Mother's Remedies by Thomas Jefferson Ritter (positive books to read txt) 📕

jar and fill the jars to the brim; put on the covers, without rubbers and place in a kettle of cold water over the fire. The water in the kettle should come to the neck of the jars. Note carefully when the water comes to a boil, and let it boil twenty minutes or more, according to ripeness of the fruit. Take the jars from the water, adjust the rubbers and screw on the tops tighter and tighter as the jars cool. A plated knife should be used in peeling the fruit as a steel one discolors the fruit.

20. Preserved Peaches.—Plunge the fruit into boiling water to make the skins come off easily, then throw into cold water. For three pounds of fruit use one pound of sugar and half a teacup of water. When the syrup boils put in the peaches, a few at a time, and cook until tender. Fill jars as for pears. The stones will add to the flavor.

21. Brandied Peaches.—Put the peaches in boiling water for a few minutes, when the skin will peel off easily. Make a syrup of half a pound of sugar and half a teacupful of water for each pound of peaches. Skim as the scum rises in boiling, then put in the peaches and boil them gently until tender, no longer. Take them out carefully and fill your cans or jars. Remove the syrup from the fire, and add to it half a pint of best brandy to every pound of peaches.

22. Preserved Quinces.—Pare and quarter, taking out cores and all hard parts. Boil in clear water until tender; spread out to dry. Allow a half pound of sugar and one-third cup water to a pound of fruit. When the syrup boils, put in the fruit, set back on stove and cook very slowly for an hour or more if not too tender, as the longer it cooks the brighter will be the color. Put in jars, the same as other fruit.

23. Preserved Grapes.—A delicious preserve can be made of California grapes. Cut each grape with a knife and extract the seeds; add sugar to the fruit, pound for pound; cook slowly for half an hour or longer until the syrup and pulp of the grape are perfectly clear and transparent.

24. Purple Plums Preserved.—A very fine preserve can be made from these plums, if you take equal weight of fruit and sugar. Take a clear stone jar and fill it with the fruit and sugar. First a layer of fine granulated sugar, then the plums and so on until the jar is filled. Cover them and set the jar in a kettle of water over the fire. Let them stand in the boiling water all day, filling up the kettle as the water boils away. If at any time they seem likely to ferment, repeat this process. Any housewife trying this recipe will be greatly pleased with the results.

25. Spiced Grapes.—Select five pounds of nice grapes, pulp them, and boil until tender. After the pulps are thoroughly cooked, strain through a sieve, then add to it three pounds of sugar, two teaspoonfuls of cinnamon and allspice, and half teaspoonful of cloves. Add enough vinegar and spices to suit the taste. Boil thoroughly and cool. This is very nice.

[CANNING, PICKLING AND PRESERVING 845]

26. Spiced Peaches.—Take five pounds of peaches, wipe them thoroughly and boil until tender in one quart of vinegar and two pounds of brown sugar. When done remove them from the liquid, and add one ounce each of cinnamon, cloves and mace. Boil the liquid for some time after the spices have been added, then place the fruit in jars and pour this over them.

27. Pear Chips.—Ten pounds of pears sliced thin, seven pounds of sugar, four lemons boiled soft; press out the juice and pulp; chop the peel very fine. Boil the fruit and sugar together until soft, then add the lemon, a half pound green ginger root scraped and cut into small pieces. Let the above mixture boil until quite thick. This can be placed in jelly glasses, and will keep nicely. This is an excellent recipe.

JAMS AND JELLIES.

1. Crab Apple Jelly.—Select nice ripe apples, wash and cut out any imperfections; place on the stove and cover with water, cook slowly until soft enough to strain, then take them off and drain through a jelly bag. To every four pints of juice use three pints of sugar; heat the sugar very warm in the oven. Boil the juice fourteen minutes, stir in warm sugar, and boil altogether three to five minutes, then turn into moulds or jelly glasses.

2. Apple Jelly.—After you have selected nice tart, juicy apples of good flavor, pare them, core and quarter, then put them with the skins and cores, in a jar in a slow oven. When they are quite soft, strain all through a coarse muslin bag, pressing hard to extract all the flavor of the fruit. Put a pound of loaf sugar to every pint of juice and the juice of one lemon, and put the liquor over the fire in a preserving kettle. Boil steadily for twenty minutes or so, skimming occasionally. Boil the jelly glasses in hot water and fill them with the jelly while hot. This jelly will keep for an unlimited time if kept in a cool, dry place.

3. Currant Jelly.—The currants should be washed very thoroughly, but do not stem; put in a kettle, scald them but do not cook. Cool and strain; boil the juice alone for twenty minutes. Weigh the sugar, and to a pint of juice use a pound of sugar. Have the sugar in the oven browning lightly and heating thoroughly. When the juice has boiled twenty minutes stir in the sugar until it dissolves; then put into glasses and keep in a cool place.

4. Blackberry Jelly.—Cook the berries until tender, then strain the juice from them. Add an equal quantity of sugar. Boil hard for twenty minutes, then pour into moulds or jelly glasses.

5. Cranberry Jelly.—Take two pounds of sugar, granulated, one quart of water and three quarts of cranberries. Cook thoroughly, mashing all the berries fine, then put all through a fine sieve. Return the juice to the stove and cook fifteen minutes more; pour into glasses and seal when cool.

