Jane Hamilton's recipes

Pare the quinces and take out the cores, after cutting them into quarters. Put the cores and peelings in a brass skillet, with rather more than a quart of water for every pound of cores and peelings. Boil for about half an hour, then strain through a coarse cloth, set the juice back on the fire and put in the quinces, boiling them until half done ; then take them out and put in the sugar, a pound for every pound of fruit (loaf sugar is used always for fruits preserved whole). Boil the syrup about two or three minutes, then put back the quinces and let them remain until they have become a pretty red color and look transparent. Then take them out and let the syrup continue to boil until it becomes a thin jelly. When both fruit and syrup, or jelly, are entirely cold put them into jars and cover them closely. The (155) slices of quinces should be laid separately in a dish to cool and the syrup poured into a bowl to cool. RASPBERRY. To one quart of raspberries put threequarters of a pound of brown sugar; set the sugar and fruit on the fire together and stew until the fruit is done. Stew it so as not to let the fruit burn, but take care not to overheat it. Put it into jars and when it is quite cold cover closely. STRAWBERRY. To one pound of strawberries put one pound and four ounces of loaf sugar, laying the sugar on the fruit about three hours before you are ready to preserve it. Then set it on the fire and let it stew about twenty minutes, stirring it carefully so as to prevent burning, but at the same time do not break the fruit. Put it into halfpint tumblers, and when cold paste covers (156) of white paper on them and sun them for about a fortnight. Strawberry marmalade, or jam, is made with three-quarters of a pound of brown sugar to a pound of fruit and stewed until it becomes a thick jam, being stirred all the time. Put it into jars and when cold cover closely. It is better to let the marmalade get cold before putting it in jars, some think. (157) JELLY JELLY APPLE. Take eight pounds of crab apples, or any winter apple that has a pleasant flavor, wash them and cut them into quarters. Add to this quantity four quarts of water and stew them until they are entirely done. Then strain the juice through a coarse cloth. This quantity of fruit will make four pints of juice. To each pint put a pound of loaf sugar, then boil until the whole becomes a thick jelly. When cold put it into jars and cover closely. The pulp of the apple or of quinces and pears made into jelly may be passed through a sieve and, with the addition of sugar, makes a jam. CRANBERRY. To one pound of cranberries put one and a quarter pounds of loaf sugar and a gill and a half of water. Stew for about half an hour; when cold they are ready for use. They will keep two or three weeks. To make cranberry jelly, put two or three gills of water to a pound of the fruit; stew it to a perfect pulp, strain the juice through a piece of muslin, and put a pound of loaf sugar to every pint of juice. Boil it until it becomes a jelly, then pour it into moulds. CURRANT.