PRESERVING BOOK yor a LITTLE GIRL -v^ AM^ L, WATERMAN ALBERT R. MANN LIBRARY Cornell University Gift of Thomas Bass ^-'''^-T-i:-""- - :--"-"" .— 'L, ' From Home Bakings, by Edna Evans San Francisco, 1912. CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 3 1924 089 587 29 Cornell University Library The original of tliis bool< is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924089587129 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK FOR A LITTLE GIRL The Ideal Series for Girls Each, one volume, cloth decorative, i2mo, $1.00 A Little Cook Book for a Little Girl By Caroline French Benton The simple, vivacious style makes this little manual as delightful reading as a story-book. A Little Housekeeping Book for a Little Girl ; OR Margaret's Saturday Mornings By Caroline French Benton A little girl, home from school on Sat- urday mornings, finds out how to make helpful use of her spare time. A Little Candy Book for a Little Girl By Amy L. Waterman This is a book of special appeal, as it ex- plains in simple fashion the processes of making delicious fudges, fondants, nut dainties and the like. A Little Preserving Book for a Little Girl By Amy L. Waterman In simple story form is explained every step of the process of preserving and can- ning fruits and vegetables. A Little Sewing Book for a Little Girl By Louise Frances Cornell A splendid volume to encourage little girls in the study of the useful and beauti- ful art of the needle. Other Voltitnes in Preparation A Little Vegetable Book for a Little Girl A Little Flower Garden Book for a Little Girl A Little Knitting Book for a Little Girl A Little Nursing Book for a Little Girl A Little Gift-Making Book for a Little Girl A Little Party Book for a Little Girl, Etc. THE PAGE COMPANY S3 Beacon Street Boston, Mass. LITTLE PRESER- VING BOOK FOR A LITTLE GIRL BY AMY L. WATERMAN Author of "A LITTLE CANDY BOOK FOR A LITTLE GIRL," Etc. WUh a frontispiece in fall color by HARRIET O'BRIEN BOSTON * THE PAGE COMPANY * MDCCCCXX Copyright, igso By The Page Company All rights reserved First Impression, February, 1920 THE COLONIAL PRESS C. H. SIMONDS CO., BOSTON, U. S. A. TO ^Irelaitre THE LITTLE DAUGHTER OF s. ffi. m. MY LIFE-LONG FRIEND AND TO MY NAMESAKE CONTENTS I. Marmalades 1 II. Jams .... 25 ITT. Jellies 41 IV. Preserving and Canning 70 V. Conserves 107 VI. Spiced Fruits . 114 VII. Pickles 127 VIII. Canning the Government Way Special Instructions for Can- 154. ning Vegetables . 166 Special Instructions for Can- ning Fruits .... 17J. Principles of Jelly Making 179 Fruit Butters .... 184 IX. The Government Way of Pre- serving Eggs . ■ • 187 vu A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK FOR A LITTLE GIRL CHAPTER I MARMALADES There were two long and very wide shelves, besides a good-sized bench that had a shelf un- derneath, in mother's preserve closet. Before these stood two little girls, Jessie May and Ade- laide. Jessie May was Adelaide's most intimate friend, who had been away the whole summer long. To be sure, they had written to one another regularly, and in each letter that Ade- laide sent to Jessie May she hiiited at a wonder- ful secret. Now they were together again, the one longing to hear and the other eager to tell the wonderful secret. " You see," said Adelaide, pointing proudly to the bench and its shelf underneath, " this is all my work, the other (indicating the two long and very wide shelves) is mother's." 1 2 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK Jessie May gasped, for the top of the bench and the underneath shelf had every spare inch covered with jars of jams, jellies, preserves, pickles, vegetables, etc. "Why, Adelaide! You couldn't, — I mean, how could you? " hastily corrected Jessie May, for she wouldn't for the world have Adelaide think she doubted her word. " Well," said Adelaide, " let's go upstairs and I'll teU you how it all happened." When the two little girls were comfortably seated on the back porch the great secret was disclpsed, and piother, busy in the kitchen, smiled to herself at their very evident enjoyment. Jessie May was all interest, and you may be sure that Adelaide did not neglect even the smallest detail. She poured out her very soul. In fact, mother learned a good many things that morning about her small daughter's thoughts that she had hardly realized before, until she overheard them being laid bare to Jessie May. Of course, Adelaide always told mother every- thing, but it was usually the result of her thoughts, and not the process of think- ing. You see, Adelaide had been trained to think for herself, so in one way it was not sur- FOR A LITTLE GIRL 3 prising to hear her tell Jessie May that for two or three years she had been longing to help " preserve." She told Jessie May it was the " great war " that made her decide she surely was old enough to begin, because she had read of so many little girls who were helping in all sorts of ways to " conserve " and " preserve." " But," she said, " the thing that really started me was Daddy's fondness for orange marmalade, and his disappointment when we came to the end of mother's supply. It was way back last March," Adelaide continued, and then went on to explain how mother had said that she would make some at once, as it was the very best month of the year to make marmalade. At that season the " Valencia " oranges, " Med- iterranean Sweets," and Seville oranges were on the market, all of which had the special flavor most desirable for orange marmalade. " So mother bought the oranges and lemons and grapefruit," said Adelaide, " and then she was so busy that she couldn't begin to make it at once. Well, I thought Daddy ought to have his marmalade, so I said, ' why can't I make it, mother.'' ' And, just think, Jessie May, mother let me! " exclaimed the excited little girl. 4 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK Jessie May took a deep, deep breath, for dur- ing Adelaide's recital she had hardly dared breathe, for fear of missing a single point of the story, and leaned back in her chair with a long drawn sigh. She was too full for words. " The best part of it is," continued Adelaide, "that I have all of the recipes right here, Jessie May." (Adelaide then exhibited a small cov- ered wooden box that she had been carefully guarding.) Jessie May was very much interested- in the little box, and eagerly looked over the neat little cards which the box contained, and on which the precious directions were to be found. Jtessie May wanted to see the one for orange marmalade, " Because," as she said, " it was really the first recipe you ever tried, Adelaide." Suddenly she exclaimed, " My goodness ! did you only use two oranges and one lemon and a grape- fruit? I shouldn't think they would make very much." "Well, they did," replied Adelaide, "they made several small tumblers full, and, besides, you will notice that all my recipes are for small quantities, because mother did not want me to grow tired of my work but enjoy each new rec- FOR A LITTLE GIRL 5 ipe as it came along, and I most certainly did," she ended. Then the two little girls went into the kitchen, and Adelaide showed Jessie May the different things she used while preserving. There were not very many, and they were all easy to take care of. There was the aluminum kettle, just deep enough to hold a pint jar overflowing with water (the pint jar was the largest sized jar which Adelaide used) for sterilizing; a pair of scales ; a jelly bag attached to a wire frame (which was very inexpensive), and could be slipped on to a bowl or saucepan so that the juice could drip slowly; a long wooden spoon; . a silver tablespoon for skimming ; a silver knife to insert in the jars to let the air bubbles rise to the top when filled with fruit; two half -pint glass measuring cups ; a large aluminum funnel ; a small round wire rack to put in the bottom of the saucepan to prevent the jars from touch- ing bottom and to allow the water to flow under as well as over the top ; a strawberry huller ; a small sharp knife ; a wire strainer ; a colander ; and a quart pitcher. Adelaide told Jessie May that if she had for- gotten anything she would be sure to find what was needed by referring to the proper card 6 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK alphabetically arranged under "Utensils " in the precious little box. When Adelaide commenced her lessons in preserving mother said that she would find many general rules to remember, which, if carefully followed, saved time and expense, and brought successful results. Adelaide had sampled mother's preserves for some few years now, even though she was not so very old, and she knew the difference between jams, jellies, preserves, marmalades, conserves, etc., as far as taste was concerned, but the pro- cess of making was the pleasure she was eagerly anticipating. She began to feel " quite grown up " when mother told her to write down the following : The preserve closet, where the fruit Is to be stored, should be dark, dry and cool. The jars and tumblers used should be prop- erly sterilized. Then mother explained that to sterilize, you washed your jars and tumblers perfectly clean, placed them in a large pan (a dishpan would do) of clean cold water over the fire, and let boil gently for ten minutes. The jars would be less likely to crack if a wire or wooden rack was at the bottom of the pan for the jars to rest on. Also, the jars must have FOR A LITTLE GIRL 7 no nicks around the top, the covers must fit perfectly, and they should be left in the boiled water until ready to use. After filling the jar to overflowing, insert a silver knife between the sides and fruit, to let the air bubbles rise to the top before sealing. Always use new rubbers every year, and dip them in boiling water before putting them smoothly on the jar. Never stand a jar where a cold draft can reach it ; let it stand over night upside down, to be sure there is no possible chance of its leaking. The fruit used should be of the best quality, firm and not too ripe, and preserved as soon as possible after picking, to have the finest flavor. Hands, utensils, fruit, etc. should be spot- lessly clean. A silver knife, fork, and spoon (or a wooden spoon) were the best articles to use in preparing or stirring the fruit, thus preventing discolor- ation. Each jar should be thoroughly wiped on the outside with a clean damp cloth and labeled be- fore putting away. Marmalades, jams, and jellies, were suf- ficiently protected if covered with a coating of melted paraflSn. 8 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK If you wanted nice clear jelly it must never be squeezed, but allowed to drip through a jelly bag made of a double thickness of cheesecloth, or a jelly bag that you can buy attached to a wire frame. You could tell when the " jelly point " had been reached if a little poured on to a cold saucer began to set, or if the juice dropped as one mass from the side of a spoon, or when two drops ran together and fell as one from the side of the spoon. Mother thought these ten " rules and regu- lations " were sufficient, and, of course, Adelaide agreed. " Mother, please do not tell Daddy that I am going to make his marmalade for him," said Adelaide, busily preparing to begin. " No, dear, I won't," responded mother, then added, " we'll keep it as a surprise." Orange Marmalade Oranges, Two Lemons, One Sugar Water Mother told Adelaide to wash the oranges and lemons thoroughly and to wipe them dry, POS A LITTLE GIRL 9 then, using the little sharp knife, cut the fruit into quarters, lengthwise. This made it easy to remove the seeds and cut out the thick parts of each center or core. For this Adelaide used a small, smooth board (in fact, it was the cover of a five-pound butter box) upon which to cut the fruit, and she sliced each quarter, peel and all, very, very thinly across (not lengthwise this time), then put them into a bowl until all were ready. Adelaide was surprised to find that it took quite a long while to get these few prepared, and was glad she had not attempted too many. Next, she measured the fruit, using the glass measuring cup, and poured the fruit into moth- er's four quart aluminum saucepan. In a sep- arate pan Adelaide measured as many cups of sugar as she had had of fruit. Then to each cup of fruit Adelaide added two cups of boil- ing water, covered the saucepan, and let it stand for twenty-four hours. This cjompleted her work for that day, except for the clearing away of the things with which she had finished. The next morning Adelaide removed the cover from the saucepan containing the fruit and put the saucepan on the stove. While the fruit 10 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK was coming to the boiling point, Adelaide brought a number of tumblers from the preserve closet. These she washed thoroughly and stood in a large pan in which had been placed a wire rack. Then, being covered with cold water, they were put on the stove to be sterilized, or, in other words, boiled. This was to kill all germs and to prevent the spoiling of the fruit when put away. When the fruit began to boil, mother told Adelaide to look at the clock, and then let it boil for one hour (not too hard), or until the peel of the oranges and lemons was very tender. In the meantime, the sugar had been placed at the back of the range to heat through, and as soon as the fruit had boiled sufficiently, the sugar was added gradually. The marma- lade was then allowed to boU until a little dropped on a cold saucer would begin to jell. After the sugar was added, Adelaide stirred the mixture every few minutes with a long-han- dled wooden spoon. You could not always tell just how long it would take for. the marmalade to jell, as oranges and lemons differ so, but mother said it was safer to allow an hour, and if it was cooked in less time you felt that so much time had been gained. FOR A LITTLE GIRL 11 As soon as the marmalade was done, the saucepan was lifted to the back of the range, Adelaide then took a long-handled spoon and lifted the tumblers out of the boiling water on to a tray, and filled them at once with the mar- malade. Mother happened to have a small glass cup, not a regular measuring cup but smaller, which proved the very thing with which to dip out the marmalade. As Adelaide, her cheeks flushed and eyes shin- ing, stood filling the tumblers with the golden marmalade, mother said, " Well, dear, was it worth the work (for it is a great deal of work, you see) and effort? " " Oh mother, I'm so proud and happy now, that I've almost forgotten how hot and tired '^ felt while stirring the marmalade and waiting for it to jell," answered Adelaide. Now that the marmalade was finished. It seemed easy work to clear the things away. Mother helped her stand the marmalade in the sun while it set, and then Adelaide ran away to play. Later, when it was cool, she took a clean cloth, dipped it in hot water, and wiped off the drops of jelly from the tops of the tum- blers and outsides, then melted some paraffin and poured it over the top. By moving the tum- 12 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK biers gently from side to side the paraffin formed on the sides and excluded the air. Last of all, she put on the little labels and carried all but one tumbler to the bench in the preserve closet, which mother had told her might be for her special use. The next morning at breakfast Daddy was very much delighted to find a jar of marmalade before his plate, and he proceeded to help him- self generously when the hot buttered toast was passed. He was so intent in his enjoyment of this that Adelaide and mother could smile at one another without being observed. When he had quite satisfied his appetite he announced : " Well, mother, there is no question about it, you certainly do know how to make marmalade. I've never tasted better; I only hope Adelaide can make it as well when she grows up." At that mother and Adelaide burst out laugh- ing, while Daddy looked surprised and ques- tioned, "What's the joke? There's nothing funny about that statement that I can see." " Oh, no. Daddy, only, you see, I happened to make that marmalade myself and before I grew up," replied Adelaide. Can't you just imagine how surprised and delighted Daddy was.-" FOR A LITTLE GIRL IS Mother said that many people liked the addi- tion of grapefruit in their marmalade, so she let Adelaide try Orange and Grapefruit Marmalade Oranges, Two Lemons, One Grapefruit, One Sugar Water This was prepared in exactly the same manner as the previous recipe, except that Adelaide grated the rind of the grapefruit instead of cutting it into thin slices. The oranges, lemon, and grapefruit were all washed thoroughly and wiped. Adelaide cut the oranges and lemon lengthwise into quarters, removing the seeds and thick skin at the centers. Each quarter was then sliced as thinly as possible with a sharp little knife, and put into a bowl until all were ready to be measured. The rind of the grape- fruit was grated and added to the sliced oranges and lemon, then, after cutting the grapefruit in halves, Adelaide removed the seeds and used only the juice and fruit pulp, which she sepa- rated from the little pockets with a very sharp knife. 14 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK After measuring the prepared fruit with the glass measuring cup and putting it into the saucepan, Adelaide added two cups of boiling water to each cup of fruit, then covered it and let it stand for twenty-four hours. In another pan Adelaide measured as many cups of sugar as there were cups of fruit, — she remembered the number of cups of fruit she had before add- ing the water — so that all would be ready for the next day. The following morning Adelaide put the saucepan containing the fruit on the stove to boil, removing the cover first. When the mix- ture came to the boiling point, she began to time it and let it continue boiling gently for an hour. This gave her time to wash the jelly tumblers, after which she sterilized the same by placing them on a rack in a pan of cold water deep enough to cover them, then putting them on the stove and bringing the water to the boiling point. The pan of sugar was placed on the back of the range to heat through, and when the fruit had boiled an hour the sugar was added. After adding the sugar Adelaide stirred the marmalade frequently, and as soon as it had boiled another half-hour she began testing to FOR A LITTLE GIRL 15 see if it would " jell." This she did by drop- ping a little from the spoon into a cold saucer. If it began to thicken and set, it was ready to remove from the fire and pour into the ster- ilized tumblers. These were placed on a tray in the sun to set, and when cool, the tops and out- sides were wiped with a clean cloth dipped in hot water to remove any marmalade that might have been spilled in the process of filling. Then, melting some paraffin, Adelaide poured it over the top of the marmalade, and gently moving the tumbler from side to side she completely covered it with paraffin which kept out all air. Next came the labels, and then the tumblers were ready to be stored in the preserve closet. Orange and Rhubarb Marmalade Oranges, Two Rhubarb, IJ lbs. Sugar Water Adelaide found this marmalade much more simple to make. The oranges and sticks of rhubarb were thoroughly washed, the oranges then cut into quarters lengthwise, and all seeds and tough centers removed. After this, they 16 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK were put through the meat chopper and the rhubarb was skinned and cut into one-half inch pieces. Putting these together, Adelaide measured them to see how many cups of fruit she had and emptied each cup in the saucepan. To each cup of fruit she added one-fourth cup of cold water, then placed them on the stove in the saucepan to boil. When the boiling point was reached, Adelaide noted the time and let them boil slowly for one half-hour. Removing the saucepan from the fire, Adelaide again meas- ured the contents and to each cup she added three-fourths of a cup of sugar. These were aU put back in the saucepan and boiled slowly until thick, then poured at once into the ster- ilized tumblers, which Adelaide had previously made ready. When cool, there followed the usual wiping with a clean cloth dipped in hot water, to remove any spiUings while filling, and the paraffin was melted and poured over the top. Adelaide never forgot to shake each tum- bler gently while the paraffin was still soft, as it sealed the marmalade much more securely from all air. Next came the labels and the re- moval of tumblers to preserve closet. FOR A LITTLE GIRL 17 Peach Marmalade Peaches, 1 dozen Sugar What little girl does not love peaches? Ade- laide was no exception, and this marmalade was very simply made. First, mother told Adelaide to put the peaches in a pan and completely cover them with boiling water and let them stand for a minute or two, or until the skins would slip off easily. Pouring off the water, she then proceeded to remove the skins with a- small silver fruit knife (a steel knife would discolor the fruit), and to take out the stones. Next, Adelaide weighed the saucepan (in which the peaches were to be cooked) while it was empty, and then cut the peaches into thin slices and placed them in the saucepan. Again the saucepan was weighed, this time containing the peaches. The differences between the weight of the empty saucepan and the same saucepan containing the peaches showed Adelaide just how much the peaches weighed, and to these she added half their weight in sugar. Mixing the fruit and sugar well together, she put the saucepan away in a cool place