1001 
A Sunday in a Garden 
After nearly a week of rain the sun 
blazed out on a water-soaked world. The 
grass and trees, glistening with pearly 
raindrops, were still dripping wet; hut 
the birds were singing like mad and the 
poppies lifted their drooping heads gaily 
and fluttered their bedraggled wings in 
the fresh morning breeze. The day 
promised to be a hot one. and it cer¬ 
tainly fulfilled its promise before night. 
The thermometer registered 92 degrees at 
10 o’clock, and my resolution of the night 
before to attend church service vanished 
with the dewdrops. Before night the 
mercury had climber to 98 degrees in the 
shade, and at sunset stood at 90 degrees. 
I had been alone several days and 
nights, but what with my light house¬ 
keeping and work between showers in the 
garden, and a steady job in the library 
afternoons and evenings. T had not found 
time to be lonesome. “It takes two to 
make a quarrel,” and it certainly takes 
time to be lonesome. If you keep busy 
lonesomeness does not have a chance to 
creep in. There was no one to let in 
flies or mosquitoes, and sweeping and 
dustin. Are unnecessary when it rains all 
the time. The only time I minded being 
alone was Wednesday night, when we 
had a crashing thunder shower, which 
started at 5 :30 p. m. and lasted all night. 
My one consolation was there would be 
only one person in the house to be struck 
by lightning, and I would hardly know 
it; the other was that the electricity 
stayed on so I could have a light all 
night. But how it rained, and kept on 
raining, until Sunday morning! I was 
disappointed at not being able to work 
in the garden more; but how things grew, 
and the weeds grew with them. The 
hollyhocks seemed to be trying to emulate 
“Jack’s beanstalk.” The peas, which had 
been threatening to dry up, turned white 
and began to unfold, and the Dorothy 
Perkins roses, which had run riot clear 
to the roof and all over the well-house, 
were faded and ruined, as well as the 
other belated roses. But the larkspur, 
poppies, nasturtiums and honeysuckle had 
not suffered, and furnished plenty of 
honey for the humming-birds and bees. 
After cutting some of the best of the 
roses to decorate the sitting-room and 
lavishly bestowing some others on three 
little neighbor maids, I went out to pick 
some peas for a neighbor who had brought 
my dinner in all cooked the day before, 
and also picked blackcap raspberries for 
tea. By that time I needed another suit 
of clothes, so dressed for the day. Then 
seated at the piano I while an hour away 
accompanied by my bird neighbors, who 
seemed to enjoy my music if the other 
neighbors did not. and 1<>! and behold, it 
was dinner time! 
So supplementing the plate of dinner 
that had been brought in with a glass of 
iced tea, a triangle of currant pie and a 
small cream cheese, all of which I put 
into a market basket, I went out under 
the old apple tree, where a comfortable 
swing and table stood ready. You bet 
that dinner tasted good, if it was a soli¬ 
tary meal. There was not a crumb left, 
as my neighbor Jack, a friendly English 
terrier, came across the street to keep 
me company. Next time I shall prepare 
an extra supply for the uninvited guest. 
After idly sitting awhile I carried my 
basket into the cool kitchen and washed 
the few empty dishes, then went into the 
cool north room and rested on that old 
much maligned mahogany haircloth sofa; 
and if there is anything cooler than hair¬ 
cloth. with plenty of pillows beneath 
your head, I would like to know it. I 
found it so cool and comfortable that I 
almost fell asleep, and it was nearly four 
o’clock (standard time) before I settled 
myself in the old mahogany rocker to 
read awhile. A few minutes later my 
eldest sister and son arrived from their 
home 10 miles away for a call, and a 
short time after my other sister, who had 
been spending a few days with a friend 
at her cottage on the lake, was landed 
safely at Bose Bungalow, and the day 
which had been filled with simple sights 
and sounds of birds, flowers, garden and 
trees was ended, and the noisy, glorious 
Fourth of July was already beginning as 
the shadows of evening fell. 
ALICE E. FINNEY. 
Canning Beans, Peas and Corn 
Will you print method of canning peas, 
string beans and corn? I have tried 
several ways, but have not had good 
luck. MRS. I., s. 
String beans, corn and peas are all 
canned successfully by the cold pack 
method. Sterilize the jars and covers, 
after thorough washing, by boiling in large 
kettle M0 minutes, bringing water slowly 
to the boil. Be sure jars and covers are 
perfect. Use new rubber rings that fit 
perfectly; put them to soak in hot water 
while the jars are sterilizing. 
