Preserved Quinces

Pare and quarter the quinces, boil in enough water to keep them whole. When they are tender, take them out, and to each pound of quince, add one pound of granulated sugar. Let them stand in the sugar until the next day, when you will find the syrup as light and clear as amber. Put them in the kettle and let them boil twenty minutes. Done in this way they never get hard.

Preserved Quinces. - Very Rich

Pare and halve the quinces, and take out the cores; to each pound of fruit, after it is thus prepared, put a teacupful of water; put them into a preserving kettle, over the fire, cover, and let them boil gently, until a broom splint will pierce them, then take them from the water with a skimmer, on a flat dish; fold a napkin over them. To the water in which they were boiled, put one pound of white sugar to each pound of quince; stir it until the sugar is dissolved and hot, then put in the quinces, let them boil gently, until they are clear and the syrup is thick; cut one open; if it is not one color all the way through, let them boil longer, until they are so. Put them into a stone jar, let the syrup cool, settle for a few moments, then turn it over the fruit; next day cover them with a clean cloth and put on the cover.

Quince Marmalade

Rub the quinces with a clean cloth, cut them into quarters. Put them on the fire with a little water, and stew them till they are sufficiently tender to rub them through a sieve. When strained, put a pound of brown sugar to a pound of the pulp. Set it on the fire, and let it cook slowly. To ascertain when it is done, take out a little and let it get cold, and if it cuts smoothly it is done. Crabapple marmalade is made in the same way.

Preserved Cherries

Take fine, large sour cherries, not very ripe; take out the stems and the stones, save whatever juice runs from them. Take an equal weight of white sugar, make the syrup of a teacupful of water for each pound; set it over the fire, until it is dissolved, and boiling hot, then put in the juice and cherries, boil them gently until clear throughout; take them from the syrup with a skimmer, and spread them on flat dishes to cool; let the syrup boil until it is rich, and quite thick; set it to cool and settle; put the fruit into jars or pots, and pour the syrup over; let them remain open until the next day, then cover them like jelly. Sweet cherries are improved by the addition of a pint of red currant juice, and half pound of sugar, to four pounds of cherries.

Candied Orange Or Lemon Peel

Boil the rinds from thick skin oranges or lemons, in plenty of water, until tender, and the bitterness is out; change the water once or twice, if necessary. Clarify half a pound of sugar with a cupful of water for each pound of peel; when it is clear, put in the peels, cover them, and boil until clear, and the syrup almost a candy; then take them out, lay them on an inverted sieve to dry; boil the syrup with additional sugar, until the sugar candies around them, then take them on a sieve, and put them in a warm oven; when perfectly dry, pack them in a wooden box with tissue paper.

Fig Preserves

Gather fruit when fully ripe, but not cracked open; place in a perforated wire basket, ana dip for a moment into a deep kettle of hot and moderately strong lye, then wash in clean cold water. Make the syrup in the proportion of one pound of sugar to one of fruit, and, when the figs are well drained, put them in the syrup and boil until well cooked; remove, boil syrup down until there is just enough to cover fruit; put fruit back in syrup, let all boil, and seal up while hot in glass jars.

Preserved Citron Or Watermelon Rinds

Boil the citron in water until it is clear and soft enough to be easily pierced with a fork; take out, put in a nice syrup of sugar and water, and boil until the sugar has penetrated it. Take out and spread on dishes to dry slowly, sprinkle several times with powdered sugar, and turning until it is dried enough. Pack in jars or boxes, with sugar between the layers. Nice for cake.