"Things sweet to taste"

Black Currant Jelly

Black currants Raspberries.

Water Sugar.

To every four pounds of black currants allow one pound of raspberries. Pluck the roughest of the stalks from the currants, and the stems and the leaves from the raspberries, and put them into a fireproof dish with half a pint of water. Boil them for ten minutes after they have begun to simmer. Then squeeze out all the juice that can be got quite clear and free from specks. Measure it, allow one pound of sugar to each pint of juice, and a pound over if there are more than four pints, half a pound if under that quantity.

Put it on the fire, and stir till the sugar is all melted; then bring it to the boil, and allow it to bubble for ten minutes. Skim it, if necessary, and pot it.

It should be kept in a cool, dry place after being fastened down so as to be air-tight.

Cranberry Preserve

1 quart cranberries 1 pint (2 cups) water.

1/2 teaspoonful carbonate of soda Sugar.

Pick over the berries, put them into an earthenware pot with the water, and cook slowly for one hour, stirring occasionally. Draw the pan to the side of the stove, and add the soda. Stir well, and carefully remove all scum as it rises. Then rub through a sieve, and to every cupful of the puree add one cupful of sugar. Return to the pan and cook gently for half an hour.

Put into jars and seal.

Currant Bar-Le-Duc

Red or white currants.

Sugar.

Secure the largest sized currants, red or white, and stem them without breaking. To each pound allow three pounds of sugar. Take some currants and bruise them while warm until a pint of juice is obtained. Put half a cupful of this into an earthenware dish and add the sugar. Bring slowly to boiling point and skim carefully.

After it has been boiling for five minutes drop in one pound of the currants and simmer for four minutes. Lift them out without breaking them, and boil the syrup down for five minutes, or longer if it is not very thick. Skim well and strain over the fruit. Put into little jelly glasses and when cold cover with hot paraffin.

Ginger Pears

10 lbs. pears 1 lb. crystallized ginger 7 lbs. sugar.

4 lemons 6 oranges.

Peel the pears, cut them into small pieces, put them into an earthenware pan with the sugar, and simmer for one hour. Add the strained orange and lemon juice and the ginger cut into small pieces, and allow to simmer for two and a half hours.

Divide into glasses and cover.

Grape Conserve

5 lbs. grapes 5 lbs. sugar 1 lb. raisins.

1 lb. shelled walnuts 3 juicy oranges.

Remove the stems, skins, and seeds from the grapes, then cook the pulp in a casserole till tender and press it through a sieve. Boil the yellow skins of the oranges until tender, then chop fine.

Put them into an earthenware pan with the grape pulp, add the strained orange juice, sugar, raisins, and walnuts. Boil until quite thick; put into glasses and seal.