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Preserves

Grape Preserves

Wash, drain, and remove stems from grapes. Heat grapes and water to the boiling point and cook until the seeds are free. Rub through a fine sieve or food mill. Discard skins and seeds. For each cup of fruit add 1 cup of sugar. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Pour into hot sterilized glass jars and seal.

Strawberry Preserves

Select large, sound strawberries. wash and hull them carefully. Place in preserving kettle alternately 1 pound berries and from 3/4 to 1 pound sugar. Let stand overnight. Bring to a boil and boil rapidly 10 to 12 minutes, or until the fruit is clear. Cover and let stand overnight. Pack in hot sterilized jelly glasses or jars and seal.

Tomato Preserves

If yellow pear tomatoes are used, slice them. If red tomatoes are used, scald and peel. Cover with sugar and let stand overnight. Drain syrup into preserving kettle and boil until thick; skim. Add ginger, grated rind and juice of lemon, and tomato pulp. Cook until preserve is clear. Pour into hot sterilized glasses or jars and seal.

Peach Jam

Pare, remove pits, slice and weigh peaches. Mix with sugar. Place in preserving kettle with a few peach pits. Let come to a boil slowly, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Then cook rapidly for 30 minutes. Remove pits. When mixture jells, pour into hot, sterilized glasses or jars and seal

Orange Marmalade

Wash fruit, cut in half, remove seeds and stem. Slice very thin or grind fine. For every cup of fruit add 1 1/2 cups water. Let stand overnight. Pour into preserving kettle, cook slowly from 1 to 2 hours or until tender; again let stand overnight. For each cup of fruit, add 1 cup of sugar, and cook 20 minutes or until mixture sheets from the side of a spoon. Pour into hot, sterilized glasses or jars and seal.

Black Raspberry Jelly

Wash the berries, measure, and to every quart of berries add 1/4 cup of water. If firm jelly is desired add 1 un peeled tart apple, sliced, for every quart of berries. Heat slowly to the boiling point. Pour into a jelly bag and let drip. Boil the juice rapidly for 5 minutes, measure it, and add an equal amount of sugar. Continue to boil rapidly to the jelly point. Pour into hot, sterilized jars and seal with paraffin.
**To test jelly point, a thermometer is the most reliable way to judge when the mixture has reached the jelly point, the point at which it will stiffen when it is cold. The thermometer should hang down the upside of the kettle, with the bulb completely covered with jelly, but it should not touch the bottom of the kettle. The "jelly point" is reached at 8°F. above the boiling point of water in a given area; that is, at 220°F., in localities where water boils at 212°F. "Jelly point test that can be used when a thermometer is not available include the sheet test. When a spoon filled with jelly is tilted , two drops poured from the side of the spoon flow together and fall as one. Or, a few drops of jelly may be spooned onto a cold plate and quickly chilled. When a spoon drawn through this jelly leaves a track, it indicates that the rest will stiffen sufficiently when it is cold.

Sweet Pickled Watermelon Rind

Pare green from rind and discard. Cut white into strips. Boil until tender and clear in water with 1/2 teaspoon salt and alum. Drain. Chill in ice water, drain and dry. Boil sugar, vinegar and 1 pint of water to a light syrup, add spices in a bag, melon rind and lemon slices; boil until clear, remove spices, pack rind and syrup into overflowing sterilized jars; seal, let stand 4 weeks before using.

Sweet Pickled Beets

  • 2 quarts cold cooked beets
  • 3 cups beet cooking liquid
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 cups vinegar
  • cloves
  • mace
  • 2 teaspoons of pickling spice Peel and slice beets, combine beet liquid with sugar and vinegar, a few cloves, and a little mace. Bring syrup to a boil, add beets and heat thoroughly, put 1 teaspoon pickling spice into each quart jar; fill with pickled beets until overflowing, and seal.

    Sweet and Sour Pickles

    Soak cucumbers overnight in cold water, adding 1/3 cup salt for every quart of water. Drain and dry. Boil vinegar, 1 cup of water and sugar until clear. Add cucumbers and simmer until they lose their grass/green color. Place 1 teaspoon spices and 6 stalks of dill in bottom of each jar, add pickles, cover with hot syrup, place additional dill on top, seal.

    Pickled Beans

    Remove strings and cut beans into 1 inch pieces; wash and cook in the boiling water to cover (with 1 teaspoon of salt for each quart of water), until tender, but still crisp. Drain beans and reserve 2 quarts of the water in which they cooked, add the sugar and vinegar; heat, add beans and bring to a boil. Pour at once into the jars and seal.


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