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RECIPES FOR USE OF OUR NATIVE PLUMS. 449 
The following point is regarded as important by one contributor: 
The earlier in the morning and the clearer the day, the better will 
be your jelly. A cloudy day makes dark jelly, and if not made early 
in the day the juice requires boiling so much longer that the jelly 
is dark, and sometimes it is almost impossible to get it to jelly. 
Another correspondent writes: “Itis well to begin to test it after 
(boiling) fifteen minutes, taking a teaspoonful at a time onto a 
saucer and standing itina cool place for a moment; scrape it to one 
side with a spoon, and if it is done the surface will be partly solid; 
then roll the tumblers in boiling water quickly and fill them with 
the jelly. On the top of each, while it is still hot, drop a lump of 
clean parafine,which will melt and cover the top tightly, preventing 
all moulding. If prepared in this way, it will not need to be tied 
with brandied paper or other special care taken.” 
Plum butter, jam or marmalade.—Boil the fruit in clear water 
until nearly done. Remove from the stove and put through a col- 
ander to remove the pits. Then rub through a sieve to make the 
pulp fine. Place pulpin kettle with about half as much sugar as 
pulp—or if you wish to have it very rich add nearly as much sugar 
as pulp—and boil down to the desired thickness. Stir almost con- 
stantly to prevent sticking to the kettle. . 
Plum butter, another recipe—To make very nice plum butter 
out of Desota, Wyant or any other freestone plum, pare and take 
out the pits, putina granite kettle or pan, sprinkle heavily with 
sugar and let stand over night. In the morning there will be juice 
enough tocookthemin. Stirconstantly while cooking and add more | 
sugar if not sweet enough. This way preserves the grain of the 
fruit and with the Desota plums makes a butter equal orsuperior to 
peach butter. If put in glass and canned, less cooking is required 
than if kept in open jars. 
A third correspondent would add: Do not attempt to make a fine 
quality of either plum butter, jam or marmalade without first 
steaming the fruit. 
Plum preserves.—Use plums that will peel, like Wild Goose or Pot- 
tawattamie. No water is required if the sugar is allowed to remain 
~ on them long enough to draw out the juice. Boil until the syrup is 
clear and as thick as honey. 
Plum preserves, another recipe.—Take equal weight of fruit and 
sugar, place in stone jar—a layer of fruit, then a layer of sugar— 
alternating thus until quantity desired is reached. Let stand over 
night; in morning drain off the syrup that will have formed into 
porcelain-lined kettle, place same over the fire and let syrup come 
to a boil, then pour it over the fruit in jar again; repeat this every 
other day until the fourth heating, when fruit and syrup are both 
put in kettle and boiled for a few minutes. Place same in glass jars 
while hot, seal and put away in some cool and,preferably,dark place. 
Plum preserves, another recipe.—To each pound of plums adda 
pound of sugar; put the fruit into boiling water until the skins will 
slip; peel and sprinkle sugar upon each layer of fruit in bowls, al- 
lowing them to stand over night; then pour off the juice, bring 
