The home cook book

Peel the pears and stick a couple of cloves in each pear. Put in an earthenware baking dish, sweeten to your taste, add water to afford plentiful juice in baking, and bake in a moderate oven till the pears are tender. Dip up the water in the pears now and then as they are baking. STEWED DRIED PRUNES Select a pound of medium-sized prunes. Wash them in three cold waters. Put them in a crock and cover with cold water overnight. In the morning put them in a preserving kettle with the water they were soaked in. Add two more quarts of cold water, one full teacup of sugar, one sliced lemon. Cook slowly until there is more than enough juice to cover them, as they will absorb the juice after they are done. It will take two hours to cook them slowly. TO STEW PRUNES WITHOUT SUGAR Wash the prunes thoroughly in several waters, cover with cold water and boil or simmer slowly until tender. They will have a thick syrup juice, and if of a good quality will have considerable sugar in themselves and be quite sweet enough for some tastes. STEWED QUINCES AND APPLES Peel and cut three quinces in small sections. Cover them with plenty of water (without sugar) and cook until nearly tender. Save the peeling and cores, put them in another saucepan, cover well with water, and stew until the flavor of the quince has cooked into the water. Cut good flavored apples in small sections and add to the stewed quince. Strain and add the water in which the peelings and cores have boiled. Cover the mixed apples and quinces with water, sweeten to taste, and cook until the apples are rich and clear. Another way of flavoring apples is to boil ginger root with them, taking out the root when they are sufficiently flavored and adding several slices of lemon. STEWED RHUBARB Peel the rhubarb and cut it in inch pieces. Lay it in a large crock, wash quickly in cold water, and then cover with boiling water. Let it stand fifteen minutes, and pour off this water. Put it in a preserving kettle, and add a teacup of sugar to four cups of the fruit. Add no more water, as rhubarb is very juicy. Let it stew steadily until clear and rich. Taste carefully, and sweeten only just enough to leave a slight acid. XXXIII Selection of Fruit— Boiling — Steaming-— Small Fruits— Storing— Winter Preserves— Apple Jelly— Apple Ginger— Blackberry Jam— Brandied Cherries— Crab-Apple Jelly— Cranberry Catsup— Spiced Cranberries— Raisin and Cranberry Jam— Spiced Currants or other Fruit— Currant Jelly— Fig Marmalade— Preserved Figs— Spiced Gooseberries —Spiced Grapes— Grape Jelly— Citron Melon Preserve— Orange Jelly — Orange Juice and Yellow— Orange-and-Lemon Marmalade— Mixed Marmalade— Ginger-Root Pears— Spiced Pears— Spiced Peaches— Peach Marmalade— Spiced Blue Plums— To Preserve Pumpkins for Winter Use— Grated Quinces— Raisin Jam— Black Raspberry Jam— Red Raspberry Jam— Strawberry Jam— Sun Preserves— Tomato Jam— Tutti-Frutti SELECTION OF FRUIT IN canning fruit, if the work be done successfully, there are three important considerations : the condition of the fruit, the process employed, and the storing.