until the 18 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK next day. Picking out four of the best peach stones, she cracked them and removed the ker- nels. These she scalded in boiling water and removed the brown skins, after which they were shredded into small pieces and added to the sliced peaches. The next morning Adelaide put the saucepan containing the peaches on the stove to heat and let them cook very slowly until thick and smooth, not forgetting to stir frequently with the wooden spoon. In the meantime, her tumblers had been sterilized, and, as soon as the marmalade was done, they were removed from the boiling water and at once filled. When they were cool Ade- laide wiped them carefully, poured melted par- affin over the top (shaking the tumbler gently from side to side), labelled them, and carried them away to the preserve closet. Another way to make Peach Marmalade was as follows: Peach Marmalade No. 2 Peaches, 1 lb. Sugar, 1 lb. Lemon (juice), One Water, 1 cup FOR A LITTLE GIRL 19 Adelaide scalded the peaches with boiling water, then removed the skins. Then she cut the peaches into small pieces, put them in the saucepan with the water, and boiled slowly until the fruit was thoroughly soft. Adelaide stirred the fruit frequently with the wooden spoon. Next she rubbed the cooked fruit through a strainer, returned the peaches to the saucepan, added the sugar and lemon juice, and let the mixture cook slowly another half hour, stir- ring it occasionally. When the marmalade was finished she poured it at once into the sterilized tumblers that were ready waiting. As soon as they were cool she wiped the tumblers clean, poured the melted paraffin over the marmalade, labelled them, and stored them away in the preserve closet. Mother told Adelaide that she could also make marmalade of apricots, quinces, plums, and even prunes, in exactly the same manner. So Adelaide tried each one in its season. Apricot Marmalade Apricots, 1 lb. Sugar, Lemon (juice), Water, 1 lb. One 1 cup 20 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK From the apricots Adelaide did not remove the skins, she simply cut them in halves and took out the stones, put them in the saucepan, added the water, and boiled slowly until the fruit was very soft, stirring frequently with the wooden spoon. When sufficiently cooked she rubbed the fruit through a wooden strainer, put it back in the saucepan, added the sugar and lemon juice, and let it cook slowly for about half an hour. Adelaide stirred occa- sionally to be sure that the marmalade did not burn, and poured it at once into sterilized tum- blers when it was finished. The tops and out- sides she wiped clean when they were cool, and then poured melted paraffin over the top of the marmalade, and gently shook the paraffin from, side to side to make them air tight. The labels were then pasted on and the tum- blers stored away in the preserve closet. Quince Marmalade Quinces, 1 lb. Sugar, 1 lb. Lemon (juice). One Water, 1 cup Mother told Adelaide to wash the quinces thoroughly, wipe, remove blossom ends, cut in FOR A LITTLE GIRL 21 quarters and remove seeds, then cut in small pieces ; to put into saucepan, add water, and let cook slowly until very tender, stirring with the wooden spoon frequently; to then rub fruit through a strainer, return to saucepan, add sugar and lemon juice, and cook slowly one half-hour. This she did, and when the quinces were properly cooked, Adelaide poured them at once into the sterilized tumblers she had ready waiting, and put them on a tray to cool. Then mother told her to wipe the tops and outsides clean, cover with melted parafBn (shaking gently from side to side), label, and store away in the preserve closet. Plum Marmalade Plums, 1 lb. Sugar, 1 lb. Lemon (juice), One Water, 1 cup Adelaide first wiped the plums and removed the stones, then put the fruit into a saucepan, added the water and cooked until very soft, stir- ring every little while with the wooden spoon. Next she rubbed the fruit through a strainer, returned it to saucepan, added the sugar and lemon juice, and cooked slowly one half-hour. 22 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK "The sterilized tumblers were waiting, and into these Adelaide poured the marmalade. When the jars were cool she wiped the tumblers clean, poured over melted paraiBn, shook gently from side to side to make them air tight, added the labels, then stored them away in the preserve closet. When Adelaide came to the prunes mother wondered what would happen, for Adelaide did not like prunes. It had been a tender subject between them for some time. However, the re- sults were better than mother had expected, for Adelaide remarked : " Well, mother, I may as well try it, because even if I don't like prunes, you do, so I'll make this marmalade especially for you." Prune Marmalade Prunes, 1 lb. Sugar, 1 lb. Lemon (juice), One Water, 1 cup The prunes, mother said, would have to be thoroughly washed in several waters, then soaked over night in the cup of water. This Adelaide did, and the next morning put them on the stove in her little saucepan to boil until FOR A LITTLE GIRL 23 thoroughly cooked. With two silver forks Ade- laide then removed the stones and rubbed the fruit through a strainer; returning the fruit to the saucepan, she added the sugar and lemon juice, cooked it slowly one half-hour, poured into sterilized tumblers, and let cool. When cold, Adelaide wiped each tumbler, poured melted paraffin over the top of mar- malade, shook gently from side to side to ex- clude all air, pasted on the labels, and stored away in the preserve closet. Apple marmalade came next, and mother thought that that was sufficient for the present. Apple Marmalade Apples, 1 doz. Sugar Water These were nice tart apples of fine flavor. Adelaide washed them well, cut into quarters (removing stem and blossoms only), put in saucepan, and added enough water to almost, though not quite, cover the apples. These she cooked slowly until very soft, then pressed them through a strainer. She next measured the fruit, returned it to the saucepan, and to each cup of fruit added three-fourths of a cup of U A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK sugar. Returning the saucepan to the fire, Adelaide let it boil gently for three-quarters of an hour, stirring every little while. The sterilized tumblers were ready, and into these Adelaide poured the marmalade; when cool she wiped the tops and outsides clean, poured melted paraffin over the marmalade, shook the tumblers from side to side gently to exclude all air, pasted on the labels, and stored away in the preserve closet. FOR A LITTLE GIRL 25 CHAPTER II JAMS Of course Adelaide did not make her jams, jellies, etc., in the order given, but according to the season, and she welcomed each fruit in its turn. Adelaide was especially fond of jams ; they did make the most delicious sandwiches when she came home hungry from school or went on a picnic, but the climax of enjoyment was reached when mother made rolly-poUy jam pud- dings in the winter. Strawberries were usually first on the market, and so " Strawberry Jam " was the first attempt in the jam making line. Strawberry Jam Strawberries, 1 quart Sugar Mother told Adelaide to empty the strawber- ries into the colander and place in a pan of cold water, then to dip the colander up and down so 26 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK as to thoroughly cleanse the berries; next to change the water two or three times until it was clear, then lift out the colander and drain. Mother also said that you should never wash berries after they were hulled, because if you did you lost part of the juice. After Adelaide felt sure they were clean, and after mother had carefully inspected them, she commenced to hull the berries, using the straw- berry huller, then she weighed the berries and measured out three-fourths their weight in sugar. With a wooden potato masher Adelaide mashed the berries in the saucepan and poured over the sugar ; this mixture she let stand a few minutes before putting the saucepan on the stove and letting it come slowly to the boiling point. When the fruit had cooked slowly for forty-five minutes, Adelaide stirring frequently, mean- while, with the wooden spoon, it was ready for her to pour into sterilized tumblers, which she had previously prepared. The tops and out- sides of the tumblers she wiped with a clean cloth as soon as the jam had cooled, then poured melted paraffin over the jam, and shook gently from side to side to make it air tight. Adelaide was always glad when it came time FOR A LITTLE GIRL 27 to paste on the neat little labels and put the tumblers away in the preserve closet; she was very much surprised, too, to see how quickly her bench was becoming filled. In the beginning, mother had told her that sometimes it would seem as though she spent all of her time preserving, for the fruits and vegetables followed fast upon one another, but Adelaide replied she was sure she would not mind, she was so eager to learn. Raspberry Jam Raspberries, 1 quart Sugar Adelaide picked over the raspberries before washing them, and mother told her to keep a sharp look-out for little worms that sometimes curled themselves up in the center, and you may be sure Adelaide's keen eyes never missed one if there were any. Next she put them in the colander, and then dipped the colander up and down in a pan of clear cold water several times. When all possible dirt had been washed away, Adelaide stood the colander to drain, after which she poured the berries into the saucepan and weighed them. 28 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK Adelaide found it a great convenience to know the weight of each saucepan she used, and she kept a little card showing just how much each one weighed, then when they were weighed with the fruit, all she needed to do was to subtract the weight from the total of the saucepan to find out how much the fruit weighed. To each pound of raspberries Adelaide meas- ured three-fourths of a pound of sugar, then she mashed the berries, added the sugar, and let the mixture stand a short time before putting it on the stove to cook. When the fruit had become heated to the boil- ing point, Adelaide let it cook slowly for forty- five minutes, not forgetting to stir with the wooden spoon to keep from burning ; meanwhile, she had sterilized the tumblers and they were ready when the jam had finished cooking. Adelaide poured the jam into the tumblers at once, and as soon as it had cooled she wiped the tops and outsides carefully, poured melted par- afiin over the jam, shook it gently from side to side to make it secure from the air, pasted on the labels, and stored them away in the preserve closet. FOR A LITTLE GIRL 29 Raspberry and Red Currant Jam Raspberries, 1 quart Red Currants, 1 pint Sugar First, Adelaide picked over the raspberries very carefully and placed them in the colander, then she removed the stems from the currants and added them to the raspberries. These she then dipped in clear cold water several times and set aside to drain. Next she weighed the fruit, and to each pound she added a pound of sugar. She mashed the fruit well with the wooden masher in the saucepan and poured over the sugar. After a few minutes the juice began to run and she put the saucepan on the stove, letting the jam heat slowly through. When it boiled, Adelaide stirred it frequently and let it cook forty-five minutes. It was then ready to pour into the sterilized tumblers. When cold, she wiped the top and outside of each tumbler, poured melted paraffin over the jam, shook it gently from side to side, thus excluding all air, pasted on the labels and put away in the pre- serve closet. This combination of raspberries and red cur- rants was a great favorite with everybody. ^0 A LITTLE PRESteRVlJ^G BOOIt Red Currant Jam Red Currants, 1 quart Sugar The red currants Adelaide removet^ from their stems and put in the colander to be thoroughly washed. This was done by dipping the colan- der up and down in a pan of clear cold water. If they were very dusty, she changed the water several times. After draining the currants sufficiently, she weighed them and put them into the saucepan. To each pound of fruit Adelaide added one pound of sugar. With the wooden masher she mashed the currants and stirred them well with the sugar. Putting the saucepan on the stove, she let the fruit come slowly to the boiling point, stir- ring with the wooden spoon frequently to pre- vent it from burning. It boiled gently for for- ty-five minutes, then Adelaide poured it into sterilized tumblers at once and stood them away to cool. When they were cold she wiped the top and outside of each tumbler, poured melted paraffin over the jam, shaking it gently from side to side to keep out any air, pasted on the labels and stored away in the preserve closet. FOR A LITTLE GIRL 81 Black Currant Jam Black Currants^ 1 quart Sugar Adelaide found that when she used red cur- rants, the picking off of the stems consumed a lot of time, so she was glad to find the black currants come already stemmed. Putting the black currants in the colander, she proceeded to wash them thoroughly by dip- ping the colander up and down in a pan of clear cold water several times. If they were very dusty she changed the water two or three times until it was clear. After weighing the currants she poured them into a saucepan, mashed them with the wooden masher, added an equal weight of sugar, mixed well with the wooden spoon, let stand until the juice ran, then put the sauce- pan on the stove and let the mixture come slowly to the boiling point, stirring occasionally. While this was boiling gently for forty-five min- utes, Adelaide sterilized the tumblers, not forget- ting, however, to stir the jam frequently. When it was cooked she poured the jam at once into the tumblers and let it cool; as soon as it was cold, Adelaide wiped each tumbler thoroughly, inside the top and on th? outside. 32 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK poured melted paraffin over the jam, which she shook gently from side to side to keep out all air, then pasted on the labels and stored away in the preserve closet. Blackberry Jam Blackberries, 2 quarts Sugar Mother explained to Adelaide that the flavor of the blackberry was delicious, but you did not enjoy it so much if the seeds were allowed to remain, so that jam was prepared a little dif- ferently. After picking the blackberries over carefully, Adelaide put them in the colander, then dipped it up and down in a pan of cold water and set aside to drain. Afterwards, she put the fruit in the saucepan and with the wooden masher mashed it well. Then she stood the saucepan over the fire and let the fruit come gradually to the boiling point. While she let the fruit boil gently for twenty minutes, Adelaide stirred frequently, using the long wooden spoon. Moving the saucepan from the fire, Adelaide then rubbed the fruit through a fine sieve (mother said if the sieve let the seeds pass FOR A LITTLE GIRL 33 through to use a cheese-cloth bag) and meas- ured. To each cup of juice, which she re- turned to the saucepan, she added three-fourths of a cup of sugar, and putting the jam back over the fire, let it heat slowly, stirring often. This took three-quarters of an hour of gentle boiling before it was done. Adelaide poured at once into the sterilized tumblers, which were waiting to be filled, and set aside to cool. When cold, she wiped the tops and outsides carefully with a damp cloth, poured melted paraffin over the jam, shaking it gently from side to side, thus keeping out all air, pasted on the labels, and stored the jars away in the preserve closet. Gooseberry Jam Gooseberries, 1 quart Sugar " The jams with a nice tart flavor," Ade- laide said, " are the ones Daddy likes best." He was especially fond of gooseberry jam and for that reason Adelaide decided to surprise him. The gooseberries Adelaide put in the col- ander and dipped up and down in a pan of clear cold water until thoroughly clean, then she S4 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK drained them. With the strawberry huller she pulled off the tops, though she could have used the little sharp knife; next she weighed the gooseberries and put them in the saucepan to be mashed with the wooden masher. To each pound of fruit she added a pound of sugar, placed the saucepan over the fire and let the fruit come slowly to the boiling point. This needed to be stirred with the wooden spoon occasionally, but after it had reached the boil- ing point Adelaide stirred it very frequently to prevent burning. It took three-quarters of an hour to cook, and then Adelaide filled the sterilized tumblers with the jam and set it aside to cool. When the jam was cold she wiped each tumbler around the top and on the outside with a clean damp cloth, poured melted paraffin over the jam, pasted on the labels and stored away in the preserve closet. Of course Daddy was very much pleased with this jam. Large Blue Plum Jam Plums, 1 doz. Sugar The large blue plums, Adelaide's mother said, made delicious jam. Adelaide washed and I'Ofe A LITTLE omt ^b wiped each plum carefully, then slit each one with a silver knife and took out the stone. After weighing them and putting the plums in the saucepan she added three-fourths of a pound of sugar to each pound of fruit, letting them stand until the juice ran. Placing the sauce- pan over the fire, she stirred the fruit occasion- ally until it reached the boiling point, after which she let it boil slowly, for forty-five min- utes, and continued to stir very frequently to prevent the jam from burning or sticking to the bottom. In the meantime, Adelaide had the tumblers sterilized and waiting, and as soon as the jam had finished cooking she poured it at once into the tumblers. When the jam was cold she wiped the top and outside of each tumbler with a clean damp cloth and poured melted paraffin over the jam, shaking it gently from side to side to exclude all air. Next came the labels, and then the tumblers of jam were stored away in the preserve closet. Green-Gage Plum Jam Plums, 1 dozen Sugar The green-gage plums, Adelaide found, came later in the season, but they were worth waiting 36 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK for. These she cut open with a silver knife, after having washed and wiped them carefully, and removed the stones. Weighing the plums, she put them in the saucepan, and to each pound of fruit she added three-quarters of a pound of sugar. When the juice began to run she placed the saucepan over the fire, and let the jam come slowly to the boiling point, stirring it every little while; continuing to cook the jam for forty-five minutes, Adelaide stirred frequently to prevent its sticking to the bottom and becom- ing burned. As soon as the jam had cooked sufiiciently she poured it into the sterilized tumblers which were ready, and when the jam was cold, Adelaide wiped the tops and outsides of the tumblers with a clean damp cloth, poured melted parafiln over the top, and shook gently from side to side to exclude all air. The labels were next pasted on, and the jam was then stored away in the preserve closet. Damson Plum Jam Damson Plums, 1 quart Sugar Water, 2 tablespoons Compared to the large blue plums and the green-gage plums Adelaide found the damson FOR A LITTLE GIRL 37 plums quite small, and mother told her they would have to be cooked first before she could remove the stones easily. So Adelaide washed the Damson plums carefully, and with a silver knife slit each one before putting them into the saucepan. This was to let the juice run. But, first, Adelaide measured two tablespoons of cold water into the saucepan, then poured in the plums. Of course she had weighed the plums as usual, and also an equal amount of sugar, but the sugar she placed in a bowl and placed on one side until ready to use. The saucepan was then placed over the fire and the plums were cooked slowly until tender, when they were removed, and with two silver forks Adelaide easily picked out the stones. Adding the sugar, she returned the saucepan to the fire, and while it was coming to the boiling point she stirred constantly with a wooden spoon, so that the sugar would not stick to the bottom and burn. Still continuing to stir, she let the jam cook slowly for forty-five minutes. The tumblers had been sterilized and the jam was poured into them at once. After the jam was cold Adelaide wiped the top and outside of each tumbler with a clean damp cloth, then poured melted paraflin over the top, and shook 38 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK gently from side to side to exclude the air, pasted on the labels and stored the jars away in the preserve closet. There were many other kinds of plums, but these were the ones that had the best flavors, mother said, and quite enough for Adelaide to experiment with for the present. Barberry Jam Barberries, 1 quart Sugar Water, i cup BarbefrieS make a very tasty jam. Adelaide put them in the colander, which she dipped up and down in a pan of clean cold water until free from aU dust, then carefully picked them over. Into the saucepan she poured one-half a cup of cold water, then added the barberries. Placing the saucepan over the fire, she let the barberries become just warm, then Adelaide pressed the fruit through a wire strainer and measured. To each cup of fruit she added a cup of sugar, which she returned to the sauce- pan, placed over the fire, let it heat gradually to the boiling point, then cooked twenty min- utes, stirring constantly with the wooden spoon. The sterilized tumblers were