peaches make the most transparent preserve, but cannot always be
procured. If white clings are convenient, peel and weigh them, and to
each pound of fruit put one pound of sugar and half a pint of water.
Put the syrup to boil, clarify it with an egg, and as it boils remove
the scum. Keep the peaches in cold water all the time the syrup is
boiling, as water keeps the fruit in good color, while leaving it
exposed darkens it. When the syrup has boiled clear, put in the
peaches; let them boil gently for half an hour, then take them out on
a dish for two hours; put them back in the syrup and boil again until
they are clear; they are then done, and you can put them in jars and
pour the syrup over them, and cork and seal up for future use.
ANOTHER WAY TO PRESERVE PEACHES
Peel, cut and weigh six pounds of peaches; take six pounds of fine
white sugar, throw the sugar on the peaches until they are well
covered, and let them stay all night. Early in the morning add three
pints of water, and boil all together for one hour. Skim carefully,
and then take the peaches out on a large dish, still keeping the
syrup gently boiling, and skimming it as it boils. Lay the peaches in
the sun on dishes for at least two hours, to harden. Taking the fruit
out of the syrup a few times improves it, giving it firmness and
transparency. Now replace the peaches in the syrup, and boil gently
until they are clear. Cut peaches are much more easily kept than
peaches preserved whole, but they are not so highly flavored. Cut
fruit does not require so much boiling as whole fruit; this should be
remembered in preserving.
PRESERVED CITRON
Pare off the green skin and all the soft part of the rind, then cut
the firm part in strips, or any shape you fancy. Allow a pound and a
quarter of sugar to each pound of rind; line your porcelain kettle
with grapevine leaves and fill with the rind, scattering a little
pulverized alum over each layer. Cover with vine-leaves three thick,
pour on water enough to reach and wet these and cover with a close
lid. Let them heat together for three hours, but the water must not
actually boil. Take out the rind, which will be well greened by this
process, and throw at once into very cold water. Let it soak for four
hours, changing the water for fresh every hour. Then make a syrup,
allowing two cups of water to every pound and a quarter of syrup.
Boil and skim until no more scum comes up; put in the rind and simmer
gently nearly an hour. Take it out and spread on dishes in the sun
until firm and almost cool. Simmer in the syrup for half an hour;
spread out again, and when firm put into a large bowl and pour over
it the scalding syrup. Next day put the syrup again over the fire,
add the juice of a lemon and a tiny bit of ginger-root for every
pound of rind. Boil down until thick, pack the rind in jars and pour
over it the syrup. Tie up when cool.
TO PRESERVE PEARS
Take small rich pears, and boil them gently in water until they will
yield to the pressure of the finger. They must not be soft, or they
will not preserve well. Take them out when a little boiled; let them
cool, and pare them neatly, leaving a little of the stem on, as well
as the blossom end. Make a syrup of a pound of sugar to a pound of
fruit, and when it is boiling hot, pour it on the pears; next day
boil them in the syrup till clear, and bottle them for use.
PINEAPPLE PRESERVES
Take fine pineapples, cut off all the rough parts, and each apple
in quarters, shaping each piece alike. Boil the pineapples in just
enough water to cover them, and put to this water all the cuttings,
so as to make the syrup as rich in flavor as possible. When the
pieces are tender, take them out, weigh them, and make a syrup of a
pound of sugar to each pound of fruit, allowing a cup of the water
the pineapples were boiled in, to each pound of fruit. Strain the
water over the sugar, mix it, and let it boil fifteen minutes, by
itself; skim it, and put in the pineapples, letting them boil until
they are clear and perfectly tender. Pears done in this way make
a delicious preserve. The usual way of putting them in the syrup
without previous boiling, makes them little better than sweetened
leather, as it makes them tough and stringy.
TO PRESERVE CRAB APPLES, GREEN
Wash the apples and boil them in a very little water, cover them with
vine leaves, while on the fire simmering, and they will then be very
yellow. Take them out and spread them on a large dish to cool. Pare
and core them, put them back in the kettle, with fresh leaves to
cover them. Hang them over the fire, or on the stove in a preserving
kettle until they are green; then take them out of the pot, let them
cool, weigh them, and allow a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit. Put
only water sufficient to dissolve the sugar, as the fruit, having
been already boiled, will require very little water--a small cupful
to each pound being quite enough. Boil this syrup, skim it, and put
in your green apples, and boil them until they are clear and tender.
Put the apples in jars, turn the juice on to them, and when cold tie
them up, or rather seal them in this Southern climate.
