Household hints

When canning finiit, one very often has more juice than is needed, or is even desirable to put in the can. This may be strained, boiled, and made into jelly, which will do nicely for cake, or it may be kept in a sealed bottle to flavor and color apple jelly with. Apple Jelly. — This is made like any other fruit jelly, and it is often convenient to make it for use late in the spring, if your stock is not very large of summer-made jelly. Crab Apples make a very handsome jelly. Catawba grapes, when first beginning to ripen, make a delicious jelly. In fact, one may make it of any fruit. Wine Jelly. — Take one package of Cox's gelatine, the juice of three lemons, rind of one, and one pint of sherry wine. Let the gelatine soak for two hours in one pint of cold water, then add two pints of boiling water, one and a half pounds of white sugar, and the wine. Let it just come to a boil. If you wish to add any flavor, do so. Strain into molds to cool. When you begin to use your fruit in the winter, fill some of the cans with stewed cranberries (and, by the way, stew the berries until they are soft, not leaving them whole so they will pop open in your mouth, as I have seen them). In spring, when apples have lost their flavor, you can make a very good apple pie by adding two or three tablespoonfuls of cranberries to each pie. Do not leave empty cans standing around in the pantry. When the fruit is taken out, wash the can, dry it and the cover and the rubber ring. Then put the top on, and set the can on the shelf from which you took it. Elderberry Jelly, — Cook the berries till soft, then strain through a jelly-bag. To every pint of juice add one pint of white sugar. If you choose, one third part of grapes may be used. Care of Silver. — When putting away the silver tea or coffee pot which is not used every day, lay a little stick across the top under the cover ; this will allow fresh air to get in, and will prevent mustiness. It will then be ready for use at any time, after having first been thoroughly rinsed with boiling water. Nothing is better to clean silver with than alcohol and ammonia. After rubbing with this, take a little whitening on a soft cloth and polish. Even frosted silver, which is so difficult to clean, may be easily made clear and bright. Taking Care of Stockings. — Before the children's stockings begin to be thin at the knees and to need darning, put a piece of cloth under and sew with fine stitches, so that they will not show. Soft flannel, or pieces of old stockings which are strong enough to be worth using, are better than any heavier cloth. By taking the trouble to do this, the stockings may be made to last twice as long as without it. Putting Away Stockings. — When putting away summer stockings, see that they are clean and whole. It is a great comfort to find them ready for use in the spring. Have a calico or cambric bag to hold the stockings of each member of the family. Label each one, in order to save time, and not be obliged to look into each to find the ones you wish to use. In summer, keep the winter stockings in them. To Preserve Old Stockings. — Pale-blue stockings which have faded can have the color restored by dipping them into hot water in which common bluing has been poured, and some lumps of alum dissolved. Old white stockings can be colored in this way, and do a good deal of service. Marking Handkerchiefs. — A plain hemstitched pockethandkerchief can be ornamented prettily by putting a row of feather-stitching, in white or colored working cotton, just above the hem. This is a good way to mark handkerchiefs for the wash, providing, of course, that the washing is done at home.