waiting, and into FOR A LITTLE GIRL 39 these Adelaide poured the jam. When the jam was cold she wiped the tops and outsides with a clean damp cloth, poured melted paraffin over the jam, shaking it gently from side to side to exclude all air, then pasted on the labels and stored jam away in the preserve closet. Rhubarb and Fig Jam Rhubarb, 2 J lbs. Figs, i lb. Sugar An English friend gave this recipe to Ade- laide, and it proved to be very " tasty." The friend said to choose the pretty pink rhubarb, then wash and wipe it thoroughly, and cut with a sharp knife into one-inch pieces. The figs were looked over carefully and Ade- laide cut out the hard little part near the stem, then she put them through the meat chopper and added them to the rhubarb. When she had weighed the prepared fruit and put it into the saucepan she poured over it three-fourths its weight of sugar, and let the mixture stand until the juice ran. Placing the saucepan over the fire, she let the fruit come slowly to the boil- ing point, stirring with a wooden spoon occa- sionally. After it had boiled Adelaide stirred 40 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK it frequently and cooked gently three-quarters of an hour. It was then ready to pour into the sterilized tumblers, which Adelaide never failed to have on hand, and stood away to cool. When it was cool she wiped the top and out- side of each tumbler with a clean damp cloth, poured melted paraiBn over the jam, shaking it gently from side to side to exclude all air, then pasted on the labels and stored the jam away in the preserve closet. FOR A LITTLE GIRL 41 CHAPTER III JELLIES When mother gave Adelaide her first lesson in jelly making, Adelaide had visions. Jelly rolls, thin bread and butter sandwiches with jelly in between, soft boiled custards served in individual glasses with a spoonful of jelly on top, and many many other delicious dainties it would take too long to tell about passed before her active little mind. For some years now, Adelaide's mother had been using a small thin glass for her red ctirrant jelly, and any other jelly of which she was especially choice. A glass measuring cup full of jelly was sufficient to fill three of these dainty glasses, and the beauty of these lay in the fact that you could put them on the table as they were. One little glass was sufficient to serve as a relish with cold meat or chicken for a family of four. Mother thought that as Adelaide's quantities were all small she would let her use these small 42 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK glasses exclusively for her jellies. Adelaide was delighted, and often held the little glasses up to the sunlight to see how clear and attrac- tive the jelly was. Red Currant Jelly Red Currants, 1 quart Sugar Water, 2 tablespoons The large cherry currants were the ones mother bought, and she told Adelaide that they made the most delicious jelly. Adelaide emp- tied the currants into the colander, which she dipped up and down in a pan of clear cold water until the currants were thoroughly cleansed, then she drained them. Picking them over but not removing the stems, Adelaide poured a few at a time into the saucepan (which contained two tablespoons of cold water), and mashed them with the wooden potato masher; this she continued to do until all the currants were used. Placing the saucepan over the fire, she let the currants cook slowly until they looked white, stirring occasionally with the wooden spoon to prevent burning. FOR A LITTLE GIRL 43 The little jeUy bag attached to the wire frame fitted nicely over another large saucepan, and into this bag Adelaide poured the currants, letting them stand until all the juice had dripped. Now she measured the juice and returned it to the original saucepan, which had been washed clean. Again she placed the saucepan over the fire and brought the juice to the boiling point; then she let it continue to boil rapidly for twenty minutes (mother said it was not necessary to stir this). When Adelaide measured the juice she also measured to each cupful a cup of sugar. This she placed in an earthenware dish at the back of the range, or in the oven with the door open, to let it heat through gradually but not to brown. As soon as the juice had boiled sufficiently she added the heated sugar gradually and stirred with the wooden spoon until it was all dissolved ; when it again came to the boiling point it jellied in about three minutes. Adelaide worked very quickly now; she re- moved the saucepan from the fire, skimmed the jelly, poured it into a pitcher, and from there into the little sterilized glasses. These she placed in the sun and let them stand until the 44 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK next day; they were then wiped around the tops and outsides carefully with a clean damp cloth, the jelly was covered with melted paraffin, the glass being shaken gently from side to side to exclude all air. Next came the labels, and then the jelly was stored away in the preserve closet. It was a beautiftil color, and it made Adelaide's mouth water just to look at it. Red Currant and White Currant Jelly Red Currants, 1 pint White Currants, 1 pint Sugar Water, ( 2 tablespoons The red and white currants Adelaide found made the jelly a beautiful color and more deli- cate in flavor. These she washed carefully in the colander by dipping it up and down in a pan of clear cold water, then she picked them over without removing the stems. Into the saucepan she measured two tablespoons of water, added the currants a few at a time, and mashed them with the wooden potato masher until all were used. Next the saucepan was placed over the fire and the currants boiled un- FOR A LITTLE GIRL 45 til the red currants looked white. Adelaide did not forget to stir with the wooden spoon to pre- vent the currants from burning. The jelly bag was ready and into this Ade- laide poured the currants. She let the juice drip overnight, and the next morning measured it into the saucepan. To each cup of juice she measured a cup of sugar, which she placed in an earthenware dish on the back of the range to heat through, but not to brown. The juice Adelaide boiled for twenty minutes rapidly, then she added the sugar very gradually and stirred until it was dissolved. When it came to the boiling point it " jellied " very quickly, and Adelaide skimmed it, poured it into a pitcher, then into the small glasses at once, which were already sterilized. Standing them in a sunny window she let them remain until the next day. With a clean damp cloth she wiped the top and outside of each glass carefully, poured melted paraffin over the jelly, shook each glass gently from side to side to exclude the air, pasted on the labels and, as usual, stored the jeUy away in the pre- serve closet. 46 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK Red Currant and Raspberry Jelly- Red Currants, 1 pint Raspberries, 1 pint Sugar Water, 2 tablespoons Of all the jellies this was mother's favorite. Adelaide picked over the raspberries (look- ing in each centre to be sure there were no little worms), poured them into the colander, dipped them up and down in a pan of clear cold water to cleanse thoroughly, and after draining emp- tied them into the saucepan with two table- spoons of cold water. The currants were washed in the same manner as the rasp- berries, and Adelaide picked them over but did not remove the stems. These were added to the raspberries, and she mashed them all with the wooden potato masher. Setting the saucepan over the fire, she stirred well with the wooden spoon, and, when the fruit boiled, Adelaide let it cook until the currants looked white. The jelly bag was ready, and Adelaide poured in the fruit and the juice dripped over night. When she measured the juice into the sauce- pan she also measured an equal amount of sugar FOR A LITTLE GIRL 47 into an earthenware dish. This Adelaide stood on the back of the range to heat through but not brown. While the juice came to the boiling point Ade- laide attended to the sterilizing of the little glasses. As soon as the juice had boiled rapidly for twenty minutes Adelaide added the sugar grad- ually, stirring constantly until the sugar was dissolved. It very quickly boiled again and in a few minutes reached the " jelly point." Ade- laide skimmed it carefully and poured it into a pitcher. It was then easy to pour the jelly in- to the small glasses and stand it in the sun to set. The next morning Adelaide wiped each glass carefully with a damp cloth around the top and outside, then she poured melted paraffin over the jelly, shaking it gently from side to side to exclude all air. Next the labels were pasted on, and then the jelly was stored away in the pre- serve closet. Blackberry Jelly Blackberries, 1 quart Sugar Water, 3 tablespoons 48 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK Adelaide picked the blackberries very care- fully into the colander. This she dipped up and down in a pan of clear cold water several times to thoroughly cleanse the berries. When they were well drained she poured them into the saucepan with two tablespoons of cold water, and mashed the berries with the wooden potato masher. Placing the saucepan over the fire, she let the blackberries heat through slowly un- til they were soft, then she poured them into the jelly bag and the juice dripped all night. The next morning she measured the juice, and to each cup she allowed three-fourths of a cup of sugar. The juice she put over the fire to boil rapidly for twenty minutes, and stood the sugar in an earthenware dish at the back of the range to heat through, but not brown. After the juice had boiled sufiiciently Adelaide added the sugar gradually and stirred with a wooden spoon until it was all dissolved, then she let it boil until it reached the jelly point. Skimming it carefully, she then poured the jelly into the pitcher, and from there into the small ster- ilized glasses, which she stood in a sunny win- dow to set. When cold, Adelaide wiped each glass care- fully around the top and outside, and poured FOR A LITTLE GIRL 49 melted paraffin over the top of the jelly, shak- ing it gently from side to side to exclude all air; then she pasted on the labels and stored away in the preserve closet. Spiced Blackberry Jelly Blackberries, 1 quart Sugar Water, 2 tablespoons cinnamon Spices (ground), -{ mace cloves The blackberries Adelaide picked over care- fully and put in the colander to wash thor- oughly by dipping them up and down several times in a pan of cold water. After they were well drained she poured them into a saucepan with two tablespoons of cold water, and mashed them with the wooden potato masher. Placing the saucepan over the fire, she let the black- berries simmer until they were soft, then poured them into the jeUy bag to drip. To each cup of juice she measured a cup of sugar which she stood on the back of the range in an earthen- ware dish to heat through, but not brown, also one-fourth of an ounce of ground cinnamon, one-eighth of an ounce of ground mace, and 50 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK one-fourth of a teaspoonful of ground cloves, which she tied up in a piece of thin muslin. The juice and spices were then boiled together rapidly for twenty minutes, after which time Adelaide took out the bag of spices and added the sugar gradually, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the sugar was dissolved. When the " jelly point " was reached she skimmed it at once and poured the jelly into a pitcher. It was then easy for her to fill the sterilized glasses and let the jelly stand until cold. Next, Adelaide wiped each glass with a damp cloth around the top and outside, poured melted paraffin over the jelly, shook it gently from side to side to exclude all air, pasted on the labels and stored away the jeUy in the preserve closet. Mother said that this was better than any medicine. Black Currant Jelly Black Currants, 1 quart Sugar Water, 2 tablespoons Black currant jelly, mother told Adelaide, was what her mother gave her when she was a little girl if ever she complained of a sore throat. FOR A LtTTLE GIRL 51 After Adelaide had tasted it she said, " Mother, I should think you would have felt almost glad to have a sore throat, it is so good." The black currants Adelaide picked over and washed thoroughly in the usual way by pouring them into the colander, then dipping it up and down several times in a pan of clear cold water. After draining them well, she emptied them into the saucepan, added two tablespoons of cold water, mashed well with the wooden potato masher, and placed the mixture over the fire to simmer until soft. Into the jeUy bag they went next, and Adelaide let the juice drip all night. Next morning she measured the juice and an equal amount of sugar, which she placed in an earthenware dish at the back of the range, to heat through but not brown. The juice she brought to the boiling point and it continued to boil rapidly for twenty minutes. Adding the sugar gradually, she stirred with the wooden spoon until it was all dissolved and cooked to the " jelly point." After skimming the jelly Adelaide poured it into a pitcher and from there into the sterilized small glasses, and then stood the tumblers in a sunny window. When the jelly was cold she wiped the top and 52 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK outside of each glass with a damp cloth, poured melted paraffin over the jelly, and shook gently from side to side to exclude all air. Pasting on the labels, Adelaide then stored the jelly away in the preserve closet. Green Gooseberry Jelly Green Gooseberries, 1 quari" Sugar Water, 2 tablespoons The gooseberries were easily picked over and washed. Adelaide put them in the colander, dipped it up and down in a pan of clear cold water, and stood it aside to drain. She meas- ured two tablespoons of cold water into the saucepan, added the gooseberries and mashed them with the wooden potato masher. Placing the saucepan over the fire she let the gooseberries simmer until they were soft, not forgetting to stir with the wooden spoon to keep them from burning. Pouring the fruit into the jelly bag came next, and Adelaide let it drip over night. To each cup of juice Adelaide added three- fourths of a cup of sugar. The sugar was placed in an earthenware dish at the back of the FOR A LITTLE GIRL 53 range to heat but not brown. When the juice had boiled rapidly for twenty minutes Adelaide added the sugar gradually and stirred until it was all dissolved. It was then cooked to the " jelly point." Adelaide skimmed the jelly, poured it into the pitcher, and from there into the sterilized small glasses, then stood them in a sunny win- dow. When the jeUy was cold Adelaide wiped each glass around the top and on the outside with a damp cloth, poured melted paraffin over the jelly, shook gently from side to side to ex- clude all air, then pasted on the labels and stored the jars away in the preserve closet. Wild Cherry Jelly Wild Cherries, 1 quart Sugar Water, 2 tablespoons After picking the cherries carefully into the colander, Adelaide dipped it up and down sev- eral times in a pan of clear cold water, then stood it aside to drain. Into the saucepan she measured two tablespoons of cold water, added the cherries and mashed them with the wooden potato masher. 54 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK Placing the saucepan over the fire, she let the cherries simmer until they were soft, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, after which she poured the fruit into the jelly bag and let the juice drip over night. The next morning she measured the juice, and to each cup she measured three-fourths of a cup of sugar. The sugar she placed in an earthenware dish and stood on the back of the range to heat through but not burn. The juice she let boil rapidly twenty minutes, added the heated sugar gradually, and stirred with the wooden spoon until all was dissolved. After the juice and sugar had boiled to the " jelly point " Adelaide skimmed it carefully, poured quickly into a pitcher and then into the sterilized small glasses. Mother liked to have all of her jelly stand in the sun if possible, so Adelaide stood the glasses in a sunny window. When the jeUy was cold she wiped the tops and outsides of each glass carefully with a damp cloth, poured melted parafiin over the jelly (shaking it gently from side to side to exclude aU air), pasted on the labels and stored the jelly away in the preserve closet. FOR A LITTLE GIRL 55 Wild Grape Jelly Wild Grapes, 1 quart Sugar Water, 2 tablespoons The wild grapes Adelaide poured into the colander, dipped it up and down several tiiries in cold water and stood it to drain. Next, she picked them over carefully, pinched each grape to break the skin, and dropped them into the saucepan containing two tablespoons of cold water. Placing the saucepan over the fire, she let the grapes simmer until soft, stirring occasion- ally to prevent burning, then poured them into the jelly bag to drip over night. In the morning she measured the juice and an equal amount of sugar. The saucepan con- taining the juice she placed over the fire that the juice might boil rapidly for twenty minutes, and the sugar was put in an earthenware dish and stood at the back of the range to heat through, but not brown. The small glasses were all sterilized, and as soon as the juice had boiled the necessary time, Adelaide added the sugar gradually and stirred with the wooden spoon until it was all dissolved. 56 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK Adelaide tended the juice and sugar care- fully until it reached the " jelly point," then, skimming quickly, she poured the jelly into a pitcher, and from there into the small glasses. Next she stood them in a sunny window, and when the jelly was cold the glasses were wiped around the tops and on the outsides with a damp cloth. Melting the paraffin she poured it over the jelly and shook it gently from side to side to exclude all air. The labels were pasted on finally, and the jelly was stored away in the preserve closet. Wild Plum Jelly Wild Plums, 1 quart Sugar Water, 2 tablespoons The wild plums that Adelaide used were brought to her by a friend who lived in the country. They were about the size of large cherries. The flavor of the jelly was most de- licious and a general favorite with everybody. Adelaide washed the plums after emptying them into the colander, by dipping the colander up and down several times in a pan of clear cold water, after which she drained them. Into the FOR A LITTLE GIRL 57 saucepan she had measured two tablespoons of cold water, and as she picked over the plums she slit each one with a silver knife and dropped it into the waiting saucepan. These she let simmer until soft and mushy, not forgetting to stir occasionally to keep them from burning, then poured the fruit into the jelly bag to drip over night. In the morning Adelaide measured the juice, and to each cup she measured three-quarters of a cup of sugar. The juice she let boil rapidly for twenty min- utes, while the sugar was stood at the back of the range in an earthenware dish to heat through, but not brown. When the juice had boiled sufficiently, Ade- laide added the sugar gradually and stirred with the wooden spoon until it was all dissolved. As soon as the " jelly point " was reached, Adelaide skimmed it quickly, poured it into a pitcher, from there into the sterilized small glasses, and stood them in a sunny window. After the jelly was cold she wiped each glass around the top and on the outside with a damp cloth, poured melted paraffin over the jelly, shaking it gently from side to side to exclude all air, pasted on the labels and stored the tumblers away in the preserve closet. 58 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK Damson Plum Jelly Damson Plums, 1 quart Sugar Water, 2 tablespoons Adelaide wiped and picked over the Damson Plums, and slit each one with a silver knife be- fore placing them in the saucepan with two tablespoons of cold water. These she let boil until very soft, stirring occasionally with the wooden spoon to prevent burning. When the fruit had cooked sufficiently, she poured it in- to the jelly bag and let it drip over night. The next morning she measured the juice, and to each cup she measured three-fourths the amount of sugar. It (the juice) was boiled rapidly for twenty minutes, while the sugar stood on the back of the range in an earthenware dish to heat through, but not brown. After twenty minutes of boiling for the juice, the sugar was added gradually and stirred until it was all dissolved. When the "jelly point" was reached Adelaide skimmed the jelly quicldy, poured it into a pitcher, and from there into the sterilized glasses, and then stood them in a sunny window. As soon as the jelly was cold, Adelaide wiped FOR A LITTLE GIRL 59 the tops and outsides of each glass with a damp cloth, poured melted paraffin over the jelly, shaking it gently from side to side to exclude all air, pasted on the labels and stored the jelly glasses away in the preserve closet. Apple Jelly Apples, 1 dozen Sugar Water The apples that made the best jelly, mother told Adelaide, were the " porter apples," the " gravenstein apples," the " maiden's blush," and the " fall pippins." Adelaide wiped each apple thoroughly with a damp cloth and removed the stems and blossom ends. With a silver knife she cut them in quarters. Placing them in the saucepan, she added cold water until it came nearly to the top of the apples. Covering the saucepan, she stood it over the fire and let the apples cook slowly until they were very soft. She found it necessary to stir the fruit with a wooden spoon occasionally to prevent the juice from burning. When it was done Adelaide poured it into the jelly bag and let the juice drip over night. 