PEACH OR APPLE COMPOTE, FOR DESSERT
Dissolve and boil a pound of loaf sugar in a pint of water; skim it,
pare six or eight apples, or a dozen peaches, throw them into the
boiling syrup, and cook until tender and transparent. Lemon improves
the apples, but peaches are better without it.
PRESERVED HUCKLEBERRIES
Take them just as they begin to ripen, pick and weigh them, allow a
pound of fruit to a pound of sugar, then stew them until quite clear,
and the syrup becomes thick. These make nice tarts when fruit is
scarce.
PLUM PRESERVES
Get plums before they are dead ripe; allow a pound of sugar to a
pound of fruit, dissolve and boil the sugar and water (allowing half
a pint of water to a pound). Boil the syrup until it is thick, then
put in the plums and boil them until they are transparent; then put
them in sealed jars.
FIG PRESERVES
Boil the sugar and water syrup as directed in previous recipe. Let
the figs be firm, not dead ripe or they will boil to a mass. They
should be laid in alum the day before they are to be preserved, then
taken out, washed, and put into the boiling syrup. Boil for three
hours, or until transparent; then bottle as usual and seal up with
wax.
MYRTLE ORANGE PRESERVE, OR HOME-MADE LIMES
Pluck the oranges before they turn yellow; they should be a rich dark
green; cut a hole in the stem end and take out all the white pulp
and seeds; scrape them carefully, grate the rind so as to break the
oil cells, and allow the strong oil to escape. Wash them and throw
them into strong salt and water; let them stay in it for three days,
then soak them in fresh water three days. When you wish to preserve
them you must boil them in clear water, slowly, in a brass kettle;
cover them with a few orange leaves while boiling, which will green
them, and boil until they are tender, then set them up to cool. Weigh
as much sugar as you have oranges, and allow pound for pound; boil
the syrup clear and then put in the oranges; boil gently for half an
hour, or until green and yellow. Use only a silver spoon in making
this preserve.
TO MAKE WATERMELON PRESERVES
Take the firm outside rind of the watermelon; scrape off the green
and cut out the soft inside; cut the rind into any shapes you choose,
stars, crescents, diamonds, etc. After they have been boiled in
alum and leaves to green and harden, weigh them and make a syrup of
a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit, with a cup of water to each
pound. Boil the syrup clear, and put in the cut rinds, and boil them
until transparent. Flavor with ginger for green color, and lemons for
the yellow. If the rind is wanted yellow you must boil it with fresh
lemon skins and a little saffron before preserving it.
ANOTHER WATERMELON RIND PRESERVE
In a bucket of cold water, put a handful of lime, stir it in, and
when it settles clear, pour it over the watermelon rind you intend
preserving; let it stay in the weak lime-water one day. Soak it a few
hours, and get the taste of the lime from the rind, then put it in
alum water and scald for ten minutes. Put grape-leaves in with the
alum water while scalding; they will make the rind green. Take the
rind from the alum, and put it in cold water for a few hours, and
when cold, boil it in strong ginger tea until it is soft, and tastes
of the ginger. Make the syrup of one and a half pounds of sugar to
each pound of rind, and a half pint of water to each pound of sugar.
Let it cook slowly, skim it, and when it looks clear, put in the
rind, and let it cook slowly until clear and transparent. The rind
should be cut into beautiful shapes, and preserved with care. This is
a little trouble; but the housekeeper is amply repaid by the beauty
of the preserve.
TO MAKE ANY KIND OF FRUIT JELLY
Wash and drain the fruit, put it in a stone jar, and put the jar
into a kettle of water over the fire; let it boil, but see that none
of the water gets into the fruit. When the fruit is tender, it will
begin to break; pour it now into a flannel bag, but do not squeeze
it--that will make the jelly cloudy. To each pint of juice strained,
add one pound, or one pound and a quarter of white sugar, and the
half of the beaten white of an egg. Boil this rapidly, skim, but do
not stir the syrup, as stirring breaks its continuity and prevents
its jellying. Boil it twenty minutes, and try a little in some cold
water, to find out if it jellies; if it does not, boil it a little
longer. Too much boiling, or too slow boiling, injures jelly and
makes it ropy. Too much sugar will cause jelly to grain; the quantity
used must be in accordance with the requirements of the fruit, acid
fruit requiring more sugar and dead ripe fruit less. Red currants
take more sugar than black currants; they also take more time to boil
to a jelly. A little practice _and a few mistakes_ will make anyone
who takes pleasure in cooking a good jelly-maker and preserver.
