CHAPTER XVI.

PRESERVES AND JELLIES.

_General Directions for making Preserves and Jellies._

Gather fruit when it is dry.

Long boiling hardens the fruit.

Pour boiling water over the sieves used, and wring out jelly-bags in hot water the moment you are to use them.

Do not squeeze while straining through jelly-bags.

Let the pots and jars containing sweetmeats just made remain uncovered three days.

Lay brandy papers over the top, cover them tight, and seal them, or, what is best of all, soak a split bladder and tie it tight over them. In drying, it will shrink so as to be perfectly air-tight.

Keep them in a dry, but not warm place.

A thick leathery mould helps to preserve fruit, but when mould appears in specks, the preserves must be scalded in a warm oven, or be set into hot water, which then must boil till the preserves are scalded.

Always keep watch of preserves which are not sealed, especially in warm and damp weather. The only sure way to keep them without risk or care, is to make them with enough sugar and seal them, or tie bladder covers over.

_To Clarify Syrup for Sweetmeats._

For each pound of sugar, allow half a pint of water. For every three pounds of sugar, allow the white of one egg.

Mix when cold, boil a few minutes, and skim it. Let it stand ten minutes, and skim it, then strain it.

_Brandy Peaches._

Prick the peaches with a needle, put them into a kettle with cold water, scald them until sufficiently soft to be penetrated with a straw. Take half a pound of sugar to every pound of peach; make the syrup with the sugar, and while it is a little warm, mix two-thirds as much of white brandy with it, put the fruit into jars, and pour the syrup over it. The late white clingstones are the best to use.

_Peaches (not very rich)._

To six pounds of fruit, put five of sugar. Make the syrup. Boil the fruit in the syrup till it is clear. If the fruit is ripe, half an hour will cook it sufficiently.

_Peaches (very elegant)._

First take out the stones, then pare them. To every pound of peaches, allow one-third of a pound of sugar. Make a thin syrup, boil the peaches in the syrup till tender, but not till they break. Put them into a bowl, and pour the syrup over them. Put them in a dry, cool place, and let them stand two days. Then make a new rich syrup, allowing three quarters of a pound of sugar to one of fruit. Drain the peaches from the first syrup, and boil them until they are clear, in the last syrup. The first syrup must not be added, but may be used for any other purpose you please, as it is somewhat bitter. The large white clingstones are the best.

_To preserve Quinces Whole._

Select the largest and fairest quinces (as the poorer ones will answer for jelly). Take out the cores and pare them. Boil the quinces in water till tender. Take them out separately on a platter. To each pound of quince, allow a pound of sugar. Make the syrup, then boil the quinces in the syrup until clear.

_Quince Jelly._

Rub the quinces with a cloth, until perfectly smooth. Remove the cores, cut them into small pieces, pack them tight in your kettle, pour cold water on them until it is on a level with the fruit, but not to cover it; boil till very soft, but not till they break.

Then dip off all the liquor you can, then put the fruit into a sieve, and press it, and drain off all the remaining liquor.

Then to a pint of the liquor add a pound of sugar, and boil it fifteen minutes. Pour it, as soon as cool, into small jars, or tumblers. Let it stand in the sun a few days, till it begins to dry on the top. It will continue to harden after it is put up.

_Calf’s Foot Jelly._

To four nicely-cleaned calf’s feet, put four quarts of water; let it simmer gently till reduced to two quarts, then strain it, and let it stand all night. Then take off all the fat and sediment, melt it, add the juice, and put in the peel of three lemons, and a pint of wine, the whites of four eggs, three sticks of cinnamon, and sugar to your taste. Boil ten minutes, then skim out the spice and lemon peel, and strain it.

The American gelatine, now very common, makes as good jelly, with far less trouble, and in using it you only need to dissolve it in hot water, and then sweeten and flavor it.

_To preserve Apples._

Take only tart and well-flavored apples, peel, and take out the cores without dividing them, and then parboil them. Make the syrup with the apple water, allowing three quarters of a pound of white sugar to every pound of apples, and boil some lemon peel and juice in the syrup. Pour the syrup, while boiling, on to the apples, turn them gently while cooking, and only let the syrup simmer, as hard boiling breaks the fruit. Take it out when the apple is tender through. At the end of a week boil them once more in the syrup.

_Pear._

Take out the cores, cut off the stems, and pare them. Boil the pears in water, till they are tender. Watch them, that they do not break. Lay them separately on a platter as you take them out. To each pound of fruit, take a pound of sugar. Make the syrup, and boil the fruit in the syrup till clear.

_Pineapple (very fine)._

Pare and _grate_ the pineapple. Take an equal quantity of fruit and sugar. Boil them slowly in a sauce-pan for half an hour.

_Purple Plum.--No. 1._

Make a rich syrup. Boil the plums in the syrup very gently till they begin to crack open. Then take them from the syrup into a jar, and pour the syrup over them. Let them stand a few days, and then boil them a second time, very gently.

_To preserve Oranges._

Boil the oranges in soft water till you can run a straw through the skin.

Clarify three quarters of a pound of sugar for each pound of fruit, take the oranges from the water, and pour over them the hot syrup, and let them stand in it one night. Next day, boil them in the syrup till it is thick and clear. Then take them up, and strain the syrup on to them.

