A LITTLE PRESERVING BOOK FOR A LITTLE GIRL TEXT

The small glasses were all sterilized, and as soon as the juice had boiled the necessary time, Adelaide added the sugar gradually and stirred with the wooden spoon until it was all dissolved. Adelaide tended the juice and sugar carefully until it reached the "jelly point," then, skimming quickly, she poured the jelly into a pitcher, and from there into the small glasses. Next she stood them in a sunny window, and when the jelly was cold the glasses were wiped around the tops and on the outsides with a damp cloth. Melting the paraffin she poured it over the jelly and shook it gently from side to side to exclude all air. The labels were pasted on finally, and the jelly was stored away in the preserve closet. Wild Plum Jelly Wild Plums, 1 quart Sugar Water, 2 tablespoons The wild plums that Adelaide used were brought to her by a friend who lived in the country. They were about the size of large cherries. The flavor of the jelly was most delicious and a general favorite with everybody. Adelaide washed the plums after emptying them into the colander, by dipping the colander up and down several times in a pan of clear cold water, after which she drained them. Into the saucepan she had measured two tablespoons of cold water, and as she picked over the plums she slit each one with a silver knife and dropped it into the waiting saucepan. These she let simmer until soft and mushy, not forgetting to stir occasionally to keep them from burning, then poured the fruit into the jelly bag to drip over night. In the morning Adelaide measured the juice, and to each cup she measured three-quarters of a cup of sugar. The juice she let boil rapidly for twenty minutes, while the sugar was stood at the back of the range in an earthenware dish to heat through, but not brown. When the juice had boiled sufficiently, Adelaide added the sugar gradually and stirred with the wooden spoon until it was all dissolved. As soon as the "jelly point" was reached, Adelaide skimmed it quickly, poured it into a pitcher, from there into the sterilized small glasses, and stood them in a sunny window. After the jelly was cold she wiped each glass around the top and on the outside with a damp cloth, poured melted paraffin over the jelly, shaking it gently from side to side to exclude all air, pasted on the labels and stored the tumblers away in the preserve closet. Damson Plum Jelly Damson Plums, 1 quart Sugar Water, 2 tablespoons Adelaide wiped and picked over the Damson Plums, and slit each one with a silver knife before placing them in the saucepan with two tablespoons of cold water. These she let boil until very soft, stirring occasionally with the wooden spoon to prevent burning. When the fruit had cooked sufficiently, she poured it into the jelly bag and let it drip over night. The next morning she measured the juice, and to each cup she measured three-fourths the amount of sugar. It (the juice) was boiled rapidly for twenty minutes, while the sugar stood on the back of the range in an earthenware dish to heat through, but not brown. After twenty minutes of boiling for the juice, the sugar was added gradually and stirred until it was all dissolved. When the "jelly point" was reached Adelaide skimmed the jelly quickly, poured it into a pitcher, and from there into the sterilized glasses, and then stood them in a sunny window. As soon as the jelly was cold, Adelaide wiped the tops and outsides of each glass with a damp cloth, poured melted paraffin over the jelly, shaking it gently from side to side to exclude all air, pasted on the labels and stored the jelly glasses away in the preserve closet. Apple Jelly Apples, 1 dozen Sugar Water The apples that made the best jelly, mother told Adelaide, were the "porter apples," the "gravenstein apples," the "maiden's blush," and the "fall pippins." Adelaide wiped each apple thoroughly with a damp cloth and removed the stems and blossom ends. With a silver knife she cut them in quarters. Placing them in the saucepan, she added cold water until it came nearly to the top of the apples. Covering the saucepan, she stood it over the fire and let the apples cook slowly until they were very soft. She found it necessary to stir the fruit with a wooden spoon occasionally to prevent the juice from burning. When it was done Adelaide poured it into the jelly bag and let the juice drip over night. The next morning she measured the juice, and to each cup she measured a cup of sugar, which she placed in an earthenware dish on the back of the range to heat through but not burn. As soon as the juice had boiled rapidly for twenty minutes, Adelaide added the sugar a little at a time, stirring constantly until it had all dissolved. Then she let it cook to the "jelly point," after which she skimmed it quickly, poured it into a pitcher and filled the sterilized small glasses at once. The glasses were then placed in a sunny window, and, when cold, Adelaide wiped each glass around the top and on the outside with a damp cloth, poured melted paraffin over the jelly, shook it gently from side to side to exclude air, pasted on the labels and stored the jelly away in the preserve closet in the space allotted for jellies. Crab Apple Jelly Crab Apples, 2 dozen Sugar Water The crab apples make a very handsome jelly, and as they are very small, mother did not think two dozen would be too many for Adelaide to prepare. These, mother said, you only needed to wipe clean with a damp cloth and remove the stem and blossom end. It was not necessary to cut them, just put them into the saucepan and nearly cover them with cold water. Standing the saucepan over the fire, Adelaide put on the cover and let the apples cook slowly until very soft, stirring occasionally to keep from burning, then she poured them into the jelly bag and let the juice drip over night. In the morning she measured the juice, and for each cup of juice she measured a cup of sugar. The sugar was put in an earthenware dish and stood at the back of the range, to heat through, but not brown, while the juice was boiling rapidly for twenty minutes. As soon as the juice was ready, Adelaide added the sugar gradually, stirring constantly with the wooden spoon until it had all dissolved. This she let come to the "jelly point," skimmed quickly, poured into a pitcher, and filled the sterilized small glasses at once. Next she placed the jelly in a sunny window. When cold, she wiped each glass around the top and on the outside with a damp cloth, poured melted paraffin over the jelly (shaking gently from side to side to exclude all air), pasted on the labels and stored away in the preserve closet. Barberry Jelly Barberries, 1 quart Sugar Water, 2 tablespoons Mother saw to it that the barberries were bought just before any frost came, and she liked a few of the berries to be green. The reason for this, she told Adelaide, was to make the jelly firmer and a much better color. Adelaide poured the barberries into the colander, and dipped them up and down several times in a pan of clear cold water, to rinse off all dust, then she picked them over and put them into the saucepan with two tablespoons of cold water; next she mashed the barberries with the wooden potato masher and placed over the fire to cook slowly until very soft. It was necessary, Adelaide found, to stir with the wooden spoon occasionally to prevent burning. When the fruit was done, she poured it into the jelly bag and the juice dripped over night. In the morning she measured the juice, and for each cup she measured an equal amount of sugar, which she put in an earthenware dish and stood on the back of the stove to heat through, but not brown, while the juice boiled rapidly for twenty minutes. At the end of that time Adelaide added the sugar gradually, stirring constantly until it was all dissolved, then she let it cook to the "jelly point." Skimming the jelly quickly, she poured the jelly into a pitcher and filled the sterilized small glasses at once. They were then placed in a sunny window, and, when cold, Adelaide wiped around the top and the outside of each glass with a damp cloth, poured melted paraffin over the jelly, and shook it gently from side to side to exclude all air. Before storing the glasses away in the preserve closet Adelaide pasted on the labels. Quince Jelly Quinces (large), 1/2 dozen Sugar Water Quinces are very hard to cut, so Adelaide found it necessary to use the little sharp knife, after washing and wiping them thoroughly. In preparing these, Adelaide removed the blossom ends and seeds, cut each quince into small pieces, nearly covered the fruit with cold water, placed the saucepan on the fire and let the quinces cook very slowly until soft, stirring occasionally with the wooden spoon to prevent burning. As soon as they had finished cooking she poured the fruit into the jelly bag and let it drip over night. Next morning she measured the juice, and for each cup Adelaide measured an equal quantity of sugar. The sugar she stood at the back of the range in an earthenware dish to heat through, but not brown, and the juice she let boil rapidly for twenty minutes. Then she added the sugar gradually, stirring constantly until all the sugar had dissolved. When the "jelly point" was reached Adelaide skimmed quickly and poured the jelly into a pitcher. Filling the sterilized small glasses at once, she then stood them in a sunny window. When cold, each glass was carefully wiped with a damp cloth around the top and on the outside, melted paraffin was poured over the jelly, the glass was shaken gently from side to side to exclude all air, and, finally, Adelaide pasted on the labels and stored the glasses away in the preserve closet. Quince and Apple Jelly Apples (sour), 1/2 dozen Quinces (large), 1/4 dozen Sugar Water The apples and quinces Adelaide wiped thoroughly clean with a damp cloth, and removed the stems and blossom ends. The apples she cut into quarters, but the quinces were cut into very small pieces. When she emptied the fruit into the saucepan she nearly covered it with cold water, then stood it over the fire, put on the cover and let it boil gently until very soft. Occasionally Adelaide stirred it with the wooden spoon to prevent burning. As soon as the fruit was sufficiently soft she poured it into the jelly bag, where it remained over night to drip. In the morning she measured the juice, and to each cup she measured an equal quantity of sugar, which she put at the back of the range in an earthenware dish to heat through, but not brown. The juice then boiled for twenty minutes, at the end of which time Adelaide added the sugar gradually, stirring constantly until all had dissolved. When the juice and sugar reached the "jelly point" Adelaide skimmed quickly, poured the jelly into a pitcher, filled the sterilized small glasses at once and stood them in a sunny window. Each glass was carefully wiped with a damp cloth around the top and on the outside when they were cold and melted paraffin poured over the jelly. This Adelaide shook gently from side to side to exclude all air. Next she pasted on the labels, then stored the tumblers away in the preserve closet. Cranberry Jelly Cranberries, 1 quart Sugar Water After Adelaide had emptied the cranberries into the colander, then dipped them up and down several times in a pan of clear cold water, she picked them over. While her little fingers worked quickly she told mother the cranberries made her long for Thanksgiving Day to come, and especially this year, as she wanted _her_ "cranberry jelly" served with the turkey. Mother said she would feel very proud to have it grace the "festive board." When the cranberries were all in the saucepan, Adelaide poured enough cold water over the top so that she could see it easily among the berries. Placing the saucepan over the fire, the berries cooked slowly, and Adelaide used the wooden potato masher with which to mash them. She also stirred them occasionally to keep them from burning. When the fruit was soft, Adelaide poured the cranberries into the jelly bag and the juice dripped over night. In the morning she measured to each cup of juice a cup of sugar. This she stood at the back of the range in an earthenware dish, to heat through but not brown. Adelaide cooked the juice rapidly for twenty minutes, then added the sugar gradually, stirred constantly until the sugar was all dissolved, and let it continue to cook until the "jelly point" was reached. Now she worked quickly, skimming the jelly, pouring it into a pitcher and filling the sterilized small glasses at once. These she stood in a sunny window. As soon as the jelly was cold she wiped around the top and the outside of each glass with a damp cloth, poured melted paraffin over the top, shaking it gently from side to side to exclude all air, pasted on the labels, then stored the tumblers away in the preserve closet. Adelaide tried the combination of cranberries and apples which mother said made a very good jelly. Cranberry and Apple Jelly Cranberries, 1 pint Apples, 4 lbs. Sugar Water After wiping the apples thoroughly with a damp cloth, Adelaide removed the stems and blossom ends and cut into quarters. The cranberries Adelaide placed in the colander, dipped up and down several times in a pan of clear cold water, set aside to drain, then picked them over. Putting the apples and cranberries into the saucepan she nearly covered them with water, placed them over the fire to cook slowly, stirred occasionally with the wooden spoon, then when they were very soft and mushy, Adelaide poured the fruit into the jelly bag. The juice dripped over night, and, in the morning, she measured the juice. To each cup, Adelaide measured an equal amount of sugar. The sugar was placed at the back of the range in an earthenware dish to heat through, but not brown, while the juice boiled rapidly for twenty minutes. Adding the sugar gradually, Adelaide stirred constantly until it had all dissolved. When the cooked juice and sugar reached the "jelly point" she skimmed quickly, poured into a pitcher, filled the sterilized small glasses at once, and stood in a sunny window. After the jelly was cold, Adelaide wiped around the top and outside of each glass with a damp cloth, poured melted paraffin over the top, shook it gently from side to side to exclude all air, pasted on the labels, then stored the jelly away in the preserve closet. This finished the "jelly making." CHAPTER IV PRESERVING AND CANNING "MOTHER," questioned Adelaide, "what is the difference between 'preserving' and 'canning'?" "Well, dear, according to the cook books, preserved fruits are cooked with from three-fourths to an equal weight of sugar, while canned fruits have only sufficient added to sweeten. Some fruits are often canned without sugar, as it is not the sugar that keeps the fruit, but the perfect sterilization of fruit and jars. Sterilizing, you remember, is the killing of all germs by boiling." "Some fruits I much prefer canning without sugar, such as apples, peaches, blueberries and rhubarb. When you open the jars in the winter time and add the sugar as you need it the flavor is almost like that of fresh fruit," answered mother. "Oh, I see, so that is why our peaches taste so much better to me than anybody else's!" exclaimed Adelaide. Adelaide began with strawberries, but first she read the "general rules" again that she had written down in the beginning, because she did not wish to make a single mistake. Canned Strawberries Strawberries, 1 quart Sugar Emptying the berries into the colander she dipped it up and down several times in a pan of clear cold water, then let them drain thoroughly. The berries were hulled, weighed, and put into the saucepan, which she placed over the fire, heating the fruit through very gradually. It was better, mother said, to let them stand at the back of the range until the juice began to run, before bringing the berries to the boiling point. These boiled slowly five minutes, and then Adelaide added one-third their weight in sugar. The sugar had been standing in an earthenware dish at the back of the range, to heat through, but not brown. While Adelaide added the sugar very gradually she stirred the fruit gently with the wooden spoon, and was very careful not to break the berries. It did not take long for the fruit and sugar to come to the boiling point, and then Adelaide filled to overflowing the sterilized pint jar at once, inserted the silver knife between the jar and fruit to let the air bubbles rise and break, put on the new rubber smoothly, sealed quickly and stood the jar upside down out of the way of any draft. The next morning she inspected the jar carefully, to be sure it did not leak, then wiped away all stickiness with a damp cloth, pasted on the label and stored it away in the preserve closet. Canned Raspberries Raspberries, 1 quart Sugar Mother was delighted with this quart of raspberries, they were just ripe enough, large, and almost every one perfect. It did not take Adelaide long to pick these over, and she could see each center very easily. There wasn't a single bug or worm. She weighed the raspberries before putting them in the colander to dip up and down several times in a pan of clear cold water. When they had drained, she emptied the berries into the saucepan and stood it on the back of the range to let the juice run. She also placed a third of their weight of sugar in an earthenware dish at the back of the range, to heat through, but not brown. When the juice had run sufficiently, Adelaide moved the saucepan forward, the berries came slowly to the boiling point, and continued to boil very slowly for five minutes. It was then time to add the warm sugar, stirring very gently while it dissolved. Adelaide was very careful not to break the fruit. As soon as the fruit boiled again it was ready to pour into the sterilized pint jar. Adelaide filled the jar to overflowing, inserted a silver knife between the jar and the berries to let all air bubbles come to the top and break, put on the new rubber smoothly, sealed quickly, then stood the jar upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning she made sure that the jar had not leaked, then with a damp cloth she wiped away all stickiness, pasted on the label and stored the jar away in the preserve closet. Canned Raspberries and Currants Raspberries, 1 quart Currants, 1 pint Sugar, 2 cups Adelaide picked over the raspberries and currants very carefully, washed and drained them in the usual manner, but kept them separate. The currants she placed in the saucepan and mashed with the wooden potato masher. Next she cooked them very slowly until the currants looked white, then she strained them through two thicknesses of cheese cloth. Returning the juice to the saucepan, she added the sugar, stirring until it was all dissolved, and let it boil slowly twenty minutes, then she poured in the raspberries carefully and boiled them three minutes. The sterilized pint jar Adelaide filled to overflowing at once, inserted the silver knife to force the air bubbles to the top, placed the new rubber on smoothly, sealed quickly and stood upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning she wiped off all stickiness with a damp cloth, made sure the jar did not leak, pasted on the label and stored it away in the preserve closet. Canned Cherries Cherries, 1 quart Sugar Mother liked to have her cherries cut in halves and the stones taken out, though she told Adelaide many people preferred them canned whole. Adelaide followed mother's way, so the large ripe cherries she placed in the colander, and washed thoroughly by dipping it up and down