A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK FOR A LITTLE GIRL TEXT

These were all put back in the saucepan and boiled slowly until thick, then poured at once into the sterilized tumblers, which Adelaide had previously made ready. When cool, there followed the usual wiping with a clean cloth dipped in hot water, to remove any spillings while filling, and the paraffin was melted and poured over the top. Adelaide never forgot to shake each tumbler gently while the paraffin was still soft, as it sealed the marmalade much more securely from all air. Next came the labels and the removal of tumblers to preserve closet. Peach Marmalade Peaches, 1 dozen Sugar What little girl does not love peaches? Adelaide was no exception, and this marmalade was very simply made. First, mother told Adelaide to put the peaches in a pan and completely cover them with boiling water and let them stand for a minute or two, or until the skins would slip off easily. Pouring off the water, she then proceeded to remove the skins with a small silver fruit knife (a steel knife would discolor the fruit), and to take out the stones. Next, Adelaide weighed the saucepan (in which the peaches were to be cooked) while it was empty, and then cut the peaches into thin slices and placed them in the saucepan. Again the saucepan was weighed, this time containing the peaches. The differences between the weight of the empty saucepan and the same saucepan containing the peaches showed Adelaide just how much the peaches weighed, and to these she added half their weight in sugar. Mixing the fruit and sugar well together, she put the saucepan away in a cool place until the next day. Picking out four of the best peach stones, she cracked them and removed the kernels. These she scalded in boiling water and removed the brown skins, after which they were shredded into small pieces and added to the sliced peaches. The next morning Adelaide put the saucepan containing the peaches on the stove to heat and let them cook very slowly until thick and smooth, not forgetting to stir frequently with the wooden spoon. In the meantime, her tumblers had been sterilized, and, as soon as the marmalade was done, they were removed from the boiling water and at once filled. When they were cool Adelaide wiped them carefully, poured melted paraffin over the top (shaking the tumbler gently from side to side), labelled them, and carried them away to the preserve closet. Another way to make Peach Marmalade was as follows: Peach Marmalade No. 2 Peaches, 1 lb. Sugar, 1 lb. Lemon (juice), One Water, 1 cup Adelaide scalded the peaches with boiling water, then removed the skins. Then she cut the peaches into small pieces, put them in the saucepan with the water, and boiled slowly until the fruit was thoroughly soft. Adelaide stirred the fruit frequently with the wooden spoon. Next she rubbed the cooked fruit through a strainer, returned the peaches to the saucepan, added the sugar and lemon juice, and let the mixture cook slowly another half hour, stirring it occasionally. When the marmalade was finished she poured it at once into the sterilized tumblers that were ready waiting. As soon as they were cool she wiped the tumblers clean, poured the melted paraffin over the marmalade, labelled them, and stored them away in the preserve closet. Mother told Adelaide that she could also make marmalade of apricots, quinces, plums, and even prunes, in exactly the same manner. So Adelaide tried each one in its season. Apricot Marmalade Apricots, 1 lb. Sugar, 1 lb. Lemon (juice), One Water, 1 cup From the apricots Adelaide did not remove the skins, she simply cut them in halves and took out the stones, put them in the saucepan, added the water, and boiled slowly until the fruit was very soft, stirring frequently with the wooden spoon. When sufficiently cooked she rubbed the fruit through a wooden strainer, put it back in the saucepan, added the sugar and lemon juice, and let it cook slowly for about half an hour. Adelaide stirred occasionally to be sure that the marmalade did not burn, and poured it at once into sterilized tumblers when it was finished. The tops and outsides she wiped clean when they were cool, and then poured melted paraffin over the top of the marmalade, and gently shook the paraffin from side to side to make them air tight. The labels were then pasted on and the tumblers stored away in the preserve closet. Quince Marmalade Quinces, 1 lb. Sugar, 1 lb. Lemon (juice), One Water, 1 cup Mother told Adelaide to wash the quinces thoroughly, wipe, remove blossom ends, cut in quarters and remove seeds, then cut in small pieces; to put into saucepan, add water, and let cook slowly until very tender, stirring with the wooden spoon frequently; to then rub fruit through a strainer, return to saucepan, add sugar and lemon juice, and cook slowly one half-hour. This she did, and when the