Vegetarian cookery

Melons, before they are too ripe, are preserved in the sam* way, allowing half an ounce of roche alum, finely powdered, to six melons. Vine-leaves are preferable to cabbage-leaves, when they can be obtained. No. 606. — Red Currants. To one pound of ripe currants, cut from the stalks, allow eight ounces of pounded loaf sugar, and. sprinkle it amongst them ; then put them in bottles ; cork them lightly, and set them in a pan of cold water on a slow fire, till the water is scalding ; keep them at that point twenty minutes ; then take them off the fire, and let them remain in the water till cold ; cork them tightly, and cement, or tie down the corks. They should be kept in a dry, cool place. No. 607. — Damsons. Wipe the damsons, and put them into a deep stew-pot, adding one pound of sugar to three pounds of fruit ; set them in a cool oven till they are thoroughly warm, but not broken ; when taken out of the oven, drain the syrup carefully from them, and set it on the fire, adding another pound of sugar ; let it boU ten or fifteen minutes, and then pour it hot upon tlie damsons. Repeat the boiling of the syrup twice. No. 608. — Gooseberries. The gooseberries should be gathered just before they turn red, and be perfectly diy. Allow one pound of sugar to one pound and a quarter of fruit ; put the gooseberries into a pan, with part of the sugar, and after boiling half an hour, add the remainder of the sugar, and let the whole boil together about twenty minutes longer ; pour into jars, and when cold, cover them in the usual way. No. 609.— Green Gooseberries. When gooseberries are ready for bottling, select the largest for preserving ; to every two pounds of gooseberries, allow one pound and a half of loaf sugar, bruised ; put the fruit and sugar in an earthen vessel ; cover it closely, and set it in a pan of water on the fire till the syrup will separate from the fruit ; when cold, pour oif the syrup ; boil, and pour it hot upon the fruit ; the next day, boil all together, gently, about twenty minutes ; then take out the gooseberries, and put them in small jars ; boil the syrup quarter of an hour longer, and then pour it upon the fruit. No. 610. — Greengages. The plums should be quite sound, and not quite ripe ; prick them with a fork six or seven times about the stalks, and when pricked, put them immediately into cold water, or they will turn black ; scald the plums ; drain the water from them, and place them carefully in an earthen pan ; pour the boiling syrup over them, and let them remain till the next day ; then drain all the syrup from them ; boil, skim it, and pour it over them ; repeat this for five or six days ; then drain the syrup from them ; add to it the remainder of the sugar ; boil it half an hour, and when skimmed, pour it over the fruit. The syrup in which the plums are to he scalded, should have half a pint of water to one pound of sugar. Orleans plums may be done in the same way. No. 611. — Jargonel Pears Pare them very thin, before they are quite ripe, and simmer in a thin syrup ; let them remain two days ; then make the syrup richer, and simmer again, repeating this till the syrup is clear ; then drain, and dry the pears in the sun, or a cool oven for a short time. Or they may be kept in the syrup and dried as wanted. No. 612. — Magnum-Bonum Plumjs.