Preserved Strawberries
Before hulling the strawberries, Adelaide put them into the colander and dipped it up and down several times in a pan of clear cold water to cleanse the berries thoroughly. After hulling the fruit she weighed it, and for each pound she weighed a pound of sugar.
The strawberries were put into the saucepan and the sugar sprinkled over them and they stood until the juice ran freely. Then the saucepan was placed on the fire and the fruit and sugar heated through. Adelaide stirred with the wooden spoon, being careful not to break the strawberries.
When the sugar was all dissolved and the berries thoroughly heated, Adelaide skimmed the berries out into a dish. The syrup then boiled for ten minutes slowly, after which the strawberries were dropped in carefully and boiled two minutes. Into the sterilized pint jar Adelaide skimmed all the berries, filled it to overflowing with the syrup, inserted a silver knife between the fruit and the jar to let all air bubbles rise to the top and break, placed on the new rubber smoothly, sealed the jar quickly and stood it upside down out of the way of any draft.
In the morning she examined the jar carefully to see that it did not leak, wiped off all stickiness with a damp cloth, pasted on the label and stored the preserved berries away in the preserve closet.
Preserved Blackberries
After picking over the blackberries Adelaide placed them in the colander and dipped it up and down in a pan of clear cold water several times to remove all dust and dirt. After weighing the berries she poured them into a saucepan and sprinkled over them an equal weight of sugar. These stood for an hour before Adelaide put the saucepan over the fire and let the berries and sugar come slowly to the boiling point. Adelaide stirred them gently with a wooden spoon, being careful not to break the fruit.
When they boiled up she skimmed out the blackberries into a dish and the syrup cooked for five minutes.
Returning the blackberries to the syrup she put the saucepan at the back of the range and let the fruit slowly heat without stirring. After they had stood fifteen minutes she poured the berries at once into the sterilized pint jar, filling it to overflowing. With a silver knife, which she inserted between the jar and the fruit, she let all air bubbles rise to the top and break. Placing a new rubber over the top smoothly she sealed quickly and stood the jar upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning it was ready to be inspected carefully for any leaks, and she wiped off all stickiness with a damp cloth, pasted on the label and stored the fruit away in the preserve closet.
Preserved Cherries
Adelaide washed the cherries in the colander, which she dipped up and down several times in a pan of clear cold water. She took off the stems and removed the stones, weighed the cherries and added a pound of sugar to each pound of fruit. Then she let them stand over night, and the next morning put them into the saucepan to cook slowly until clear and tender, stirring carefully with a wooden spoon so as not to break the fruit.
When they were done Adelaide picked out the cherries first with the skimmer and dropped them into the sterilized pint jar, then she filled it to overflowing with the syrup, inserted a silver knife between the fruit and the jar to let all air bubbles rise to the top and break, placed on a new rubber smoothly, sealed quickly and stood the jar upside down out of the way of any draft.
In the morning she inspected the jar carefully to be sure that it did not leak, wiped off all stickiness with a damp cloth, pasted on the label and stored the jar away in the preserve closet.
"Mother," said Adelaide one morning, "it is not nearly as discouraging to preserve as it is to just plain cook."
"Why, what do you mean, dear?" answered mother.
"Well, I've been thinking how quickly we eat up things you cook for us every day, while my jams and jellies are still in the preserve closet," mused Adelaide.
"Just wait until next winter, young lady, then you'll see how quickly they will disappear," laughed mother.
CHAPTER V
CONSERVES
When Adelaide came to "conserves," mother told her she had only a very few recipes, but that what they lacked in numbers they made up for in quality.
"Have you the recipe for 'Peach conserve'?" asked Adelaide anxiously.
"Oh, yes, dear, that is our favorite, and I don't know how many people have asked me how to make it. I couldn't possibly keep house without it," answered mother.
Conserves, mother explained to Adelaide, were very similar to jams, with the addition of lemon or orange juice, raisins and nuts.
Rhubarb Conserve
Mother picked out the pinkest, prettiest rhubarb she could find, then Adelaide washed and wiped each stalk and cut it into small pieces. When she had filled the cup with rhubarb twice she put it into the saucepan and poured over it two cups of sugar and a dessert spoon of lemon juice.
