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
Rhubarb (cut up), 2 cups
Sugar, 2 cups
Lemon juice, 1 dessert spoon
Seedless raisins, 1/4 lb.
Walnut meats, 1/4 lb.
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
Apricots, 1 dozen
Sugar, 2 cups
Lemon juice, 1 dessert spoon
Orange juice, 1 dessert spoon
Grated rind of half a lemon
Grated rind of half an orange
Seedless raisins, 1/4 lb.
Walnut meats, 1/4 lb.
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
Peaches (large), Eight
Sugar, 2 cups
Oranges, One
Seedless raisins, 1/4 lb.
Walnut meats, 1/4 lb.
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
Large blue plums, 1 dozen
Sugar, 2 cups
Oranges, One-half
Seedless raisins, 1/4 lb.
Walnut meats, 1/4 lb.
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."