Ransom's family receipt book, 1885

six quarts of molasses. Pick the barberries free from stems and imper¬ fect ones. Let the molasses come to a boil, then put in the barberries and boil about fifty minutes. They will be clear and full when done. Skim them out and put in the jars. Save two quarts of the syrup for drinks, and turn the remainder over the barberries. Be very careful that the molasses shall not burn. Sweet apples may be cooked with these in the same manner that pears are cooked with those done in sugar. APPLE PRESERVE.— Peel and weigh ten pounds of apples; stew them in a pan, with one pint of water; when they are quite tender put in eight pounds of pounded sugar, two ounces of ground ginger, the juice and grated rind of four or five lemons; let it boil half an hour or more, stirring it all the time, then put it in small jars or moulds. PRESERVED CUCUMBERS. — Split the cucumbers and extract the seeds. Let them remain for three days in salt and water. Put them now into cold water, with a small quantity of alum, and boil them till tender. Drain them and allow them to lie in a thin syrup for two days; then take them out, boiling the syrup again, and pour it over the cucumbers, repeating this opoperation twice more. Now boil some clarified sugar until, when a spoonful of it is taken up and blown through, small sparks of sugar will fly from it; put the cucumbers into this and let them simmer five minutes. Leave them until the next day, when the whole must be boiled up again, and afterward put by for use. TOMATO SWEETMEATS. — Scald and remove the skin, slice them thinly and stew them in sugar like other preserves, using the best kind of sugar — three-quarters of a pound for a pound of tomatoes. PEACHES DRIED WITH SUGAR. — Peel yellow peaches, cut them from the stone in one piece, allow two pounds of sugar for six pounds of the fruit; make a syrup of three-quarters pouud of sugar and a little water, put in the peaches and let them stay till they are quite clear, take them up carefully on a dish and set them in the sun to dry. Strew powdered sugar over them on all sides, a little at a time, and if any syrup is left remove them to fresh dishes. When they are quite dry lay them lightly in a jar with a little sugar between each layer. PICKLED BLUEBERRIES. — Nearly fill a jar with ripe berries, and fill up with good molasses.. Cover and set away. In a few weeks they will be ready to use. — SWEET TOMATO PICKLE. — One peck of green tomatoes and six large onions, sliced. Sprinkle with one cupful of salt, and let them stand over night. In the morning drain. Add to the tomatoes two quarts of water and one quart of vinegar. Boil fifteen minutes; then drain again, and throw this vinegar and water away. Add to the pickle two pounds of sugar, two quarts of vinegar, two tablespoonfuls of cloves, two of allspice, two of ginger, two of mustard, two of cinnamon, and one teaspoonful of cayenne, and boil fifteen minutes. CHOPPED PICKLE. — One peck of green tomatoes, two quarts of onions and two of peppers. Chop all fine, separately, and mix, adding three cupfuls of salt. Let them stand over night, and in the morning drain well. Add half a pound of mustard seed, two tablespoonfuls of ground allspice, two of ground cloves and one cupful of grated horse-radish. Pour over it three quarts of boiling vinegar.