Adelaide next measured out a fourth of a pound of seedless raisins. Upon these she poured boiling water which stood a minute or two, then she drained them. After looking them over carefully to remove any stems, she added them to the rhubarb, sugar, etc. Twelve or fourteen large walnuts were sufficient to crack. The meats Adelaide put through the meat chopper and added to the rest of the good things.
After standing three hours the saucepan was placed on the fire and the conserve came slowly to the boiling point. Adelaide stirred the mixture frequently with a wooden spoon while it boiled for twenty minutes. It was then ready to pour into the sterilized tumblers.
When the conserve was cold, Adelaide wiped around the top and the outside of each tumbler with a damp cloth, poured melted paraffin over the top (which she shook gently from side to side to exclude all air), pasted on the labels and stored the glasses away in the preserve closet.
Apricot Conserve
Adelaide wiped the apricots thoroughly with a damp cloth, then cut them in halves with a silver knife and removed the stones. These she placed in a saucepan, poured over them two cups of sugar, a dessert spoon each of lemon and orange juice, and the grated rind of half a lemon and half an orange. Next she measured out a fourth of a pound of seedless raisins and covered them with boiling water for a few minutes, after which she drained them and picked off any stems. Twelve or fourteen large walnuts were sufficient to crack, and the walnut meats and the raisins Adelaide put through the meat chopper, then added these to the fruit in the saucepan.
Placing the saucepan over the fire she heated it through slowly and let the fruit boil for forty minutes. Adelaide stirred the contents of the saucepan constantly with a wooden spoon, and when it was done, poured it at once into the sterilized tumblers.
As soon as it was cool she wiped the tops and outsides with a damp cloth, poured melted paraffin over the conserve, shaking the tumblers from side to side to exclude all air, pasted on the labels and stored the jars away in the preserve closet.
Peach Conserve
To remove the skins from the peaches easily, Adelaide poured boiling water over them. Letting them stand for a minute or two, she then peeled off the skins with a silver knife and sliced the peaches into small pieces, throwing away the stones. Placing the peaches into a saucepan she added two cups of sugar. After weighing out one-fourth of a pound of seedless raisins she covered them with boiling water for about a minute, drained, and picked off any stems. The walnuts (twelve or fourteen large ones) she cracked and put with the raisins.
The rind of the orange she grated over the sugar and peaches, and then, after removing the seeds, Adelaide put the pulp of the orange, the raisins and the nuts through the meat chopper.
When everything was in the saucepan together, Adelaide placed it over the fire and let it come slowly to the boiling point, and then cook gently for an hour. Adelaide stirred frequently with a wooden spoon to prevent burning, and when the conserve had cooked sufficiently she poured it into the sterilized tumblers.
As soon as it was cold, she wiped around the top and outside of each tumbler with a damp cloth, poured melted paraffin over the conserve (shaking it gently from side to side to exclude all air), pasted on the labels and stored the glasses away in the preserve closet.
Plum Conserve
After washing and wiping the plums thoroughly, Adelaide cut them in halves with a silver knife, and removed the stones. Placing them in the saucepan she poured two cups of sugar and the grated rind of half an orange over them. Twelve or fourteen large walnuts were cracked and the meats taken out. Over the quarter of a pound of raisins (which she weighed) Adelaide poured boiling water. These stood thus for about a minute, then she drained off the water and picked out the stems.
The raisins, the walnut meats, and the pulp of the half orange Adelaide put through the meat chopper and added to the plums, etc. in the saucepan. Placing the saucepan over the fire she let the contents come slowly to the boiling point, stirring it occasionally with the wooden spoon. It cooked gently for one hour, and then Adelaide poured the conserve at once into the sterilized tumblers.
When it was cold the tops and outsides were wiped off carefully with a damp cloth, melted paraffin was poured over the top and shaken gently from side to side to exclude all air, the labels were pasted on and then the conserve was stored away in the preserve closet.
The green-gage plums and the large red plums would make an equally delicious conserve, mother said, and she thought it would be nice to substitute figs sometimes in place of raisins. As the foregoing recipes were all she had, mother told Adelaide that it was just as well to leave further experimenting until another year. Adelaide was very willing, as she was eager to try "Spiced Fruits."
