Plain cookery recipes

Wipe and stone the plums. Break half of the stones, and remove the kernels; blanch and skin them. Tie the rest of the stones in muslin. Dissolve the sugar in the water, and put in the plums, and the stones tied in muslin. Stir till boiling. While boiling, skim thoroughly. Test after thirty minutes’ boiling, and, if firming, add the kernels. Boil well up, and dish. Note. — (1.) The kernels may be left out if desired. (2.) All large fruits, such as mussel plums, damsons, etc., are prepared in this way. Rhubarb Jam. Six pounds rhubarb. | Six pounds sugar. Six ounces whole ginger. Wash and dry the rhubarb, and cut in pieces one inch long. Crush the ginger, and tie it up in a piece of muslin. Put rhubarb, sugar, and ginger into the preserving pan, and stir till it boils. Skim well, and test after twenty minutes’ boiling. If firming, put it into jars. Preserved Rhubarb. Six pounds rhubarb (after I Six pounds preserving sugar, preparing). | Six ounces whole ginger. Half a pint water. Wash and dry the rhubarb, and cut in pieces one and a half inches long. Put it into a strong basin with the sugar and ginger in alternate layers. Pour on the water, and allow this to stand covered for twenty-four hours. Pour off the liquid. Put it into the pan, bring to the boil, and add the rhubarb and ginger. Boil steadily for forty minutes, skimming carefully. Test, and, if firming, put a lid on the pan, draw it to the side of the fire, and allow it to stand for fifteen minutes : this swells out the rhubarb. Put into jars. | Note. — Red Victoria rhubarb is best for preserving. For storing for winter use it should be preserved in early autumn. Black Currant Jelly* Wash the currants. Put them in a preserving pan, and ' cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, and simmer until the fruit is reduced to a pulp, then strain it through a jellybag. Proportions. — To every pint of juice allow one pound of sugar. Put the juice and sugar into the pan, stir till boiling. Skim well, and test after twenty minutes’ steady boiling. If firming, put into small pots. Note. — This method applies to nearly all kinds of jellies, such as green gooseberry, raspberry, apple, etc. Red Currant Jelly* First Method. — Wash the currants. Put them in a preserving pan with about one gill of water. Bring to the boil, and simmer till the fruit is reduced to a pulp, then allow to drip through a jelly-bag. Put the juice into a pan, and add sugar in the proportion of one pound of sugar to one pint of juice. Bring to the boil, skim well, and test after ten minutes’ steady boiling. If firming, dish up in small pots. JAMS, JELLIES, ETC. 141 Second Method. — Wash the currants, squeeze them in a coarse cloth with the hands till all the juice is extracted. Measure this into a preserving pan, and add one pound of sugar to each pint of juice. Bring to the boil, skim well, and boil for exactly three minutes. Dish up in pots. Lemon Syrup. Two pounds loaf sugar. One and a half ounces citric Two lemons. acid. One quart boiling water. Peel the rind thinly from the lemons, and soak it in enough boiling water to cover it for half an hour. Put the sugar and citric acid in a basin, and pour the boiling water over them. When cold, add the juice of the lemons, strained, and the liquid from the rind. Put into bottles, and cork tightly. Lemon Curd.