Pear Preserves

2 pounds pears 1 1/2 pounds sugar 2 cups water

1 lemon

4 pieces ginger root

Make a syrup of the sugar and water, adding the ginger root and the lemon rind cut in thin strips.

Pare and core the pears, cutting them into halves, quarters, or eighths. If the pears are hard, boil them first in clear water until they can be easily pierced with a fork.

Add the lemon and the pears to the syrup and cook until the pears are tender and clear. Pack into sterilized jars, cover with the syrup, seal, test, and mark.

Pineapple Preserves

1 pineapple

Sugar

Select ripe pineapple, split with a wooden stick and remove little sections, or pare and shred with a silver fork. To each pound of fruit, add 1/2 pound sugar. Heat slowly and cook till tender and transparent. Put into jars and seal at once. Mark and store.

Plum Butter

Follow recipe for plum preserves, putting pulp through a sieve before adding sugar.

Plum Preserves

See recipe for plum jelly

Quince Preserves

6 pounds prepared quinces 5 pounds sugar

1 quart water in which the quinces were cooked

Wipe, quarter, pare, and core the quinces and save the parings and cores for jelly. Cook the quinces in water until very tender. Drain carefully and use the water to make a syrup with the sugar. Add the fruit to the syrup and cook slowly for 3 hours, or until the quinces are dark red. Put into sterilized jars and seal at once. Mark and store.

Spiced Gooseberries

2 pounds gooseberries 1 cup vinegar 1 1/2 pounds sugar

1 tablespoon whole cloves 1 tablespoon stick cinnamon

Cook all together steadily 40 minutes, or until reduced to a marmalade. Pour into sterilized bottles and seal.

Strawberry Jam

1 pound starwberries

1 pound sugar

Wash and hull the berries. Cover with sugar and let stand over night. In the morning bring to the boiling point and cook 20 minutes'. Pour into sterilized glasses. When cool, cover with a thin layer of paraffin. Mark and store.

Sun-Preserved Berries

Wash and weigh berries which have been freshly picked. Cover the berries with an equal amount of sugar and let them stand over night so that the sugar will all be dissolved. Let stand in cool place so as not to ferment. The next morning bring to boiling point and boil 10 minutes. Pour into platters or shallow porcelain or enamel dishes not more than 1 inch in depth. Cover with a piece of glass. Moisture will gather on the under side of the glass. This should be wiped off occasionally. The preserves should be placed in the sun until the thickness desired is obtained. This is dependent upon the time of the day and the intensity of the sun. The preserves should be brought in at night-fall and set out the next morning if not thick enough. Eight hours should finish the preserves. If weather becomes rainy, finish in a slightly-warmed oven. Do not remove the glass and expose to the air. Place in sterilized glasses and cover with paraffin. Mark and store.

Raspberries, dewberries, blackberries, cherries, strawberries, or a combination of currants and red raspberries, or a combination of rhubarb and red raspberries may be prepared in this way.

In order to protect the preserves from ants, the legs of the stand on which they are placed should be put into four sauce-dishes of water.