quinces were properly cooked, Adelaide poured them at once into the sterilized tumblers she had ready waiting, and put them on a tray to cool. Then mother told her to wipe the tops and outsides clean, cover with melted paraffin (shaking gently from side to side), label, and store away in the preserve closet. Plum Marmalade Plums, 1 lb. Sugar, 1 lb. Lemon (juice), One Water, 1 cup Adelaide first wiped the plums and removed the stones, then put the fruit into a saucepan, added the water and cooked until very soft, stirring every little while with the wooden spoon. Next she rubbed the fruit through a strainer, returned it to saucepan, added the sugar and lemon juice, and cooked slowly one half-hour. The sterilized tumblers were waiting, and into these Adelaide poured the marmalade. When the jars were cool she wiped the tumblers clean, poured over melted paraffin, shook gently from side to side to make them air tight, added the labels, then stored them away in the preserve closet. When Adelaide came to the prunes mother wondered what would happen, for Adelaide did not like prunes. It had been a tender subject between them for some time. However, the results were better than mother had expected, for Adelaide remarked: "Well, mother, I may as well try it, because even if I don't like prunes, you do, so I'll make this marmalade especially for you." Prune Marmalade Prunes, 1 lb. Sugar, 1 lb. Lemon (juice), One Water, 1 cup The prunes, mother said, would have to be thoroughly washed in several waters, then soaked over night in the cup of water. This Adelaide did, and the next morning put them on the stove in her little saucepan to boil until thoroughly cooked. With two silver forks Adelaide then removed the stones and rubbed the fruit through a strainer; returning the fruit to the saucepan, she added the sugar and lemon juice, cooked it slowly one half-hour, poured into sterilized tumblers, and let cool. When cold, Adelaide wiped each tumbler, poured melted paraffin over the top of marmalade, shook gently from side to side to exclude all air, pasted on the labels, and stored away in the preserve closet. Apple marmalade came next, and mother thought that that was sufficient for the present. Apple Marmalade Apples, 1 doz. Sugar Water These were nice tart apples of fine flavor. Adelaide washed them well, cut into quarters (removing stem and blossoms only), put in saucepan, and added enough water to almost, though not quite, cover the apples. These she cooked slowly until very soft, then pressed them through a strainer. She next measured the fruit, returned it to the saucepan, and to each cup of fruit added three-fourths of a cup of sugar. Returning the saucepan to the fire, Adelaide let it boil gently for three-quarters of an hour, stirring every little while. The sterilized tumblers were ready, and into these Adelaide poured the marmalade; when cool she wiped the tops and outsides clean, poured melted paraffin over the marmalade, shook the tumblers from side to side gently to exclude all air, pasted on the labels, and stored away in the preserve closet. CHAPTER II JAMS OF course Adelaide did not make her jams, jellies, etc., in the order given, but according to the season, and she welcomed each fruit in its turn. Adelaide was especially fond of jams; they did make the most delicious sandwiches when she came home hungry from school or went on a picnic, but the climax of enjoyment was reached when mother made rolly-polly jam puddings in the winter. Strawberries were usually first on the market, and so "Strawberry Jam" was the first attempt in the jam making line. Strawberry Jam Strawberries, 1 quart Sugar Mother told Adelaide to empty the strawberries into the colander and place in a pan of cold water, then to dip the colander up and down so as to thoroughly cleanse the berries; next to change the water two or three times until it was clear, then lift out the colander and drain. Mother also said that you should never wash berries after they were hulled, because if you did you lost part of the juice. After Adelaide felt sure they were clean, and after mother had carefully inspected them, she commenced to hull the berries, using the strawberry huller, then she weighed the berries and measured out three-fourths their weight in sugar. With a wooden potato masher Adelaide mashed the berries in the saucepan and poured over the sugar; this mixture she let stand a few minutes before putting the saucepan on the stove and letting it come slowly to the boiling point. When the fruit had cooked slowly for forty-five minutes, Adelaide stirring frequently, meanwhile, with the wooden spoon, it was ready for her to pour into sterilized tumblers, which she had previously prepared. The tops and outsides of the tumblers she wiped with a clean cloth as soon as the jam had cooled, then poured melted paraffin over the jam, and shook gently from side