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HOUSEHOLD SUGGESTIONS. 
Next month I shall begin to can fruit, and make 
jelly; as it seems uppermost in my mind just now, 
1 will give you some ideas about it if I can. First, 
in regard to fruit jars. I have tried several kinds of 
glass (I have never used tin, thinking them unhealthy), 
and have decided that I like the Mason one quart 
jar with rubber and porcelain lined top the best. 
I cau my pears this way : I put on my porcelain 
kettle (on the stove of course), take a tea cup of 
water to a pound of sugar (1 use coffee sugar A), fill 
the kettle half full; let it boil; skim until clear. Put 
a tin pan on the back of the stove ; put a tin plate in 
the bottom to prevent the jars from cracking; put in 
as many jars as convenient, a little water in each, fill 
the pan half way up with cold water; while these are 
heating, pare, core, and quarter your fruit, put it into 
an earthern dish with a little cold water in it to pre¬ 
vent the fruit changing color; as soon as the syrup is 
clear, put in the pears and simmer gently until clear; 
turn the water from one of the cans; put the funnel 
into it (I will tell you how it is made presently); 
skim out the pears into the can, fill full, shake gently, 
to get the air bubbles out; fill in a little syrup; take 
the can from the pan to the table; stand it on a 
folded towel wrung from hot water to prevent its 
breaking; see that no draft of air falls on it; put on 
the rubber, wipe the mouth of the jar dry; screw on 
the cover as tight as possible ; in a little while try it 
to see if it cannot be made tighter; repeat this opera¬ 
tion until all are done; when they are cold put them 
in a. dry cool place. I put mine up stairs in the store¬ 
room until the first of January, then remove to the 
cellar. It is a good plan to slip a paper bag over 
each can to exclude the light, the fruit looks better. 
Strawberries, blueberries, peaches, I do the same way; 
tomatoes I peel, cut up, put in the kettle without 
water (look out or they will burn); cook until soft, 
and salt, pepper, a little sugar, put them in the cans 
hot just at you do the pears. I make a good deal of 
Chili sauce, it is nice to eat with meat and to put into 
soups. This is my rule: one peck of ripe tomatoes, 
peel, cut up, add three good sized onions, three green 
peppers, chopped fine, boil until soft, then add three 
cups cider vinegar, two cups sugar, salt to flavor; 
boil until reduced one third. 1 put it up in Mason 
jars as I do canned fruit, but you can use horse raddish 
bottles. Green Tomato pickles 1 make this way: one 
half bushel tomatoes, one dozen small sized silver- 
skin onions, one dozen green peppers, all chopped 
fi ne, and one pint of salt; let them stand all night; 
next morning drain them through a cullender; put 
them in the porcelain kettle; cover with good cider 
vinegar ; let it cook slowly an hour ; take two pounds 
of sugar, one table spoon of ground cloves, half a 
cup of whole mustard, a cup of celery seed, vinegar 
enough to mix them, let it come to a boil, then add to 
the tomatoes; put them in gallon stone jars; when 
cold tie or paste a piece of stout brown paper over the 
top; put on the cover, and set in a cool dry cellar. 
This is my recipe for grape jelly: pick the grapes 
from the stem, wash them, put them in the porcelain 
kettle without any water; sot it on the back of the 
stove to prevent burning; when they are cooked soft, 
dip off the clear juice into the jelly bag (made of 
double flannel), have an earthern dish to catch the 
juice (tin will 1 flack on it) when all has drained 
through that will, measure the juice in a quart bowl, 
measure an equal quantity of sugar (coffee sugar A is 
best), put it in the porcelain kettle; let it boil twenty 
minutes after it begins; if it looks thin and watery, 
boil three minutes more; set it off the stove; stand 
your tumblers on a towel wrung from hot water to 
prevent breaking, dip in the jelly carefully, let it stand 
until cool, then put on a waiter; set them in the sun 
three days, where they will be free from dust; get some 
white paper, such us the apothecary uses, cut a piece 
to fit the inside of the tumbler, dip it in the white of 
an egg, lay upon the jelly; cut another large enough 
to cover the outside over the rim, dip this in the egg 
and fasten it tight; when tins is dry it will be almost 
air-tight. The portion of the grapes that is left, I rub 
through the cullender to tree it from skins and seedSj 
then measure quart for quart of sugar put in the 
kettle and simmer gently half an hour, then put it 
up the same as you do the jelly. You will find this 
nice for jelly cake. I will give you a recipe for corn 
meal griddle cakes, and then will stop, for I imagine 
you are tired by this time. 
Two cups indiau meal, one cup of flower, three 
eggs, and enough sour milk to make a batter that will 
just drop from the spoon, add a pinch of salt, a table¬ 
spoon soda, sifted in dry, bake on a griddle slowly as 
they burn quick; if your milk is very sour you may 
have to add more soda. M. J. P. 
Perpetual Paste. — Dissolve a teaspoonful of alum 
in a quart of water. When cold, stir in as much 
flour as will give it the consistency of thick cream, 
being particular to beat up all the lumps ; stir in as 
much powdered resin as will lay on an old-fashioned 
dime, and throw in half a dozen cloves to give it a 
pleasant odor. Have on the fire a teacup of boiling- 
water, pour the flour mixture into it, stirring well at 
the time. In a few minutes it will be of the con¬ 
sistency of mush. Pour it into an earthern vessel; 
let it cool; lay a cover on, and put it in a cool jflace. 