CHAPTER VI
SPICED FRUITS
"When you were a tiny little baby," said mother, "I had a young girl living with me who taught me how to put up Spiced Currants. She had lived in the country, and her favorite aunt was renowned for her tempting preserves."
"Oh, mother," interrupted Adelaide, "do you think I could ever become renowned, or whatever you called it?"
"I think there is no reason why you shouldn't, if you continue to do as good work in the future as you have thus far. Every year you will become more expert, and find out many new combinations that especially suit your taste and appeal to others," answered mother. "All spiced fruits," she continued, "are particularly tasty when served with cold meats."
Spiced Currants
Adelaide picked over the currants and removed the stems. Putting the currants into the colander, she dipped it up and down several times in a pan of clear cold water, then set it aside to drain. Into the saucepan she poured the currants, added one pound of sugar, a half a cup of vinegar, and a teaspoon each of cloves and cinnamon.
Placing the saucepan over the fire, she let the currants heat through gradually, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, and when thoroughly scalded she lifted out the currants with a skimmer.
Adelaide boiled the juice until it thickened, then added the currants again and let them just boil up. They were then ready to put into the sterilized pint jar, so Adelaide filled it to overflowing. Next she inserted a silver knife between the jar and the fruit, to let all air bubbles rise to the top and break, placed a new rubber on the jar smoothly, sealed quickly and stood upside down out of the way of any draft.
In the morning the jar was examined carefully to be sure it did not leak, all stickiness was wiped off with a damp cloth from the outside, then the label was pasted on and Adelaide stored the jar away in the preserve closet.
Spiced Cherries
Adelaide stemmed the cherries and washed them in the colander by dipping it up and down several times in a pan of clear cold water, after which she stoned them. Into a saucepan she measured one-half a cup of vinegar. To this she added a third of an ounce each of whole cloves and cinnamon tied up in a muslin bag. The vinegar and spices Adelaide let boil gently for fifteen minutes, then she added one pound of sugar and boiled the mixture ten minutes longer, stirring constantly with the wooden spoon and skimming well. At the end of the ten minutes Adelaide dropped in the cherries and cooked the fruit gently for one-half hour. Lifting out the cherries with a skimmer, she put them into the sterilized pint jar, added the juice to overflowing, and inserted a silver knife between the jar and the fruit to let all air bubbles rise to the top and break. Then she placed on a new rubber and sealed quickly, standing the jar upside down out of the way of any draft.
The next morning, after carefully inspecting the jar for any possible leaks, Adelaide wiped off all stickiness from the outside with a damp cloth, pasted on the label and stored the jar away in the preserve closet.
Spiced Gooseberries
From the gooseberries Adelaide removed the tops, then washed them in the colander, which she placed in a pan of clear cold water and dipped up and down several times. While these drained, Adelaide measured the half cup of vinegar and one and one-fourth pounds of sugar into the saucepan. Placing the saucepan on the fire she brought the sugar and vinegar to the boiling point, added the gooseberries, then removed the saucepan from the fire.
The small piece of green ginger root she cut into small pieces, the six whole cloves, the three whole allspice, the bay leaf, the blade of mace, and the piece of stick cinnamon were tied in a small piece of muslin and added to the contents of the saucepan. Covering the saucepan, it was placed aside over night.
The next day Adelaide brought the fruit quickly to the boiling point and cooked the gooseberries gently until they were tender but not broken. When they were done, she carefully skimmed out the gooseberries and placed them into the sterilized pint jar, then filled it to overflowing with the syrup. Between the jar and the fruit Adelaide inserted a silver knife, to allow all air bubbles to rise to the top and break. The new rubber was placed on smoothly, and she sealed the jar quickly, standing it upside down out of the way of any draft.
In the morning the jar was carefully wiped with a damp cloth to remove all stickiness and examined for any possible leaks. Next Adelaide pasted on the label and stored the spiced gooseberries away in the preserve closet.
Spiced Pears
Mother said she found that when she put up "spiced pears" the year before that it took fifteen pears of medium size to fill a quart jar, so she told Adelaide to prepare eight pears. Adelaide washed, wiped, pared, quartered and removed the core from each pear.
The cup of sugar, half cup each of water and vinegar, cinnamon stick and whole cloves were put into the saucepan and placed over the fire, then the teaspoon of mixed ground spices was also added; the latter were tied in a small piece of muslin.