to side to make it air tight. Adelaide was always glad when it came time to paste on the neat little labels and put the tumblers away in the preserve closet; she was very much surprised, too, to see how quickly her bench was becoming filled. In the beginning, mother had told her that sometimes it would seem as though she spent all of her time preserving, for the fruits and vegetables followed fast upon one another, but Adelaide replied she was sure she would not mind, she was so eager to learn. Raspberry Jam Raspberries, 1 quart Sugar Adelaide picked over the raspberries before washing them, and mother told her to keep a sharp look-out for little worms that sometimes curled themselves up in the center, and you may be sure Adelaide's keen eyes never missed one if there were any. Next she put them in the colander, and then dipped the colander up and down in a pan of clear cold water several times. When all possible dirt had been washed away, Adelaide stood the colander to drain, after which she poured the berries into the saucepan and weighed them. Adelaide found it a great convenience to know the weight of each saucepan she used, and she kept a little card showing just how much each one weighed, then when they were weighed with the fruit, all she needed to do was to subtract the weight from the total of the saucepan to find out how much the fruit weighed. To each pound of raspberries Adelaide measured three-fourths of a pound of sugar, then she mashed the berries, added the sugar, and let the mixture stand a short time before putting it on the stove to cook. When the fruit had become heated to the boiling point, Adelaide let it cook slowly for forty-five minutes, not forgetting to stir with the wooden spoon to keep from burning; meanwhile, she had sterilized the tumblers and they were ready when the jam had finished cooking. Adelaide poured the jam into the tumblers at once, and as soon as it had cooled she wiped the tops and outsides carefully, poured melted paraffin over the jam, shook it gently from side to side to make it secure from the air, pasted on the labels, and stored them away in the preserve closet. Raspberry and Red Currant Jam Raspberries, 1 quart Red Currants, 1 pint Sugar First, Adelaide picked over the raspberries very carefully and placed them in the colander, then she removed the stems from the currants and added them to the raspberries. These she then dipped in clear cold water several times and set aside to drain. Next she weighed the fruit, and to each pound she added a pound of sugar. She mashed the fruit well with the wooden masher in the saucepan and poured over the sugar. After a few minutes the juice began to run and she put the saucepan on the stove, letting the jam heat slowly through. When it boiled, Adelaide stirred it frequently and let it cook forty-five minutes. It was then ready to pour into the sterilized tumblers. When cold, she wiped the top and outside of each tumbler, poured melted paraffin over the jam, shook it gently from side to side, thus excluding all air, pasted on the labels and put away in the preserve closet. This combination of raspberries and red currants was a great favorite with everybody. Red Currant Jam Red Currants, 1 quart Sugar The red currants Adelaide removed from their stems and put in the colander to be thoroughly washed. This was done by dipping the colander up and down in a pan of clear cold water. If they were very dusty, she changed the water several times. After draining the currants sufficiently, she weighed them and put them into the saucepan. To each pound of fruit Adelaide added one pound of sugar. With the wooden masher she mashed the currants and stirred them well with the sugar. Putting the saucepan on the stove, she let the fruit come slowly to the boiling point, stirring with the wooden spoon frequently to prevent it from burning. It boiled gently for forty-five minutes, then Adelaide poured it into sterilized tumblers at once and stood them away to cool. When they were cold she wiped the top and outside of each tumbler, poured melted paraffin over the jam, shaking it gently from side to side to keep out any air, pasted on the labels and stored away in the preserve closet. Black Currant Jam Black Currants, 1 quart Sugar Adelaide found that when she used red currants, the picking off of the stems consumed a lot of time, so she was glad to find the black currants come already stemmed. Putting the black currants in the colander, she proceeded to wash them thoroughly by dipping the colander up and down in a pan of clear cold water several times. If they were very dusty she changed the water two or three times until it was clear. After weighing the currants she poured them into a saucepan, mashed them with the wooden masher, added an equal weight of sugar, mixed well with the wooden spoon, let stand until the juice ran, then put the saucepan on