spices with the syrup, such as cinnamon and cloves.

Wipe the fruit carefully, and discard all that are imperfect. Now weigh the fruit and sugar accurately, and prick each plum or gage with a needle in several places. Put the sugar on to boil, allowing a pint of water to every three pounds of sugar; lay in your plums; let them boil about ten minutes; if they begin to break, take them up sooner; do this carefully with a perforated skimmer, draining them well, and lay upon a large platter. Boil the syrup until thick and clear, skimming it thoroughly. Return the plums to the boiling syrup and boil five minutes longer; then take them up again and fill in glass jars. Pour the boiling syrup over the fruit and seal. The remaining syrup makes excellent jelly.

Choose the small, yellow apple for this purpose. Take only those that are perfect, leaving the stems on. Take a pound of sugar for every pound of fruit and a bag of spices to boil with them. Boil the apples as you would quinces, until tender; then take up with a perforated skimmer. Measure the juice, allowing a pint of juice to a pound of sugar. Boil the spices again with the syrup, and add the juice of a large lemon. When the syrup is quite thick boil the apples again in the syrup for fifteen minutes. Then take them up and fill in jars, pouring the boiling syrup over all.

Choose the fine, yellow, pear-shaped quince. You may take half a pound of "Sweets" (the name of a sweet apple used to preserve with quinces). Pare, core and quarter them, and throw into cold water as you do so. Put the quinces on to boil in just enough water to cover them. Boil until tender, or until you can pierce them with a straw. In the meantime, boil the parings, seeds and cores also, in just enough water to cover them. Take up the quinces with a perforated skimmer and lay upon dishes to cool. Strain all the juice, both of the quinces and parings, through a fine wire sieve or jelly-bag, and to every pint of juice allow a pound of sugar. Boil and skim it carefully, lay in the quinces and boil twenty minutes longer. Take up the fruit and fill in jars; pour the boiling syrup over them and seal. Boil the remaining syrup to a jelly. If you use half apples be careful to cut the same size as the quinces.

Use pound for pound. Stem the currants by running a fork along the stems. Make a syrup of the sugar, putting in the currants ten minutes before adding the raspberries; boil ten minutes longer. Take up the fruit with a perforated skimmer; fill the jars, letting the syrup boil until thick; pour over the fruit hot and seal.

Allow a pound of sugar to a pound of berries. Sprinkle half a pound of sugar over every pound of fruit and let them remain this way in a covered bowl over night. In the morning make a syrup of a quart of currant juice and the remaining sugar; add the strawberries, and proceed same as with Strawberry Preserves.

These should be preserved same as above. Do not wash the berries, but pick over carefully.

Allow a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit, and a quart of water to four pounds or more of berries. Put the sugar and water over a slow fire in your preserving kettle, which should be either of brass or copper, and used for no other purpose. See that it is well scoured before using, and use a silver spoon, and do not have any other cooking done while preserving, or your fruit will not keep. While the sugar is boiling pick the berries over carefully. When the sugar has boiled to a syrup take it from the fire and put in the berries, carefully pouring the boiling syrup over them with a silver spoon, Let them remain in the syrup over night. Next day heat to boiling point, fill the cans to overflowing, and seal air-tight. In two or three days line a wash-boiler with hay, set the cans or jars of preserves in it, put sticks of wood between them to prevent jarring or falling over, and fill the boiler with cold water almost up to the neck of the cans, and let them boil about ten minutes. Then lift the boiler carefully from the stove, and leave the cans in the water until perfectly cold. Take them out and screw tighter, repeating this again in a day or so. Then wrap the cans in paper and set in a dark, cool place. The imported berries are all colored with cochineal. You may do likewise if you wish to have them highly colored. I prefer the Mason glass jars for canning and preserving. Always adjust the rubbers carefully, roll the jars in hot water, also the covers, and fill the jars to overflowing, and clap the covers on immediately.

Lay fresh figs in water over night. 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 teacupful 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. Now 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.

Take thre quarters of a pound of sugar to every pound of berries, and a cup of currant juice to every two pounds of fruit. Set the sugar and juice on to boil, skim off the scum and put in the berries, boil rapidly, stirring all the time. Put in small jars covered with brandied paper. You may make jelly out of the surplus juice. A better way is to boil the berries for half an hour with the currant juice, dip out nearly all the juice and add the sugar, boil rapidly half an hour longer with the sugar, stirring all the time.

To every pound of fruit allow one pound and a half of sugar. Boil the sugar until it is thick syrup, throw in the berries and boil until it is quite thick. Put away like jam.

