Fruit recipes

strain, mashing fruit to extract juice. To juice add four pounds sugar and place in a cask. Wash fruit pulp in half-gallon each of water and spirits; mash and strain again; add two more pounds sugar and pour in with first liquor (in cask). May be used in a month but improves with age. WHITE CURRANT BRANDY To each half-gallon currant juice add one quart spirits and two pounds sugar. Let stand undisturbed three months before bottling. CURRANT VINEGAR Pour juice from two gallons mashed currants in a barrel; wash remaining pulp in water; add to it two gallons molasses; strain when dissolved and pour also into the barrel with enough soft water to fill barrel two-thirds full. Dissolve meantime a cup of strong yeast in a gallon of water and add to the mixture. Place barrel in sun and while fermenting shake often. The autumn following add eight gallons water. CURRANT PUNCH Make a syrup of a pint each of sugar arid water, boiling and skimming. Add juice of an orange and lemon; strain, and mix in a glass of currant jelly or half pint currant juice. Let cool, then add shaved ice and charged water. DRIED GARDEN CURRANTS Pick just before ripe; stew without crushing in a little sugar; spread on plates, with sugar strewn thickly over, and dry in the sun. To be eaten as they are as a relish, or as confection with desserts. May also be soaked over night and stewed for sauce. CURRANTS IN SALADS Red currants make one of the most artistic additions to salads, the loose sprays laid around the edges of the plates, or as a garnish to a salad bowl or, stemmed, used with other fruits or with vegetables for the body of a salad. CURRANT COLOURING Currant juice may be preserved (see Introductory Recipes) and may be used effectively for colouring sauces, drinks, ices, creams, or as flavouring. CURRANTS—TO SERVE SIMPLY UNCOOKED Currants may be iced as for frosted grapes and cherries or may be crushed and sweetened a little before serving uncooked. GOOSEBERRY JELLY .Use no water. Heat berries through and press to extract all juice. Strain and measure, allowing pound for pint of sugar and juice. Boil ten minutes and place in glasses. GOOSEBERRY JAMS When used alone cook the gooseberries as for jelly, using the pulp for jams; strain to remove skins and seeds; allow equal weight of sugar and cook to thickness desired, Or, fresh berries may be cooked down in their own juice, adding, when tender, equal weight of sugar. Gooseberries and strawberries in equal weight make a delicious jam and gooseberries with raspberries or some one of the citrus fruit marmalades form a most agreeable combination. GOOSEBERRY AND RED CURRANT JAM Allow two cups red currant juice to each four pounds of gooseberries and three pounds sugar. Make a syrup and place the berries in it, simmering forty minutes, till berries are translucent, when they are ready to seal. GOOSEBERRIES AND WHITE CURRANT JAM Use equal weight of gooseberries, and currants and sugar equal to their combined weight. Simmer together slowly, crushing and cooking till tender and thick. PRESERVED WHOLE GOOSEBERRIES Make a strong syrup of two pounds of sugar to a pint of water. Prick gooseberries in several places and put them in the syrup. Let heat to 160° and take from stove but let berries remain in syrup over night. Repeat twice; then re-heat, stopping just short of boiling point, again letting berries stand over night in the syrup. While still cold place them in bottles with syrup poured over and set bottles in the water-bath to finish. Should the berries seem to be cracking before the water boils remove bottles at once and seal; otherwise let stand till water is at boiling point. SIMPLE GOOSEBERRY PIE