These Adelaide let boil for five minutes, after which she skimmed the syrup and added the pears. It was necessary to boil the pears very gently for thirty-five minutes, stirring them frequently with the wooden spoon, but carefully so as not to break the fruit. When they were done Adelaide lifted the pears out carefully with a silver fork into the sterilized pint jar, and poured in the syrup to overflowing.
With a silver knife, which she inserted between the fruit and jar, she let all air bubbles rise to the top and break, then fitted on a new rubber smoothly, sealed the jar quickly and stood it upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning, after examining the jar carefully to see that it did not leak, Adelaide wiped off all stickiness with a damp cloth, pasted on the label and stored the jar away in the preserve closet.
Spiced Peaches
Adelaide put the pound of brown sugar and the cup of vinegar into the saucepan and added the ground spices (clove, cinnamon, and allspice) tied up in a small piece of muslin. The saucepan she placed over the fire and let the contents boil gently for ten minutes.
While the syrup was boiling, Adelaide poured boiling water over the peaches, and after they had stood a minute she peeled them with a silver knife. Adelaide left the peaches whole, and stuck four or five cloves in each peach.
As soon as the syrup had cooked sufficiently she dropped the peaches in it and cooked them until they could be pierced easily with a silver fork.
The twelve peaches were enough to fill two pint jars. Adelaide lifted the peaches out carefully with the silver fork and placed them in the sterilized jars. Then she filled the jars to overflowing with the syrup. With a silver knife, which she inserted between the fruit and the jar, Adelaide let all air bubbles rise to the top and break. Next, new rubbers were fitted on smoothly and the jars sealed quickly, after which she stood them upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning the stickiness was wiped from each jar with a damp cloth, they were carefully inspected to be sure there were no leaks, then Adelaide pasted on the labels and stored the jars away in the preserve closet.
Spiced Watermelon Rind
One day when watermelons were in their prime Adelaide's mother bought a part of one for dessert. She told Adelaide to save all the rind and the next day she would show her how to make another tasty relish to be eaten with cold meats.
In the morning Adelaide pared the rind neatly and cut it into many attractive shapes. The saucepan had been previously placed over the fire, containing the pound of sugar, the cup of vinegar, the piece of ginger root, the whole mace and the bay leaves. The ground spices, one-half teaspoon each of cinnamon and allspice, and the one-third teaspoon of cloves, were tied in a small piece of muslin and added to the syrup. When the syrup reached the boiling point Adelaide dropped in the watermelon rind, and it was cooked slowly until perfectly tender. Then Adelaide lifted out the rind very carefully with a silver fork into a dish, covered, and stood it away over night. The saucepan was removed from the fire and placed aside to cool. Next morning, Adelaide let the syrup again come to the boiling point, and added the rind. She watched carefully, and when it came to the boiling point a second time she lifted the rind carefully with a silver fork into the sterilized jar. The syrup she poured in until it overflowed.
Inserting a silver knife between the jar and the rind Adelaide let all air bubbles rise to the top and break, then fitted the new rubber on smoothly, sealed quickly and stood the jar upside down out of the way of any draft.
In the morning Adelaide wiped off all stickiness from the outside of the jar, examined it carefully to be sure it did not leak, pasted on the label and stored it away in the preserve closet.
Spiced Grapes
Adelaide picked over and washed the grapes by placing them in the colander and dipping it up and down several times in a pan of clear cold water. After draining thoroughly she removed the skins and placed them in a dish which she stood aside. The pulps were put into the saucepan and cooked slowly until the seeds could be removed by pressing the grapes through a strainer.
The strained pulp, the skins, the pound of sugar, the fourth of a cup of vinegar, and the teaspoon each of ground cinnamon and cloves (the spices were tied in a piece of muslin) were all put in the saucepan together and cooked until thick. Adelaide then filled the sterilized jar with the fruit, inserted a silver knife between the grapes and the jar to let the air bubbles rise to the top and break, fitted on a new rubber smoothly, sealed the jar quickly and stood it upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning she inspected the jar carefully to be sure that it did not leak, wiped off all stickiness with a damp cloth, pasted on the label and stored the jar away in the preserve closet.