The farm cook & rule book

Cook the sugar, syrup, water and butter to the soft ball stage, or until a small portion of the syrup dropped in cold water forms a firm soft ball. Pour this over popped corn. Mix well and when slightly cool press into balls. Use enough com to make about 18 balls from this amount of syrup. SYRUPS Sugar Syrup 1 cupful sugar V2 cupful hot water Boil these ingredients together 5 minutes. Serve hot, or if the syrup is to be kept, bottle. Fruit Syrup Add the juice and pulp of any fresh fruit to the sugar syrup. Orange and lemon syrups are winter favorites. Canned pineapples may be used in this way. Strawberry and raspberry syrups are delicious in the berry season. Jam Syrup To the sugar syrup recipe add 4 tablespoonfuls of strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, grape, plum or any other fruit jam. Orange marmalade may be used. Winter Fruit Syrup Add 1 cupful of the juice from canned apricots, peaches, strawberries or other canned fruit to V2 cupful of sugar. Boil until the syrup thickens slightly. Add a few bits of the canned fruit and serve warm on pancakes, fritters, biscuits or waffles. CANDIED FRUITS Candied Apples 6 small apples 2% cupfuls sugar 1% cupfuls water Pare and core the apples and cut in fourths. Make a syrup by boiling the sugar with the water 3 minutes. When the syrup is boiling, add the apples and simmer, but do not boil, 4 minutes. Remove from the stove and let stand overnight in the syrup. The next morning simmer the apples until tender, drain and roll in shredded cocoanut. CANDIES AND CONFECTIONS 63 Taffy Apples Eemove the cores from red apples and fill the cavities with chopped nuts, raisins or dates. Fasten every apple to a small stick or skewer to be used in holding them while dipping and eating the fruit. Make a syrup by boiling 1 cupful of white sugar, 1 cupful of brown sugar, I/2 cupful of water and i/^ cupful of vinegar together. Cook until the mixture cracks when a small portion is dropped in cold water and pushed together with the fingers. Dip the apples in this, making certain that they are coated thoroughly. Candied Cherries Stone the cherries, saving any juice that is extracted. Place 2 cupfuls of sugar and 2 cupfuls of water in a kettle and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Then add a pinch of cream of tartar and boil until a thick syrup is made. Skim thoroughly, add the stoned cherries and cook gently until the fruit is tender. Drain the cherries and place on platters to dry. When thoroughly dry, pack in boxes, lining them with oiled paper, placing this paper between every layer of fruit and sprinkling liberally with sugar. Put cover on box, wrap with paper and store in a dry place. Candied Pears Peel, core and cut the pears into halves. Make a thick syrup by boiling 2 cupfuls of sugar and 1 cupful of water together. Drop the pears in this and let them cook slowly until they are tender, but not broken. Eemove from the stove and let stand in a cool place for 2 days. Then drain and sprinkle sugar over the pears. Let them dry slowly in the sun or in a slow oven^ leaving the oven door open. Pack in glass jars, sprinkling generously with sugar, and cover. Candied Pineapple