The Swedish, French, American cook book

Pick and clean the currants. Cook the sugar with one quart currants until well done; then strain through a fine cloth. Put on stove, cook and skim well to a nice clear syrup, add the other two quarts of currants to the syrup, let simmer slowly, skim. Take care not to let the currants break. When cooked from ten to fifteen minutes, pour into hot jelly glasses and seal in accordance with recipe: Currant Jelly. Mint Jelly ( Gelee de Merit he) To six large bunches of mint take two quarts of green apples. Wash and core the apples well, cut in quarters. Put on stove with three pounds sugar, three cups water, half cup vinegar, and the washed stems of the mint. Cook in a large kettle from thirty minutes to one hour (take care not to let the apples break), then strain through a cheesecloth. In the meantime, chop the leaves of the mint as fine as snuff, add the mint to the jelly, leave on the stove to cook again for about ten minutes. If not ssufficiently green, darken with a little green coloring. Put on the stove. When it comes to a boil, skim, put in glasses. Have ready some white writing paper, clip it the size of the glass, dip in brandy and put on top, screw the cover on, leave upside down until cold. [illustration: Crab-apples can be used in place of the apples for this purpose.] Raspberry Jam ( Confiture de Framboises ) To five or six pounds of fine red raspberries add an equal quan¬ tity of the finest quality of good white sugar. Mash the whole well in a preserving kettle, add about one quart of currant juice (a little less will do) and boil gently, keep skimming it all the time until it jellies when tried upon a cold plate. Then put into small jars, cover with paper (that has been dipped in brandy), and tie a thick white paper over them. Keep in a dark, cool place. Blackberry and strawberry jam are made in the same way but excluding the currant juice. Gooseberry Jam ( Confiture de Groseilles ) Pick the gooseberries just as they begin to ripen. Stem, wash, and weigh. To four pounds fruit add half a teacup water, boil until soft, add four pounds sugar, boil again — until clear, during that time keep skimming. If the fruit is picked at the right stage the jam will be amber colored and firm, and very much nicer than if made from fruit that is ripe. Pour up in glasses and seal. See recipe: Currant Jelly. Strawberry Jam ( Confiture de Fraises) To five or six pounds of fully ripe strawberries add an equal quantity of the finest quality of white sugar. Mash the whole well in a preserving kettle and boil slowly from twenty to thirty minutes, during that time keep removing the scum. Try on a cold plate; when it jellies, put into small jars, cover with paper (that has been dipped in brandy), and tie a thick paper over them. Keep in a dark, cool place. Blackberry jam is made in the same way. Raspberry is made likewise, adding one quart of currant juice to the quantity after it is mashed through a coarse sieve. Rhubarb Jam ( Confiture de Rhubarbe) Peel and cut the rhubarb in half-inch pieces, lengthwise. To one pound of the rhubarb take one pound white loaf sugar. Cook slowly until it jellies upon a cold plate, keep removing the scum. Put into small jars, cover with paper (that has been dipped in brandy), and tie a thick paper over them. Keep in a dark cool place.