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Recipes for the Season. 



Vol. III. 



Department of Rural Economy. 



RECIPES FOR THE SEASON. 



OENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR SWEETMEATS AND 

 JELLIES. 



In preparin? sutjar for sweetmeats, lot it be 

 entirely dissolved before you put it on the fire. 

 If you dissolve it in water, allow about half 

 a pint of water to a pound of sugar. If you 

 boil the sugar before you add the fruit to it, it 

 will be improved in clearness by passing it 

 through a flannel bag. Skim off the brown 

 ecum, all the time it is boiling. If sweet- 

 meats are boiled too long, they will loose their 

 flavor and become of a dark color. If boiled 

 too short a time, they will not keep well. — 

 You may ascertain when jelly is done, by 

 dropping a small spoonful in a glass of water. 

 If it spreads and mixes with the water, it re- 

 quires more boiling. If it sinks in a lump to 

 the bottom, it is sufficiently done. This trial 

 must be made after the jelly is cold. Rasp- 

 berry jelly requires more boiling than any 

 other sort — black currant jelly less. Keep 

 your jellies, &c. in glass jars, or in those of 

 while queensware. 



TO MAKE CURRANT JELLY. 



Pick your currants very carefully, and if it 

 be necessary to wash them, be sure they are 

 thoroughly drained. Place them in a stone 

 jar, well covered, in a pot of boiling water. 

 When cooked soft, strain them through a 

 coarse cloth, add one pound of fine Havana 

 sugar to each pound of the jelly put into a jar, 

 and cover as above. Or you may break your 

 currants with a pestle and squeeze them 

 through a cloth. Put a pint of clean sugar 

 to a pint of juice, and boil it very slowly till 

 it becomes ropy. 



This is an excellent article, especially in 

 sickness, and no family need or ought to be 

 without a supply. 



CHERRY JAM. 



To twelve pounds of Kentish or duke cher- 

 ries, when ripe, weigh one pound of sugar ; 

 break the stones of part and blanch them ; 

 then put them to the fruit and sugar, and boil 

 all gently till the jam comes clear from the 

 pan. Pour it into China plates to come up 

 dry to table. Keep in boxes with white pa- 

 per between. 



CURRANT JAM, BLACK, RED OR WHITE. 



Let the fruit be very ripe, pick it clean from 

 the stalks, bruise it, and to every pound put 

 three-quarters of a pound of loaf sugar; stir 

 it well and boil half an hour. 



TO PRESERVE RASPBERRIES. 



Pick your raspberries in a dry day, just be- 

 fore they are fully ripe ; lay them on a dish, 



beat and sift their weight of fine sugar, and 

 strew it over them. To every quart of rasp- 

 berries, take a quart of red currant jelly, and 

 put to its weight of fine sugar; boil and skim 

 it well, then put in your raspberries, and give 

 them a scald. Take them off and let them 

 stand over two hours ; then set them on again, 

 and scald until they look clear. 



GRAPE JELLY. 



Pick the grapes from the stems, wash and 

 drain them. JVJash them with a spoon. Put 

 them in the preserving kettle and cover them 

 with a large plate; boil them ton minutes; 

 then pour them into your jelly bag and 

 squeeze out the juice. Allow a pint of juice 

 to a pound of sugar. Put the sugar and juice 

 into the kettle, and boil twenty minutes, skim- 

 ming them well. Fill your glasses while the 

 jelly is warm, and tie them up with papers 

 dipped in brandy. 



TO DRY CHERRIES. 



To every five pounds of cherries, stoned, 

 weigh one of sugar double-refined. Put the 

 fruit into the preserving pan with very little 

 water, make both scalding hot; take the fruit 

 out and immediately dry them ; put them into 

 the pan again, strewing the sugar between 

 each layer of cherries; let it stand to melt; 

 then set the pan on the fire, and make it 

 scalding hot as before; take it off, and repeat 

 this thrice with the sugar. Drain them from 

 the syrup, and lay them singly to dry on 

 dishes in the sun or on the stove. When dry, 

 put them into a sieve, dip it into a pan of cold 

 water, and draw it instantly out again, and 

 pour them on a fine soft cloth ; dry them, and 

 set them once more in the hot sun, or on a 

 stove. Keep them in a box with layers of 

 white paper in a dry place. This way is the 

 best to give plumpness to the fruit, as well as 

 color and flavor. 



PEACH JELLY. 



Wipe the wool well off your peaches, vi"hich 

 should be freestones and not too ripe, and cut 

 them in quarters. Crack the stones and break 

 the kernels small. Put the peaches and ker- 

 nels into a covered jar, set them in boiling 

 water, and let them boil till they are soft. — 

 Strain them through a jelly bag until all the 

 juice is squeezed out. Allow a pint of loaf 

 sugar to a pint of juice. Put the sugar 

 and juice into a preserving kettle, and boil 

 them twenty minutes, skimming very care- 

 fully. Put the jelly warm into glasse.s, and 

 when cold tie them up with brandied papers. 

 [Plum and green-gage jelly may be made in 

 the same manner with the kernels, which 

 greatly improve the flavor.] 



Ot-OSEMERRY JELLY. 



Cut the cfooseberries in half, they must be 

 green, and put them in a jar closely covered. 



