Hilda's diary of a Cape housekeeper

Fruits. — There are plenty of apricots now in our garden, and figs and plums, strawberries, mulberries, melons, watermelons, pears and grapes, and by the end of the month our peaches will begin to ripen. January 4. — Our friends the M s have just arrived from England, he to take up his new appointment. They were so much amused to see Cape dogs eating grapes ! Some one at the station threw a bunch on to the platform, and a dog ate up every grape, pulling each off daintily till all were gone. People often have to keep a man firing off a gun in the vineyard when the grapes are ripe to frighten off, not only birds, but the dogs, who are so fond of them, and would get in if ever so small a hole were left in the fence ; so the fable of the fox and the grapes was perhaps founded on fact ? January 5. — Cleaning old jam-pots. — To prepare for all the preserving to be done this month, we must see that any jars which have had preserves in them before are Ja7i. APRICOT CREAM. PRESERVED APRICOTS thoroughly cleaned, and must be most careful in washing both jars and covers thoroughly in clean hot water. At Groote Poste in old days we used always after washing and drying the jars to powder them with a little flour of sulphur and wipe them clean. We never used soda nor soap to clean the jars, as soda has an injurious chemical action if used in anything connected with fruit. Hazel jars. — I find Hazel jars (an American kind) the best to use for preserves and easiest to clean, but one must make sure, if old jars are used again, that the elastic rings on them are sound and firm, and that the top screws on so that no air can penetrate and no leakage is possible. Apricot Cream. — This nice recipe for an apricot shape was given me as a good way of using the dried apricots, “evaporated apricots,” they are called, which come, I think, from California and Australia. No doubt fresh apricots could be used the same way. The ingredients are — ^ lb. dried apricots. 2 ozs. lump sugar. 2 eggs. \ pint milk. I oz. gelatine. Soak the apricots 4 or 5 hours, then stew them with sufficient water to cover them, ’and a little sugar. When quite done put them through a sieve and let them cool. Then make a custard with the 2 eggs and milk, add the gelatine, and mix all well together and put into a mould, set in a cold place, and serve with whipped cream. Preserving Apricots. — There are so many apricots this year that I shall preserve as many as possible — for this is the month for them — and plums also. I find it best to make a syrup of equal proportions of sugar and water — say 6 SUCCESSFUL PRESERVING-. STRAWBERRIES Ja7i. cups of sugar and 6 of water ; boil and strain it, and then take two-thirds of the syrup when boiling and put with it in a saucepan your fresh ripe fruit (well wiped and with stalks off), and boil it for a few minutes. Lately we have halved the apricots and removed the stones, which is better. Have your jars ready and heated, and proceed to fill carefully, taking the apricots one by one from the boiling saucepan and transferring to the jar. The jars should stand on an enamelled plate on the stove by your saucepan (this is better than a china plate, which the heat might crack, for the syrup often boils in the jar as you are filling up).