Farm and home cook book and housekeeper's assistant

Wash and cut fine 1 lb figs, add 1 qt cold water, bring slowly to the boiling point, and then cook slowly 1 hour. Next add 3 cups sugar, and cook until it thickens like jelly when a little of it is cooled. Settle in jelly glasses. This is very nice to eat with warm biscuits, or for layer cake, and is excellent to make sweet sandwiches for the children's lunch. — [Mrs. J. D.. N. Y. It is best not to try to make large quantities of jellies or jams at one time. When made in small quantities — a quart or two at a time — they turn out much better. — [A. G., Mass. A little lemon juice added to blackberry jam when it is; boiling improves the flavor. — [No name. If you object to the raspberry and blackberry seeds in jam, run them through a fine wire sieve after boiling the berries until soft, and before adding the sugar. — [A. G., Mass. By adding % apple pulp to % blackberry pulp, a nice jelly of improved flavor is obtained. — [A. G., Mass. For strawberry jam, I use the following proportions: 4 lbs strawberries, 2 lbs sugar, 1 pt currant juice. — [L. E. B., Ind. An open box of thyme placed in the closet in which jams, jellies and preserves are stored will prevent mould from, gathering on them. — [Mrs. M. A. P.. 111. Jelly Jottings « When making peach jelly it is an improvement to add some sour apples. This will help to make the jelly more firm. \ 'i When making elderberry jelly add a few green grapes to ] supply the necessary acid — more or less grapes, according to I how ripe the elderberries are. | Save the nice peelings when canning peaches; put some \ apple parings with them, and cook together. More or less ' apples can be used as desired, as long as there are not apples ' enough to kill the peach flavor. Ripe blackberry jelly is improved by adding a few unripe i or red ones when cooking. Cook the same day the berries ; are gathered. — [Mrs. J. P. B., Pa. | By using different colored fruit together one can have - several kinds of jellies — white peaches and light colored apples I will make the jelly light, and by adding red apple parings one i can obtain various shades of red. i ! Filled jam or jelly glasses should not be covered until the I contents are thoroughly cold, as otherwise the evaporation will j cause a mould to form on top. — [A. G., Mass. i Blanch 3 or 4 peach kernels, chop fine, and add to the ( peach marmalade to improve the flavor. Add juice and rind i of a lemon, or some essence of cinnamon can also be used for ■ flavoring. — [No name. ; If tart apples can not be obtained when making jelly, the j juice of 1 or 2 lemons added to the syrup is sufficient to im- I part the desired flavor, and will aid in making the jelly i firm. — [R. R., Md. j Add a small cup of rhubarb juice to each qt of grape pre- | serves or jelly. This will prevent the formation of those j crystals in grape preserves, otherwise called "grape sugar." j The acid in the rhubarb neutralizes this "grape sugar." — • [Mrs. A. B., Col. . I Equal parts of strained plum or pear pulp, boiled down j with sugar like any other marmalade, makes an agreeable j