The Farm Table. 691 



masher. Spread two thicknesses of cheese cloth in the colander and 

 place over a bowl. Press out all the juice. Mix half a pint of water 

 with what remains in the cloth and squeeze again. ^Measure the liquid 

 and add enough water to make three pints, then proceed as in making 

 syrup with water. When the syrup boils skim carefully. 



When the fruits are stewed before being put into the jars, the sugar 

 may be added directly to berries, grapes and cherries. In this case no 

 water is added. All the other fruits should be cooked gently in the pre- 

 pared syrup. Be careful to keep the stewing fruits well skimmed. 

 Quinces must be cooked in clear water until tender, before being cooked 

 in the syrup. Strain the water in which they were cooked and use in 

 making the syrup. 



Where the pronounced flavor of the quince is not liked, equal quan- 

 tities of the cooked quince and pared and quartered apples may be cooked 

 together in the syrup. Fall pippins are the best for this purpose. 



V. PRESERVES. 



Until methods of canning were known, and glass jars were invented 

 with covers and rubber rings to make them air tight, fruit was preserved 

 either by drying or by being cooked with nearly its own weight of sugar. 

 The fruits cooked with a large quantity of sugar have always been known 

 as preserves. Nearly every housekeeper likes to put up a small quantity 

 of preserves, but not always as rich as a pound of sugar to a pound of 

 fruit, and with the fruit jars it is no longer necessary to use so much 

 sugar. Strawberries to be in perfection should be preserved pound for 

 pound. \'ery sour cherries and white and red currants are delicious when 

 preserved like strawberries. Of course, such rich preserves are to be 

 served in very small quantities and on rare occasions. When preserving 

 these small fruits the fruit and sugar are put into the preserving kettle 

 in alternate layers, beginning with the fruit. The depth of fruit and 

 sugar should not be more than four inches, for it is important that fruit 

 should not be crushed or broken. The contents of the kettle must be 

 heated slowly to the boiling point, and boiled gently for ten minutes, 

 counting from the time it begins to boil. Skim carefully. At the end 

 of ten minutes the fruit may be put into jars and sealed at once. Or it 

 may be poured into meat platters and placed in a sunny room for two 

 days. In that time the syrup will have thickened and the fruit have 

 grown plump and firm. It may now be put into small jars or tumblers, 

 covered and put away. 



All these small fruits, except the strawberries, may be preserved with 

 half a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit and sealed while boiling hot. 