String Beans.—Wash the beans, slice 
and blanch in boiling water from three to 
five minutes. Cold-dip (we hold them 
under faucet in colander), drain and pack 
in jars quickly. Put one teaspoon of salt 
in the top of each quart jar, put on rub¬ 
ber. fill with boiling water and put on 
cover. If wire clamp, bring one wire 
over top of cover, without clamping 
down ; if screw top, give a turn or two, 
but do not screw tight. Stand on rack 
in boiler, with water coming one inch 
over toil of jars, and put forward on 
stove. Keep boiling continuously for two 
hours, counting from time the water boils 
hard. When processing is completed, 
tighten cover at once, and set away to 
7ht RURAL NEW-YORKER 
cool. Never remove lid or open jar after 
processing before storing away. Keep in 
a cool, dark place. Vegetables retain a 
better color if the jars are wrapped in 
paper when stored. 
Peas.—Use tender freshly gathered 
peas. Do not let them stand around in 
a mass where they will heat in the pods. 
Shell, blanch five minutes, and cohl-dip 
10 seconds. Drain, and pack in hot ster¬ 
ilized jars, filling to within 1 inch, of the 
top. Put one teaspoonful salt and one 
teaspoonful sugar in each quart jar, ad¬ 
just rubber, fill with boiling water, and 
clamp lid loosely. Put in boiler, with 
water deep enough to come 1 inch over 
top, and process for 2% hours, counting 
from time water begins to boil. When 
processing is finished, remove jars, and 
clamp lids tight. 
Corn.—This must be canned carefully, 
and the work done with no delay, or re¬ 
sults will be unsatisfactory. The corn 
must be freshly picked; never can corn 
that has been packed in bulk in baskets, 
so that it will heat through. Bemove 
silks and husks. Blanch on the cob for 
five minutes. Plunge into cold water, 
then cut from the cob, being careful not 
to cut into the cob. Pack directly into 
jars to within 1 inch of the top. Add one 
teaspoonful sugar and one teaspoonful 
salt to each quart, adjust rubber and 
cover, and clamp lightly. As soon as 
each jar is filled set it in the boiler to 
process. The work is done better if two 
persons can work together, one cutting 
corn and one filling jars. Process for 
four hours. The corn swells in cooking, 
hence the jar is not filled entirely full. 
Canning Cabbage and Pickling Beets 
Will you give recipes for canning cab¬ 
bage and pickling beets so they will 
keep? J. M. 
To can cabbage, wash well, then blanch 
in steam for 15 minutes. If you do not 
have a steamer, suspend in a cheesecloth 
hammock over rapidly boiling water, in 
a closed kettle. Then chill by plunging 
in cold water, and pack closely in hot 
sterilized jars, without using any pres¬ 
sure. Put a teaspoonful of salt in each 
quart jar, and pour in boiling water to 
fill any crevices. Place rubber and cap 
in position and seal lightly—without 
clamping down tight—and process for 
two hours in kettle with water coming 
one inch over top of jar. When pro¬ 
cessing is finished, seal tightly. Be 
sure jar is tight, and see that cabbage is 
perfectly fresh, or results will be un¬ 
satisfactory. 
To pickle beets, cook young beets in 
an open kettle until soft. Plunge into 
cold water and slip the skins off. Pack 
in jars and fill jars with vinegar and 
water, equal parts. Adjust rubber and 
cap. clamp lightly and process in kettle 
with water three-fourths to top of jar 
for one hour. Sugar may be added if 
liked. 
Pear and Tomato Conserve 
In answer to S. J. B.’s inquiry about 
pear conserve, possibly she will like this 
recipe: Ten pounds of ripe pears, peeled, 
cored and sliced ; 0 lbs. sugar, three or 
four oranges, with the rind on, cut in 
small pieces; 2 lbs. raisins and one cup 
nut meats. Stir all together and boil 
down until thick. 
Here is a good tomato conserve recipe: 
Four cups of pears, peeled cored and 
sliced; four cups of ripe tomatoes, four 
cups of sugar and the juice of two 
lemons. Cook for one-half hour. 
MRS. W. II. O. 
Ripe Tomato Pickles 
Would you or some of your readers 
give a recipe for making ripe tomato 
pickles without vinegar? G. w. S. 
