160 FKUITS AND HOW XO USE THEM. 



process of fast boiling the flavor is preserved and the fruit 

 retains its shape. Keep closely covered while cooking. 



Dried Berries.— Pick over the fruit, spread on old 

 earthen plates and sprinkle thick with sugar. Set them on 

 a table in the sun and cover with netting, supported so as 

 not to touch the fruit. Finish drying in a cool stove oven 

 when the fruit has shrunken one half. Turn often with a 

 silver knife. Pack in bags and stew in hot water. 



Dried Currants. — One pint sugar to one pint stemmed 

 currants. Put them tugether in a porcelain kettle, a layer of 

 currants at the bottom; wh^n the sugar is dissolved to a 

 syrup let them boil one or two minutes. Skim from the 

 syrup, and spread on plates to dry in a partially cooled oven. 

 Boil the spr up until thickened, pour it over the currants, 

 and dry with them. Pack in jars, and cover closely. 

 Blackberries may he dried in the same manner. 



Dried Cherries.— Stone the chfvrries with a machine 

 which comes for that purpose, throwing in a few pits, and 

 over them strew a little white sugar. Stir them gently and 

 let them stand a few hours. Drain off the juice and put in 

 a preserving kettle, let it come to a boil and throw in the 

 cherries Let them cook up once and then spread on plates 

 to dry like berriep. If they are too j uicy boil it down before 

 putting in the fruit. Use half as much sugar as cherries by 

 weight. Stir often while dryingand pack, while hot, in jai s, 

 with a little sugar sprinkled between the layers. Cover 

 closely with paper and keep cool and dark. They may be 

 used in place of raisins. Dry currants in the same man- 

 ner. 



Dried Peaches. — Peel yellow peaches, cut them from 

 the stone in one piece, allowing two pounds of sugar for six 

 pounds of the fruit; make a syrup of tlie sugar and a 

 liitle water, let it boil, put in the peaches and let them 

 cook till they are quite clear, take them up carefully on a 

 dishandset them in the sun todry. Strewpowdered sugar 

 over th^m on all sides, a little at a time, and if any syrup is 