CRAB APPLE JELLY
This is the best of all apple jellies. Wash the apples, cut them up,
remove all defects, remove the seeds and the blossom end; but do
not pare them. Lay them in your preserving-kettle, and cover them
with water; then boil them until they are soft, but do not let them
mash up from too much boiling. Drain off all the water, and mash the
apples with the back of a silver spoon. Put this in a jelly bag, and
place a deep dish under it to collect the juice. To every pint of the
juice allow a pint of loaf sugar; boil it and skim it. It will be
ready to dip out into tumblers in half an hour, if you have complied
with these directions. Always dip jelly out with a _silver_ spoon,
as any other kind darkens fruit. I have seen preserves rendered very
dark by putting in them a new-tinned dipper. You must be careful of
these things if you desire your confections to be elegant.
LEMON JELLY. A BEAUTIFUL DISH
Set an ounce of isinglass in a pint of water on the stove in a
stew-pan; stir the isinglass until it dissolves. Let it boil a few
minutes, then add a pint of lemon juice sweetened with a pound and
a half of sugar, or a little more, if it is wished very sweet.
Stir this in with the rinds of six lemons, and boil all together.
After boiling for about five minutes, put a teaspoonful of saffron
in to color it yellow, and strain through a flannel bag. Fill your
jelly-glasses with it; when cool, it is a most beautiful dish for a
collation.
BLACKBERRY JELLY
Cook the fruit till tender in a little water; throw off the water,
bruise and strain the fruit, and to each pint of the juice add one
pound of white sugar. Put it now in a preserving-pan, and boil it
_rapidly_, but do not stir it while boiling, as that breaks the
jelly; skim it carefully, and when it jellies, pour it into tumblers
or small jars. I have made two pecks of berries into jelly in two
hours. This is said for the benefit of young housekeepers who often
boil their jelly too slowly and too long, which makes it ropy.
APPLE JELLY, WITHOUT WATER
Pare and core the fruit, which should be juicy and tart. Lay the
apples in a vessel to cook without putting in any water; cover them
closely, and cook until properly soft; strain the juice, and add
three-fourths of a pound of sugar to a pint of apple juice. Beat in
the white of an egg to clarify the jelly, and skim it as it boils;
try it and, as soon as it jellies, take it from the fire and put it
in glasses.
JAM
This can be made from almost any kind of ripe fruit. Blackberries,
strawberries or raspberries are especially suited for this form of
preserve. You must weigh your fruit (say blackberries), and allow
three quarters of a pound of good sugar to each pound of fruit. Crush
the fruit and sugar, with a biscuit beater, until they are well
mashed; add a gill of water to each pound of fruit; boil gently (not
rapidly like jelly) until it becomes a jelly-like mass, and when
done, put it into glasses, or small earthenware pots and when cold,
cover up like jelly. This is an excellent medicine in summer for
dysentery; but if intended for invalids, you must spice it, and add a
gill of brandy--fourth proof--to each pound of jam.
TOMATO JAM
Take nice ripe tomatoes, skin them, take out all their seeds, but
save the juice to put with the sugar. Weigh the fruit, and to each
pound, add three-fourths of a pound of sugar; boil some lemons soft,
take one for each pound of tomatoes, mash them fine, take out the
pips, and put the lemons to the sugar and tomatoes; boil slowly and
mash the jam smooth with a silver spoon. When smooth and jelly-like,
it is done. Put it away in glasses carefully.
ORANGE MARMALADE. DELICIOUS
Quarter the oranges and take out the seeds and white strings. To
every pound of pulp, add a cup of cold water, and let it stand thus
for twenty-four hours. Boil some of the peel in several waters until
quite tender; then to each pound of pulp, add one-quarter of a
pound of boiled peel, and one and a quarter pounds of white sugar.
Boil this slowly until it jellies, and the bits of peel are quite
transparent.
ORANGE MARMALADE MADE WITH HONEY
Quarter a dozen large ripe oranges; remove the rind, seeds and
filaments, but save all the juice. Put the juice and pulp into a
porcelain kettle, with an equal quantity of strained honey, adding
one-third as much sugar as honey. Boil until very thick, sweet and
clear. When cold, put it in small jars.
MARMALADE
This jam can be made of any ripe fruit, boiled to a pulp with a
little water; the best are peaches, quinces, apples, oranges and
cranberries. It is usual to crush the fruit. Put in three quarters of
a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit, add a _little_ water (half a
cup to a pound), and boil until it is a jellied mass. When done, put
it in glass or white earthenware.
TO CANDY FRUIT
After peaches, quinces, plums, or citron, have been preserved, take
them from the syrup, and drain them on a sieve. To a pound of loaf
sugar, put a small cup of water, and when it is dissolved, set it
over a moderate fire, and let it boil; when it boils, put in the
fruit to be candied, and stir continually until the sugar granulates
over the fruit; then take it up, and dry it in a warm oven. If not
sufficiently candied, repeat the operation.
