354 Plums and Plum Culture 



twenty minutes, skimming frequently. In the mean- 

 time put the sugar in an earthen or granite dish and 

 set it in the oven to heat. Stir it often, and leave the 

 oven door ajar, if there is the least danger of browning 

 it. As soon as the juice has boiled long enough, draw 

 the kettle to the back of the stove, add the heated 

 sugar, stir until it is all dissolved, return to the fire, 

 and boil one minute from the time it begins to boil. 

 The jelly glasses should be in readiness, standing in 

 hot water. Pour the boiling liquid into the jelly 

 glasses, and seal by dropping a bit of paraffin on top 

 of each glass of jelly. The hot liquid will melt the 

 paraffin, which will float and cover the jelly, making 

 a perfect seal when it cools. Other schemes of seal- 

 ing are in practice with different housewives ; and one 

 will do as well as another if it keeps the jelly from 

 spoiling. 



Plum Juice is excellent for use in puddings and 

 pudding sauces. Both the flavor and the color are at- 

 tractive. For this purpose the juice from canned 

 plums may be used with much satisfaction; and plums 

 which are not fit to can for the fruit itself may still be 

 worth canning for the sake of the juice. In such cases 

 less sugar may be used. The juice alone may be put 

 up in cans or bottles. Cook the fruit and drain it as 

 for jelly. Boil the juice fifteen to twenty minutes, put 

 in the cans or bottles, filling them entirely full, and 

 seal air-tight. The juice may be slightly sweetened if 

 desired, but too much sugar will cause it to jelly. 



It may be mixed into almost any sort of pudding 

 sauce, and is especially desirable in making tapioca 

 puddings. Soak the tapioca over night in equal parts 

 of plum juice and water before making the pudding. 

 In the morning cook the tapioca in a double boiler till 

 clear, then add sugar to suit and pour into molds, al- 

 lowing it to get very cold before serving. In serving 



