Mrs. Lincoln's Boston cook book

Preserved Quinces. — Use the orange quinces. Wipe, pare, quarter, and remove all the core and the hard part under the core. Take an equal weight of sugar. Cover the quinces with cold water. Let them come slowly to a boil. Skim, and when nearly soft put one quarter of the sugar on the top, but do not stir. When this boils, add another part of the sugar, and continue until all the sugar is in the kettle. Let them boil slowly until the color you like, either light or dark. Another way is to cook the quinces in water till tender, drain, and put them in a stone jar in layers, with an equal weight of sugar. Cover closely. In a cold dry place they will keep perfectly. They are lighter-colored and more tender than when cooked in the sj'rup. Watch them during the first month, and if there be any signs of fermentation, set the jar in a kettle of hot water till the fruit is scalded. Reserve the broken or unshapely pieces of quince, cut them in small cubes, and use with Strawberry Tomatoes. Allow three quarters of a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit. Make the syrup, and cook the fruit in it till tender. Skim it out, and boil the syrup down for ten minutes. Fill the jars, and seal at once. Equal parts of sweet apple., cooked with the quince but with no extra sugar, can scarcel}^ be distinguished from the quince. Preserved Pineapple. — Remove the skin and all the eyes, take the pineapple in your left hand, and with a silver fork begin at the stem end of the fruit and fork out small bits. This will leave the core, which is juiceless and tasteless, in your hand. Weigh the pineapple after it is thus prepared, and sprinkle over it three quarters of a pound of sugar to one pound of pineapple. When a sjTup is formed, cook the apple slowly in it until transparent, then remove the fruit and boil the syrup a little longer. Or slice the pineapple in half-inch slices, and cut out the core. Cook in the syrup, being careful not to break the slices. The Boston Cook Book. Preserved Strawberries, Raspberries, Currants, Blackberries, and Cherries, — Measure a bowl of fruit and the same quantity of sugar. Put in a preserving-kettle, over night, a layer of fruit, and then one of sugar. In the morning cook slowly without stirring, until the liquid is clear and the fruit soft. Skim thoroughl}^ before putting into the jars. Cherries should be stoned. The pits may be used if the flavor be desired. No, 2. — Use only large and selected fruit, and allow one cup of sugar to a pint jar of fruit. Pick over the fruit, and put at once into the jars, with as little handling as possible, and sprinkle each layer with sugar. Place the jars in a boiler of water, and let the water boil ten minutes. Have a little sj'rup boiling, and fill each jar to the brim with the boiling syrup, and seal at once. Jams. Jams are made with whole small fruits, or large fruit cut fine, and cooked in an equal weight of sugar. Grape Jam. — Wash the grapes, and squeeze or pinch the pulp from the skins. Boil the pulp until it separates from the seeds, and rub it through a sieve. Then add the skins to the pulp, and boil with an equal weight of sugar fifteen minutes. Put into small jars or tumblers, and cover with paper.