Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1898-09-22
NV Dear Dorothy:

My Dear Dorothy:
The vacation season is over. the chill.
dren are back in school and well settled
at their studies and now comes the time
when every housewife is considering the
subject Of preserving and picking. To
be sure, the season for preserving ber-
ries is past, but the fruits, grapes, pears,
peaches, crabapples, etc. is with us, and
30 / am going to give you some lessons
which have learned from experience.
In the first place, remember that the
more Perfect the fruit the better will be
the preserves; you need not expect good
results IL you use 'specked" fruit. II Ia
better TO use unripe fruit rather than
that which is overripe. Every cooking
utensil must be Of wood, silver, granite
ware or porcelain ware. An iron spoon
and tin kettle would ruin fruit grown
for the gods. Some people try TO econo-
mize by using a cheap grade of sugar.
1t is of no use. Remember the old say
ing. THE best is none too good" Still
another truism, "Old rubbers are worth
less" Remember 1t. and get new Jar
rubbers. If you use old jars cleanse
them thoroughly with hot soap suds. In
which little ammonia has been poured.
Then to test the Jars to see that no air
win escape. fill them half full of water.
put in the rubber band, adjust the COW
ers and then tip the jars bottom side up
on dry cloth for a few minutes. II any
water escapes try another rubber.
Peaches, ounces and pears. as well as
all hand fruits. should be pared with a
silver knife, sliced thin and covered
with cold water to prevent their becom-
ing dark. Plums and all kinds Of grapes
must be stemmed and mashed. Pears
and ounces should be cooked in clear
water, then drained on a napkin; fill
the jars with the fruit and cover with
a syrup. made by pouring boiling water
over sugar. Peaches, pineapples and
Bartlett pears require half a pound of
sugar to each quart of fruit; plums,
hand pears, prunes and ounces must
have three-quarters of pound of sugar
to each quart of fruit. Fill the jars with
the raw fruit, cover with the syrup and
then set them In a washboiler, not al
lowing one jar TO touch another. Cover
the jars to the neck with tepid water,
put on the boiler cover and boil gently
but steadily Pineappless will require
utes will be sufficient for all the other
fruits mentioned. A pound of sugar
and half pint of boiling water is the
right proportion for syrup. and the white
of an egg added before it begins to boil
will aid in making 1t clear If the scum is
removed as 1t rises.
To cover jelly use melted paraphine.
Pour 1t over perfectly cold jelly and 1t
will form a thin crust, which will COM
pletely exclude the air.
think with these suggestions you will
be able to make your fall preserves all
right; but / want to give you an excel
lent rule for making cucumber pickles.
Small cucumbers, from two to four
inches long, make the best pickles. AL
low a pint of salt to $50 cucumbers, dis
solved in enough water TO cover them;
let them soak in this for two days. keep
ing them covered; then remove, drain
and wipe each one carefully; now put
them in a stone Jar with a little alum.
mixed spices. cloves. pepper, allspice
and a bit of onion, and cover with hot
vinegar. If you prefer, add stick Gin
namon and white mustard seed, but put
the spices in several little bags made of
thin muslin; this prevents the vinegar
becoming muddy and the spices eating
the cucumbers. If you wish the pickles
to be particularly spicy, let the. spice
bags boil in the vinegar for 10 minutes.
Now is the time for you to look after
green tomatoes for picalilli. An excel
lent recipe for this relish was given me
by your Aunt Jessie, and / am sure you
will find it all right.
Slice peck CT green tomatoes, twelve
onions, one green Pepper and one red
one. and sprinkle over them one cup of
salt. and let the mixture stand for
twelve hours; then drain of the liquid,
add a tablespoonful each of ground
cloves. allspice and cinnamon and three
quarters of a cup of grated horseradish
Pour over the whole three quarts OF
vinegar. simmer four hours stirring oc-
casionally, and put in Jas while hot
l feel quite sure IF you follow these
suggestions you will have the best OF
success. But always remember one
thing-there is no such thing as luck
in preserving. and there is no such word
as fail" if you follow the directions of
your culinary, Comfort Jones,
Doctor of Cookery.
cO0TCr1 crrnDr DDEan