60 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK The next morning she measured the juice, and to each cup she measured a cup of sugar, which she placed in an earthenware dish on the back of the range to heat through but not bum. As soon as the juice had boiled rapidly for twenty minutes, Adelaide added the sugar a little at a time, stirring constantly until it had all dissolved. Then she let it cook to the " jelly point," after which she skimmed it quickly, poured it into a pitcher and filled the sterilized small glasses at once. The glasses were then placed in a sunny window, and, when cold, Ade- laide wiped each glass around the top and on the outside with a damp cloth, poured melted paraf- fin over the jelly, shook it gently from side to side to exclude air, pasted on the labels and stored the jeUy away in the preserve closet in the space allotted for jellies. Crab Apple Jelly Crab Apples, 2 dozen Sugar Water The crab apples make a very handsome jelly, and as they are very small, mother did not think two dozen would be too many for Adelaide to prepare. FOR A LITTLE GIRL 61 These, mother said, you only needed to wipe clean with a damp cloth and remove the stem and blossom end. It was not necessary to cut them, just put them into the saucepan and nearly cover them with cold water. Standing the saucepan over the fire, Adelaide put on the cover and let the apples cook slowly until very soft, stirring occasionally to keep from burning, then she poured them into the jelly bag and let the juice drip over night. In the morning she measured the juice, and for each cup of juice she measured a cup of sugar. The sugar was put in an earthenware dish and stood at the back of the range, to heat through, but not brown, while the juice was boiling rapidly for twenty minutes. As soon as the juice was ready, Adelaide added the sugar gradually, stirring constantly with the wooden spoon until it had all dissolved. This she let come to the " jelly point," skimmed quickly, poured into a pitcher, and filled the sterilized small glasses at once. Next she placed the jelly in a sunny window. When cold, she wiped each glass around the top and on the outside with a damp cloth, poured melted parafl?n over the jelly (shaking gently from side to side to exclude all air), pasted on m A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK the labels and stored away in the preserve closet. Barberry Jelly Barberries, 1 quart Sugar Water, 2 tablespoons Mother saw to it that the barberries were bought just before any frost came, and she liked a few of the berries to be green. The reason for this, she told Adelaide, was to make the jelly firmer and a much better color. Adelaide poured the barberries into the col- ander, and dipped them up and down several times in a pan of clear cold water, to rinse off all dust, then she picked them over and put them into the saucepan with two tablespoons of cold water; next she mashed the barberries with the wooden potato masher and placed over the fire to cook slowly until very soft. It was necessary, Adelaide found, to stir with the wooden spoon occasionally to prevent burning. When the fruit was done, she poured it into the jelly bag and the juice dripped over night. In the morning she measured the juice, and for each cup she measured an equal amount of FOR A LITTLE GIRL 63 sugar, which she put in an earthenware dish and stood on the back of the stove to heat through, but not brown, while the juice boiled rapidly for twenty minutes. At the end of that time Adelaide added the sugar gradually, stirring constantly until it was all dissolved, then she let it cook to the " jelly point." Skimming the jelly quickly, she poured the jelly into a pitcher and filled the sterilized small glasses at once. They were then placed in a sunny window, and, when cold, Adelaide wiped around the top and the outside of each glass with a damp cloth, poured melted paraffin over the jelly, and shook it gently from side to side to exclude all air. Before storing the glasses away in the preserve closet Adelaide pasted on the labels. Quince Jelly Quinces (large), J dozen Sugar Water Quinces are very hard to cut, so Adelaide found it necessary to use the little sharp knife, after washing and wiping them thoroughly. In preparing these, Adelaide removed the blos- som ends and seeds, cut each quince into small 64 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK pieces, nearly covered the fruit with cold water, placed the saucepan on the fire and let the quinces cook very slowly until soft, stirring oc- casionally with the wooden spoon to prevent burning. As soon as they had finished cooking she poured the fruit into the jelly bag and let it drip over night. Next morning she measured the juice, and for each cup Adelaide measured an equal quantity of sugar. The sugar she stood at the back of the range in an earthen- ware dish to heat through, but not brown, and the juice she let boil rapidly for twenty minutes. Then she added the sugar gradually, stirring constantly until all the sugar had dissolved. When the " jelly point " was reached Adelaide skimmed quickly and poured the jelly into a pitcher. Filling the sterilized small glasses at once, she then stood them in a sunny window. When cold, each glass was carefully wiped with a damp cloth around the top and on the outside, melted paraffin was poured over the jelly, the glass was shaken gently from side to side to exclude all air, and, finally, Adelaide pasted on the labels and stored the glasses away in the preserve closet. FOR A LITTLE GIRL 65 Quince and Apple Jelly Apples (sour), ^ dozen Quinces (large), ^ dozen Sugar Water The apples and quinces Adelaide wiped thor- oughly clean with a damp cloth, and removed the stems and blossom ends. The apples she cut into quarters, but the quinces were cut into very small pieces. When she emptied the fruit into the saucepan she nearly covered it with cold water, then stood it over the fire, put on the cover and let it boil gently until very soft. Oc- casionally Adelaide stirred it with the wooden spoon to prevent burning. As soon as the fruit was sufficiently soft she poured it into the jelly bag, where it remained over night to drip. In the morning she meas- ured the juice, and to each cup she measured an equal quantity of sugar, which she put at the back of the range in an earthenware dish to heat through, but not brown. The juice then boiled for twenty minutes, at the end of which time Adelaide added the sugar gradually, stirring constantly until aU had dis- solved. When the juice and sugar reached the 66 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK " jelly point " Adelaide skimmed quickly, poured the jelly into a pitcher, filled the sterilized small glasses at once and stood them in a sunny window. Each glass was carefully wiped with a damp cloth around the top and on the outside when they were cold and melted paraffin poured over the jelly. This Adelaide shook gently from side to side to exclude all air. Next she pasted on the labels, then stored the tumblers away in the preserve closet. Cranberry Jelly Cranberries, 1 quart Sugar Water After Adelaide had emptied the cranberries into the colander, then dipped them up and down several times in a pan of clear cold water, she picked them over. While her little fingers worked quickly she told mother the cranberries made her long for Thanksgiving Day to come, and especially this year, as she wanted her " cranberry jelly " served with the turkey. Mother said she would feel very proud to have it grace the " festive l^oardt" FOR A LITTLE GIRL 67 When the cranberries were all in the sauce- pan, Adelaide poured enough cold water over the top so that she could see it easily among the berries. Placing the saucepan over the fire, the berries cooked slowly, and Adelaide used the wooden potato masher with which to mash them. She also stirred them occasionally to keep them from burning. When the fruit was soft, Adelaide poured the cranberries into the jelly bag and the juice dripped over night. In the morning she meas- ured to each cup of juice a cup of sugar, This she stood at the back of the range in an earth- enware dish, to heat through but not brown. Adelaide cooked the juice rapidly for twenty minutes, then added the sugar gradually, stirred constantly until the sugar was all dissolved, and let it continue to cook until the " jelly point '' was reached. Now she worked quickly, skimming the jelly, pouring it into a pitcher and filling the ster- ilized small glasses at once. These she stood in a sunny window. As soon as the jelly was cold she wiped around the top and the outside of each glass with a damp cloth, poured melted parafiin over the top, shaking it gently from side to side to 68 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK exclude all air, pasted on the labels, then stored the tumblers away in the preserve closet. Adelaide tried the combination of cranberries and apples which mother said made a very good jelly- Cranberry and Apple Jelly Cranberries, 1 pint Apples, 4 lbs. Sugar Water After wiping the apples thoroughly with a damp cloth, Adelaide removed the stems and blossom ends and cut into quarters. The cran- berries Adelaide placed in the colander, dipped up and down several times in a pan of clear cold water, set aside to drain, then picked them over. Putting the apples and cranberries into the saucepan she nearly covered them with water, placed them over the fire to cook slowly, stirred occasionally with the wooden spoon, then when they were very soft and mushy, Adelaide poured the fruit into the jelly bag. The juice dripped over night, and, in the morning, she measured the juice. To each cup, Adelaide measured an equal amount of sugar. The sugar was placed FOR A LITTLE GIRL 69 at the back of the range in an earthenware dish to heat through, but not brown, while the juice boiled rapidly for twenty minutes. Add- ing the sugar gradually, Adelaide stirred con- stantly until it had all dissolved. When the cooked juice and sugar reached the "jelly point " she skimmed quickly, poured into a pitcher, filled the sterilized small glasses at once, and stood in a sunny window. After the jelly was cold, Adelaide wiped around the top and outside of each glass with a damp cloth, poured melted paraffin over the top, shook it gently from side to side to exclude all air, pasted on the labels, then stored the jelly away in the preserve closet. This finished the " jelly making." 70 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK CHAPTER IV PRESERVING AND CANNING " Mot HEUj" questioned Adelaide, " what is the difference between 'preserving' and 'can- ning ' ? " "Well, dear, according to the cook books, preserved fruits are cooked with from three- fourths to an fequal weight of sugar, while canned fruits have only sufficient added to sweeten. Some fruits are often canned without sugar, as it is not the sugar that keeps the fruit, but the perfect sterilization of fruit and jars. Sterilizing, you remember, is the killing of all germs by boiling." " Some fruits I much prefer canning without sugar, such as apples, peaches, blueberries and rhubarb. When you open the jars in the winter time and add the sugar as you need it the flavor is almost like that of fresh fruit," answered mother. " Oh, I see, so that is why our peaches taste FOR A LITTLE GIRL 71 so much better to me than anybody else's ! " exclaimed Adelaide. Adelaide began with strawberries, but first she read the " general rules " again that she had written down in the beginning, because she did not wish to make a single mistake. Canned Strawberries Strawberries, 1 quart Sugar Emptying the berries into thei colander she dipped it up and down several times in a pan of clear cold water, then let them drain thoroughly. The berries were hulled, weighed, and put into the saucepan, which she placed over the fire, heating the fruit through very gradually. It was better, mother said, to let them stand at the back of the range until the juice began to run, before bringing the berries to the boiling point. These boiled slowly five minutes, and then Adelaide added one-third their weight in sugar. The sugar had been standing in an earthenware dish at the back of the range, to heat through, but not brown. While Adelaide added the sugar very gradu- ally she stirred the fruit gently with the wooden n A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK spoon, and was very careful not to break the berries. It did not take long for the fruit and sugar to come to the boiling point, and then Adelaide filled to overflowing the sterilized pint jar at once, inserted the silver knife between the jar and fruit to let the air bubbles rise and break, put on the new rubber smoothly, sealed quickly and stood the jar upside down out of the way of any draft. The next morning she inspected the jar carefully, to be sure it did not leak, then wiped away all stickiness with a damp cloth, pasted on the label and stored it away in the preserve closet. Canned Raspberries Raspberries, 1 quart Sugar Mother was delighted with this quart of rasp- berries, they were just ripe enough, large, and almost every one perfect. It did not take Ade- laide long to pick these over, and she could see each center very easily. There wasn't a single bug or worm. She weighed the raspberries before putting them in the colander to dip up and down several FOR A LITTLE GIRL 73 times in a pan of clear cold water. When they had drained, she emptied the berries into the saucepan and stood it on the back of the range to let the juice run. She also placed a third of their weight of sugar in an earthenware dish at the back of the range, to heat through, but not brown. When the juice had run sufficiently, Adelaide moved the saucepan forward, the berries came slowly to the boiling point, and continued to boil very slowly for five minutes. It was then time to add the warm sugar, stirring very gently while it dissolved. Adelaide was very careful not to break the fruit. As soon as the fruit boiled again it was ready to pour into the ster- ilized pint jar. Adelaide filled the jar to overflowing, in- serted a silver knife between the jar and the berries to let all air bubbles come to the top and break, put on the new rubber smoothly, sealed quickly, then stood the jar upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning she made sure that the jar had not leaked, then with a damp cloth she wiped away all stickiness, pasted on the label and stored the jar away in the preserve closet. 74 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK Canned Raspberries and Currants Raspberries, 1 quart Currants, 1 pint Sugar, 2 cups Adelaide picked over the raspberries and cur- rants very carefully, washed and drained them in the usual manner, but kept them separate. The currants she placed in the saucepan and mashed with the wooden potato masher. Next she cooked them very slowly until the currants looked white, then she strained them through two thicknesses of cheese cloth. Returning the juice to the saucepan, she added the sugar, stirring until it was all dissolved, and let it boil slowly twenty minutes, then she poured in the raspberries carefully and boiled them three minutes. The sterilized pint jar Adelaide filled to over- flowing at once, inserted the silver knife to force the air bubbles to the top, placed the new rubber on smoothly, sealed quickly and stood upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning she wiped off all stickiness with a damp cloth, made sure the jar did not leak, pasted on the label and stored it away in the preserve closet. FOR A LITTLE GIRL 75 Canned Cherries Cherries, 1 quart Sugar Mother liked to have her cherries cut in halves and the stones taken out, though she told Ade- laide many people preferred them canned whole. Adelaide followed mother's way, so the large ripe cherries she placed in the colander, and washed thoroughly by dipping it up and down several times in a pan of clear cold water. Next she removed the stems, and cut the cherries in halves with a silver knife, taking out the stones. Then she weighed the fruit. If they were tart, she used one-half their weight of sugar, but if they were of the sweet variety, she needed only one-third of their weight of sugar. The cherries and sugar Adelaide put in the saucepan together and stood at the back of the range to heat gradually. As the sugar began to melt and the juice to run, she removed the saucepan forward and stirred the fruit gently with the wooden spoon. Adelaide was careful not to break the halves, and boiled the cherries slowly twenty minutes. She filled the sterilized pint jar to overflow- 76 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK ing, inserted the silver knife to bring the air bubbles to the top, placed the new rubber on smoothly, sealed quickly and stood the jar up- side down out of the way of any draft. In the morning she wiped off all stickiness with a damp cloth, inspected the jar carefully to see that it did not leak, pasted on the label and stored the jar away in the preserve closet. Canned Blackberries Blackberries, 1 quart Sugar These were great big blackberries, firm but ripe, and Adelaide poured them into the col- ander. She could not resist popping the big- gest one into her mouth, but mother told her that that was a very bad practice to begin. Adelaide sighed, but she realized mother was right, so she stopped eating any more and pro- ceeded to wash the blackberries. She dipped the colander up and down several times in a pan of clear cold water, drained thoroughly, then weighed the fruit. Weighing one-third their weight of sugar, she put it in an earthen- ware dish and placed it at the back of the range to heat through, but not brown. The saucepan containing the blackberries was FOR A LITTLE GIRL 77 also stood toward the back of the range until the juice began to run, when it was moved for- ward, and Adelaide watched it while it came slowly to the boiling point. For five minutes the berries boiled very slowly, then the warm sugar was added a little at a time, and Adelaide stirred gently with the wooden spoon, being careful not to break the black- berries. They were ready to put in the sterilized pint jar as soon as they boiled up again. Adelaide filled the jar to overflowing, inserted a sil- ver knife to bring all bubbles to the top, placed on the new rubber smoothly, sealed quickly, and stood the jar upside down, out of the way of any draft. The next morning she examined the jar carefully to see that it did not leak, wiped off the stickiness with a damp cloth, pasted on the label, then stored the jar away in the preserve closet. Canned Blueberries Blueberries, 1 quart Sugar The blueberries that mother bought were al- most as large as currants and they were firm and dry. 78 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK Adelaide picked them over carefully, put them into the colander, which she placed in a pan of clear cold water, dipping it up and down several times to cleanse the berries thoroughly, then set aside to drain. The berries were then weighed, put into the saucepan and heated gradually. To each pound of berries Adelaide added one-third of a pound of sugar, setting it in an earthenware dish at the back of the range to heat through, but not brown. When the ber- ries had boiled slowly for five minutes, Adelaide added the sugar very gradually, stirring gently until it had all dissolved. The fruit was ready to can as soon as it boiled up again, and at once Adelaide fiUed to overflowing the steri- lized pint jar. She inserted a silver knife be- tween the fruit and the sides of the jar to bring all air bubbles to the top, then placed the new rubber on smoothly, sealed quickly and stood the jar upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning Adelaide removed all sticki- ness from the jar with a damp cloth, inspected it thoroughly to see that it did not leak, pasted on the label and stored the jar away in the pre- serve closet. FOR A LITTLE GIRL 79 Canned Blueberries (without sugar) Blueberries, 1 quart Water, 2 tablespoons Mother let Adelaide put up a jar of blue- berries without sugar. They made delicious pies in the winter. Adelaide picked over the berries carefully into the colander, then she dipped it up and down several times in a pan of clear cold water to cleanse them from all dust. After they had drained thoroughly, Adelaide poured them into the saucepan, with two tablespoons of cold water (this was to prevent burning), then she placed the saucepan over the fire and let the berries heat through very gradually. It was necessary to stir occasionally with the wooden spoon. They needed to boil but a minute or two, as they had softened sufficiently while heating through. As soon as they were done, Adelaide filled the sterilized pint jar to overflowing, inserted a silver knife to let all air bubbles rise to the top, then break, placed the new rubber on smoothly, sealed quickly and stood it upside down out of the way of any draft. After inspecting the jar next morning to be 80 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK sure it did not leak, she wiped it carefully with a damp cloth to remove all stickiness, pasted on the label and stored the finished product away in the preserve closet. Canned Peaches No. 1 Peaches, 1 dozen Sugar, 1 cup Water, 2 cups There were three different ways mother told Adelaide that she might put up peaches, two ways with sugar and one without. Adelaide