CANDIED PUMPKIN
Peel a piece of pumpkin, and cut it in thin slices. Make a nice,
thick syrup of brown sugar and water, and put the pumpkin into it,
with a little of the juice of the lemon. Boil this until the pumpkin
is nicely candied. Mace, or other spices, may be used for flavoring
instead of lemon, if preferred. It may be eaten hot with meats at
dinner, and is equally nice, when cold, for supper or lunch.
ORGEAT SYRUP WITHOUT ORANGE FLOWERS
Make a syrup of a pound of sugar to every pint of water; boil this
a few minutes, skim it clear, and when cold, to every four pounds
of sugar used, allow a gill of orange water, or rose water, and two
tablespoonfuls of pure essence of bitter almonds. Serve it in iced
water.
ORANGE SYRUP
This syrup is so easily made, and oranges are so abundant here,
that it is advantageous to make this syrup in the season of orange
harvest, in Louisiana. To make it, you must select ripe and
thin-skinned fruit; squeeze the juice, and to every pint, add a pound
and a quarter of white sugar; boil it slowly, and skim as long as any
scum rises; you may then take it off, let it grow cold, and bottle
it. Be sure to secure the corks well. This is nice for a summer drink
for delicate persons; it is also very convenient for pudding sauces,
as half a cup of this syrup, mixed with melted butter, is admirable,
where wine is not used. The flavor is so fine, it requires very
little spicing to make it agreeable.
BRANDIED FRUITS, WINES AND CORDIALS
PEACHES IN BRANDY
Soak fine peaches in lye until you can remove the fuzzy outside;
wipe them, and turn them into cold water. When you have prepared as
many as you desire, weigh them, and to every pound of fruit, put
three quarters of a pound of white sugar. Make a syrup like that
for preserves, only using less water; boil the peaches in the syrup
until they are tender; then take them out of the kettle, and place
them in jars; fill up the jars with a brandy syrup, made of a pint of
brandy, to a pint of the sugar syrup from the peaches. Cook them very
carefully, and dip the mouths of the jars in rosin melted, and keep
them in a cool dark place.
APRICOTS IN BRANDY
Peaches and apricots are brandied the same way. Gather them as fresh
as possible. Apricots should be taken from the tree as soon as ripe,
as they soften so rapidly. Rub each one with a coarse towel, but do
not peel it. Make a syrup of half the weight of the fruit in sugar,
and just water enough to dissolve it. When the syrup is prepared and
hot, put in the apricots, let them simmer until tender; then take the
fruit out, and place it on dishes, then expose them to the sun, or in
a warm oven to dry and harden. Boil the syrup again, after the fruit
is out, until it is quite rich and thick. Skim it carefully. When the
apricots are cold and firm, put them in white earthen preserve-jars
and fill up with syrup and brandy, half and half. Tie up with bladder
skin.
PEACHES AND APRICOTS IN BRANDY
Take nice smooth peaches not too ripe, put them in a vessel and cover
them with weak lye; take them out in two hours, and wipe carefully to
get off the down and outside skin, and lay them in cold water. Weigh
the fruit, add their weight in sugar, and half a pint of water to
each pound of sugar; boil and skim this syrup, put in the peaches;
when the syrup is clear of scum, let them boil for twenty minutes or
half an hour, then take them out and lay them on dishes to cool. Boil
the syrup for an hour longer, or until reduced one-half and quite
thick. When cold, put the peaches or apricots in jars, and cover
them with equal quantities of the syrup and French brandy. If it is
apricots, cook them very gently, or they will come to pieces in the
syrup; ten minutes is long enough to stew them before bottling.
APRICOT AND PEACH WINE
Mash the apricots or peaches in a mortar, remove the stones, and to
eight pounds of the pulp, add one quart of water; let this stand
twenty-four hours; then strain, and to each gallon of the juice, add
two pounds of loaf sugar. Let it ferment, and when perfectly clear,
bottle it. Peach wine is very nice, and may have a few of the kernels
added for flavoring, if wished.
RAISIN WINE WITH ELDER FLOWERS
Boil six pounds of raisins in six gallons of water. When soft, rub
them to a pulp, and pass through a colander to get rid of the stones;
add this pulp to the water it was boiled in, put to it twelve pounds
of white sugar and a half-pint of yeast. When clear, suspend half a
pound of elder flowers in it to flavor the wine; withdraw the flowers
and bottle off the wine.
