The Ideal cook book

In making jams many cooks after allowing the proper proportions of sugar to the fruit, put into the preserving pan without removing stones or skins until after boiling, as the flavor is thought to be finer by adopting this method. Glass bottles are preferable to any other as they allow inspection to detect incipient fermentation, which may be stayed by re-boiling Copper or brass preserving pans are the best kind to use, but they require a great deal of care to keep clean ; the enamelled are very nice and easily kept in order. Jams should be kept in a dry, cool place, and if properly made will only require a small round of writing paper, oiled, and laid on to fit ; now tie down securely with a second paper brushed over with the white of egg to exclude the air. If you should have the least fear of the store closet being damp, it would be better for the first paper to be dipped in brandy. Inspect them every two or three months. 808. Plums Jam-—Ingredients—Allow 3¼ lb. of white sugar to 1 lb. of fruit. . It is difficult to give the exact quantity of sugar to be used in plum jam, in fact it entirely depends upon the quality of the plums used, therefore your own judgment will be necessary. After weighing the plums, halve them and remove the stones ; then place on a large dish and sprinkle with the sugar, leave them thus for twenty-four hours; then put into a preserving pan and let them simmer gently on the back of the stove for about twenty-five or thirty minutes, then boil very quickly, for a quarter of an hour, skimming carefully, and stirring with a wooden spoon to prevent the jam sticking. It greatly improves the jam to put some kernels from the plum stones into it. 809. Red Currant Jam—Ingredients—¾ of a lb. of white sugar _ to every pound of fruit. Let the fruit be very ripe, remove from the stalks with a silver fork ; dissolve the sugar over the fire, then put in the cur- 228 THE Dominion Cook Book. rants and boil for half an hour, stirring and skimming all the time. Put into jars and cover air tight. 810. Black Currant Jam-—Ingredients—1 gill of water, 1 lb. of fruit to I lb. of sugar. Purchase the fruit ripe and dry ; having stripped from the stalk which can be done nicely with a silver fork, place them and the water into your preserving pan; boil for ten minutes, then add the sugar, and allow to boil three-quarters of an hour from the time it begins to simmer; keep it constantly stirred ; carefully remove the scum. When done pot in the usual manner. 811. Raspberry Jam—Ingredients—Allow 1 lb. of white sugar to I lb. of fruit, and 2 wine glasses of red currant juice. Directly this fruit is purchased preserve it, if allowed to stand the jam and the flavor will not be so good; place in preserving pan and allow to boil twenty minutes, stirring constantly; add the sugar and currant juice and boil for halfan hour. Be particular to skim well as this will make the jam nice and clear. When done, place in pots and cover. 812. Rhubarb Jam-—lIngredients—Rhubarb, to a pound of pulp allow 1 lb. of sugar, I oz. sweet almonds blanched and chopped, and half a lemon cut into slices. Peel and cut up the rhubarb, boil till reduced to a pulp with a very little water, add the sugar, almonds and lemon, boil for three-quarters of an hour or an hour, remove the lemon peel and put it into pots. 813. Green Grape Jam-—Ingredients—To 1 lb. of grapes allow 3¢ Ib. of sugar. Pick them carefully and reject any that are injured, wash them. Put the grapes into a preserving pan, then a layer of sugar, then a layer of grapes. Boil on a moderate fire, stirring it all the time to prevent its burning, and as the grape stones rise take them out with a spoon, so that by the time the fruit is sufficiently boiled—about one hour—the stones will all have been taken out. Put into jars and cover in the usual way.