_Purple Plum.--No. 2._

Take an equal weight of fruit, and nice brown sugar. Take a clean stone jar, put in a layer of fruit and a layer of sugar, till all is in. Cover them tightly with dough, or other tight cover, and put them in a brick oven after you have baked in it. If you bake in the morning, put the plums in the oven at evening, and let them remain till the next morning. When you bake again, set them in the oven as before. Uncover them, and stir them carefully with a spoon, and do as not to break them. Set them in the oven thus _the third_ time, and they will be sufficiently cooked.

_White, or Green Plum._

Put each one into boiling water, and rub off the skin. Allow a pound of fruit to a pound of sugar. Make a syrup of sugar and water. Boil the fruit in the syrup until clear, about twenty minutes. Let the syrup be cold before you pour it over the fruit. They can be preserved without taking off the skins, by pricking them. Some of the kernels of the stones boiled in give a pleasant flavor.

_Citron Melon._

Two fresh lemons to a pound of melon. Let the sugar be equal in weight to the lemon and melon. Take out the pulp of the melon, and cut it in thin slices, and boil it in fair water till tender. Take it out and boil the lemon in the same water about twenty minutes. Take out the lemon, add the sugar, and, if necessary, a little more water. Let it boil. When clear, add the melon, and let it boil a few minutes.

_Strawberries._

Look them over with care. Weigh a pound of sugar to each pound of fruit. Put a layer of fruit on the bottom of the preserving kettle, then a layer of sugar, and so on till all is in the pan. Boil them about fifteen minutes. Put them in bottles, hot, and seal them. Then put them in a box, and fill it in with dry sand. The flavor of the fruit is preserved more perfectly, by simply packing the fruit and sugar in alternate layers, and sealing the jar, without cooking. But the preserves do not look so well.

_Blackberry Jam._

Allow three quarters of a pound of brown sugar to a pound of fruit. Boil the fruit half an hour, then add the sugar, and boil all together ten minutes.

_To preserve Currants to eat with Meat._

Strip them from the stem. Boil them an hour, and then to a pound of the fruit, add a pound of brown sugar. Boil all together fifteen or twenty minutes.

_Cherries._

Take out the stones. To a pound of fruit, allow a pound of sugar. Put a layer of fruit on the bottom of the preserving kettle, then a layer of sugar, and continue thus till all are put in. Boil till clear. Put them in bottles, hot, and seal them. Keep them in dry sand.

_Currants._

Strip them from the stems. Allow a pound of sugar to a pound of currants. Boil them together ten minutes. Take them from the syrup, and let the syrup boil twenty minutes, and pour it on the fruit. Put them in small jars, or tumblers, and let them stand in the sun a few days.

_Raspberry Jam.--No. 1._

Allow a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit. Press them with a spoon, in an earthen dish. Add the sugar, and boil all together fifteen minutes.

_Raspberry Jam.--No. 2._

Allow a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit. Boil the fruit half an hour, or till the seeds are soft. Strain one quarter of the fruit, and throw away the seeds. Add the sugar, and boil the whole ten minutes. A little currant juice gives it a pleasant flavor, and when that is used, an equal quantity of sugar must be added.

_Currant Jelly._

Pick over the currants with care. Put them in a stone jar, and set it into a kettle of boiling water. Let it boil till the fruit is very soft. Strain it through a sieve. Then run the juice through a jelly-bag. Put a pound of sugar to a pint of juice, and boil it together five minutes. Set it in the sun a few days.

_Quince Marmalade._

Rub the quinces with a cloth, cut them in quarters. Put them on the fire with a little water, and stew them till they are sufficiently tender to rub them through a sieve. When strained, put a pound of brown sugar to a pound of the pulp. Set it on the fire, and let it cook slowly. To ascertain when it is done, take out a little and let it get cold, and if it cuts smoothly it is done.

Crab-apple marmalade is made in the same way.

Crab-apple jelly is made like quince jelly.

Most other fruits are preserved so much like the preceding, that it is needless to give any more particular directions, than to say that a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit is the general rule for all preserves that are to be kept through warm weather, and a long time.

_Preserved Watermelon Rinds._

This is a fine article to keep well without trouble for a long time. Peel the melon, and boil it in just enough water to cover it till it is soft, trying with a fork. (If you wish it green, put green vine leaves above and below each layer, and scatter powdered alum, less than half a teaspoonful to each pound.)

Allow a pound and a half of sugar to each pound of rind, and clarify it as directed previously.

Simmer the rinds two hours in this syrup, and flavor it with lemon peel grated and tied in a bag. Then put the melon in a tureen, and boil the syrup till it looks thick, and pour it over. Next day, give the syrup another boiling, and put the juice of one lemon to each quart of syrup. Take care not to make it bitter by too much of the peel.

Citrons are preserved in the same manner. Both these keep through hot weather with very little care in sealing and keeping.

_Preserved Pumpkin._

Cut a thick yellow pumpkin, peeled, into strips two inches wide, and five or six long.

Take a pound of white sugar for each pound of fruit, and scatter it over the fruit, and pour on two wine-glasses of lemon juice for each pound of pumpkin.

Next day, put the parings of one or two lemons with the fruit and sugar, and boil the whole three quarters of an hour, or long enough to make it tender and clear without breaking. Lay the pumpkin to cool, strain the syrup, and then pour it on to the pumpkin.

If there is too much lemon peel, it will be bitter.