The "Queen" cookery books: Pickles and Preserves

aroma. Almost any fruit can be preserved in this way, and none deserve it more than black currants, which will then be a revelation to a good many people, accustomed to the dry, sticky compound usually offered as black currant jam. But the success of the plan depends almost entirely on the thorough soaking of the whole fruit, first in the sugar, and then in the syrup. Strawberries, gooseberries, currants, black, red, and white, and cherries, are fit for preserving in June and July; raspberries in July, and perhaps August ; apricots, greengages, and plums, from August to the end of September; whilst apples, crab apples, quinces, medlars, and rowans may be preserved from the end of August to November, according to the season. But, of course, these times, like the proportions for jam making, vary with the season. Lastly, one word of warning. Many wild fruits, such as blackberries, bullaces, sloes, &c., make delicious preserves, but as they must be dry for this purpose, and you cannot be sure through whose hands they may have passed before reaching you, always make them into jelly in preference to jam. The above general directions give a good idea of the ordinary method of making jams, and if carefully followed out any fruit can be preserved in this way. So it is needless to multiply recipes in so small a book as the present. It may therefore be as well to give a few recipes for the preparation of jellies. The general remarks respecting jams apply even more strongly to jellies, which, to be good, must be perfectly clear, and fairly stiff, and without the least touch of “ ropiness”— given by over-boiled sugar. Take for instance : Red Currant Jelly. —For every 21b. of red currants take lib. of white (mind they are ripe and very juicy, and carefully stripped from their stalks)'; ’place these in the preserving pan, and keep them wellstined over the fire, to make them render their juice freely as soon as they have done so, pour it off’ and weigh it and for each quart of juice take If lb. of ’cane loaf sugar, broken into fairly large pieces, dip these int o cold water, and throw them, when well drenched, into a pan and boil them to a thick syrup, stirrino- it all well together till it “ drapes ” the skimmer, and falls in thick folds from it. blow pour in the juice at once, stir it all well together, and, when well blended, let it all boil together sharply for five minutes ; then skim most carefully, and pour it into glasses which have been previously scalded and dried. White Currant Jelly.— Choose very fine and delicately white currants for this (gathered on a warm, dry day), and remove the stalks very carefully. To each pound of fruit allow lib. 2oz. best cane loaf sugar, and boil these together very quickly for seven or eight minutes, then turn it out on to a delicately clean sieve, and allow all the juice to drain from it putting this into small jars, which must be left in a cool, dry place till cold. Red currants can be made into jelly in the same way, only using equal weights of fruit and sugar. This makes a delicious jelly though its stiffness cannot be depended on if the weather be cold, and, above all, damp.