[846 MOTHERS' REMEDIES]

6. Grape Jelly.—Select grapes that are partially ripe, as they make the prettiest jelly, and to every eight pounds of fruit take a large cupful of water; put them into a porcelain-lined kettle and boil until quite soft; strain through a cloth. Measure the juice, then measure and put away the same quantity of sugar. Let the juice boil half an hour, then add the sugar and let it boil five or ten minutes longer. All jellies to be good, should have nearly all the boiling done before the sugar is added.

7. Rhubarb and Apple Jelly.—Cut up your rhubarb and wash it; put on the fire without any water at all. Take good sour apples, pare and quarter and cook in a very little water. Strain the juice from both and put them on the stove to cook for fifteen minutes. Then add the heated sugar, using three-fourths as much sugar as juice. Boil hard for twenty minutes, turn into glasses and set in the sun, if possible, for half a day. Seal the next day.

8. Spiced Grape Jelly.—Take grapes half ripe, crush all the juice out well and strain. Take equal quantities of juice and sugar; to each quart of juice add one-half teaspoonful of cloves and one tablespoonful cinnamon. Cook very hard for twenty minutes, then remove from the stove and pour into glasses.

9. Rhubarb Jelly.—After the rhubarb has been thoroughly washed and cut up in small pieces, stew until tender in a preserving kettle. Strain through a jelly rag and flavor with extract of lemon. Put in enough to suit the taste. To each pint of juice add a pound of sugar; boil until it jellies on the skimmer, then remove and place in glasses. Keep in a cool place.

10. Orange Marmalade.—Cut the oranges in half; remove the pulp with a spoon, take one lemon to five oranges, preparing the same way. Then cut the shells of the oranges in two, scrape out the white lining and put the skins on to boil; weigh the pulp, take half as much sugar, and simmer together fifteen minutes. When the skins are transparent and tender, take up, putting several pieces together, cut it quickly into the narrowest possible strips. Mix these with pulp and sugar; cook until very thick. Put in glasses and then when cold, seal.

11. Blackberry Jam.—Take two quarts of blackberries, one quart fine cooked apples, two quarts of sugar, boil these all together for twenty minutes. This is very easily made and is very good.

12. Plum and Apple Jam.—After canning plums, there is often some left, not enough to fill a can; a very nice jam can be made of this by putting it through a sieve; and adding the same quantity of good apples, cooked. Sweeten to taste and put in a very little cinnamon and cloves. Cook an hour, then tie up in jars when cold.

13. Tomato Marmalade.—Pare and slice without wetting four pounds of unripe tomatoes, Give them a slow boil for several hours until a large portion of the water has evaporated; add for each pound of tomatoes three-quarters of a pound of sugar and two sliced lemons. Boil for one hour longer.

[CANNING, PICKLING AND PRESERVING 847]

14. Raspberry Jams.—To three or four pounds of ripe red raspberries add an equal quantity of white sugar. Crush the whole well in a preserving kettle; add one pint of currant juice and boil gently until it jellies upon a cold plate; put into a small jar and cover with brandied paper. Tie over them a thick paper and keep in a dark, cool, dry place.

15. Strawberry Jam, with Red Currants.—Take four pounds of strawberries, one pint of red currant juice, and two pounds of sugar. Place in a porcelain kettle and boil the berries and currant juice first, then add the sugar and boil up again, skimming well. Put in jars, cover with paraffin and keep in a cool place.

16. Peach Jelly.—Cook peaches and add a few kernels; when done strain. To one pint of peach liquor add one lemon and one pound of sugar. Dry and heat the sugar in a separate pan and let the peach liquor boil twenty minutes. Then add the sugar and boil a few minutes longer. This is very nice.

17. Gooseberry Jam.—To one pound of pulped fruit, add three-fourths pound of sugar. Stew the berries in a little water, press through a coarse sieve or colander. Then place on the stove again and add sugar. Boil three-quarters of an hour, stirring constantly. Pour in jars or jelly glasses.

[348 MOTHERS' REMEDIES ] CANDY MAKING CONFECTIONERS' AND COMMON CANDY.

From the Following Recipes and Formulae, Hundreds and
Even Thousands of Candies Can Be Made.

Candy Making at Home.—The proverbial "sweet-tooth" is a characteristic of the American people. Hundreds of tons of candy are annually consumed, and fortunes have been made in the business. The range of price is from ten cents to a dollar a pound, with some specially wrapped and boxed bon-bons exceeding the latter price, not because of intrinsic excellence, but because of the ornamental form in which they are presented. Cheap candies are adulterated and hence more or less detrimental to health. Good candies are not harmful, unless eaten to excess. Delicious candy may be made at home at much less cost, and some famous candies, like the "Mary Elizabeth" and others, had their beginnings in a home kitchen and grew into popular favor because of their known purity and uniform excellence. The cost of ten one-pound boxes of candies is estimated at $1.50 when materials are bought in small quantities; such candies, placed on sale at church fairs, bazars, etc., are sold at forty and fifty cents per box. Even at twenty-five cents a box there is a profit of ten cents on each box. Any girl can prepare bon-bons for a luncheon or a party at home, if she is willing to take the trouble,—which is, after all, a pleasure to many. She may save her own candy boxes and by getting a supply of paraffin paper, fill them again