put up a dozen peaches at a time. The first dozen Adelaide placed in a pan and covered with boiling water and let them stand a few minutes. It was then easy for her to re- move the skins with a silver knife, cut in halves and take out the stones. The peaches were large, and mother said they should fill two pint jars. So Adelaide washed and sterilized two jars. Into a saucepan Adelaide measured two cups of water and one cup of sugar, which she placed over the fire and let boil teh minutes, then she dropped the peaches in carefully and let them cook until you could pierce them with a silver fork. When they were done she lifted each half peach out FOR A LITTLE GIRL 81 with great care and put twelve of them in one pint jar, and the remaining twelve in the other pint jar. Next she filled the jars to overflow- ing with the syrup, inserted a silver knife be- tween the fruit and the sides of the jars, to let the air bubbles rise to the top and break, placed new rubbers on smoothly, sealed quickly and stood both jars upside down out of the way of any draft. The next morning she inspected them care- fully to see that they did not leak; then Ade- laide wiped off all stickiness with a damp cloth, pasted on the labels and stored the jars away in the preserve closet. Canned Peaches No. 2 Peaches, 1 dozen Sugar Water, ' 2 cups The second dozen of peaches Adelaide pre- pared in the same manner. She placed them in a pan, covered them with boiling water, let them stand a few minutes, removed their skins with a silver knife, cut them in halves, took out the stones, then weighed the peaches. Plac- ing them carefully in the saucepan, Adelaide poured over the peaches one-third of their 82 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK weight of sugar, and let them stand over night. In the morning she added two cups of cold water and stood the saucepan over the fire, letting it come slowly to the boiling point. From then on the peaches simmered slowly, until they could be pierced easily with a silver fork, Adelaide stirring occasionally in a care- ful manner with a wooden spoon so as not to break the fruit. When they were sufficiently cooked, she picked out the fruit with the fork, putting twelve halves in each pint jar, filled them to overflow- ing with the syrup, then inserted a silver knife between the fruit and the jars to let all air bubbles rise to the top and break, placed the new rubbers on smoothly, sealed quickly, and stood the jars upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning she examined each jar care- fully to be sure they did not leak, wiped off all stickiness with a damp cloth, pasted on the la- bels, then stored the peaches away in the pre- serve closet. Canned Peaches (without sugar) Peaches, 1 dozen Water, 2 cups FOR A LITTLE GIRL 8S After Adelaide had covered the peaches with boiling water and let them stand a few minutes, she removed the skins with a silver knife, cut them in halves, took out the stones and placed them carefully in the saucepan. To these she added two cups of cold water, put the saucepan over the fire, let the peaches heat through gradually, stirring occasionally with the wooden spoon, and then boiled them very gently for twenty minutes, or until they could be pierced easily with a silver fork. Lifting the peaches out carefully with a fork, Adelaide put twelve halves in each sterilized pint jar, and filled them to overflowing with the juice. Inserting a silver knife between the fruit and the sides of the jars, she let the air bubbles rise to the top and break. Next she placed the new rubbers on smoothly, sealed quickly and stood each jar upside down out of the way of any draft. Next morning Adelaide examined each jar carefully to be sure they did not leak, wiped off all stickiness with a damp cloth, pasted on the labels and stored away the jars in the pre- serve closet. 84 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK Canned Apricots Apricots, If dozen Sugar Water, 1 cup The apricots are so much smaller than peaches that one dozen, mother said, should just fill a pint jar, but, to be on the safe side, she would let Adelaide prepare eighteen. Mother also said she was surprised that more people did not can this fruit, it was of such a rich and delicate flavor. Adelaide washed and wiped each apricot thoroughly, cut it in halves and removed the stone. After weighing the apricots she put them in the saucepan and added one-third their weight in sugar and one cup of water. Placing the saucepan over the fire, Adelaide let the fruit come slowly to the boiling point, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon to pre- vent burning. After they had boiled gently twenty minutes (Adelaide stirred all the time being very careful not to break the apricots) she filled the sterilized pint jar at once. Adelaide picked the apricots out with a sil- ver fork and placed them in the jar first, then she poured in the juice so that it overflowed. FOR A LITTLE GIRL 85 Using a silver knife, she inserted it between the fruit and the jar, to let all air bubbles rise to the top and break. Next she placed a new rubber, which had been dipped in boihng water, on the jar smoothly, sealed quickly and stood the jar upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning the jar was carefully in- spected to see that it did not leak, and Adelaide used a damp cloth to wipe away all stickiness. After pasting on the label she stored the jar away in the preserve closet. Canned Pears Pears, 1 dozen Sugar Water Adelaide prepared a dozen large pears, al- though mother said eight were quite sufficient (if large) to fill a pint jar. It was not a good plan to crowd such fruit as peaches, pears, and apricots in too closely, because you might break the fruit. With the little sharp knife Adelaide peeled the pears very thinly and cut them in halves, removing the cores. The stems she left on. After weighing the fruit, she placed it in the saucepan and measured one cup of water to 86 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK each pound of fruit. If the pears were tart, she weighed one-half their weight of sugar; if they were sweet she weighed only one-third their weight of sugar. The sugar was put in an earthenware dish at the back of the range to heat through, but not brown. Placing the saucepan containing the pears and water over the fire, Adelaide let them come slowly to the boiling point. With the wooden spoon she stirred them frequently, being care- ful not to break the fruit. If, after twenty minutes of gentle boiling, the pears were easily pierced with a silver fork, Adelaide added the warm sugar gradually and stirred carefully and constantly until it boiled up again. Into the sterilized pint jar Adelaide lifted each half pear with a silver fork, then poured in the juice until it overflowed. The inserting of a silver knife between the fruit and the jar, to let all the bubbles rise to the top and break, was the next thing to be done, after which she placed a new rubber smoothly on the jar, sealed it quickly, then stood the jar upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning Adelaide wiped off all stick- iness from the jar with a damp cloth, and exam- FOR A LITTLE GIRL 87 ined it carefully to be sure that it did not leak. Next she pasted on the labels and stored the fruit away in the preserve closet. Mother told Adelaide that some people found pears a little too flat for their taste, and in that case a tablespoon of lemon juice was added with each dozen pears. Canned Crab Apples Crab Apples, 1 dozen Sugar Water These crab apples made one of the prettiest jars Adelaide put up. She did not have to peel the crab apples, just wash and wipe the fruit thoroughly and remove the blossom ends. The crab apples, of course, needed to be absolutely perfect. They were weighed, placed in the saucepan, and a cup of water poured over to each pound of fruit. One-half their weight of sugar Ade- laide placed in an earthenware dish at the back of the range to warm through, but not brown. The saucepan she placed on the fire and let the crab apples and water come slowly to the boiling point, stirring frequently with the wooden spoon. 88 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK When the crab apples could be pierced eas- ily with a silver fork Adelaide added the sugar gradually and let the fruit boil up again. She stirred constantly until they had boiled quietly five minutes more, then she picked the crab apples out with the silver fork and placed in the sterilized pint jar. With a silver knife, which she inserted be- tween fruit and jar, Adelaide let the air bubbles rise to the top and break. The new rubber, after being dipped in boiling water, was placed on the jar smoothly, then she sealed it quickly and stood it upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning the jar was carefully in- spected for any possible leaks, and Adelaide wiped off all stickiness with a damp cloth. Next she pasted on the labels and stored the canned fruit away in the preserve closet. Canned Quinces Quinces, ^ dozen Sugar Water Six large orange quinces (these are of the best variety) Adelaide washed and wiped thor- oughly, peeled, cut into quarters, and removed FOR A LITTLE GIRL 89 the cores. After weighing the quinces she meas- ured into the saucepan one and one-third cups of water to each pound of fruit. Placing the saucepan over the fire she let the water just boil, and then poured in the quinces. They boiled gently for about twenty minutes, or until you could pierce them easily with a silver fork. Adelaide lifted these out very care- fully on to a large plate. To the water in which the quinces had been cooked, she added one-half their weight in sugar. This she stirred with the wooden spoon until it was all dissolved and the syrup boiled. The quinces were gently dropped into the boiling syrup (Adelaide took particular care not to break the quarters) and when they had cooked slowly for five minutes she filled the sterilized pint jar with the fruit and poured the syrup over it until it overflowed. Next she inserted a silver knife between the fruit and the jar, to let all air bubbles rise to the top and break. The new rubber, after being dipped in boil- ing water, was placed smoothly around the top, then she sealed the jar quickly and stood it up- side down out of the way of any draft. In the morning the jar was carefully exam- ined to be sure that it did not leak, and Ade- 90 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK laide wiped off all stickiness from the outside. Pasting on the label she stored it away in the preserve closet. Mother had told Adelaide to save the peel- ings and cores of the quinces, and put in a sauce- pan with just enough water to cover. These she let boil slowly for about one hour, then she poured them into the jelly bag to drain off the juice. This juice she used to cook her apples in when she canned some the next day. Canned Apples Apples, 1 dozen Sugar Quince juice After washing and peeling the apples, Ade- laide cut them into quarters and removed the cores. The quince juice was made from the peel- ings and cores of the quinces she had canned the day before, by just covering them with cold water and boiling slowly for one hour. Then she drained them through the jelly bag. To each pound of apples Adelaide measured one and one- third cups of quince juice into the saucepan, and she put one-fourth of their weight of sugar into an earthenware dish, which FOR A LITTLE GIRL 91 she stood at the back of the stove to warm but not brown. The saucepan containing the apples and quince juice was placed over the fire, and the fruit came slowly to the boiling point. Ade- laide stirred qmte frequently with the wooden spoon, being careful not to break the fruit. When you could easily pierce the apples with a silver fork, they were ready to have the warm sugar added. This Adelaide poured in very carefuUy and stirred until dissolved. Five more minutes they needed to boil, being stirred constantly, then Adelaide filled the ster- ilized pint jar at once. First the fruit (lifted out with a silver fork), then the syrup poured in to overflowing, then the silver knife inserted between fruit and jar, to let the air bubbles rise to the top and break, then the new rubber placed around the top smoothly, and lastly the quick sealing. Adelaide stood the jar upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morn- ing she wiped off all stickiness with a damp cloth, from the outside of the jar, examined it carefully to be sure that it didn't leak, pasted on the label, then stored the jar away in the preserve closet beside her steadily growing line of preserves, 92 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK The addition of the quince juice made the flavor of the apples delicious. Canned Apples (without sugar) Apples, 1 dozen Water Wiping the apples clean, Adelaide pared them with the sharp knife, cut them into quarters and removed the core. If the apples were very juicy she did not need to cook them in very much water, otherwise the water (which she poured over the apples boiling) came nearly to the top of the apples. Placing the saucepan over the fire, the fruit boiled slowly until tender, then Adelaide at once filled to overflowing the sterilized pint jar. In- serting a silver knife between the jar and the fruit, she let the air bubbles rise to the top and break. The new rubber, dipped in boiling water, was placed on smoothly, and the jar sealed quickly, then Adelaide stood it upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning she wiped off all stickiness with a damp cloth from the outside of the jar, inspected it carefully for any possible leaks, pasted on the label and stored the apples in the preserve closet. FOR A LITTLE GIRL 93 Canned Pineapples No. I Pineapples (large), One Sugar, 1 cup Water, 2 cups Mother had to show Adelaide how to remove the skin and eyes from the pineapple. Ade- laide found it a rather prickly thing to handle, but after it was ready, she cut it into slices fairly thick, and removed the little hard core with a sharp knife. Mother told her she could leave the slices whole, or she could cut them into cubes. Adelaide said that she preferred cutting them into cubes. The cup of sugar and two cups of water were measured into the saucepan, which she placed over the fire and let boil ten minutes, then the pineapple was dropped in and cooked until tender, or until you could pierce it easily with a silver fork. As soon as it had cooked sufficiently, Ade- laide filled the sterilized pint jar, first with the fruit, and then poured in the syrup so that it overflowed. Next she inserted a silver knife between the pineapple and the jar, to let the air bubbles rise to the top and break. The new rubber, which had been dipped in boiling water, 94 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK was placed around the top smoothly, then Ade- laide sealed it quickly and stood the jar upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning she wiped all stickiness off the jar with a damp cloth, examined the jar carefully to be sure there were no leaks, pasted on the label and stored the canned fruit away in the preserve closet. Another way that mother liked to put up pineapples is as follows: Canned Pineapples No. 2 Pineapple (large), One Sugar Adelaide, after removing the skin and eyes from the pineapple, cut it into quarters length- wise and removed the cores. Then she weighed it, after which she put the pineapple through the meat chopper. Into the saucepan she measured one-half its weight of sugar and added the chopped pine- apple. Placing the saucepan over the fire, Adelaide let the fruit and sugar come slowly to the boil- ing point, stirring frequently with the wooden spoon to keep from burning. After the boUing FOR A LITTLE GIRL 95 point was reached, the fruit cooked slowly for twenty minutes, and Adelaide put it into the sterilized pint jar at once. The jar was filled to overflowing and a silver knife inserted be- tween the fruit and the jar, to let all air bubbles rise to the top and break. Next she placed a new rubber around the top smoothly, sealed it quickly and stood it upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning she examined the jar care- fully to see that it did not leak, wiped off aU stickiness with a damp cloth, pasted on the label and stored the finished product away in the preserve closet. Mother often used pineapple put up in this manner for pineapple ice cream, or pineapple sherbet. It made a delicious dessert. Canned Plums Plums (large), 1^ dozen Sugar Water The large blue plums, the green-gage plums, or the large red plums, were all put up in the same manner. Adelaide wiped each plum thoroughly with a damp cloth, cut it in halves with a silver knife, 96 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK and removed the stone. Then she weighed them. To each pound of fruit Adelaide measured one cup of water and one cup of sugar. The plums and the water she placed in the saucepan over the fire and let them come slowly to the boiling point, while the sugar was heating at the back of the range in an earthenware dish. Adelaide boiled the plums gently, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until they were tender or until you could pierce them with a silver fork easily. It usually took twenty minutes. The sugar was then ready to add to the fruit, and Adelaide stirred the mixture very carefully until it was all dissolved. As soon as the fruit boiled up Adelaide canned at once. She lifted each plum carefully with a silver fork into the sterilized pint jar, then poured in the juice till it overflowed. Inserting a silver knife between the fruit and the jar, Adelaide let the air bubbles come to the top and break. The new rubber, after being dipped in boiling water, was fitted on smoothly, then she sealed the jar quickly and stood it upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning, with a damp cloth she wiped off all stickiness from the outside of the jar, inspected it carefully to be sure that it did not FOR A LITTLE GIRL 97 leak, pasted on the label and stored the jar away in the preserve closet. Canned Rhubarb Rhubarb, 2J lbs. Sugar If the rhubarb is pretty in color and young and tender, mother told Adelaide that she did not need to peel the stalks, but just wash and wipe them clean and cut them in small pieces with the little sharp knife. Then she weighed the fruit and allowed one-half pound of sugar to each pound of rhubarb. Both sugar and rhubarb were put in the saucepan and placed over the fire to come very slowly to the boiling point. Adelaide stirred constantly with a wooden spoon to prevent burning, and as soon as it had boiled fifteen minutes she poured it into the sterilized pint jar. The silver knife she inserted between the jar and the fruit, to let all air bubbles rise to the top and break. After the new rubber was dipped in boiling water and placed over the jar smoothly, Adelaide sealed it quickly, then stood the jar upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning she inspected the jar carefully to be sure that there were no leaks, wiped off aU stickiness with 98 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK a damp cloth, pasted on the label and stored the jar away in the preserve closet. Sometimes mother canned rhubarb without sugar, so Adelaide tried a jar. Mother said the flavor was much better and it was not so juicy, also it was excellent for pies, shortcakes, etc., adding the sugar when you used it. Canned Rhubarb (without sugar) Rhubarb, 2^ lbs. Water, 1 tablespoon Adelaide washed and wiped each stalk thor- oughly, then cut it into small pieces. These she put in the saucepan with a tablespoon of cold water to keep from burning, and stirred with a wooden spoon. She let the fruit heat very gradually and boiled slowly for fifteen minutes. It was then ready to can, and Ade- laide poured the rhubarb into the sterilized pint jar at once, after which she inserted a silver knife between the jar and the fruit, to let aU air bubbles rise to the top and break. Next came the new rubber, which she dipped in boil- ing water, placed over the top smoothly, then sealed quickly. Standing the jar upside down she stood it out of the way of any draft. In the FOR A LITTLE GIRL 9D morning Adelaide examined the jar carefully to be sure that it did not leak, wiped off the out- side with a damp cloth, pasted on the label and stored the jar away in the preserve closet. Damson Plum Preserves Damson Plums, 1 quart Sugar Water The Damson plums Adelaide wiped thor- oughly, and pricked each one with a silver fork twice. Then she weighed the fruit. To each pound she measured three-quarters of a pound of sugar. To each pound of sugar Adelaide measured one cup of water. The sugar and water she put in the saucepan and placed over the fire. When the syrup boiled, Adelaide skimmed it and added the plums. The plums Adelaide cooked until they were tender, stirring them carefully with a wooden spoon so as not to break the fruit, then filled the sterilized pint jar to overflowing. A silver knife was inserted between the fruit and jar to let all air bubbles rise to the top and break. The new rubber was dipped in boiling water, placed over the top smoothly and the jar sealed quickly. This 100 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK Adelaide stood upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning the jar was care- fully examined to see that it did not leak, all stickiness was wiped oif with a damp cloth, the label was pasted on, and then Adelaide stored the jar away in the preserve closet. Preserved Currants Currants, 1 quart Sugar