Raisin And Cranberry Jam

Seed one cup of fine plump raisins, put them to stew in a granite saucepan with one quart of cold water. When the liquid is reduced to one pint, add four cups of cranberries and two and a half cups of sugar. Simmer very slowly till the cranberries are thoroughly cooked, then can and seal.

Spiced Currants Or Other Fruit

To eight pounds of the fruit take four pounds of sugar and one pint of vinegar. In an earthen preserving kettle heat together the vinegar and sugar. Add a tablespoon each of powdered cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Have your fruit in perfect condition and cleanliness. Stir in the syrup and cook till done. Set in tumblers or jars and seal.

Currant Jelly

Free the currants from leaves, but do not take from the small stems. Examine carefully for insects and then wash in cold water. Drain thoroughly, and afterward stew the currants in a porcelain preserving kettle till they are cooked to a soft mass. Tip into a colander. Press through, and then strain twice through a thick bag preferably a flannel bag. Boil fifteen minutes, and then to each pint of juice add a pound and a quarter of granulated sugar which you have well warmed. Do not plump the sugar in all at once, but stir in a little at a time. When the sugar is thoroughly stirred in, the juice is at the jelly point. If you have doubts, test it; and if necessary, cook a little more. Pour into glasses and set to cool. When cold, cover with brandied paper or paraffine, and also glass or metal cover.

Fig Marmalade

To every two pounds of fresh ripe figs allow a pound and a half of sugar and the grated yellows and juice of a large lemon and a large orange. Cut the figs in small pieces and boil with the orange and lemon, often stirring them, till you have a thick, smooth marmalade. Put away in jelly glasses and jars with paraffin covering over the top.

Preserved Figs

This preparation is more of a confection than a preserve. It is delicious, and affords at a moderate price a dainty which costs extravagantly when bought at a grocery. Buy the finest dried figs, pull them apart and wipe each one with a piece of wet cheesecloth. Weigh them and set aside their weight in granulated sugar. Soak the figs overnight in cold water, then simmer very slowly in just enough water to cover them. Lift them out carefully and set to cool. Make a syrup from the water in which they were cooked and the sugar. Put the figs back in the syrup, adding a few bits of green ginger, the juice of two lemons and the rind of one to one pound of figs. Simmer for ten minutes, drain off the figs, set them to dry slightly in a moderate oven, and boil the syrup till quite thick. Put the figs in glass jars, pour the syrup over them and seal while hot.

Spiced Gooseberries Peach Marmalade

Spiced Gooseberries

Head and tail, three quarts of gooseberries. With a little water to cover the bottom of the kettle stew them a few minutes till their fiber is relaxed. Then add one pint of vinegar, a quart and a half of sugar, a teaspoon of ground cloves, two tablespoons of ground cinnamon, half a teaspoon of white pepper, and half a teaspoon of salt. Use a porcelain kettle, and boil the fruit and the syrup thirty or forty minutes over a slow fire. Seal in bottles or glasses for use.

Spiced Grapes

Pulp the grapes. Boil up the pulp till the fiber softens and loosens the seeds. To every three quarts of skins and pulp add the syrup described in the foregoing receipt, namely, a pint of vinegar, a quart and a half of sugar, a teaspoon of ground cloves, two tablespoons of ground cinnamon, half a teaspoon of salt, and half a teaspoon of white pepper. In a porcelain kettle gently boil all these ingredients, allowing thirty to forty minutes for a complete, slow cooking. Put in bottles, seal, and set in the fruit closet for use.

Grape Jelly

Choose grapes just turning ripe. Pick from the stems and cook in a preserving kettle, allowing a cup of water to each pound of grapes. When the grapes are cooked soft, put in a jelly bag and let the juice drip in an earthen bowl If you squeeze the bag the jelly will be cloudy. Cook the strained juice about twenty minutes. Then add a pound of warmed sugar to each pint of juice. Simmer at a bubble five minutes, skim and put in jelly glasses while hot. After the jelly cools, lay over paper dipped in brandy, and seal.

Citron Melon Preserve

Peel and slice the melon thin, or in small quarters. To every pound of citron allow one pound of sugar and quarter of a pound of gingerroot. Put the melon in water enough to cover, add to this water two teaspoons of soda, boil until just tender, and set to cool. When cold, soak in a strong alum water one hour. Make a syrup of one pint of water and two pounds of sugar. Beat the white of one egg to a stiff froth, add this to the sugar and water, stir, let it boil, and skim off the egg. As the egg clears the sugar and water add the gingerroot and melon and cook in this syrup until clear. Put in glass jars (not too full), and cover with the syrup.

Orange Jelly

Slice oranges very thin. Put in preserving kettle and cover with cold water. Boil for two hours. A delicately tart jelly will be obtained. After boiling the water and pulp, pour it into a strainer lined with cheesecloth and let the liquid drip. To one pint of juice add one pint of heated sugar. Boil till a drop will jelly when poured on a cold plate. Put into glasses and cover with paraffin.