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.

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 after, boil down thick and cover with brandied paper.

Pare off the green skin and take out all the inner soft part, so as to leave nothing but the hard white rind. Cut it into strips a finger in length, pour about a pint of vinegar over all, and let it remain so so until next day. Then throw them on a clean board to drip and dry each piece. Allow one lemon to two pounds of rind, and add stick cinnamon and cloves, removing the heads of the latter. Add also a very small quantity of blanched ginger root. Allow three-quarters of a pound of sugar to every pound of rind. Boil all together about three hours, remove the citron with a perforated skimmer and boil the syrup until thick, throw over rind, boil over once more next day for about fifteen minutes (be careful to remove all seeds of the lemon) and cut the lemon into thick slices. You may tie the spices in a bag if you so prefer. If you don't mind the trouble, boil the citron first in grape leaves and a little alum, which makes them green and glossy, and throw them into cold water before preserving. A few pieces of blanched ginger is a nice addition to the flavor.

Take seven pounds of nice, even-sized, small, green tomatoes, six pounds of sugar, three lemons, five cents' worth of cloves and cinnamon mixed (use only half of this) and one-half ounce of whole ginger. Pierce each tomato with a fork, heat all together slowly and boil until the tomatoes look clear. Don't use the seeds of the lemons. Take out the tomatoes with a perforated skimmer and lay on large platters and then fill in glass jars. Boil the syrup until very thick, pour over the tomatoes hot, and seal. This tastes like fig preserves.

To twelve pounds of sound, ripe tomatoes take eight pounds of sugar and three lemons, one-half ounce of cloves and one ounce of cinnamon bark. Scald the tomatoes, pare and cut up (weigh the tomatoes before scalding them), heat slowly, add sugar and boil slowly for twenty minutes, then add spices and lemons (the lemons must be sliced), extract all the seeds and boil slowly, stirring often with a silver spoon, and being very careful not to let them burn. The last hour they will require almost constant stirring. Take off the scum that rises and let it boil until very thick and dark.

Weigh the fruit, allowing three-quarters of a pound of sugar to every pound of fruit. Put the fruit on to boil without any sugar, mash it with a potato beetle and let it boil slowly for about half an hour. Dip out most of the boiling juice before adding the sugar and cook half an hour longer; then pack in pint jars. This is delicious. Now I will tell you what to do with the surplus juice, and I know you will be very thankful, for it is real nice and refreshing as a summer drink.

Weigh the fruit and allow a pound of sugar to every pound of fruit. Tie spices in a bag, such as cloves and cinnamon, and make a thick syrup of the sugar before you put in the berries. Boil half an hour and seal when cold.

To every pint of blackberry juice allow a pint of sugar and boil rapidly for five minutes by the clock--five minutes for every pint. Bottle and cork it. When cold mix with chopped ice and water, using a cupful to a quart of water. Very nice.

Pare the fruit and then weigh. Leave whole, with the stems on, and allow a pound of sugar to every pound of fruit. Put a layer of sugar at the bottom of the kettle, then one of fruit, and so on until you have used up all of both. Throw a pint of water over all and heat slowly until the sugar is melted and the fruit is heated through. Boil the pears until quite tender, then take them out with a perforated skimmer and lay upon large flat dishes until the syrup is thick. Tie up a small bag of spices, such as cloves and cinnamon bark, and let it boil rapidly with the syrup. Boil almost to a jelly, which must be clear and thick. Skim off the scum as it rises, then put in the pears again. Boil up once, then fill jars and seal. To prevent the sugar from crystalizing, which it is very apt to do with fruit like pears, dissolve a piece of alum, no larger then a pea, in a little water and add to the boiling sugar.

Pick the berries carefully and boil one hour, then add a pound of sugar to every pound of fruit, and boil for an hour and a half longer, stirring most of the time. All jams must be watched closely and stirred for fear of burning. Gooseberries should be perfectly ripe.

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 one-half 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 one-quarter of the peach kernels. Spice with cinnamon and cloves, using whole spices.

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.

Boil down any desired quantity of sweet cider in your preserving kettle to two-thirds 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 over night, then return to the preserving kettle and boil down, stirring all the while until it is the consistency of mush, and of a dark brown color.

Wipe off each quince before paring, core and slice them, weigh your fruit and sugar, allowing three-quarters 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. You may mix sweet apples with the quinces. Nice for ornamenting.

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. Very nice. It will be much easier for you to heat the pulp before straining.