The currants Adelaide picked over carefully and put into the colander. This she placed in a pan of clear cold water and dipped up and down several times until quite clean. After they had drained well she weighed them, and to each pound of fruit she measured a pound of sugar. Half of the currants Adelaide put in the saucepan and placed on the fire to heat through. When they were thoroughly warmed she removed the saucepan from the fire and mashed the currants with the wooden potato masher, then she strained the juice through the jelly bag. The juice and sugar Adelaide put into the saucepan and boiled gently for fifteen minutes, after which she added the other half of the cur- FOR A LITTLE GIRL 101 rants. It took the currants only five minutes to just cook through and they remained whole in the jelly. This was poured into sterilized tumblers. When cold the tumblers were wiped free from all stickiness, and Adelaide sealed them by pour- ing melted paraffin over the top, shaking it gently from side to side to exclude all air. Pasting on the labels she stored them away in the preserve closet. Preserved Currants and Raspberries Currants, 1 pint Raspberries, 1 quart Sugar The currants and raspberries Adelaide picked over and kept separate. She did not forget to look carefully in the center of each raspberry to be sure that there were no little worms. After washing the currants, placing them in the colander and dipping it up and down several times in a pan of clear cold water she poured them into the saucepan and mashed them with the wooden potato masher. Adelaide washed the raspberries in the same manner, but stood them aside to drain while the currants were cook- 102 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK ing. The currants simmered slowly for half an hour (or until the currants looked white), and then the juice was strained through the jelly bag. Adelaide returned the juice to the saucepan, and added the sugar. (The currants and berries had been weighed after washing them, and to each pound of fruit she measured three-fourths of a pound of sugar.) The juice and sugar boiled slowly for twenty minutes, then Adelaide poured in the rasp- berries carefully and cooked three minutes more. Into the steriUzed pint jar she skimmed the raspberries, then added the juice to overflowing. The silver knife was inserted between the jar and the fruit, to let all air bubbles rise to the top and break, the new rubber was placed on smoothly and Adelaide sealed the jar quickly. It was then placed upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning the jar was care- ^ftilly inspected for any leaks, wiped free from all stickiness with a damp cloth and the label pasted on. Adelaide then stored it away in the preserve closet. Preserved Strawberries Strawberries, 1 quart Sugar FOR A LITTLE GIRL 103 Before hulling the strawberries, Adelaide put them into the colander and dipped it up and down several times in a pan of clear cold water to cleanse the berries thoroughly. After hull- ing the fruit she weighed it, and for each pound she weighed a pound of sugar. The strawberries were put into the saucepan and the sugar sprinkled over them and they stood until the juice ran freely. Then the saucepan was placed on the fire and the fruit and sugar heated through. Adelaide stirred with the wooden spoon, being careful not to break the strawberries. When the sugar was all dissolved and the berries thoroughly heated, Adelaide skimmed the berries out into a dish. The syrup then boiled for ten minutes slowly, after which the strawberries were dropped in carefully and boiled two minutes. Into the sterilized pint jar Adelaide skimmed all the berries, filled it to overflowing with the syrup, inserted a silver loiife between the fruit and the jar to let all air bubbles rise to the top and break, placed on the new rubber smoothly, sealed the jar quickly and stood it upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning she examined the jar care- 104 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK fiilly to see that it did not leak, wiped off all stickiness with a damp cloth, pasted on the label and stored the preserved berries away in the preserve closet. Preserved Blackberries Blackberries, 1 quart Sugar After picking over the blackberries Adelaide placed them in the colander and dipped it up and down in a pan of clear cold water several times to remove aU dust and dirt. After weighing the berries she poured them into a saucepan and sprinkled over them an equal weight of sugar. These stood for an hour be- fore Adelaide put the saucepan over the fire and let the berries and sugar come slowly to the boiling point. Adelaide stirred them gently with a wooden spoon, being careful not to break the fruit. When they boiled up she skimmed out the blackberries into a dish and the syrup cooked for five minutes. Returning the blackberriesi to the syrup she put the saucepan at the back of the range and let the fruit slowly heat without stirring. FOR A LITTLE GIRL 105 After they had stood fifteen minutes she poured the berries at once into the sterilized pint jar, filling it to overflowing. With a silver knife, which she inserted between the jar and the fruit, she let all air bubbles rise to the top and break. Placing a new rubber over the top smoothly she sealed quickly and stood the jar upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning it was ready to be inspected carefully for any leaks, and she wiped off all stickiness with a damp cloth, pasted on the label and stored the fruit away in the preserve closet. Preserved Cherries Cherries, 1 quart Sugar Adelaide washed the cherries in the colander, which she dipped up and down several times in a pan of clear cold water. She took off the stems and removed the stones, weighed the cherries and added a pound of sugar to each pound of fruit. Then she let them stand over night, and the next morning put them into the saucepan to cook slowly until clear and tender, stirring carefully with a wooden spoon so as not to break the fruit. When they were done Adelaide picked out the 106 A' LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK cherries first with the skimmer and dropped them into the sterilized pint jar, then she filled it to overflowing with the syrup, inserted a sil- ver knife between the fruit and the jar to let all air bubbles rise to the top and break, placed on a new rubber smoothly, sealed quickly and stood the jar upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning she inspected the jar care- fully to be sure that it did not leak, wiped off all stickiness with a damp cloth, pasted on the label and stored the jar away in the preserve closet. " Mother," said Adelaide one morning, " it is not nearly as discouraging to preserve as it is to just plain cook." " Why, what do you mean, dear.'' " answered mother. " Well, I've been thinking how quickly we eat up things you cook for us every day, while my jams and jellies are still in the preserve closet," mused Adelaide. " Just wait until next winter, young lady, then you'll see how quickly they will disappear," laughed mother. FOR A LITTLE GIRL 107 CHAPTER V CONSERVES When Adelaide came to " conserves," mother told her she had only a very few recipes, but that what they lacked in numbers they made up for in quality. " Have you the recipe for ' Peach con- serve ' ? " asked Adelaide anxiously. " Oh, yes, dear, that is our favorite, and I don't know how many people have asked me how to make it. I couldn't possibly keep house without it," answered mother. Conserves, mother explained to Adelaide, were very similar to jams, with the addition of lemon or orange juice, raisins and nuts. Rhubarb Conserve Rhubarb (cut up), 2 cups Sugar, 2 cups Lemon juice. 1 dessert spoon Seedless raisins, ilb. Walnut meats, ilb. 108 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK Mother picked out the pinkest, prettiest rhubarb she could find, then Adelaide washed and wiped each stalk and cut it into small pieces. When she had filled the cup with rhu- barb twice she put it into the saucepan and poured over it two cups of sugar and a dessert spoon of lemon juice. Adelaide next measured out a fourth of a pound of seedless raisins. Upon these she poured boiling water which stood a minute or two, then she drained them. After looking them over carefully to remove any stems, she added them to the rhubarb, sugar, etc. Twelve or fourteen large walnuts were sufficient to crack. The meats Adelaide put through the meat chopper and added to the rest of the good things. After standing three hours the saucepan was placed on the fire and the conserve came slowly to the boiling point. Adelaide stirred the mix- ture frequently with a wooden spoon while it boiled for twenty minutes. It was then ready to pour into the sterilized tumblers. When the conserve was cold, Adelaide wiped around the top and the outside of each tum- bler with a damp cloth, poured melted paraflln over the top (which she shook gently from side FOR A LITTLE GIRL 109 to side to exclude all air), pasted on the labels and stored the glasses away in the preserve closet. Apricot Conserve Apricots, 1 dozen Sugar, 2 cups Lemon juice. 1 dessert spoon Orange juice. 1 dessert spoon Grated rind of half a lemon Grated rind of half an orange Seedless raisins. ilb. Walnut meats, ilb. Adelaide wiped the apricots thoroughly with a damp cloth, then cut them in halves with a silver knife and removed the stones. Tliese she placed in a saucepan, poured over them two cups of sugar, a dessert spoon each of lemon and orange juice, and the grated rind of half a lemon and half an orange. Next she measured out a fourth of a pound of seedless raisins and covered them with boiling water for a few min- utes, after which she drained them and picked off any stems. Twelve or fourteen large wal- nuts were sufficient to crack, and the walnut meats and the raisins Adelaide put through 110 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK the meat chopper, then added these to the fruit in the saucepan. Placing the saucepan over the fire she heated it through slowly and let the fruit boil for forty minutes. Adelaide stirred the contents of the saucepan constantly with a wooden spoon, and when it was done, poured it at once into the sterilized tumblers. As soon as it was cool she wiped the tops and outsides with a damp cloth, poured melted paraffin over the conserve, shaking the tumblers from side to side to exclude all air, pasted on the labels and stored the jars away in the pre- serve closet. Peach Conserve Peaches (large), Eight Sugar, 2 cups Oranges, One Seedless raisins. lib. Walnut meats. ilb. To remove the skins from the peaches easily, Adelaide poured boiling water over them. Let- ting them stand for a minute or two, she then peeled off the skins with a silver knife and sliced the peaches into small pieces, throwing away the stones. Placing the peaches into a saucepan FOR A LITTLE GIRL 111 she added two cups of sugar. After weighing out one-fourth of a pound of seedless raisins^ she covered them with boiling water for about a minute, drained, and picked off any stems. The walnuts (twelve or fourteen large ones) she cracked and put with the raisins. The rind of the orange she grated over the sugar and peaches, and then, after removing the seeds, Adelaide put the pulp of the orange, the raisins and the nuts through the meat chopper. When everything was in the saucepan to- gether, Adelaide placed it over the fire and let it come slowly to the boiling point, and then cook gently for an hour. Adelaide stirred fre- quently with a wooden spoon to prevent burn- ing, and when the conserve had cooked suffi- ciently she poured it into the sterilized tumblers. As soon as it was cold, she wiped around the top and outside of each tumbler with a damp cloth, poured melted paraffin over the conserve (shaking it gently from side to side to exclude all air), pasted on the labels and stored the glasses away in the preserve closet. Plum Conserve Large blue plums. 1 dozen Sugar, 2 cups 112 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK Oranges, One-half Seedless raisins, ^ lb. Walnut meats, J lb. After washing and wiping the plums thor- oughly, Adelaide cut them in halves with a sil- ver knife, and removed the stones. Placing them in the saucepan she poured two cups of sugar and the grated rind of half an orange over them. Twelve or fourteen large walnuts were cracked and the meats taken out. Over the quarter of a pound of raisins (which she weighed) Adelaide poured boiling water. These stood thus for about a minute, then she drained off the water and picked out the stems. The raisins, the walnut meats, and the pulp of the half orange Adelaide put through the meat chopper and added to the plums, etc. in the saucepan. Placing the saucepan over the fire she let the contents come slowly to the boil- ing point, stirring it occasionally with the wooden spoon. It cooked gently for one hour, and then Adelaide poured the conserve at once into the sterilized tumblers. When it was cold the tops and outsides were wiped off carefully with a damp cloth, melted paraffin was poured over the top and shaken gently from side to side to exclude all air, the FOR A LITTLE GIRL 113 labels were pasted on and then the conserve was stored away in the preserve closet. The green-gage plums and the large red plums would make an equally delicious conserve, mother said, and she thought it would be nice to substitute figs sometimes in place of raisins. As the foregoing recipes were all she had, mother told Adelaide that it was just as well to leave further experimenting until another year. Ade- laide was very willing, as she was eager to try " Spiced Fruits." 114 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK CHAPTER VI SPICED FRUITS " When you were a tiny little baby," said mother, " I had a young girl living with me who taught me how to put up Spiced Currants. She had lived in the country, and her favorite aunt was renowned for her tempting preserves." " Oh, mother," interrupted Adelaide, " do you think I could ever become renowned, or what- ever you called it ? " " I think there is no reason why you shouldn't, if you continue to do as good work in the fu- ture as you have thus far. Every year you will become more expert, and find out many new combinations that especially suit your taste and appeal to others," answered mother. " All spiced fruits," she continued, " are particu- larly tasty when served with cold meats." Spiced Currants Currants, 1 quart Sugar, I lb, FOR A LITTLE GIRL 115 Vinegar, ^ cup Cloves (ground), 1 teaspoon Cinnamon (ground), 1 teaspoon Adelaide picked over the currants and re- moved the stems. Putting the currants into the colander, she dipped it up and down several times in a pan of clear cold water, then set it aside to drain. Into the saucepan she poured the currants, added one pound of sugar, a half a cup of vinegar, and a teaspoon each of cloves and cinnamon. Placing the saucepan over the fire, she let the currants heat through gradually, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, and when thoroughly scalded she lifted out the currants with a skimmer. Adelaide boiled the juice until it thickened, then added the currants again and let them just boil up. They were then ready to put into the sterilized pint jar, so Adelaide filled it to over- flowing. Next she inserted a silver knife be- tween the jar and the fruit, to let all air bubbles rise to the top and break, placed a new rubber on the jar smoothly, sealed quickly and stood upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning the jar was examined care- fully to be sure it did not leak, all stickiness was 116 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK wiped off with a damp cloth from the outside, then the label was pasted on and Adelaide stored the jar away in the preserve closet. Spiced Cherries Cherries, 2 lbs. Sugar, 1 lb. Vinegar, ^ cup Stick cinnamon, ^ ounce Whole cloves, -^ ounce Adelaide stemmed the cherries and washed them in the colander by dipping it up and down several times in a pan of clear cold water, after which she stoned them. Into a saucepan she measured one-half a cup of vinegar. To this she added a third of an ounce each of whole cloves and cinnamon tied up in a muslin bag. The vinegar and spices Adelaide let boil gently for fifteen minutes, then she added one pound of sugar and boiled the mixture ten minutes longer, stirring constantly with the wooden spoon and skimming well. At the end of the ten minutes Adelaide dropped in the cherries and cooked the fruit gently for one-half hour. Lifting out the cherries with a skimmer, she put them into the sterilized pint jar, added the juice to overflowing, and inserted a silver knife FOR A LITTLE GIRL 117 between the jar and the fruit to let all air bub- bles rise to the top and break. Then she placed on a new rubber and sealed quickly, standing the jar upside down out of the way of any draft. The next morning, after carefully inspecting the jar for any possible leaks, Adelaide wiped off all stickiness from the outside with a damp cloth, pasted on the label and stored the jar away in the preserve closet. Spiced Gooseberries Gooseberries, If lbs. Sugar, 11 lbs. Vinegar, i cup Green ginger root, a small piece Whole cloves. Six Whole allspice, Three One bay leaf One blade of mace Stick cinnamon. one small piece From the gooseberries Adelaide removed the tops, then washed them in the colander, which she placed in a pan of clear cold water and dipped up and down several times. While these drained, Adelaide measured the half cup of vinegar and one and one-fourth pounds of sugar into the saucepan. Placing the saucepan 118 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK on the fire she brought the sugar and vinegar to the boiling point, added the gooseberries, then removed the saucepan from the fire. The small piece of green ginger root she cut into small pieces, the six whole cloves, the three whole allspice, the bay leaf, the blade of mace, and the piece of stick cinnamon were tied in a small piece of muslin and added to the contents of the saucepan. Covering the saucepan, it was placed aside over night. The next day Adelaide brought the fruit quickly to the boiling point and cooked the gooseberries gently until they were tender but not broken. When they were done, she care- fully skimmed out the gooseberries and placed them into the sterilized pint jar, then filled it to overflowing with the syrup. Between the jar and the fruit Adelaide inserted a silver knife, to allow all air bubbles to rise to the top and break. The new rubber was placed on smoothly, and she sealed the jar quickly, stand- ing it upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning the jar was carefully wiped with a damp cloth to remove all stickiness and examined for any possible leaks. Next Ade- laide pasted on the label and stored the spiced gooseberries away in the preserve closet. FOR A LITTLE GIRL 119 Spiced Pears Pears (medium), Eight Sugar, 1 cup I'inegar, icup Water, i cup Cinnamon (stick), small piece Cloves (whole), 1 teaspoon Mixed spices (ground), 1 teaspoon Mother said she found that when she put up " spiced pears " the year before that it took fifteen pears of medium size to fill a quart jar, so she told Adelaide to prepare eight pears. Adelaide washed, wiped, pared, quartered and removed the core from each pear. The cup bi sugar, half cup each of water and vinegar, cinnamon stick and whole cloves were put into the saucepan and placed over the fire, then the teaspoon of mixed ground spices was also added; the latter were tied in a small piece of muslin. These Adelaide let boil for five minutes, after which she skimmed the syrup and added the pears. It was necessary to boil the pears very gently for thirty-five minutes, stirring them frequently with the wooden spoon, but carefully so as not to break the fruit. When they were 120 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK done Adelaide lifted the pears out carefully with a silver fork into the sterilized pint jar, and poured in the syrup to overflowing. With a silver knife, which she inserted be- tween the fruit and jar, she let all air bubbles rise to the top and break, then fitted on a new rubber smoothly, sealed the jar quickly and stood it upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning, after examining the jar carefully to see that it did not leak, Adelaide wiped off all stickiness with a damp cloth, pasted on the label and stored the jar away in the preserve closet. Spiced Peaches Peaches (medium), 1 dozen Sugar (brown). 1 lb. Vinegar, 1 cup Cloves (whole) Cloves (ground). 1 teaspoon Cinnamon (ground), 1 teaspoon Allspice (ground). ^ teaspoon Adelaide put the pound of brown sugar and the cup of vinegar into the saucepan and added the ground spices (clove, cinnamon, and all- spice) tied up in a small piece of muslin. The FOR A LITTLE GIRL 121 saucepan she placed over the fire and let the contents boil gently for ten minutes. While the syrup was boiling, Adelaide poured boiling water over the peaches, and after they had stood a minute she peeled them with a silver knife. Adelaide left the peaches whole, and stuck four or five cloves in each peach. As soon as the syrup had cooked sufficiently she dropped the peaches in it and cooked them until they could be pierced easily with a silver fork. The twelve peaches were enough to fill two pint jars. Adelaide lifted the peaches out care- fully with the silver fork and placed them in the sterilized jars. Then she filled the jars to over- flowing with the syrup. With a silver knife, which she inserted between the fruit and the jar, Adelaide let all air bubbles rise to the top and break. Next, new rubbers were fitted on smoothly and the jars sealed quickly, after which she stood them upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning the stick- iness was wiped from each jar with a damp cloth, they were carefully inspected to be sure there were no leaks, then Adelaide pasted on the labels and stored the jars away in the pre- serve closet. 