The farm cook & rule book

Dip the peaches in hot water and remove immediately, rubbing them with a towel to remove the skins. Boil the sugar, vinegar and cinnamon, broken in small pieces, 5 minutes. Pierce every peach with a clove. Put them in the syrup and simmer until soft. The slower and longer the cooking, the better the color and flavor. Place in sterilized jars and seal. Sweet Pickled Pears Follow directions for sweet pickled peaches, using pears instead of the peaches. Spiced Apples 8 apples ^ cupful vinegar % cupful brown sugar 1 large stick cinnamon whole cloves Boil the sugar, vinegar and cinnamon, broken in bits, 5 minutes. Wash, pare and core the apples and cut in eighths. Pierce every piece with a clove. Simmer gently until tender in the syrup. Can in sterile jars. PICKLES, CATCHUPS AND RELISHES 83 Cantaloupe Pickles Select firm "under-ripe melons, cut in small sections and discard the seeds. Soak in a brine made by dissolving % cupful of salt in a quart of water. After the melon has stood in this 3 or 4 hours, drain and add the well-drained sections to a syrup made by boiling 4 cupfuls of sugar, 1 cupful of vinegar, 1 quart of water, 1 tablespoonful of cloves and 1 tablespoonful of allspice together. Boil the melon rapidly in this 10 minutes. Remove from the stove and let stand overnight. In the morning drain the syrup from the melon and boil it until the back of a spoon dipped in it is coated. Then add the cantaloupe and cook slowly 1 hour. FRUIT PRESERVES, JAMS AND BUTTERS Preserves are fruits canned in a thick syrup. Usually these are cooked by the open kettle method. They are stored in glasses covered with a layer of paraffin which keeps the air from entering. Properly preserved fruits are saturated with sugar so they have a transparent appearance. Uncooked fruits should never be dropped into a thick syrup as this causes them to shrivel. Strawberry Preserves Pick over, hull, wash and drain berries. Weigh and make a syrup by using % their weight in sugar mixed with water. Use 1 cupful of water to every 2 cupfuls of sugar. Boil the syrup 5 minutes. Add the berries and bring to the boiling point. Lift out the fruit and place in the sterilized glasses. Boil the syrup 10 minutes longer and pour over the berries. When cool, pour melted paraffin over the top, cover and set away in a cool dark place. Raspberry Preserves Follow the directions for making strawberry preserves, substituting raspberries for the strawberries. Blackberries Substitute blackberries for the strawberries and make like strawberry preserves. Plum Conserve 5 pounds fruit 2 pounds raisins 5 pounds sugar % cupful nut meats 3 oranges FRUIT PRESERVES, JAMS AND BUTTERS 85 Grind the fruit and chopped nuts through the food chopper. Cook until as thick as desired and seal in sterile fruit jars or in glasses like the strawberry preserves. Jams Use sound fruit or berries. Wash carefully and stem or pare as is necessary. Weigh or measure the fruit. Cut large fruit in pieces and crush berries and place in a saucepan with just enough water to prevent sticking. Stir to keep from burning and cook until the mixture begins to thicken. Then add % as much sugar as fruit. Simmer until the desired consistency is reached, pour into hot sterilized jars, cool, seal with paraffin, cover and store in a cool, dark place. Fruit Butters