Blushing Apple

Select bright red apples. Peel all but a band around the center. Core. Boil the apples and skins together with a little sugar. When the fruit is tender remove carefully from the water and place on a serving dish. Drain out the skins. Add more sugar to the syrup and cook until thick. If not as red as desired add a little red vegetable coloring. Pour over the apples.

Preserving

Select the best of fruits. Have them ripe and fresh. The cans should be carefully washed and filled up with hot water. Wash the covers and put in hot water. Use new rubbers every year to prevent any air reaching the fruit.

Peaches And Apricots

Peel the peaches by placing in a wire basket and plunging into boiling water, then the skins will slip easily. Halve them or leave them whole. Use a few of the pits - they improve the flavor. Weigh the fruit and use three-fourths or one-half (just as you prefer) as much sugar as you have fruit. Make syrup by adding half as much water as you have sugar. Cook down until quite thick (about as thick as molasses), then add the fruit. Cook until transparent; remove the scum as it forms. Skim the fruit from the syrup and fill the jars. If the syrup seems a little thin, cook down; pour into the jars, filling full to overflowing. Tightly screw on the covers ; turn bottom side up, and as they cool, the covers can be tightened.

Brandied Peaches Or Apricots

Prepare and cook the peaches as above, leaving them whole. Fill jars with the fruit; to every pint jar of the peaches, add to it one-fourth cup of brandy. Cook the syrup down very thick, fill up the jars with it and seal.

Preserved Plums

Prick the fruit with a fork in several places; this prevents the skin from breaking somewhat, or they may be skinned the same as the peaches. Cook in the same way.

Brandied Plums

Make the same as brandied peaches.

Preserved Quinces And Pears

Pare and quarter, removing the core; preserve the same as peaches. Pears are improved by cooking in the syrup a little of the yellow rind of oranges or lemons.

Preserved Pineapple

Pare and remove the eyes; use a silver fork to shred it, or cut in slices or inch pieces, not using the core. Preserve the same as peaches.

Grapes

Wash and press the pulp from each grape; boil the pulp till tender; press through a sieve to remove the seeds, add the pulp to the skins, measure, add two cups of sugar to every three cups of the fruit. Boil all together until quite thick and seal while hot like the other preserves.

Citron

Pare and core the citron, cut in cubes or in fancy shapes, or scallop the edges. Cook the same as peaches, tie a little ginger root in a piece of cheese cloth and cook in the syrup to flavor, or a little of the yellow rind of lemon.

Cherries

Wash, remove the stones and preserve the same as peaches.

Preserved Strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Gooseberries And Currants

Wash, remove from the stems and preserve the same as peaches.

Sunshine Strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Gooseberries And Currants

Select and hull three pounds of perfect fruit. Cook three pounds of fine granulated sugar and two cups of boiling water until a light thread is formed. Do not stir the sugar after it begins to boil. Cook the fruit in the syrup ten minutes. After it begins to boil, then pour out in platters and let stand in the sun for two days. Cover with cheese cloth. Put in the jars cold, have them fresh scalded. Berries are delicious done in this way; they absorb the syrup, making them plump and full.