ORANGE AND LEMON WINE
Take the outer rind of one hundred oranges pared, so that no white
appears; pour upon them ten gallons of boiling water, let it stand
ten hours and keep slightly warm. While still warm, add the juice of
the oranges, mixed with twenty-five pounds of lump sugar, and a few
tablespoonfuls of good yeast; let it ferment five days, or until the
fermentation has ceased, and the wine is clear; then bottle. Lemon
wine can be made in the same way.
SOUR ORANGE WINE
Take one gallon juice of sour oranges, four gallons of water, and
twenty pounds of sugar. Boil this mixture in a vessel large enough
to hold it, and skim it as it boils until no more scum rises. Pour
it into a flannel bag and strain; then put it in a cask, adding to
it a quart of uncooked orange juice. Let it ferment, and when clear,
bottle it. This will require about six months to finish. Keep in a
cool closet or cellar during fermentation.
MIXED FRUIT WINE
Cherries, black currants and raspberries, mixed together, make a good
wine. Dilute the juice and add the usual amount of sugar, and let it
ferment; then bottle.
A SUPERIOR BLACKBERRY WINE
Bruise your berries, measure them, and to every gallon, add a quart
of boiling water. Let this stand twenty-four hours, stirring it
three or four times during this time. The third day strain off the
juice, and to every gallon of this strained liquor, put two pounds of
refined sugar. Cork it tight, and let it stand until cool weather;
when you will have a wine that you will never voluntarily be without.
BLACKBERRY WINE
Mash the berries without boiling them; strain the juice, and to six
pints of juice, add two pints of water and three pounds of sugar.
Mix thoroughly and put it in a wide-mouthed stone jar to ferment.
Cover it carefully with a cloth, to keep out all insects; open it and
skim it every morning; then cover it up again carefully, for much of
the bouquet of the wine depends on this. When it ceases to ferment,
strain it and put it in a demijohn; do not cork it tightly, as it
must have a little air, but cover the loose stopper with a piece of
muslin or tarlatan, to keep out the insects. It will be ready to
bottle in two months.
BLACKBERRY CORDIAL
Simmer nice ripe blackberries in water enough to cover them, and when
they are tender take them out, mash them and strain them through a
strong cloth; get all the juice out you can by squeezing, but do not
let the pulp and seed come through the bag. Now add a little of the
water they were boiled in, however not more than two tablespoonfuls
to each pint of strained juice. To every pint of this liquor, add
one pound of loaf sugar, one teaspoonful of mace, same of cloves
and cinnamon. Boil all these together a few minutes, and strain it
again to free it from the spice. When this syrup is cool, add to each
pint a wineglass of good French brandy. If you cannot get brandy,
substitute rum or whiskey, remembering to use twice as much as you
would brandy. This is excellent for children during the prevalence of
summer complaints, and an excellent tonic for all debilitated persons.
BLACKBERRY CORDIAL
Select fine, ripe fruit. Squeeze the berries without boiling, and to
a quart of the strained juice, put a pound of loaf sugar; boil it for
half an hour, and add a quart of brandy, some cloves and cinnamon,
when on the fire. If the fruit thickens too rapidly while boiling,
throw in a cup of hot water.
RASPBERRY CORDIAL
Squeeze the fruit through a flannel bag, and to every quart of
juice to a pound of loaf sugar; put it in a stone jar and stir it
constantly for half an hour; allow it to stand for three days, then
strain it again and add to each quart of juice a quart of fine
brandy.
TOMATO WINE
Let the tomatoes be very ripe; mash them well, let them stand
twenty-four hours, strain, and to every quart of the tomato juice,
add a pound of white sugar. This will ferment and should be allowed
to do so, only keep it carefully covered from the flies. Skim off the
foam as it rises, and when the liquor becomes clear, bottle it. This
wine will be a pleasant acid, and should be served with sugar and
water, in the tumbler with the wine.
ANOTHER TOMATO WINE
Bruise your berries, or small tomatoes; measure the juice, and add
two pounds of sugar to each gallon; put it in a cask, adding two
gallons of water to each four gallons of juice. Let it ferment like
blackberry wine.
A FINE TEMPERANCE BEVERAGE
To the juice of a dozen lemons put one pound and a half of double
refined sugar, and a picked quart of raspberries or strawberries;
pare a ripe pineapple and slice it, put over it half a pound of
sugar, stir the lemon juice with the sugar, crush in the berries
slightly bruise the pineapple and chop it up in small pieces. Put
the lemon juice in a large punch bowl, add to it three quarts of ice
water, then put in the strawberry and pineapple juice, stir it until
all the sugar is dissolved, and then set it on ice. Serve in punch
glasses.
CHAMPAGNE PUNCH