When needed for use take out a portion and soften it 
with warm water. Paste thus made will keep twelve 
months. Tt is better than gum, as it does not gloss 
the paper, and can be written on. 
Good Recipes.—Bakers’ Gingerbread.—Take one 
cup of molasses, one cup of sour cream, one table¬ 
spoonful of soda, one tablespoonful of ginger, one 
egg, and flour enough to make a thick batter. 
Feather Cake.—Take one cup of white sugar, two 
cups of flour, one tablespoonful of butter, two-thirds 
of a cup of sour milk or cream, and one-half teaspoon¬ 
ful of soda. Egg Omelets. — Take four eggs, one cup 
of sweet milk, one large tablespoonful of flour, with a 
little salt and pepper, butter the frying pan and pour 
in four large spoonfuls, when hot, and fry, then roll it 
up, or make into spears. They are very nice for 
breakfast. A. F. E. 
Brown Bread, as made by a minister’s wife for 
years : Three cups corn meal, one cup graham flour, 
two cups sweet milk, one cup sour milk, two-thirds 
of a cup molasses, one teaspoonful of soda. Steam 
four or five hours, then bake twenty minutes. 
Soda Crackers.—Stir fourteen cups of flour with 
two teaspoonfuls of soda and four of cream of tartar, 
after which rub in two cups of shortening — lai’d or 
butter ; mix with cold water, mold arid pound half an 
hour. Bake in a quick oven. 
To Remove Putty.—You can use either of the 
following, as found most convenient, viz. : Soft soap 
mixed with a solution of potash or caustic soda, or 
pearlash and slackened lime mixed with sufficient 
water to form a paste. Lay on with brush or rag 
and let remain a few hours, when the putty can be 
readily removed. This same preparation will remove 
paint of auy color from wood, iron or glass with the 
same facility. 
Chillblains.—The common kerosene, now to be 
found in every household, is a cheap cure for chill- 
blaius; a cloth being moderately saturated with it 
and wrapped about the feet before retiring. 
Syrup Sauce. —Take the syrup of any fruit most 
convenient, melt some butter in it, and season with 
brandy and nutmeg, or other flavor. 
Corn Bread.—I first put a tablespoonful of lard in 
the dripping-pan, and set it on the hearth to melt. 
Then beat three or four eggs, add one quart of butter¬ 
milk, one teaspoouful of soda and one of salt. Stir in 
enough sifted meal to make a thin batter. Now add 
the lard and stir it well; have the pan on the stove, it 
is already greased; sprinkle a little meal over it to 
keep the bread from sticking. Now pour in the mix¬ 
ture, and bake it in a quick oven. Mrs. S. J. E. 
Boston Brown Bread. —Three pints of yellow corn 
meal; one pint of rye flour; one cup of molasses; two 
teaspoonfuls of saleratus; two teaspoonfuls of salt; 
one teacup of good yeast; mix thin with lukewarm 
water and let it stand in a warm place to rise, which 
will take about two hours; wet the top of the loaf 
with warm water, and bake in a slow oven about two 
hours. A deep pan is best. Mrs. A. E. S. 
Cement for Aquariums.— The best cement for an 
aquarium is as follows: Sift together one gill of lith- 
arge; one gill of calcined plaster of paris; one gill of 
dry white sand, and one-third of a gill of finely pow¬ 
dered rosin. Bottle, keep corked tightly, and use as 
needed, by mixing into a putty with boiled linseed oil, 
adding a little patent dryer. Mix each lot at least 
fifteen hours before using. After applying, let it dry 
a few hours before letting on the water. This is 
equally as good in salt as in fresh water, it does not 
effect the water at all. H. K. S. 
Corn Cake. —The following recipe we know is an 
excellent one: Take one quart of corn meal, half a 
teaspoonful of salt, and half a teacup of molasses; 
pour boiling water upon the meal until a thick batter 
is formed, then bake in a very hot oven. 
Steamed Pudding. —Take about a quart of butter¬ 
milk, add one teaspoouful of salt, one of soda, and if 
in the season of berries I add nearly a teacupful, if not 
I slice and pare one or two apples into my dish, then 
thicken with either flour or corn meal as thick as it 
will stir easily with a spoon ; then I put it in a dish 
and set in the steamer over my boiling dinner to cook. 
It wants to cook from one to two hours. Eat with 
sweetened cream or butter and sugar, whichever is 
preferred. 
To Extract Ink from cotton, silk and woolen goods, 
saturate the spots with spirits of turpentine, and let it 
remain several hours ; then rub it between the hands, 
j It will crumble away without injuring either the color 
or texture of the article. 
For a Hacking Cough at Night. —Place beside 
your bed five or six lumps of cut loaf sugar, with six 
drops of paregoric poured upon each, and take one 
whenever a coughing fit comes on. It will soon stop 
the paroxysms and permit sloop. 
Never put a particle of soap about your silver 
if you would have it retain its original luster. When 
it wants polishing, take a piece of soft leather and 
whiting and rub hard. Housekeepers ruin then- silver 
by washing it in soapsuds, as it makes it look like 
pewter. 