the stove and let the mixture come slowly to the boiling point, stirring occasionally. While this was boiling gently for forty-five minutes, Adelaide sterilized the tumblers, not forgetting, however, to stir the jam frequently. When it was cooked she poured the jam at once into the tumblers and let it cool; as soon as it was cold, Adelaide wiped each tumbler thoroughly, inside the top and on the outside, poured melted paraffin over the jam, which she shook gently from side to side to keep out all air, then pasted on the labels and stored away in the preserve closet. Blackberry Jam Blackberries, 2 quarts Sugar Mother explained to Adelaide that the flavor of the blackberry was delicious, but you did not enjoy it so much if the seeds were allowed to remain, so that jam was prepared a little differently. After picking the blackberries over carefully, Adelaide put them in the colander, then dipped it up and down in a pan of cold water and set aside to drain. Afterwards, she put the fruit in the saucepan and with the wooden masher mashed it well. Then she stood the saucepan over the fire and let the fruit come gradually to the boiling point. While she let the fruit boil gently for twenty minutes, Adelaide stirred frequently, using the long wooden spoon. Moving the saucepan from the fire, Adelaide then rubbed the fruit through a fine sieve (mother said if the sieve let the seeds pass through to use a cheesecloth bag) and measured. To each cup of juice, which she returned to the saucepan, she added three-fourths of a cup of sugar, and putting the jam back over the fire, let it heat slowly, stirring often. This took three-quarters of an hour of gentle boiling before it was done. Adelaide poured at once into the sterilized tumblers, which were waiting to be filled, and set aside to cool. When cold, she wiped the tops and outsides carefully with a damp cloth, poured melted paraffin over the jam, shaking it gently from side to side, thus keeping out all air, pasted on the labels, and stored the jars away in the preserve closet. Gooseberry Jam Gooseberries, 1 quart Sugar "The jams with a nice tart flavor," Adelaide said, "are the ones Daddy likes best." He was especially fond of gooseberry jam and for that reason Adelaide decided to surprise him. The gooseberries Adelaide put in the colander and dipped up and down in a pan of clear cold water until thoroughly clean, then she drained them. With the strawberry huller she pulled off the tops, though she could have used the little sharp knife; next she weighed the gooseberries and put them in the saucepan to be mashed with the wooden masher. To each pound of fruit she added a pound of sugar, placed the saucepan over the fire and let the fruit come slowly to the boiling point. This needed to be stirred with the wooden spoon occasionally, but after it had reached the boiling point Adelaide stirred it very frequently to prevent burning. It took three-quarters of an hour to cook, and then Adelaide filled the sterilized tumblers with the jam and set it aside to cool. When the jam was cold she wiped each tumbler around the top and on the outside with a clean damp cloth, poured melted paraffin over the jam, pasted on the labels and stored away in the preserve closet. Of course Daddy was very much pleased with this jam. Large Blue Plum Jam Plums, 1 doz. Sugar The large blue plums, Adelaide's mother said, made delicious jam. Adelaide washed and wiped each plum carefully, then slit each one with a silver knife and took out the stone. After weighing them and putting the plums in the saucepan she added three-fourths of a pound of sugar to each pound of fruit, letting them stand until the juice ran. Placing the saucepan over the fire, she stirred the fruit occasionally until it reached the boiling point, after which she let it boil slowly, for forty-five minutes, and continued to stir very frequently to prevent the jam from burning or sticking to the bottom. In the meantime, Adelaide had the tumblers sterilized and waiting, and as soon as the jam had finished cooking she poured it at once into the tumblers. When the jam was cold she wiped the top and outside of each tumbler with a clean damp cloth and poured melted paraffin over the jam, shaking it gently from side to side to exclude all air. Next came the labels, and then the tumblers of jam were stored away in the preserve closet. Green-Gage Plum Jam Plums, 1 dozen Sugar The green-gage plums, Adelaide found, came later in the season, but they were worth waiting for. These she cut open with a silver knife, after having washed and wiped them carefully, and removed the stones. Weighing the plums, she put them in the saucepan, and to each pound of fruit she added three-quarters of a pound of sugar. When the juice began to run she placed the saucepan over the fire, and let the jam come slowly to the boiling point, stirring it every little while;