The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1914-08-18
Wild fruit
Preserves Make Exceptional
ly Good Eating

With the prices of highly cultivated
fruits soaring, It is Of prime import
ance wherever possible to secure
their delightful flavor from less ex.
pensive fruits, says the Country
Gentleman. A few years ago some
body discovered that the insipid
sweet apple when combined with the
strongly favored ounce made an ex-
cellent preserve. Some one else
found that a little expensive pineap-
pie added to considerable quantity
of cheap rhubarb gave the character
istic pineapple flavor to the whole.
Many other pleasing and economi.
cal combinations of cultivated fruits
have been made, but combinations to
improve the flavor of wild fruits are
still generally unknown.
In many sections wild mulberries
are very abundant. Mulberries may
be combined with gooseberries to
make an excellent marmalade. Sci.
ect and prepare the mulberries as for
canning. Place them in a granite
ware preserving kettle with a third
as many gooseberries. With a wood
en- potato masher or a granite-ware
spoon slightly crush the mixture
Measure the pulp and Juice and add
half as much sugar. Bring the mix.
ture to boil over slow fire and al
low it to simmer slowly until it is
thick when cool. Seal the marmalade
in glass Jars or pour it into jelly
glasses and cover it with melted par.
aff1n.
Wild grapes may be utilized in max
ing an excellent ketchup. Mash thor
oughly two quarts of well-ripened
grapes, cover them with vinegar, and
heat them thoroughly. Strain them
and add cupful of sugar, teaspoon
/ ful of cinnamon, a teaspoonful OF
cloves, quarter Of teaspoonful oi
pepper and, if desired, little all
spice. Cook the mixture slowly until
it becomes thick and heavy and then
pour it into jars and seal carefully.
The ketchup must be stirred con
stantly while it is cooking to prevent
scorching. The amount of vinegar
may be varied according to its
strength; but since the danger Of
scorching is greater if only little is
used, it is better to dilute strong vine
gar with little water to secure more
liquid.
Excellent butter may be made from
crabapples by adding little pineap
pie juice. Select well-ripened crab
apples, cut them up without corinl
or peeling them and place them in {
granite-ware kettle with enough
water to cover them. Boil them slow
ly until they fall to pieces; then pres!
them through a granite-ware coland
er. Add the pulp to the water il
which the crabapples were cooked
and for each part of pulp add half /;
pint of pineapple juice. Also ado
enough sugar to sweeten the butter
and allow the mixture to simmer un
til it is thick Then boil it, stirring
T. constantly, until it is perfectl.
smooth; if it becomes too thick il
the meantime, add little more pine
apple juice. Seal the butter in glas
jars while it is bailing hot.
Crabapples may also be made int
good ketchup. Wash carefully fou
quarts of crabapples, cook them in
granite-ware kettle with little waite
until they are soft, press then
through a coarse granite-ware coland
er and add to the pulp three pints o
sugar, two quarts of vinegar, two tea
spoonfuls of cinnamon, teaspoonfu
of cloves, a tablespoonful of peppe
and two tablespoonfuls of salt. Cool
the ketchup until it is thick ant
smooth, stirring it constantly to pre-
vent scorching. Seal the finished pre-
duct in glass jars.
Elderberries make excellent jelly
They may be used alone or with al
equal amount of gooseberries, cul
rants, green grapes or even lemol
juice.
Barberries may be made into
delicious jelly. Gather the fruit a
soon as it has become a dark, ricl
color. Remove the stems, wash tn
berries, and for each four quarts ad
cupful of water. Cook the berrie
until the juice may easily be presse
OUT then mash them and drain Of
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