For green gooseberries dissolve the sugar in the water, then add the fruit and cook fifteen minutes. Ripe gooseberries are to be treated the same as the green fruit, but use only half as much water. Green gooseberries may also be canned the same as rhubarb (see p. 18).
BLUEBERRIES.
12 quarts of berries.
1 quart of sugar.
1 pint of water.
Put water, berries, and sugar in the preserving kettle; heat slowly.
Boil fifteen minutes, counting from the time the contents of the kettle begin to bubble.
CHERRIES.
6 quarts of cherries.
1 quarts of sugar.
pint of water.
Measure the cherries after the stems have been removed. Stone them or not, as you please. If you stone them be careful to save all the juice.
Put the sugar and water in the preserving kettle and stir over the fire until the sugar is dissolved. Put in the cherries and heat slowly to the boiling point. Boil ten minutes, skimming carefully.
GRAPES.
6 quarts of grapes.
1 quart of sugar.
1 gill of water.
Squeeze the pulp of the grapes out of the skins. Cook the pulp five minutes and then rub through a sieve that is fine enough to hold back the seeds. Put the water, skins, and pulp into the preserving kettle and heat slowly to the boiling point. Skim the fruit and then add the sugar.
Boil fifteen minutes.
Sweet grapes may be canned with less sugar; very sour ones may have more.
RHUBARB.
Cut the rhubarb when it is young and tender. Wash it thoroughly and then pare; cut into pieces about 2 inches long. Pack in sterilized jars. Fill the jars to overflowing with cold water and let them stand ten minutes.
Drain off the water and fill again to overflowing with fresh cold water.
Seal with sterilized rings and covers. When required for use, treat the same as fresh rhubarb.
Green gooseberries may be canned in the same manner. Rhubarb may be cooked and canned with sugar in the same manner as gooseberries.
PEACHES.
8 quarts of peaches.
1 quart of sugar.
3 quarts of water.
Put the sugar and water together and stir over the fire until the sugar is dissolved. When the sirup boils skim it. Draw the kettle back where the sirup will keep hot but not boil.
Pare the peaches, cut in halves, and remove the stones, unless you prefer to can the fruit whole.
Put a layer of the prepared fruit into the preserving kettle and cover with some of the hot sirup. When the fruit begins to boil, skim carefully. Boil gently for ten minutes, then put in the jars and seal.
If the fruit is not fully ripe it may require a little longer time to cook. It should be so tender that it may be pierced easily with a silver fork. It is best to put only one layer of fruit in the preserving kettle. While this is cooking the fruit for the next batch may be pared.
PEARS.
If the fruit is ripe it may be treated exactly the same as peaches. If, on the other hand, it is rather hard it must be cooked until so tender that a silver fork will pierce it readily.
QUINCES.
4 quarts of pared, cored, and quartered quinces.
1 quarts of sugar.
2 quarts of water.
Rub the fruit hard with a coa.r.s.e, crash towel, then wash and drain.
Pare, quarter, and core; drop the pieces into cold water (see p. 13).
Put the fruit in the preserving kettle with cold water to cover it generously. Heat slowly and simmer gently until tender. The pieces will not all require the same time to cook. Take each piece up as soon as it is so tender that a silver fork will pierce it readily. Drain on a platter. Strain the water in which the fruit was cooked through cheese cloth. Put two quarts of the strained liquid and the sugar into the preserving kettle; stir over the fire until the sugar is dissolved. When it boils skim well and put in the cooked fruit. Boil gently for about twenty minutes.
CRAB APPLES.
6 quarts of apples.
1 quarts of sugar.
2 quarts of water.
Put the sugar and water into the preserving kettle. Stir over the fire until the sugar is dissolved. When the sirup boils skim it.
Wash the fruit, rubbing the blossom end well. Put it in the boiling sirup, and cook gently until tender. It will take from twenty to fifty minutes, depending upon the kind of crab apples.
PLUMS.
8 quarts of plums.
2 quarts of sugar.
1 pint of water.
Nearly all kinds of plums can be cooked with the skins on. If it is desired to remove the skin of any variety, plunge them in boiling water for a few minutes. When the skins are left on, p.r.i.c.k them thoroughly to prevent bursting. (See fruit p.r.i.c.ker, p. 10.)
Put the sugar and water into the preserving kettle and stir over the fire until the sugar is dissolved. Wash and drain the plums. Put some of the fruit in the boiling sirup. Do not crowd it. Cook five minutes; fill and seal the jars. Put more fruit in the sirup. Continue in this manner until all the fruit is done. It may be that there will not be sufficient sirup toward the latter part of the work; for this reason it is well to have a little extra sirup on the back of the stove.
STEWED TOMATOES.
Wash the tomatoes and plunge into boiling water for five minutes. Pare and slice, and then put into the preserving kettle; set the kettle on an iron ring. Heat the tomatoes slowly, stirring frequently from the bottom. Boil for thirty minutes, counting from the time the vegetable begins actually to boil. Put in sterilized jars and seal.