We have no recipe for ripe tomato 
pickles without vinegar. The following 
is an old rule: Mix in the order given 
1 y. z pints of firm ripe tomatoes, peeled 
and chopped; one-half cupful of chopped 
celery, two tablespoons chopped red pep¬ 
per, two tablespoons chopped onion, two 
tablespoons salt, three tablespoons sugar, 
three tablespoons mustard seed, one- 
fourth teaspoon ground cloves, one-half 
teaspoon cinnamon, one-half teaspoon 
grated nutmeg and one cup vinegar. I’ut 
in a stone jar. without cooking. It should 
stand one week before using, but will 
keep a year. 
Labor-saving in Care of Stoves 
IIow I regret the effort I used to waste 
in blackening my kitchen range! I now 
give it a coat of enamel each Summer 
and during the rest of the year dust it 
as I do other furniture. When necessary 
I wipe it with a moist cloth, but prefer 
to avoid this, as it tends to dull the fine 
gloss. Enamel is not expensive, and is 
very easy to apply with an old paint 
brush. I really enjoy restoring the brand- 
new appearance of my stove, which 1 
always do in warm weather, for the iron 
must be cold when enameled and for 24 
hours afterward. The pipe and all parts 
of the stove may be enameled, except the 
top surface (griddles, etc.). This top 
will need to lx 1 blackened in the usual 
manner, but not often, if the iron is treated 
with a preparation sold under the name 
of “stove ink” just before it is blacked. 
Stove ink gives a much better and more 
permanent color than does blacking used 
alone, and it also prevents red rust. It 
cannot be applied at the same time as 
enamel, as it requires different heat con¬ 
ditions. G. A. T. 
How to Make the Most 
Delicious Peach Jam 
You Ever Tasted 
New Certo Process Makes Two-thirds More Jam 
from Same Amount of Fruit 
Actually Preserves Full Flavor of Ripe Peaches, Re - 
quires Only One Minute’s Boiling and 
Never Fails to Make Perfect Jam 
Home grown peaches are now plentiful 
at a low price, sugar is cheap, and house¬ 
wives are putting up peach jam as never 
before. Best of all, the new Certo Process 
has revolutionized the making of peach 
jam, because, unlike the old method, it 
uses ripe peaches and actually preserves 
real peach flavor. The taste of peach jam 
made with Certo is absolutely different 
from any peach jam made by the old 
method, because its flavor is practically 
the same as fresh peaches. 
With the Certo Process full-ripe peaches 
are used—not unripe peaches so necessary 
by the old method. The Certo Process 
retains all the rich flavor of this ripe fruit 
because it requires only one minute’s boil¬ 
ing—not the 30 or more minutes required 
by the old method, which destroyed the 
flavor and made it difficult to distinguish 
as peach. With Certo the result is a far 
superior fruity flavor and two-thirds more 
jam from the same amount of fruit, be¬ 
cause no juice is boiled away. It also 
banishes all guesswork or worry, as per¬ 
fect results are certain. 
The Certo Process for making peach 
jam is very simple: Crush ripe peaches 
or slice very fine; measure 4 level cups 
(2 lbs.) of crushed fruit into large pre¬ 
serving kettle. Then add Gty heaping 
cups (3 1 /) lbs.) of sugar and mix well. 
Bring to a vigorous boil, stirring well all 
the time and boil hard for one minute. 
Bemove from fire and add one scant cup 
(one bottle) of Certo while stirring. Let 
stand one minute, skim and pour info 
glasses. Makes 3 % pints or 11 half- 
pound glasses of jam. 
Certo is a pure fruit product—contains 
no gelatine or preservative. It positively 
saves time, fruit, flavor of ripe fruit and 
guesswork. It makes all kinds of jams 
and jellies with fresh or canned fruit— 
some you have never made before. It is 
highly endorsed by all cooking experts who 
have used it. Every woman who tries it 
recommends it to her friends and says 
she’ll never be without it. And Certo 
jams and jellies keep as well as any ever 
made. Get a bottle of Certo and a recipe 
book from your grocer or druggist at once. 
If not obtainable send 30 cents in stamps 
with the name of your grocer to Pectin 
Sales Co., Inc., 370 East Avenue, Boehes- 
ter, N. Y. A bottle will then be mailed 
postpaid to you direct. Extra free copies 
of Certo Book of Becipes sent on request. 
Start the new—the 
sure, quick, economi¬ 
cal way of making 
jams and jellies. You’ll 
never return to the 
old “hit or miss” 
method. 
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See Rural New-Yorker dated June 18, Page ? ,I: 
100 STORES IN THIRTY CITIES 
