Miss Parloa's kitchen companion

Put a quart of sugar, a pint of vinegar, and half a teaspoonful each of cinnamon, allspice, and cloves into the preserving-kettle, and place over a moderate fire. When the mixture boils, add four quarts of blackberries, and cook for a quarter of an hour longer ; then turn into pint jars. There will be enough to fill six. * Spiced Currants. Use seven pounds of red currants, half a pint of strong vinegar, half a pint of currant juice, three pints and a half of granulated sugar, two ounces of stick cinnamon, and one ounce of whole cloves. Tie the spice in a bag, and put it in the preserving- Kettle with the sugar, vinegar, and currant juice. Place on the fire, and when the mixture boils, add the currants. Boil until the currant mixture will jelly. It will take from an hour to an hour and a half for this. .* Spiced Grapes. Prepare grapes the same as currants. These spiced fruit are nice to serve with meats. y *To Can Tomatoes Whole. Select large, smooth tomatoes. Wash them, and put them in a deep pan ; then cover with boiling water, and let them stand for five minutes. This will loosen the skins. Pour off the water, and pare the tomatoes. Now lay them- in a deep dish, and put them into a moderately hot oven. Cook for thirty minutes, being careful that they do not get browned. When these tomatoes are put into the oven, put a stew-pan of sliced tomatoes on the fire. Stir frequently, to prevent burning. When they have been stewed for twenty minutes, rub them through a fine strainer ; then return to the stew-pan. Place some self-sealing cans on the fire in a pan of cold water, and heat the water gradually to the boiling-point. When the whole tomatoes are done, take the dish from the oven, and transfer the tomatoes to the hot jars, being careful not to break the vegetables. Pour the juice into the jars, and fill up with the strained tomatoes, which must be boiling hot. Have the jars so full that a little juice runs over. Now put on the elastic bands and the covers. Tighten the covers as much as possible, and when the jars become cold, tighten the covers again. Place in a dark, cool place. In the winter these tomatoes can be used for salads. For a peck of the whole tomatoes, use two quarts of sliced tomatoes for the juice to fill the cans. In some cases this will prove too much; but what is left over may be used for soup, sauce, or ketchup. * Canned Tomatoes. Pare the tomatoes as directed when preserving whole tomatoes; then slice them, and put them in a preserving-kettle. Heat slowly, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Let them boil gently for twenty minutes from the time they actually begin to boil. Have the jars heated in water, and fill and seal as before. * Canned Corn and Tomatoes. Use two dozen ears of tender green corn, half a peck of ripe tomatoes, one teaspoonful of white pepper, two level table-spoonfuls of salt, and half a pint of boiling water. Cover the tomatoes with boiling water for a few minutes ; then remove the skins, and cut the tomatoes in