Farm and home cook book and housekeeper's assistant

Pick the dandelion greens before they are in bud or blossom, digging down deep for them. Discard all the tough leaves and buds, wash and rinse thoroughly, and cook until tender in salted water. Then drain and pack into the cans while hot, and fill with clear, boiling hot water, and then screw on covers loosely. Be sure that there are no air spaces or air bubbles left in the cans. Place the cans in a boiler of water, proceeding in the usual manner, and boil for 15 minutes, after which seal tight. Beet, mustard, spinach and other greens can be canned in the same way. — [B. F. H., Me. Cherries should be washed well several times to remove that strong taste so common to cherry preserves. — [Mrs. M. M. B., Mo. Mulberries will not keep if canned alone. They should be combined with gooseberries, or with the juice of rhubarb. — [E. H., 111. The best apples for preserving are the old-fashioned "sweeting," as they will not boil to pieces like tart apples. They require the same proportions and treatment as the peach. — [Mrs. A. A. W.. N. C. Jellies, Jams and Marmalades By the time winter sets in, jellies, jams and marmalades are in great demand, and it therefore behooves the careful housewife to put up a goodly supply of these delectable sweets. When made at home from good material, by the following recipes, they will prove to be as palatable as they are wholesome. For jellies, fruit not yet fully ripe is best, and for jams, marmalades or "butters" (which are almost identical in composition), fully ripe fruit may be used and such that are not perfect enough for canning whole, but are nevertheless all right for cutting up and boiling down with sugar. It is a waste of time and sugar to try to use fruit that is not good — therefore, don't. Some Jelly Rules The principal rules governing jelly making from fruit, applicable to almost all kinds of berries and fruits, are as follows: Berries or fruit should not be too ripe. They are in the best state just before ripening. Use only sound fruit, pick over carefully, wash and drain, mash, and put over a slow fire to extract the juices. In the case of very juicy fruit, water need not be added, and for others a very little water will do — just enough to prevent burning. When done and the juices run freely from the fruit, turn into a jelly bag and let drain all night. Do not squeeze the bag to extract the juice, unless the recipe especially calls for such a proceeding, as otherwise the juice will become cloudy. The pulp that remains can often be used for jams or marmalades or pies, with the addition of sugar and spices. In the morning measure the juice, and then measure out the same quantity of sugar, or a little less in the case of naturally sweet fruit. Put the sugar in the oven to heat, but be careful not to let it burn. Put the juice over the fire in a granite or porcelain-lined kettle kept strictly for such purposes, and allow it to boil briskly from 15 to 20 minutes. Then add the hot sugar, stir until dissolved, and boil 5 to 10 minutes longer. Test, and remove from the fire as soon as it is ready to "jell." Pour at once into clean.