Good Things to Eat as Suggested by Rufus

PEAR AND BLUEBERRY PRESERVES— Pick over and wash two quarts of blueberries, add water to nearly cover and stew them half hour. Mash them well, when all are broken turn into a bowl covered with cheese cloth. Drain well and when cool squeeze out all the juice. Put the blueberry juice on to boil, add one pint of sugar to each pint of juice and remove all scum. Allow one quart of sliced pears to one pint of juice. Use hard pears not suitable for canning. Cook them in the syrup, turning over often and when soft and transparent skim them out into the jars. Boil down the syrup and strain over the fruit. Fill to overflowing and seal. ii4 PRESERVES, PICKLES, RELISHES PRESERVED CURRANTS— Weigh seven pounds of currants before picking over, then stem them and throw out all that are not perfect. Put seven pounds of sugar with three pints of currant juice and boil three minutes, add the currants, one pound of seeded raisins, and cook all twenty minutes. Seal in small jars. PRESERVED STRAWBERRIES— The following method for preserving strawberries is highly recommended. Weigh the berries and allow an equal amount of sugar. As two cups weigh a pound, the sugar can be measured. Put the sugar into the preserving kettle with enough cold water to moisten it, but not enough to make it a liquid. Set the kettle on the back of the range, and when the sugar has entirely dissolved lay in the fruit and heat. As soon as it boils skim and cook five minutes. Do not stir or mash the berries. Now spread them around on deep platters or enameled pans and cover with panes of window glass. Set in the sun, and the syrup will gradually thicken. Turn into small jars and seal. RHUBARB JAM — Add to each pound of rhubarb cut without peeling, a pound of sugar and one lemon. Pare the yellow peel from the lemon, taking care to get none of the bitter white pith. Slice the pulp of the lemon in an earthen bowl, discarding the seeds. Put the rhubarb into the bowl with the sugar and lemon, cover and stand away in a cool place over night. In the morning turn into the preserving kettle, simmer gently three-quarters of an hour or until thick, take from the fire, cool a little and pour into jars. SPICED CRABAPPLES— Wash the crabapples, cut out the blossoms end with a silver knife. To four pounds of fruit take two pounds of sugar, one pint of vinegar, one heaping teaspoon each of broken cinnamon, cassia buds and allspice, add one scant tablespoon whole cloves. Tie the spices in a thin bag and boil with the vinegar and sugar five minutes. Skim them add the apples and simmer slowly until tender; which will take about ten or fifteen minutes. Skim out the apples, putting them in a large bowl or jar. Boil the sugar five minutes longer and pour over the fruit. Next day drain off the syrup, heat to the boiling point and pour again over the apples. Do this for the next two days, then bottle and seal while hot. SPICED CRABAPPLE JELLY— With crabapples still on hand a nice spiced jelly can be made to serve with meats. Cook the apples without peeling until tender. Strain through a jelly PRESERVES, PICKLES, RELISHES 115 bag, add vinegar to taste with cloves and cinnamon. Cook twenty minutes, add an equal quantity of sugar that has been heated in the oven. Boil five minutes, skim and turn in glasses.