122 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK Spiced Watermelon Rind Watermelon rind, 2J lbs. Sugar (brown), 1 lb. "Vinegar, 1 cup Cinnamon (ground), ^ teaspoon Cloves (ground), ^ teaspoon Allspice (ground), J teaspoon Ginger root, small piece Whole mace, 1 teaspoon Bay leaves, Two One day when watermelons were in their prime Adelaide's mother bought a part of one for dessert. She told Adelaide to save all the rind and the next day she would show her how to make another tasty relish to be eaten with cold meats. In the morning Adelaide pared the rind neatly and cut it into many attractive shapes. The saucepan had been previously placed over the fire, containing the pound of sugar, the cup of vinegar, the piece of ginger root, the whole mace and the bay leaves. The ground spices, one- half teaspoon each of cinnamon and allspice, and the one-third teaspoon of cloves, were tied in a small piece of muslin and added to the syrup. When the syrup reached the boiling FOR A LITTLE GIRL 123 point Adelaide dropped in the watermelon rind, and it was cooked slowly until perfectly tender. Then Adelaide lifted out the rind very care- fully with a silver fork into a dish, covered, and stood it away over night. The saucepan was removed from the fire and placed aside to cool. Next morning, Adelaide let the syrup again come to the boiling point, and added the rind. She watched carefuUy, and when it came to the boiling point a second time she lifted the rind carefully with a silver fork into the sterilized jar. The syrup she poured in until it overflowed. Inserting a silver knife between the jar and the rind Adelaide let all air bubbles rise to the top and break, then fitted the new rubber on smoothly, sealed quickly and stood the jar up- side down out of the way of any draft. In the morning Adelaide wiped off all stick- iness from the outside of the jar, examined it carefully to be sure it did not leak, pasted on the label and stored it away in the preserve closet. Spiced Grapes Grapes, li lbs. Sugar, 1 lb. Vinegar, 1 cup 124 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK Cinnamon (ground), 1 teaspoon Cloves (ground), 1 teaspoon Adelaide picked over and washed the grapes by placing them in the colander and dipping it up and down several times in a pan of clear cold water. After draining thoroughly she removed the skins and placed them in a dish which she stood aside. The pulps were put into the saucepan and cooked slowly until the seeds could be removed by pressing the grapes through a strainer. The strained pulp, the skins, the pound of sugar, the fourth of a cup of vinegar, and the teaspoon each of ground cinnamon and cloves (the spices were tied in a piece of muslin) were aU put in the saucepan together and cooked until thick. Adelaide then filled the sterilized jar with the fruit, inserted a silver knife be- tween the grapes and the jar to let the air bubbles rise to the top and break, fitted on a new rubber smoothly, sealed the jar quickly and stood it upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning she inspected the jar carefully to be sure that it did not leak, wiped off aU stickiness with a damp cloth, pasted on the label and stored the jar away in the pre- serve closet. FOR A LITTLE GIRL 125 Spiced Blackberries Blackberries, 2J lbs. Sugar, 1 lb. Vinegar, J cup Cinnamon (ground), 1 teaspoon Cloves (ground), 1 teaspoon Adelaide put the pound of sugar, the half cup of vinegar, and the teaspoon each of ground cinnamon and cloves (the spices she tied in a piece of muslin) into the saucepan over the fire. While the syrup was coming slowly to the boiling point Adelaide picked over and washed the blackberries by placing them in the colander, which she dipped up and down several times in a pan of clear cold water. After the black- berries had drained well and the syrup had come to the boiling point Adelaide added the black- berries. These she let boil gently for fifteen minutes, when she skimmed out the blackberries and dropped them carefully into the sterilized pint jar. Next she fiUed the jar to overflowing with the syrup, inserted a silver knife between the fruit and the jar to let all air bubbles rise to the top and break, fitted on a new rubber smoothly, sealed the jar quickly, and stood it upside down out of the way of any draft. 126 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK In the morning Adelaide inspected the jar carefully to see that it did not leak, wiped off all stickiness from the outside with a damp cloth, pasted on the label and stored the jar away in the preserve closet. " Perhaps," said mother, " you may like to try other fruits another year, preserved in vinegar and sugar with spices, but I think for the present the ones I have given you will do." " Yes, I think so too," replied Adelaide. FOR A LITTLE GIRL 127 CHAPTER VII PICKLES Adelaide had never been allowed to eat many pickles, because mother did not approve of them for growing children, but an occasional sample had made Adelaide look forward to the time when she could have the same privilege as " grown ups," to eat anything she liked. The thought of preparing the pickles seemed to Adelaide the next best thing to eating them. " I hope when I put up ' pickled onions ' I don't cry," laughed Adelaide. " I can just re- member grandma peeling a great big pan of onions and the tears rolling down her cheeks." " Well, Adelaide," said mother, " if you will peel your onions under running water you won't need to waste any of your tears over them." Mother said she would start Adelaide with the small pickled beets, as they were not only a general favorite, but exceedingly attractive to look at. 128 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK The vinegar used was the very best cider vinegar, as it did not pay to use any other kind. Pickled Beets Beets (very small), 1 quart Sugar, i cup Vinegar, 1 cup Water, 1 cup Mother ordered her beets from a market gardener and he brought them to her fresh. Mother always asked for the very, very small ones. Adelaide cooked the beets until she could pierce them easily with a silver fork, plunged them into cold water, peeled and filled two ster- ilized pint jars. The half cup of vinegar, the fourth cup of sugar, and the cup of water, were put in a saucepan. Adelaide placed it over the fire and let it come to the boiling point. After boiling the mixture for two minutes, Adelaide filled the jars to overflowing with the syrup. Inserting a silver knife between the beets and the jar she let all air bubbles rise to the top and break. To fit on a new rubber smoothly, seal the jar quickly and stand it up- FOR A LITTLE GIRL 129 side down out of the way of aiiy draft, was the work of but a moment. The next morning Adelaide wiped the outside of the jar with a damp cloth, examined it care- fully to see that it did not leak, pasted on the label and stored the jar in the preserve closet. Pickled Onions No. 1 Onions (very small). 1 quart Salt, i cup Water (cold). 2 quarts Vinegar, 1 cup Mixed spices (whole), ii small package This recipe was one that had been given to Adelaide's mother by a dear old friend. The onions were just the common variety but very small, not much larger than a good sized cherry. Adelaide poured boiling water on the onions, as it made them easier to peel, then she let the cold water run into the pan all the time she was peeling them. This was to prevent her wast- ing precious tears. The little sharp knife was the best one to use. A quart of onions does not sound very big, but before Adelaide finished peeling them she 130 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK thought she would never come to the end, there seemed so many. Into a large saucepan she measured two quarts of cold water and one-half a cup of salt, then added the onions. These stood for twenty-four hours, covered, after which she poured off the brine (mother explained to Adelaide that that was what they called the salt and water) and rinsed them by pouring clear cold water on them. After draining the onions well in the colander, she filled two sterilized pint jars with the onions. The cup of vinegar and fourth of a package of whole mixed spices (the package was the size that sold for ten cents before the war) were put in a saucepan and simmered slowly on the fire for one hour, after which Adelaide divided the vinegar and spices equally between the two jars and filled them to overflowing with cold vinegar. She inserted a silver knife between the onions and the jars to let the air bubbles rise and break, fitted on a new rubber smoothly, sealed quickly and stood the j ars upside down over night. In the morning she wiped the jars thoroughly with a damp cloth, inspected them carefully to be sure that they did not leak, pasted on th? FOR A LITTLE GIRL 131 labels and stored the jars away in the preserve closet. Mother said these would need to stand a month before they would be ready to be eaten. Pickled Onions No. 2 Onions (small white), 1 quart Salt, ^ cup Water (boiling), 2 quarts Vinegar, Whole cloves, 1 dozen Bay leaf. One Mace, One blade The onions used in this recipe were what are called the " silver skins " or little white button onions. After Adelaide poured boiling water on the onions, so that she could peel them more easily, she let the cold water run in the pan and peeled the onions (with the little sharp knife) under running water to prevent the tears from falling. The onions she placed in a stone jar and poured over a brine made of two quarts of boil- ing water and one-half of a cup of salt. These she covered and let stand over night. The next morning Adelaide emptied the 132 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK onions into the colander, draining off the brine and rinsing them in clear cold water. Into a saucepan she poured enough vinegar to cover the onions, added the dozen whole cloves, the blade of mace and the bay leaf and let them come slowly to the boiling point. Then she added the onions and moved the sauce- pan towards the back of the range to let it stand for fifteen minutes. At the end of that time Adelaide filled the two sterilized pint jars with the onions, poured over the hot vinegar and spices to overflowing, inserted a silver knife between the onions and the jar to let all air bubbles rise to the top and break, fitted on the new rubbers smoothly, sealed the jars quickly, then stood them upside down over night. In the morning they were inspected carefully for any leaks, wiped off thoroughly with a damp cloth and after the labels were pasted on, stored away in the preserve closet. Chili Sauce Tomatoes (large, ripe). Nine Onions (large). Two Onions (small). One Red peppers, One FOR A LITTLE GIRL 133 Salt, 1 tablespoon Mixed spices (ground), IJ teaspoons Ginger (ground), ^ teaspoon Sugar (brown), 1 lb. Vinegar, IJ cups Over the tomatoes and onions Adelaide poured boiling water, then peeled them. The red pepper she washed and wiped, cut in halves, and removed the seeds. Through the meat chopper she put the tomatoes, onions, and pepper, then emptied them into a saucepan. To these Adelaide added the tablespoon of salt, the one and one-half teaspoons of ground mixed spices, the half teaspoon of ground gin- ger, the pound of brown sugar and the one and one-half cups of vinegar. Placing the saucepan over the fire she let the contents come slowly to the boiling point, stirring occasionally with the wooden spoon, and stewed the mixture gently for one-half hour. It was then ready to pour Into the sterilized pint jars. These she filled to overflowing, In- serted a silver knife around the sides to let all air bubbles rise to the top and break, fitted on the new rubbers, sealed quickly and stood upside down out of the way of any draft. 134 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK In the morning Adelaide looked the jars over carefuUy to be sure they did not leak, wiped the outside thoroughly with a damp cloth, pasted on the labels, then stored the jars away in the preserve closet. Adelaide found that nearly everybody en- joyed this " Chili Sauce " on Saturday night with their beans. Piccalilli was another general favorite, and the recipe came from a friend who had experi- mented with it a number of years so that now she considered the flavor exactly right. Piccalilli Green tomatoes, 1 quart Onions, f pint Green pepper, One-half Salt Vinegar Water Sugar (brown), ilb. Mixed spices (gn 3und) , J teaspoon Adelaide washed and wiped the tomatoes and peeled the onions. From the half of the green pepper she removed the seeds. Using an earthenware bowl Adelaide sliced IFOH A LITTLE GIRL l3*( the tomatoes, onions and half pepper, and arranged them in layers. Over each layer she sprinkled salt (she was careful not to sprinkle too much), then covered the bowl and let it stand over night. In the morning she drained off the water and emptied the contents of the bowl into the sauce- pan. Adelaide partly covered the tomatoes, onions and half pepper \*rith vinegar and added sufficient cold water to just come to the top. Then she added the fourth of a pound of brown sugar and the fourth of a teaspoon of mixed ground spices. The sajicepan was placed over the fire and the ingredients Adelaide let boil for fifteen minutes. At the end of that time she filled the ster- ilized pint jars to overflowing, inserted a silver knife to let all air bubbles rise to the top and break, fitted on the new rubbers smoothly, sealed the jars quickly and stood them upside down out of the way of any draft. The next morning, after examining the jars to be sure they did not leak, Adelaide wiped off the outsides with a damp cloth, pasted on the labels and stored the jars away in the preserve closet. 136 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK Pepper Relish Green peppers (large), Six Red peppers. Six Onions (medium), Two Salt, 1 tablespoon Sugar, 1 cup Vinegar, 1 pint The young lady who gave this recipe to mother was a graduate of the college that leads in the teaching of domestic science and was her- self a teacher at the time. Mother said it wasv a nice change to eat with cold meats, only Ade- laide must be sure not to make the mistake she did when she (mother) first made it. "What was that? " asked Adelaide. " Well, dear, I forgot to remove the seeds from the peppers, and we nearly burned our mouths, it was so hot," mother smilingly re- plied. Washing and wiping the peppers Adelaide cut them in halves and removed every seed. She peeled the onions, then put the peppers and onions through the meat chopper. Placing these in a saucepan, she covered them with boiling water and they stood for ten minutes before putting over the fire. FOR A LITTLE GlEL 13^ They boiled for three minutes and then Ade- laide drained them in the wire strainer until they were very dry. Returning to the saucepan, she added the tablespoon of salt, the cup of sugar and the pint of vinegar. After boiling all the ingredients together for twenty minutes Adelaide filled the sterilized pint jars to overflowing, inserted a silver knife to let all air bubbles rise to the top and break, fitted on new rubbers smoothly, sealed the jars quickly and stood them upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning she looked the jars over care- fully to be sure that they did not leak, wiped off the outsides with a damp' cloth, pasted on the labels and stored the final results of her labor away in the preserve closet. Mustard Pickles No. 1 Cucumbers (tiny). 1 pint Onions (small button), 1 pint Cauliflower (medium), One Green pepper, One Salt, 1 cup Water, 1 quart Flour, i cup 138 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK English mustard (ground), 1^ tablespoons Turmeric, ^ tablespoon Vinegar Sugar, ^ cup Each tiny cucumber was washed and wiped and placed in the saucepan. Adelaide covered the onions with boiling water for a few minutes, then let the cold water run into the pan while she peeled them — if you peel onions under run- ning water you will not cry. These she added to the cucumbers. The cauliflower Adelaide stood in a pan of cold water, to which she had added a handful of salt (this mother explained was to draw out any worms if there were any). Then she sep- arated the cauliflower into small flowers, cutting off the thick stalk, and added to the cucumbers and onions. The green pepper was washed and wiped, cut in halves and the seeds removed. It was then put through the meat chopper and added to the other vegetables. Adelaide made a brine of one quart of water and one-half of a cup of salt. This she poured over the mixture of vegetables, covered and stood for twenty-four hours. At the end of that time she placed the sauce- FOR A LITTLE GIRL 139 pan over the fire and let the contents heat through, then turned them into the colander to drain. Mixing together the one-fourth cup of flour, the one and one-half tablespoons of ground English mustard, and the one-fourth table- spoon of turmeric powder with enough cold vine- gar to make a smooth paste, Adelaide added one-fourth of a cup of sugar and sufficient vinegar to make one and one-fourth pints in all. This mixture she boiled until it thickened and was smooth, stirring constantly with the wooden spoon, then added the vegetables and cooked until they were well heated throughout. Filling the sterilized pint jars to overflowing, Adelaide inserted the silver knife to let all air bubbles rise to the top and break, fitted on the new rubbers smoothly, sealed the jars quickly and stood them upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning the jars were carefully in- spected to be sure that they did not leak, the outsides were wiped oif with a damp cloth, then Adelaide pasted on the labels and stored the pickles away in the preserve closet. 140 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK Mustard Pickles No. 2 Cucumbers (tiny), 1 pint Cauliflower (large). One Celery, 1^ bunches Red peppers. Two Green peppers. One and one-half Onions (small button), 1 pint Water, 2^ quarts Salt, 1^ cups Vinegar, 2 quarts Sugar, IJ cups Celery seed. 2 teaspoons English mustard, ^ pound Turmeric powder. ^ ounce Flour, f cup " You just wait, my dear, until Daddy finds out you have put up this special recipe of ' Mustard Pickles ' and you'll have to hide them under lock and key, if you wish to keep any," said mother. " But I shan't tell him," laughed Adelaide. " I'U put them away and then surprise him next winter; perhaps I'll give him a jar for a Christmas present." So Adelaide smiled away to herself as she busily prepared the vegetables. FOR A LITTLE GIRL 141 The tiny cucumbers were washed and wiped carefully and placed in a large earthenware bowl. The cauliflower was placed in a pan of cold water to which had been added a handful of salt (this was to draw out any insects or little worms that might be there), it was pulled apart into small flowers, cutting off the thick stalk, then added to the cucumbers. The celery was thoroughly washed, the leaves and tough out- side stalks removed, the sticks cut into small pieces about an inch long and added to the cu- cumbers and cauliflower. The red and green peppers were washed and wiped and the seeds removed, then Adelaide put them through the meat chopper and used the seeds of one-eighth of one pepper. These were placed in the bowl and mixed with the_ other vegetables. Over the little button onions or silver skins, Adelaide poured boiling water, then removed the skins under running water (to prevent her from crying) and poured them into the bowl. After a brine of two and one-half quarts of cold water and a cup and a quarter of salt was made, it was poured over the vegetables and stood over night. In the morning the vegetables were well drained in the colander and one and three- 142 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK fourths quarts of vinegar was brought to the boiling point. Adding the pickles, Adelaide let them cook until they were perfectly tender, next she added one and one-fourth cups of sugar and two tea* spoons of celery seed. Mixing together one-fourth of a pound of English mustard, one-fourth of an ounce of turmeric powder and three-eighths of a cup of flour with one cup of vinegar (added gradually so that it made a smooth paste) Adelaide poured this over the pickles and stirred with the wooden spoon until it just thickened. The sterilized jars were filled at once to over- flowing, the silver knife inserted to let all air bubbles rise to the top and break, and the new rubbers fitted on smoothly. Sealing them quickly, Adelaide stood the jars upside down out of the way of any draft. The next morning, after carefully inspecting each jar to see that it did not leak, she wiped off the outsides with a damp cloth, pasted on the labels and stored away in the preserve closet. Ripe Cucumber Pickles Ripe cucumbers, 2^ lbs. Salt, 1 tablespoon FOR A LITTLE GIRL 143 Water, 1 quart Sugar, 2 cups Vinegar, f cup Whole cloves, 1 teaspoon Stick cinnamon, 1 stick Adelaide washed and wiped the cucumbers, cut them in quarters lengthwise and each quar- ter in halves. These she weighed, then placed in an earthenware bowl and covered with a weak brine made of one quart of cold water and one tablespoon of salt. After allowing them to stand for twelve