The complete cook book

Steep some large freestone peaches in brine for two days, then wipe each peach carefully, and cut a hole in it just sufficient to allow the pit to come out ; then throw them into cold vinegar until you make the stuffing, which is to fill up the cavity occupied by the pit. Take fresh white mustard seed which has been wet with vinegar, and allowed to swell a few hours, scraped horse radish, powdered ginger, a few pods of red pepper, a few small onions, or, better still, a clove of garlic. Mix all with vinegar, and add half as much chopped peach. Stuff the peaches hard with this mixture, replace the piece cut out, and tie it up tight with pack-thread. Boil a quart of vinegar for each dozen peaches; season it with the same spices as the stuffing. Boil the spices in a small bag, and then put in the peaches and let them scald ten or fifteen minutes, just long enough to be thoroughly hot all through. Place the peaches in jars, and pour scalding vinegar well'spiced over them — the vinegar must cover them ; add at the top a tablespoonful of salad oil. Cover the jar tight by tying leather over it. PRESERVED PEARS. Take acid pears for preserving. If the fruit is small preserve it whole, if large cut in halves, peel the pears with a silver knife, dropping them into cold water as fast as they are peeled to prevent discoloraton. When the fruit is all prepared allow a pound of sugar to each 276 The Complete Cook Book. pound of peara. Put the fruit over the fire with just enough water to cover it, and boil it gently until it is tender enough to yield to a slight pressure of the fingers; meantime put the sugar into the preserving kettle, adding to each pound a pint of cold water, and to every five pounds of the sugar, add the thinly pared yellow rind and juice of two lemons, and two ounces of green ginger root scalded and scraped, boil the syrup and remove all scum as it rises ; when the pears are boiled, as directed above, put them into the syrup, and boil them until they look clear; when the pears are thoroughly penetrated with the syrup, remove the preserving kettle from the fire, allow the preserves to cool, and put them in glasses or jars as directed in preserves and jams. STRAWBEREY SUN PRESERVES. Prepare as for other preserves, using a pound of sugar and one cup of water to a pound of fruit. Let the sugar and water boil and skim it well ; when cold pour over the berries in a deep platter ; cover with glass and set in the sun until the syrup jellies, usually about three days. Seal as you would other preserves, unless you are fortunate enough to have the new preserving jar that closes automatically, and keep in a cool place. TO MAKE PRESERVES OF CITRON OR WATERMELON RIND. After the citron is peeled weigh it; to each pound allow a pound of sugar, an ounce of green ginger root, a lemon, and half a pint of water ; scrape the ginger root and tie it in a clean cloth with the yellow rind of the lemon pared very thin; squeeze the juice of the lemon and strain it; put the sugar and water over fire and let them heat together and begin to boil, removing all scum as it rises ; when the syrup is free from scum, put in the citron rind, ginger and lemon peel and juice, and boil all together until the citron looks clear, removing any scum which may rise. Then let the preserve cool in the kettle, put it into glass jars, leaving the The Complete Cook Book. 277 ginger and lemon with it, if their flavor is desired, distributing them among the jars of citron. The watermelon rind is preserved in the same manner. GRAPE PRESERVES.