The skins of fruit carry dirt and germs, therefore all fruits should be washed before using. Prepare fresh fruit just before cooking to preserve flavor and prevent discoloration. Use only silver knives when preparing fruit and silver or wooden spoons for stirring.

Cook fruit in porcelain-lined or granite-ware kettles, never in tin. Cover with a china plate or granite-ware cover. Use a small quantity of water in stewing fruit. Boiling sugar with an acid reduces its sweetness, hence when fruits are cooked sugar should not be added until cooking is nearly done.

Dried fruits need special preparation. Prunes,' dried apricots, and dried peaches should be washed in several changes of water; dates and figs should be scalded; raisins and currants should be washed and carefully looked over; the skin of dried peaches should be removed after-soaking. After washing dried fruits, soak for several hours in enough cold water to cover, then cook slowly in the same water till tender.

Baked Apples

Wipe and core sour apples, score skin with a knife, place apples in an agate baking dish and fill each center with sugar and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Cover bottom of dish with water Vj inch deep, and bake until apples are soft (20 to 45 minutes), basting them every ten minutes. Place them in a serving dish and pour juice over them. Serve hot, or chill and serve cold with whipped cream.

Steamed Apples

Wipe, core, and pare sour apples. Put them on a plate in a steamer and cook slowly until the apples are tender. Strain juice and make into syrup by adding 1/4 cup sugar to each cup juice, boiling 5 minutes, and then adding 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Pour syrup over the apples.

Apple Sauce

10 apples 3/4 cup water 1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice,

or 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg or cinnamon

wipe, quarter, core, and pare sour apples; add the water and cook until apples begin to soften; add the sugar and flavoring and cook until apples are very soft. If apples do not hold their shape but break up unevenly it may be desirable to press them through a strainer and beat them well to make a smooth sauce. Serves 8 to 10.

Stewed Apples

10 apples 3/4 cup water 1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice, or 1/8, teaspoon nutmeg or cinnamon

Cook sugar and water together until it boils.

Wash, pare, and cut apples into quarters, core, and slice quarters lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices; put apple slices into boiling syrup and cook slowly until tender. Remove slices of apple. Add lemon juice to syrup, boil a few minutes and serve over apples. Sprinkle with nutmeg if desired. Serves 10 to 12.

Stewed Apricots

Follow the recipe for stewed prunes.

Baked Bananas

6 bananas 1 lemon

1/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup water

Peel the bananas, cut in halves lengthwise. Put in an earthen or granite baking pan. Sprinkle with lemon juice and sugar. Pour water in the bottom of the pan. Bake in a hot oven 20 to 30 minutes, basting occasionally. Serves 6 to 8.

Cranberry Jelly

4 cups cranberries 1 or 2 cups water

1 cup sugar

Pick over and wash the cranberries. Cook them in water until they burst from their skins, and press through a strainer. Add sugar to juice and stir until the sugar is dissolved, then, without stirring, boil 8 to 10 minutes, or until it jellies when dropped on a cold saucer, and pour into molds or glasses which have been wet with cold water, and set away to cool. Serves 6.

Cranberry Sauce

Use recipe for Cranberry Jelly, but do not strain berries. When they are tender, add sugar and cook carefully so that they will not be broken up.

Stewed Prunes

1/2 lb. prunes 1 quart cold water

1/2 cup sugar 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Wash prunes, soak them in cold water for several hours, then cook slowly until tender in the water in which they were soaked; add sugar and lemon juice and cook 5 minutes longer. Sugar may be omitted. Serves 6 to 8.

Baked Rhubarb

3 cups rhubarb

1 1/2 cups sugar

Prepare as stewed rhubarb, put into an earthen baking dish. Cover and bake slowly until very tender and deep red in color. Serves 6.

Rhubarb Sauce

3 cups rhubarb 3/4 cup water

1 1/2 cup sugar

Remove leaves from rhubarb, wash stalk, peel the flat side of the stalk, and cut in 1/2 inch lengths.

Put rhubarb in sauce pan, add water and stew slowly until tender, stirring often at first. Add sugar and cook until sugar is dissolved. Serves 6.

Steamed Rhubarb

3 cups rhubarb

1 1/2 cup sugar

Prepare rhubarb as for sauce, put in top of double boiler, add sugar and cook until tender. Serves 6.

Fruit Cocktail

1 small can pineapple

2 grapefruit

3 oranges

1 lemon 1/4 cup sugar Cherries to garnish

Remove the sections or the grape fruit and oranges from the membrane carefully in large pieces. Cut the pineapple in 1/2 inch dice. Combine the fruits. Sprinkle with lemon juice and powdered sugar. Sugar should be used sparingly for the cocktail should be slightly acid. Chill thoroughly. Arrange in cocktail glasses or sherbet cups, putting a small amount of cherry juice in each cup. Garnish each serving with a red cherry or a fresh strawberry or raspberry. Other combinations of fruits can be used.

Serve as an appetizer at the beginning of a meal. Serves 6 to 8.

Note - The juices of the fruit can be saved and utilized in flavoring fruit drinks or in making fruit ices or jellies.