1317. How To Preserve Green Apricots

In your preserving-pan place a layer of green vine-leaves, then a layer of apricots, then vine-leaves, and so on alternately until you have completed the quantity you intend to preserve or the pan is filled, seeing that the last layer is a thick one of leaves; fill the pan up with spring water and cover down close; put the pan at such a distance from the fire, that after heating slowly for five hours the fruit shall have become soft without cracking; drain off the water and make a thin syrup of it, remove the fruit and inspect it to see that none of them are cracked. When fruit and syrup are quite cold return the fruit to the pan, add the syrup to it, and then place them at such a distance from the fire that the apricots will green without cracking; it must be understood that they do not boil. Put the fruit and syrup into a pan for three days, drain off as much syrup as you intend to use, to this add more sugar, and boil until it becomes a rich thick syrup; drain off the rest of the syrup from the fruit, and pour the thick over it when cold.

The thin syrup remaining need not be wasted, it will be found useful in sweetening pies, etc.

1318. How To Preserve Apricots

Choose fine apricots, pare them thinly and cleanly, and when done take their weight, cut them in halves and remove the kernels, lay them with the inside upwards, take the same weight of pounded loaf sugar and strew over them; break the stones of the apricots and blanch the kernels; let the fruit lie in the sugar for twelve hours, then put fruit, sugar, juice, and kernels into a preserving-pan, simmer gently until clear; as the scum rises remove it; remove the halves of the apricots; as they become cold lay them in jars, and when the whole of the fruit has been potted, pour equally over them the syrup and the kernels. Cover the fruit with brandy paper and tie tightly down.

1319. How To Dry In Halves Apricots

Take two pounds of apricots, pare them quite thin, halve them, remove the stones and lay them in a dish; powder over them one pound and a half of fine white sugar, when the sugar has dissolved place the fruit upon a stove, let them do gently, as each half becomes tender remove it, and put it in a china bowl; when they are all done and the syrup cooled a little, pour it over them. In a couple of days remove the syrup, leaving a little only clinging to each half, turn them in a day or so, and continue until they are quite dry, this may be achieved more quickly by laying them in the sun or a very dry place. They may be kept in boxes, with layers of white paper over them.

1320. Apricots In Brandy

Pick the fruit, wipe it, and then take the weight, put it into an ice-pot, the lid of which fits very close; add one-fourth of the weight in finely-powdered white sugar, cover the fruit with the best brown brandy, lay over the fruit a piece of foolscap paper doubled, cover down the lid and place the ice-pot in a saucepan of hot water, increasing the heat until the brandy is sufficiently hot to admit your finger remaining in it, it must not however boil; take out the fruit when this takes place, put it into a jar and pour the brandy over it. As soon as quite cold tie bladder-skin tightly over the jars.

Peaches may be preserved in the same way.

1321. How To Preserve Apricots - Another Way

Pare your apricots, and stone what you can whole, then give them a slight boiling in water proportioned to the quantity of fruit, only just enough; then take the weight of the apricots in sugar, and take the liquor in which they have boiled, and the sugar, and boil it till it comes to a syrup, and give them a light boiling, taking off the scum as it rises; when the syrup jellies it is enough. Then take up the apricots, and cover them with the jelly, put cut paper over them, and lay them down when cold.

1322. Conserve Of Apricots

Take half ripe apricots and cut them into thin slices, dry them over a gentle fire; to four ounces of fruit put one pound of. sugar boiled to the degree la plume forte, when the sugar is nearly cold put in the fruit, taking care to stir it well with a spoon that they may be well incorporated.