hours, she rinsed the cucumbers thoroughly in several waters, then steamed them for twenty minutes. Putting the two-thirds of a cup of vinegar, the two cups of sugar, the teaspoon of whole cloves and the stick of cinnamon (broken in small pieces) into a saucepan, Adelaide boiled them for five minutes; adding the cucumbers she let them simmer for twenty minutes. Removing the saucepan, she covered it and stood it away until the next day, when she lifted out the cucumbers with a silver fork and placed them in the sterilized pint jars. The syrup she boiled for five minutes, then poured at once into the jars so that it overflowed. Next she in- serted the silver knife to let all air bubbles rise 144 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK to the top and break, fitted on the new rubbers smoothly, sealed quickly and stood upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning the jars were inspected care- fully to see that they did not leak, the outsides were wiped clean with a damp cloth, the labels were pasted on and then Adelaide stored the jars away in the preserve closet. Chopped Pickles Green tomatoes (chopped), 1 pint Small onion (chopped), One Small green pepper (chopped). One Salt, 1 tablespoon Pepper, ^ teaspoon Mustard (ground), ^ teaspoon (scant) Cinnamon (ground), -J teaspoon Allspice (ground), J teaspoon Cloves (ground), -J teaspoon White mustard seed, 1^ teaspoons Vinegar, 1 cup After washing and wiping the tomatoes, and peeling the onion, Adelaide put them through the meat chopper. The green pepper was also washed and wiped and put through the meat chopper when she had removed the seeds. Placing these in an earthenware bowl, Ade- FOR A LITTLE GIRL 145 laide sprinkled a tablespoon of salt over them, covered them, stood them aside for twenty-four hours and then drained them. The cup of vinegar, the one-fourth teaspoon of pepper, the scant half teaspoon of ground mustard, the one-half teaspoon each of ground cinnamon, allspice, and cloves, and the one and one-half teaspoons of white mustard seed were placed in a saucepan and heated to the boiling point, after which Adelaide added the tomatoes, onion, and pepper, cooking them slowly for fifteen minutes. She next filled the sterilized pint jar to over- flowing, inserted a silver knife to let aU air bubbles rise to the top and break, fitted a new rubber on smoothly, sealed the jar quickly and stood it upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning Adelaide examined the jar carefully to be sure that it did not leak, wiped the outside with a damp cloth, pasted on the label and stored the jar away in the preserve closet. Chow Chow Green tomatoes (small), 1 dozen Onions (small button), 1 dozen Cucumbers (tiny), 1 dozen 146 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK Cauliflower (small pieces), 1 dozen Celery, 2 sticks String beans, 1 dozen Mustard seed, ^ ounce Turmeric powder, ^ ounce Allspice (ground), 1 teaspoon Pepper, 1 teaspoon Clove (ground), 1 teaspoon Salt, 1 tablespoon Vinegar, 2 cups When Adelaide had washed and wiped the tomatoes she cut them into quarters. The small button onions she peeled under running water. The tiny cucumbers were washed and wiped, then cut in halves. The cauliflower was placed in a pan of cold water. She added one tablespoon of salt (this drew out any insects or small worms that might be there), then she broke off twelve small pieces. The two white stalks of celery she washed and cut into inch pieces. The string beans were washed, wiped, the strings removed and each bean cut into small pieces. All these Adelaide placed in a large earthen- ware bowl and sprinkled a tablespoon of salt over the vegetables, letting them stand over night, then draining them. FOR A LITTLE GIRL 147 The one-half ounce of mustard seed, the one- fourth ounce of turmeric powder, the teaspoon each of allspice, pepper, and clove and the two cups of vinegar Adelaide put in the saucepan and brought to the boiling point. After which, she added the vegetables and cooked until tender. The sterilized pint jars were filled to over- flowing, the silver knife inserted to let all air bubbles rise to the top and break, the new rub- bers were fitted on smoothly, and the jars sealed quickly. Then Adelaide stood them up- side down out of the way of any draft. In the morning Adelaide examined the jars to be sure that they did not leak, wiped off the outsides with a damp cloth, pasted on the labels and stored her work away in the preserve closet. Pickled Red Cabbage Red cabbage, One-half Salt, i teaspoon Pepper, i teaspoon Red pepper. One-half Celery seed, i tablespoon Mustard seed, 1 tablespoon Vinegar, 1 cup 148 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK Adelaide stood the cabbage in a pan of cold water containing one tablespoon of salt. This was to draw out any insects or worms that are sometimes found among the leaves. After draining the cabbage she cut it into fine strips. The red pepper she wiped, removed the seed, and cut into small pieces. This with the one- half tablespoon of celery seed, the tablespoon of mustard seed, the one-half teaspoon of salt, the one-fourth teaspoon of pepper, and the cup of vinegar Adelaide put into a saucepan and brought to the boiling point. Packing the cabbage into a sterilized jar, Adelaide poured over the vinegar, mustard and celery seeds as soon as they were cold. The air bubbles were forced to the top and broken by inserting a silver knife in the jar, a new rubber was fitted on, then Adelaide sealed the jar quickly and stood it upside down over night. Next morning, after examining it carefully to see that it did not leak, she wiped the jar on the outside with a damp cloth, pasted on the label and stored the pickled cabbage away in the preserve closet. FOR A LITTLE GIRL 149 Cucumber Pickles Tiny cucumbers Salt, J cup Water, 1 quart Vinegar Onion, One slice Whole cloves, 1 teaspoon Mustard seed, ^ ounce Mace, 3 blades Horseradish (grated), J cup Adelaide measured enough of the tiny cucum- bers to fill a pint jar, washed and wiped them, then placed them in an earthenware bowl. These she covered with one quart of water and one-fourth of a cup of salt and let them stand twenty-four hours. At the end of this time Adelaide took out the cucumbers, wiped each one, and placed them in the sterilized pint jar. Measuring enough vinegar to fill the jar, Adelaide poured it into a saucepan, then added one slice of onion, a tea- spoon of whole cloves, one-half ounce of mus- tard seed, three blades of mace and one-half cup of grated horseradish. As soon as the vinegar boiled Adelaide poured it over the cucumbers at once. Next she in- 150 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK serted a silver knife in the jar to force all air bubbles to the top, fitted on a new rubber, sealed quickly, then stood the jar upside down over night. In the morning the jar was carefully in- spected to be sure it did not leak, the outside was wiped off with a damp cloth, then Adelaide pasted on the label and stored the outcome of her work away in the preserve closet. Plum Tomato Pickles Plum tomatoes (small yellow), 1 dozen Cinnamon (ground), 1 teaspoon Cloves (ground), 1 teaspoon Sugar, 1 pound Vinegar, 1 cup First Adelaide measured out the cup of vine- gar, the pound of sugar and the teaspoon each of cloves and cinnamon into a saucepan. While these were boiling for five minutes, Adelaide washed and wiped the tomatoes. Dropping them carefully into the syrup, Adelaide let the tomatoes simmer gently until they could be pierced easily with a silver fork. Taking care not to break the fruit, she lifted the tomatoes into the sterilized jar and poured FOR A LITTLE GIRL 151 on the syrup to overflowing. After inserting a silver knife between the jar and the fruit to let all air bubbles rise to the top and break, Adelaide fitted on a new rubber smoothly, sealed the jar quickly and stood it upside down out of the way of any draft. The next morning she inspected the jar care- fully to be sure it did not leak, wiped off the out- side with a damp cloth, pasted on the label and stored the jar away in the preserve closet. Tomato Catsup Ripe tomatoes Vinegar, ^ cup Salt, 1^ teaspoons Black pepper, J teaspoon Cayenne pepper, ^ teaspoon Mustard, f teaspoon Sugar (brown), | cup Adelaide placed several large tomatoes in a pan and covered them with boiling water. It was then easy, she found, to remove the skins. After cutting them into quarters, she put the tomatoes into a saucepan and let them just come to the boiling point. Removing the sauce- pan from the fire, Adelaide poured the tomatoes 152 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK into the colander, pressed them through, and then pressed them again through a sieve. To one pint of pressed tomatoes Adelaide added one-fourth of a cup of vinegar, one and one-half teaspoons of salt, three-fourths of a teaspoon of black pepper, one-eighth of a tea- spoon of cayenne pepper, three-fourths of a teaspoon of dry mustard, and one-fourth of a cup of brown sugar. Adelaide boiled these ingredients together until they thickened, then poured them into bottles. She filled the bottles clear to the top allowing just enough room for the cork, which she pressed in tightly, then dipped the top of the bottle into melted paraffin. After putting on the label, Adelaide stored the jar away in the preserve closet. " Mother," said Adelaide one morning, " how do you put up tomatoes? I mean ones like those you use for tomato bisque and scalloped tomatoes? " " There is nothing simpler, my dear, and as soon as those big beauties on Daddy's tomato plants are ripe enough you shall have them for your own," answered mother. FOR A LITTLE GIRL 153 Tomatoes Ripe tomatoes, 1 dozen Adelaide watched those tomatoes every day, and as soon as they were sufficiently ripe she picked them. Placing the tomatoes in a pan, she covered them with boiling water for about a minutcj drained off the water, peeled them and cut them into quarters. Adelaide let these come just to the boiling point, then she filled the ster- ilized pint jars at once. In filling the jars Ade- laide was careful not to let any of the little seeds of the tomatoes remain on the rubber as they might prevent the jar from being perfectly air- tight. As usual, Adelaide inserted the silver knife in the jar to let all air bubbles rise to the top and break, fitted on new rubbers smoothly, sealed the jar quickly and let it stand upside down out of the way of any draft. The next morning Adelaide examined the jar thoroughly to be sure it did not leak, wiped off the outside with a damp cloth, pasted on the label, then stored the jar away in the preserve closet. 154 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK CHAPTER VIII CANNING THE GOVERNMENT WAY Eaely in the summer a friend who was doing government extension work in one of our New England states sent Adelaide a book on " Home Canning " that the government had published. Adelaide was much pleased and she and mother pored over it eagerly. Mother picked out the " Single Period Cold-Pack " method as being the simplest and best for a little girl. This is what the government says — " By the ' Single Period Cold-Pack ' method it is as easy to can vegetables as to can fruits. The prepared vegetables or fruits are blahehed in boiling water or live steam, then quickly cold- dipped and packed at once into hot jars and sterilized in boiling water or by steam pressure. The jars are then sealed, tested for leaks and stored." FOR A LITTLE GIRL 155 The Single Period Cold-Pack method is a simple and sure way of canning. It insures a good color, texture and flavor to the vegetable or fruit canned. In using this method sterili- zation is completed in a single period, saving time, fuel and labor. The simplicitj of the method commends it. Fruits are put up in syrups. Vegetables require only salt for flavor- ing and water to fill the container. Another advantage is that' it is practicable to put up food in small as well as large quantities. Single Period Cold-Pack Equipment The Homemade Outfit, — A serviceable Single Period Cold-Pack canning outfit may be made of equipment found in almost any household. Any utensil large and deep enough to allow an inch of water above jars, and having a closely fitting cover, may be used for sterilizing. Into this utensil should be placed a wire or wooden rack to hold the jars off the bottom and to per- mit circulation of water underneath the jars. For lifting glass top jars use two buttonhooks or a similar device. For lifting .screw-top jars, suitable lifters may be bought for a small sum. 156 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK Containers For home use glass jars are more satisfac- tory for canning. Glass jars properly cared for will last for years. All types of jars which seal readily may be used. Jars having glass tops held in place by bails are especially easy to handle while they are hot. Tops for Economy jars must be purchased new each year. Small necked bottles can be used for holding fruit juices. Large mouthed bottles can be used for jams, marmalades and jellies. Tests for Jars and Rubbers Jars should be tested before they are used. Some of the important tests are here given: Glass-top Jars. — Fit top to jar. If top rocks when tapped it should not be used on that jar. The top bail should not be too tight nor too loose. If either too tight or too loose the bail should be taken off and bent until it goes in- to place with a light snap. All sharp edges on top and jar should be filed or scraped off. FOR A LITTLE GIRL 157 Screw-top Jars. — Use only enameled, lac- quered or vulcanized tops. Screw the top on tightly without the rubber. If thumb nail can be inserted between top and jar, the top is de- fective. If the edge is only slightly uneven it can be bent so that it is usable. Put on the rub- ber and screw on the top tightly, and then pull the rubber out. If the rubber returns to place the top does not fit properly and should not be used on that jar. Rubbers. — Be very particular about the rubbers used. Buy new rubbers every year as they deteriorate from one season to another. It is always well to test rubbers when buying. A good rubber will return to its original size when stretched. When pinched it does not crease. It should fit the neck of the jar snugly, and be fairly wide and thick. It is cheaper to discard a doubtful rubber than to lose a jar of canned goods. Grading Vegetables and fruits should be sorted ac- cording to color, size and ripeness. This is called grading. It insures the best pack and uniformity of flavor and texture to the canned product, which is always desirable. 158 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK Blanching and Cold-Dipping The most important steps in canning are the preliminary steps of blanching, cold-dipping, packing in hot, clean containers, adding hot water at once, then immediately half sealing jars and putting into the sterilizer. Spoilage of products is nearly always due to carelessness in one of these steps. Blanching is necessary with all vegetables and many fruits. It insures thorough cleansing and removes objectionable odors and flavors and excess acids. It reduces the bulk of greens and causes shrinkage of fruits, increasing the quantity which may be packed in a container, which saves storage space. Blanching consists of plunging the vegetables or fruits into boiling water for a short time. For doing this place them in a wire basket or piece of cheesecloth. The blanching time varies from one to fifteen minutes, as shown in the time-table. Spinach and other greens should not be blanched in hot water. They must be blanched in steam. To do this place them in a colan- der and set this into a vessel which has a tightly fitting cover. In this vessel there should FOR A LITTLE GIRL 159 be an inch or two of water, but the water must riot be allowed to touch the greens. Another method is to Suspend the greens in the closed vessel above an inch or two of water. This may be done in a wire basket or in cheesecloth. Al- low the water to boil in the closed vessel from fifteen to twenty minutes. When the blanching is complete remove the vegetables or fruits from the boiling water or steam and plunge them once or twice into cold water. Do not allow them to stand in the cold water. This latter process is the Cold Dip. It hiirdferis the pulp and sets the coloring matter in the product. Steps in the Single Period Cold-Pack Method In canning by the Single Period Cold-Pack method it is important that careful attention be given to each detail. Do not undertake cetnning until you have familiarized yourself with the various steps, which are as follows : 1. Vegetables should be canned as soon as possible after being picked; the same day is best. Early morning is the best time for gath- ering them. Fruits should be as fresh as pos- sible. 160 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK 2. Before starting work have on the stove the boiler or other holder in which the steriliz- ing is to be done, a pan of boiling water for use in blanching and a kettle of boiling water for use in filling jars of vegetables; or, if canning fruits, the syrup to be used in Billing the jars. Arrange on this working table all necessary equipment, including instructions. 3. Test jars and tops. All jars, rubbers and tops should be clean and hot. 4. Wash and grade product according to size and ripeness. (Cauliflower should be soaked 1 hour in salted water, to remove in- sects if any are present. Put berries into a colander and wash, by allowing cold water to flow over them, to prevent bruising.) 6. Prepare vegetable or fruit. Remove all but an inch of the tops from beets, parsnips and carrots and the strings from green beans. Pare squash, remove seeds and cut in small pieces. Large vegetables should be cut into pieces to make close pack possible. The pits should be removed from cherries, peaches and apricots. 6. Blanch in boiling water or steam as di- rected. 7. Cold-dip, but do not allow product to stand in cold water at this or any other stage. FOR A LITTLE GIRL 161 8. Pack in hot jars which rest on hot cloths or stand in a pan of hot water. Fill the jars to within i to J inch of tops. (In canning berries, to insure a close pack, put a 2 or 3 inch layer of berries on the bottom of the jar and press down gently with a wooden spoon. Continue in this manner with other layers until jar is filled. Fruits cut in half should be ar- ranged with pit surface down.) 9. Add salt and boiling water to vegetables to cover them. To fruits add hot syrup or water. 10. Place wet rubber and top on jar. 11. With a bail-top jar adjust top bail only, leaving lower bail or snap, free. With screw top jar screw the top on lightly, using only the thumb and little finger. (This partial sealing makes it possible for steam generated within the jar to escape, and prevents breakage.) 12. Place the jars on rack in boiler or other sterilizer. If the home-made hot-water bath outfit is used enough water should be in the boiler to come at least one inch above the tops of the jars, and the water, in boiling out, should never be allowed to drop to the level of these tops. In using the hot-water bath outfit, be- gin to count sterilizing time when the water be- 162 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK gins to boil. Water is at the boiling point when it is jumping or rolling all over. Water is not boiling when bubbles merely form on the bottom or when they begin to rise to the top. The water must be kept boiling all during the period of sterilization. 13. Consult time table and at the end of the required sterilizing period remove the jars from the sterilizer. Place them on a wooden rack or on several thicknesses of cloth to prevent break- agew Complete the sealing of jars. With bail- top jars this is done by pushing the snap down; with screw-top jars by screwing cover on tightly. 14. Turn the jars upside down as a test for leakage and leave them in this position till cold. Let them cool rapidly but be sure that no draft reaches them as a draft will cause breakage. (If there is any doubt that a bail-top jar is per- fectly sealed a simple test may be made by loos- ening the top bail and lifting the jar by taking hold of the top with the fingers. The internal suction should hold the top tightly in place when thus lifted. If the top comes off put on a new wet rubber and sterilize 15 minutes longer for fruits.) With screw-top jars try the tops while the jars are cooling, or as soon as they FOR A LITTLE GIRL 163 have cooled, and, if loose, tighten them by screwing on more closely. 15. Wash and dry each jar, label and store. If storage place is exposed to light, wrap each jar in paper, preferably brown, as light wUl fade the color of products canned in glass. The boxes in which jars were bought affords a good storage place. Caution Against Freezing Care should be taken to store canned veg- etables and fruits where they will be protected from freezing. If the place of storage is not frost-proof the jars should be moved to a warmer place when the weather becomes severe. 164 A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK Time Table for Blanching and Sterilizing The following time table shows blanching time for various vegetables and fruits, and also steriUzing time. 1 Veqetables Asparagus . . . Beets Brussels Sprouts Cabbage .... Cauliflower . . . , Carrots Com Greens Lima Beans . . . . Okra Parsnips Peppers Peas Pumpkin Salsify Sauerkraut . . . . String Beans . . . Squash Tomatoes Fbcits Apples . . . . 1 Apricots Blackberries . . . . Blueberries . . . . Dewberries . . . . Cherries, sweet . . Cherries, sour . . . Cur-