Then pour over the fruit and repeat this process three days in succession. Remove the heads of the cloves, for they will turn the fruit black. You may strain the vinegar after the first boiling, so as to take out the spices, if you choose. Seal as you would other fruit. Be sure that the syrup is cold before you pour it over the cherries.
SPICED CUc.u.mBERS
Take nice firm cuc.u.mbers, slice thin and salt overnight. In the morning take vinegar sufficient for covering the quant.i.ty prepared, mixed spices and sugar according to taste. Put on to cook and when boiling put in the cuc.u.mbers and cook for thirty minutes. Delightful as a relish, and can be kept for a long time if put in airtight jars.
PICKLED PEARS
Pears should always be peeled for pickling. If large cut them in half and leave the stems on. The best pear for this purpose, also for canning, is a variety called the "Sickle Pear." It is a small, pulpy pear of delicious flavor. Throw each pear into cold water as you peel it. When all are peeled weigh them and allow four pounds and a half of white sugar to ten pounds of fruit. Put into the kettle with alternate layers of sugar and half a cup of water and one quart of strong vinegar.
Add stick cinnamon and a few cloves (remove the soft heads). Heat slowly and boil until tender, then remove them with a perforated skimmer, and spread upon dishes to cool. Skim the boiling syrup and boil fifteen minutes longer. Put the pears in gla.s.s jars or a large earthen jar, the former being preferable, and pour the syrup and spices boiling hot over the fruit. When cold seal.
GINGERED PEARS
Pare, core and cut small, eight pounds hard pears (preferably the fresh green Bartlett variety), half as much sugar, quarter pound Canton ginger. Let these stand together overnight. In morning add one pint of water, four lemons, cut small. Cook slowly for three hours. Pour into small jars. Seal when cold. Keeps indefinitely.
SPICED GERMAN PLUMS
Wash the plums, remove the stones and in place of the stones put in almonds. Take the best wine vinegar, water and sugar to taste. Tie in a bag some whole cinnamon, cloves, and allspice; boil together with vinegar. After boiling, let it get lukewarm, then pour over the prunes.
Let stand, and each day for nine days let vinegar come to a boil and pour over prunes. The last day cook the vinegar down some, then put in the prunes and let come to a boil; there should be sufficient liquid to cover them. Keep in a stone or gla.s.s jar. Grapes (Concord) may be spiced the same way.
GOOSEBERRY RELISH
Cut the brush part from the berry, but leave the stem on, wash thoroughly and let drip in colander overnight. For eight pounds of berries prepare a syrup of six pounds of sugar and three cups of water.
When syrup has boiled till clear put in the berries and boil for three-quarters of an hour. Put in jars or gla.s.ses.
PICKLED FIGS
Boil the figs in water one and one-half hours, then drain and weigh. To seven pounds fruit use the following syrup: Three pounds of sugar, one pint of vinegar, two ounces of whole cinnamon, two ounces of whole peppers, one ounce of cloves, one orange, and two lemons sliced. Boil syrup one-half hour, add fruit and boil slowly two hours.
*BRANDIED FRUITS*
MeLANGE
This French fruit preserve is truly delicious, and should be put up in the month of June. To every pound of fruit take one pound of sugar. It requires no cooking at all, and is therefore easily made. Get the largest and soundest berries in the market. Pick two quarts and lay them in a new and perfectly clean two-gallon stone jar and cover with two pounds of the finest granulated sugar. Stone as many pounds of red, black, and white cherries as you wish to use, and add the same quant.i.ty of sugar. You may also use bananas, pineapples or oranges. Seed the latter carefully. Be sure to weigh all the fruit, and allow one pound of sugar to every additional pound of fruit. Pour over the fruit a pint of pure alcohol. Tie up the jar with thick paper, and in season add peaches, apricots, raspberries, blackberries, large, red currants; in fact, all kinds of fruit. Green-gages and purple and red plums also add both to looks and taste. Be sure to add the same amount of sugar as you do fruit, but no more alcohol. In the fall of the year pack in gla.s.s jars; looks very pretty. Keep it in a dry, cool place. There is always a surplus of juice, which makes excellent pudding sauce. Add a little water and thicken.
FRENCH PRUNES IN COGNAC
Lay the prunes in white wine for two days; then put on a wire sieve to drip, but do not squeeze them. When they look dry, which will be in about half an hour, lay in gla.s.s jars with alternate layers of sugar and stick cinnamon and a few pieces of mace and a very few cloves. When the jars are full, fill up with cognac and seal. Set in the sunniest place you can find for three days.
BRANDIED PEACHES
Select only the largest and finest quality of clingstone peaches. Allow a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit, and a pint of the best brandy to every four pounds of peaches. Make a syrup of the sugar with enough water to just dissolve it, and boil about half a dozen blanched peach kernels with it. When the syrup boils put in the fruit and let it boil about five minutes. Remove the fruit carefully upon platters, and let the syrup boil fifteen or twenty minutes longer, skimming it well. Put the peaches in wide-mouthed gla.s.s jars. If the syrup has thickened pour in the brandy. Remove from the fire at once, pour over the fruit and seal.
BRANDIED CHERRIES
Select the largest sweet cherries for this purpose, leaving the stems on. Allow half a pound of sugar to every pound of fruit, and a pint of good brandy for every five pounds of fruit. Make a syrup of the sugar, using as little water as possible. Pour it over the cherries and let them remain in the syrup all night. Next day put them in a preserving kettle and heat slowly. Boil about eight minutes. Take up the cherries with a perforated skimmer and boil the syrup fifteen minutes. Add the brandy to the boiling syrup, remove from the fire and pour over the cherries hot, and seal.
BRANDIED QUINCES
Select large yellow, pear-shaped quinces, and peel and quarter them.
Take out the cores and throw into cold water, until all are pared. Then boil until tender, so they can easily be pierced. Take them out with a perforated skimmer and weigh. Then take three-quarters of a pound of sugar to a pound of quinces, and boil in a little over half the quince water. Add stick cinnamon and cloves (removing the soft heads). Boil until quite a thick syrup. Pack the quinces in jars, add a pint of good brandy to the syrup and pour boiling hot over the quinces and seal immediately.
BRANDIED PEARS
Pare the fruit, leaving the stems on. Weigh. Proceed as with peaches.
*CANNED VEGETABLES*
Only young, tender, fresh vegetables should be canned.
Time your work by the clock, not by guess.
Weigh and measure all material accurately.
Take no risks. Food is too valuable.
Most fruits and vegetables require blanching; that is, all vegetables and fruits, berries excepted, should be first plunged into boiling water or steam after being picked over, and then, in turn plunged at once into very cold water.
After blanching and packing in sterilized jars, add to all vegetables salt in the proportion of a level teaspoon to the contents of a quart jar. Carrots, parsnips and sweet potatoes require a teaspoon to the pint.
Then fill jars to within quarter inch of top with boiling water, and put in hot water bath--see "Canning Fruit in a Water Bath".
Cover boiler or kettle closely and sterilize or boil for the length of time given below:
Do not close jars tight during sterilizing, or there will be no room for the generated steam and it will burst the jars.
Asparagus, Beets, Carrots, Parsnips, Peas, Sweet Potatoes, and Turnips require six minutes blanching, ninety minutes sterilizing. Asparagus requires one hundred and twenty minutes.
Corn requires five minutes blanching on the cob; three minutes sterilizing after being cut from the cob, or on the cob.
Lima or String Beans or Peas require five minutes blanching; two hours sterilizing.