This section is from the book "How To Cook Well", by J. Rosalie Benton. Also available from Amazon: How To Cook Well.
Peel the fruit. Put the peels on to boil. Let them boil a long time, changing the water several times. Cut the oranges across the grain, so as to remove the seeds. Take off all the thick, white skin. Put the peel through the colander; then weigh peel, pulp and juice, all together. Allow a little more than three quarters of a pound of sugar to one pound of fruit. Put it on the fire, and notice when it begins to boil. After that let it boil twenty minutes, stirring all the time to prevent burning. Put into bowls; and when cold, paste paper over them.
Three dozen oranges will fill nine pint-jars.
Wash and quarter the fruit, without paring or coring it. Then boil it in enough water to cover it. When rather soft take it out, cut out the cores and pare off the skin, and cut it into thin slices.
Weigh the fruit and allow half a pound of sugar to one pound of fruit. Put the sugar into the water in which the fruit was boiled, and boil to a syrup. Stew the fruit gently in this until the syrup is absorbed, stirring almost constantly. Then put it away in jars; to be covered when cold, with paper pasted over it.
If you like, flavor this with lemon or cinnamon just before removing from the fire.
Use either green or ripe tomatoes, or both together. Scald and skin them.
To each pound of tomatoes add,
1/2 pound brown sugar.
1/2 tablespoonful cinnamon.
1 teaspoonful cloves.
Stew all together, without the addition of water. Stir constantly as they thicken. When reduced to a thick pulp, remove from the fire; put into jars, and when cold paste paper over them.
This is a pleasant accompaniment to cold meat.
2 pounds rhubarb, cut into pieces.
1 1/2 pounds sugar. 1 lemon, rind only.
Put all together into a deep dish, cutting the rind of the lemon fine. Let it stand till the next day. Then pour off the juice into a porcelain preserving-kettle, and boil nearly three quarters of an hour. Add the fruit and boil ten minutes. Put into jars, and seal when cold.
3 pounds peaches. 3 pounds quinces. 2 pounds pears.
1 pound apples. 4 lemons.
Pare, stone, and core the fruit. "Weigh it and slice thin or chop coarse. To every pound of fruit allow half a pound of sugar. Put the fruit and sugar in alternate layers, and leave until next day. Then put all together into the preserving-kettle, with the pulp of the lemon, and the rind cut into very thin strips. Boil a long time, stirring frequently - almost constantly after it begins to thicken. When it looks clear and is almost as thick as jelly, dip it into bowls, and when cold, paste paper over the top. This can be made into jam, by putting it into jars before it thickens much.
It is very delicious either way. If you cannot get all these fruits, any two or three alone are good. Save cores and peel to make a delicious jelly. (See Quince Jelly.)
 
Continue to: