WOMAN'S INSTITUTE LIBRARY OF COOKERY. VOLUME 5: FRUIT AND FRUIT DESSERTS; CANNING AND DRYING; JELLY MAKING, PRESERVING AND PICKLING; CONFECTIONS; BEVERAGES; THE PLANNING OF MEALS TEXT

blackberries. Some varieties of these are large in size and contain considerable pulp in proportion to seeds. These are especially suitable for jam. BLACKBERRY JAM 4 qt. blackberries 1/2 c. hot water 2 lb. sugar Wash the berries thoroughly, and put them over the fire with the water. Bring to the boiling point, and boil slowly for a few minutes. Then mash the berries, add the sugar, and cook the mixture until, when tested, it is of a jelly-like consistency. Pour into hot, sterilized glasses, cool, and label. BUTTERS 81. FRUIT BUTTERS are a form of preserves similar to jams, and are used in the place of preserves, jams, conserves, or marmalades. The fruit used for this purpose, which may be either large or small, is usually very ripe and somewhat soft. Therefore, as in the case of jams, imperfect fruits that are not suitable for other purposes can be used very well for butters. Butters made from fruits differ from jams in that both the skins and seeds are always removed. The completed mixture is smooth and thick, having been made thick by long boiling and evaporation, rather than by the addition of large quantities of sugar. In fact, less sugar is used for butters proportionately than for any other preserved fruit. Spices are generally used in butters, so that the mixture is very highly flavored. To prevent butters from scorching, they should be stirred constantly for a long period of time. This stirring becomes very tiresome, but it should not be stopped or the mixture is certain to scorch. If they are properly cooked, butters keep well with very little care in storage. Crocks are generally used for the storage of butters, but glasses or jars may be substituted. 82. APPLE BUTTER.--Apples are very often made into butter, but for this purpose sour apples that will cook soft should be selected. If the procedure explained in the accompanying recipe is followed, very good results may be expected. APPLE BUTTER 4 qt. apples 8 qt. cider 1 lb. sugar 3 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. cloves 1 tsp. allspice Peel the apples and quarter them. Boil the cider until it is reduced half. Add the apples to the cider, and cook slowly for about 3 hours, or until they are mushy, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to prevent the apples from sticking to the bottom of the kettle. At the end of this time, the mixture should be thick and smooth and dark in color. If it gets too thick, more cider can be added. About 1 hour before the cooking is completed, add the sugar and the spices. Even greater care must be exercised from this time on to prevent scorching. If, after cooking 3 hours, the mixture is not sufficiently thick, continue to cook until more of the moisture is evaporated. Have hot sterilized glasses or crocks ready, fill them with the butter, cool, and seal. 83. PEACH BUTTER.--Peaches are especially satisfactory when made into butter. This fruit does not require such long cooking as apples, as will be seen in the accompanying recipe. PEACH BUTTER 4 qt. peaches 1 c. hot water 1 lb. sugar 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. cloves Wash the peaches, rub them to remove the fuzz, cut them in half, and take out the seeds. Measure the peaches and put them with the water into the preserving kettle, bring them to a boil, and cook until they are thoroughly softened. Then press them through a sieve or a colander, return the pulp to the preserving kettle, and add the sugar and the spices. Cook slowly for 1 or 2 hours, or until it has become a rich dark, clear color. Pour the butter into hot sterilized glasses or crocks, cool, and seal. 84. PEAR BUTTER.--An appetizing fruit butter can be made from pears in the same way that peach butter is made. PEAR BUTTER 4 qt. pears, quartered 2 c. hot water 1 lb. sugar 2 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. cloves Wash, cut, and core the pears, but do not peel them. Cut them into quarters, and put the quarters into a preserving kettle with the water. Bring to the boiling point, and boil until soft or mushy. Remove from the kettle and force through a sieve or a colander. To the pulp, add the sugar and spices, return to the kettle, and cook slowly for about 2 hours, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. If 2 hours is not sufficient to cook the mixture dry, cook a little longer. Pour into hot sterilized glasses or jars, cool, and seal. 85. PLUM BUTTER.--Another very good way in which to preserve plums for future use is to make butter of them. The accompanying recipe explains the correct procedure for butter of this kind. PLUM BUTTER 4 qt. plums 1 c. hot water 3 lb. sugar 2 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. cloves Wash the plums, cut them in half, and remove the seeds. Put the plums with the water into a preserving kettle, and boil until they are soft. Press them through a sieve or a colander, return to the preserving kettle, and add the sugar and spices. Boil until the mixture is thick and jelly-like, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Pour into hot sterilized crocks or glasses, cool, and seal. If very sour plums are used, increase the amount of sugar. * * * * * PICKLING PRINCIPLES OF PICKLING 86. PICKLING consists in preserving fruits and vegetables in vinegar or brine. Each of these liquids acts as a preservative, so that the receptacles, or containers, for the food do not have to be sealed air-tight, nor does the preserved food require much care in order to have it keep perfectly. The effect of the pickling liquids on both fruits and vegetables is very similar. The salt in the brine or the vinegar hardens the cellulose of the foods to such an extent that they are impervious to the action of bacteria. While this permits the foods to keep well, it also makes them difficult to digest, a fact that must be remembered when pickled foods are included in the diet. 87. The procedure in pickling is simple. After the fruit or vegetable is cleaned and prepared in the way desired, it is merely a matter of placing the food in sterilized jars or crocks, pouring the hot preserving liquid over it, allowing it to cool, and then storing it. In some cases the food is cooked, and in others it is not. As a rule, spices of some kind or other are added, both to aid in preserving and to impart flavor. 88. Practically all large fruits and many vegetables are pickled, as is shown in the recipes that follow. Foods preserved by pickling are known as either _pickles_ or _relishes_. While both products are similar in many respects, relishes are distinguished from pickles in that, as a rule, they are made up from more than one kind of fruit or vegetable and usually the pieces are cut or chopped and not put up whole. Often the foods in relishes are chopped or cut so fine as to make it almost impossible to tell what the fruit or vegetable was originally. The food value of both these products is not extremely high, unless a great quantity of sugar is used in the pickling. This is sometimes the case with pickled peaches or pears, but seldom if ever with pickled vegetables. * * * * * RECIPES FOR PICKLING PICKLES 89. SMALL CUCUMBER PICKLES.--Perhaps the most common pickles are small cucumbers pickled according to the accompanying recipe. Such pickles meet with favor and serve very well as appetizers. The cucumbers selected should be small, so that they will be solid all the way through. SMALL CUCUMBER PICKLES 1 gal. water 4 c. coarse salt 200 small cucumbers 1/2 gal. vinegar 1-1/2 tsp. celery seed 1 lb. light-brown sugar 1/2 tsp. mustard seed 1 tsp. salt 1 oz. stick cinnamon 1 tsp. whole cloves Make a brine of the water and the coarse salt, pour it over the cucumbers, and allow them to stand for 24 hours. At the end of this time, pour off the brine, wash the pickles in cold water, and place them into crocks. Heat the vinegar, add the celery seed, sugar, mustard seed, salt, cinnamon, and cloves, and bring the mixture to the boiling point. Pour this over the pickles in the crocks, cover closely while hot, and place in storage. If the pickles are desired sweet, add more brown sugar to the mixture. 90. SLICED-CUCUMBER PICKLES.--Large cucumbers cut into slices may be pickled in practically the same way as small cucumbers. At times, when small cucumbers are hard to get, large cucumbers will take their place very well. In fact, some housewives prefer sliced cucumber pickles to the small ones. SLICED-CUCUMBER PICKLES 1 gal. sliced cucumbers 1 c. coarse salt 1-1/2 qt. vinegar 1 pt. water 1 tsp. pepper 3 tsp. mustard 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. cloves 4 onions, chopped 1 c. brown sugar 1 Tb. salt Select rather large cucumbers. Wash and peel them and cut into 1/4-inch slices. Sprinkle well with salt, and mix the salt among the layers of cucumbers. Allow this to stand for 24 hours; then drain and wash in clear cold water. To the vinegar and water add the spices, onion, sugar, and salt. Heat this to the boiling point, pour over the sliced cucumbers, and pack them into jars or crocks. Seal while hot and store. 91. CUCUMBERS IN BRINE.--Cucumbers may also be preserved in brine, stored, and pickled in vinegar later in any quantity, as desired. Pour 1 gallon of boiling water over 4 cupfuls of coarse salt. This should make brine that is heavy enough to support an egg. Wash cucumbers of any desired size, put them into a sterilized crock, in layers, and pour the brine, which has been allowed to cool, over the cucumbers until they are entirely covered. Cover the top of the crock well and store. Cucumbers preserved in this way may be taken from the brine at any time and pickled. To do this, soak them in fresh water to remove the salty taste. The fresh water may have to be poured off and replaced several times. After they have been freshened sufficiently, pickle them in vinegar and season them in any desirable way. 92. PICKLED BEANS.--String beans that are pickled make a good relish to serve with meals. Unlike cucumbers that are pickled, the beans are cooked before the preserving liquid is added. The accompanying recipe is for either wax or green beans. PICKLED BEANS 4 qt. beans 1-1/2 qt. vinegar 1 c. brown sugar 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. pepper 1 tsp. allspice 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. cloves Select large, firm, tender wax or green beans. Cover them with water to which has been added 1 level teaspoonful of salt to each quart and put them over the fire to cook. Boil the beans until they can be pierced with a fork, remove from the fire, drain, and pack into jars or crocks. To the vinegar add the sugar, salt, and spices. Bring this mixture to the boiling point, and pour it over the beans in the jars or crocks, filling them completely or covering the beans well. Close tight and store. 93. PICKLED BEETS.--Pickled beets meet with much favor as a relish. Like pickled beans, they must be cooked before they can be pickled; also, unless they are very small, they should be sliced before pickling as the recipe points out. PICKLED BEETS 4 qt. red beets 2 qt. vinegar 2 c. brown sugar 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. pepper 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. cloves 1 tsp. allspice Cut the tops from the red beets, leaving 1 inch of the stems and the roots attached. Scrub well with a vegetable brush, and put to cook in boiling water. Cook until the beets are tender enough to be pierced with a fork. Pour off the hot water and run cold water over them. Remove the roots and stems, and cut into slices of any desired thickness or into dice, if preferred. Pack into jars or crocks. Then bring the vinegar to a boil, and to it add the sugar, salt, and spices. Pour this hot mixture over the beets. Seal the beets while hot, cool, and store. 94. PICKLED CAULIFLOWER.--Cauliflower is another vegetable that lends itself well to pickling. This food must be cooked, too, before pickling; and to have it just right for packing into the containers, it requires particular attention in cooking. PICKLED CAULIFLOWER 4 qt. cauliflower broken into pieces 2 c. brown sugar 1 Tb. salt 1/2 tsp. pepper 1 qt. vinegar 1 pt. water Select firm heads of cauliflower and break them into sections or flowerets. Immerse these in cold water to which has been added 1 teaspoonful of salt to the quart. Allow the cauliflower to stand for 1 hour in the salt water. Remove from the water, and put over the fire to cook in salt water of the same proportion as that used for soaking. Cook until the cauliflower is quite tender, but not so tender as it would be cooked to serve at the table. If this is done, the cauliflower will darken and break into pieces. It should be firm enough not to crush or break easily when it is packed into the jars. When properly cooked, pack closely into jars, add the sugar, salt, and pepper to the vinegar and water, heat to the boiling point, and pour this liquid over the cauliflower, completely covering it. Seal while hot, allow to cool, and store. 95. PICKLED ONIONS.--Pickled onions are well liked by many. For pickling purposes, medium small onions of uniform size are most suitable. Owing to their nature, onions cannot be pickled so quickly as some of the vegetables mentioned, but, otherwise, the work is done in practically the same way. PICKLED ONIONS 4 qt. onions 2 qt. spiced vinegar Select onions that are as nearly the same size as possible. Peel them and let them stand in fresh water for 24 hours. Pour off this water, and over the onions pour a brine made by adding 2 cupfuls of salt to each gallon of water. Allow them to stand in this brine for 3 days, changing the brine once during this time. Remove the onions from the brine, and freshen in cold water for 2 hours. Drain the onions and cook them in the spiced vinegar for 1/2 hour. Any of the spiced vinegars given for the other vegetables may be used. After cooking, pack the onions with the liquid into jars, seal, cool, and store. 96. PICKLED PEACHES.--Among the fruits that may be pickled, peaches seem to meet with great favor. They, as well as pickled pears and pickled crab apples, make a relish that adds variety to the foods that are served in the home from day to day. The pickling process does not differ materially from that applied to vegetables, as the accompanying recipe shows. PICKLED PEACHES 2 lb. brown sugar 1 qt. vinegar 1 oz. stick cinnamon 4 qt. peaches 2 Tb. cloves Boil the sugar, vinegar, and cinnamon together until they begin to look sirupy. Wash the peaches and rub off the fuzz. Stick one or two cloves into each peach, and drop the peaches into the sirup. Cook them until they may be easily pierced with a fork. Put them into jars, pour the sirup over them, filling each jar, and seal while hot. Allow the jars to cool and store. The peaches may be peeled if desired. It may also be more convenient to cook only part of the peaches in the sirup at one time, cooking the remainder after these have been taken out and put into jars. 97. PICKLED PEARS.--Pears also lend themselves readily to pickling. Specific directions are not given here, because they are pickled in exactly the same way as peaches. The pears may be peeled or not, as desired. 98. PICKLED CRAB APPLES.--Crab apples that are to be pickled should preferably be of a large variety. The directions given for pickling peaches apply also to this fruit. The crab apples should be examined carefully to make certain that they contain no worms. Also, the stems should be left on, and they should be washed thoroughly with the blossom ends cut out. RELISHES 99. MUSTARD PICKLES.--Among the relishes, mustard pickles are very popular. This relish is made up of a large number of vegetables, namely, cucumbers, string beans, green peppers, red sweet peppers, onions, green tomatoes, cauliflower, and green Lima beans. MUSTARD PICKLES 1 pt. small cucumbers 1 qt. string beans 4 green peppers 4 red sweet peppers 1 pt. small onions 1 pt. green tomatoes 1 pt. cauliflower 1 c. green Lima beans 3/4 c. flour 2 c. sugar 4 Tb. powdered mustard 2 tsp. tumeric 1 Tb. celery seed 1 Tb. salt 1/2 tsp. pepper 1 qt. vinegar 1 pt. water Wash all the vegetables and prepare them by cutting them into the desired sizes. The onions and cucumbers should be of a size that will not require cutting. Put all the vegetables together, cover them with salt water made by adding 1 cupful of salt to each 2 quarts of water, and allow them to stand in this for 24 hours. At the end of this time, drain off the brine and freshen the vegetables in clear water for about 2 hours. Mix the dry ingredients together, heat the vinegar and water, and pour it over all. Bring this mixture to the boiling point, and pour it over the vegetables. Fill the jars with the hot mixture, seal, cool, and store. 100. SPANISH RELISH.--Another satisfactory relish made up of a large number of vegetables and spices is Spanish relish. In its preparation, however, the vegetables are not chopped very fine. SPANISH RELISH 12 green sweet peppers 12 red sweet peppers 12 medium-sized onions 12 green tomatoes 2 medium-sized heads of cabbage 1 tsp. salt 1 lb. brown sugar 1/2 tsp. black pepper 1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper 1 Tb. mustard seed 1 tsp. celery seed 1-1/2 qt. vinegar Wash the vegetables and chop them into coarse pieces. Cover them with salt water made by adding 1 cupful of salt to a gallon of water and allow them to stand in this brine for 6 to 8 hours. At the end of this time, drain off the salt water and wash with clear water. Add the salt, sugar, and spices to the vinegar, and bring this mixture to the boiling point. Then pour it over the mixture of vegetables, pack all into sterilized crocks or jars, seal, cool, and store. 101. CHOW CHOW.--Still another relish in which a variety of vegetables is used is chow chow. This relish is well and favorably known to housewives for the zest it imparts to meals. CHOW CHOW 2 qt. small green tomatoes 6 green peppers 6 red peppers 1 small head of cabbage 2 bunches celery 1 pt. small onions 1 qt. small cucumbers 3 qt. vinegar 1 Tb. salt 2 c. brown sugar 1/2 tsp. black pepper 2 Tb. mustard seed 2 Tb. tumeric 2 Tb. allspice 1 Tb. cloves 1 Tb. cinnamon Wash the vegetables and cut them into very small pieces. Cover them with salt water made by adding 1 cupful of salt to a gallon of water, and let them stand in this for 6 to 8 hours. Drain at the end of this time, and wash with cold water. Heat the vinegar, and to it add the salt, sugar, and spices. Add this to the vegetables and cook until they are soft. Pack into sterilized jars, seal while hot, cool, and store. 102. BEET RELISH.--A relish in which cooked beets are the principal ingredient may be made up from the accompanying recipe. As pickled beets in any form are usually well liked, this relish may be put up for the variety it offers. BEET RELISH 1 qt. cooked beets, chopped 1 c. horseradish root, grated 1 c. vinegar 1 Tb. salt 1/2 c. sugar 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. cloves Cook the beets in the usual way. When they are tender, remove the skins and chop quite fine. Add the grated horseradish to the beets. To the vinegar, add the salt, sugar, and spices and heat to the boiling point. Pour this mixture over the vegetable mixture, pack all into hot sterilized jars, seal, cool, and store. 103. CHILLI SAUCE.--Chilli sauce is a well-known relish in which ripe tomatoes, red or green peppers, and onions are combined with spices and vinegar. Although not so many vegetables are used in this relish as in those which precede, it merits a place among the canned foods prepared for future use. CHILLI SAUCE 2 qt. medium-sized ripe tomatoes 2 red or green peppers, finely chopped 2 onions, finely chopped 2 c. vinegar 1/2 c. sugar 1 Tb. salt 1 tsp. ground cloves 2 tsp. ground cinnamon 2 tsp. celery salt Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water until the skins loosen. Then remove the skins and stem ends, chop the tomatoes, and put them into a preserving kettle with the chopped peppers and chopped onions. Heat gradually to the boiling point, add the vinegar, sugar, salt, and