Pie-Plant Preserves. — Wash clean, but do not peel ; cut up an
inch or two in length, put a layer in small jar, then a hiyer of sugar,
another layer of pie-plant, then sugar, until the pan or crock is full,
allowing pound sugar to pound pie-plant ; cover tightly, put in hot
oven, and as soon as it is heated through it is done. The pie-plant
will be whole and the syrup rich and a pretty color. Do not put in
a drop of water. An earthen bean pot with cover is best to use,
and fruit must then cook half an hour. Put up in glass cans.
Plum Preserves. — Boil in water to cover (if fruit is sour adding
a teaspoon soda to each pint water to take off the bitter taste) until
tender, then rinse them in cold water and stonecarefully, keeping as
nearly whole as possible; then boil them a few minutes in the thick
syrup and can. Or select large ripe plums, weigh, slightly prick them
to prevent from bursting, and simmer very gently in a syrup made of
quarter pound sugar to each pint water. Put them carefully in pan,
let syrup cool, pour it over the plums and let stand two days. Make
another syrup of three-fourths pound su^ar for every pound fruit as
first weighed, with as little water as possible, boiling and skimming
carefully. Drain plums from first syrup, put them into the fresh
syrup and simmer very gently until they are clear ; lift them out
«mgly into cans or jars, pour the syrup over, and when cold, cover
as directed. Green<jages are also very delicious done in this man-
' ncr. To Preserve Plums Dry^ gather plums when full srown and
PRESERVES. 545
just turning color ; prick them, put in sauce-pan cold water, and
set over fire until water is on point of boiling. Then take them out,
drain, and boil gently in syrup made with pound sugar to each gill
water ; if the plums shrink and will not take the sugar, prick them
as they lie in the pan ; give another boil, skim, and set away. Next
day add more sugar, boiled almost to candy, to the fruit and syrup ;
^ut all together in wide-mouthed jar, and place them in a cool oven
for two nights ; then drain the plums from the syrup, sprinkle a
little powdered sugar over, and dry them in a cool oven.
Water-melon Preserves. — Cook melon rinds in water until
tender, put sugar and rinds in alternate layers in jar and let stand
over night ; in the morning drain off syrup, heat and boil the rinds
in it until tender, then take them out into cans or jars, and boil the
syrup till thick, adding lemon✪ Water-melon Preserves and ginger flavoring as above if
liked ; pour the syrup over the rinds and seal or cover. The gin-
ger-root may then be preserved with the melon. Or pour a strong
salt brine over melon or citron pieces and let stand two weeks or
even longer, then soak, changing water twox)r three times. When
perfectly fresh, boil in water half an hour, drain, add cold water,
cook till tender and then preserve in syrup as in first recipe.
Page 470 · 3 recipe records on this page
Presented as published in 1890. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Pie-Plant Preserves. — Wash clean, but do not peel ; cut up an inch or two in length, put a layer in small jar, then a layer of sugar, another layer of pie-plant, then sugar, until the pan or crock is full, allowing pound sugar to pound pie-plant ; cover tightly, put in hot oven, and as soon as it is heated through it is done. The pie-plant will be whole and the syrup rich and a pretty color. Do not put in a drop of water. An earthen bean pot with cover is best to use, and fruit must then cook half an hour. Put up in glass cans.
Plum Preserves. — Boil in water to cover (if fruit is sour adding a teaspoon soda to each pint water to take off the bitter taste) until tender, then rinse them in cold water and stone carefully, keeping as nearly whole as possible; then boil them a few minutes in the thick syrup and can. Or select large ripe plums, weigh, slightly prick them to prevent from bursting, and simmer very gently in a syrup made of quarter pound sugar to each pint water. Put them carefully in pan, let syrup cool, pour it over the plums and let stand two days. Make another syrup of three-fourths pound su^ar for every pound fruit as first weighed, with as little water as possible, boiling and skimming carefully. Drain plums from first syrup, put them into the fresh syrup and simmer very gently until they are clear ; lift them out gently into cans or jars, pour the syrup over, and when cold, cover as directed. Greengages are also very delicious done in this manner. To Preserve Plums Dry^ gather plums when full srown and
just turning color ; prick them, put in sauce-pan cold water, and set over fire until water is on point of boiling. Then take them out, drain, and boil gently in syrup made with pound sugar to each gill water ; if the plums shrink and will not take the sugar, prick them as they lie in the pan ; give another boil, skim, and set away. Next day add more sugar, boiled almost to candy, to the fruit and syrup ; ^ut all together in wide-mouthed jar, and place them in a cool oven for two nights ; then drain the plums from the syrup, sprinkle a little powdered sugar over, and dry them in a cool oven.
Water-melon Preserves. — Cook melon rinds in water until tender, put sugar and rinds in alternate layers in jar and let stand over night ; in the morning drain off syrup, heat and boil the rinds in it until tender, then take them out into cans or jars, and boil the syrup till thick, adding lemon and ginger flavoring as above if liked ; pour the syrup over the rinds and seal or cover. The ginger-root may then be preserved with the melon. Or pour a strong salt brine over melon or citron pieces and let stand two weeks or even longer, then soak, changing water two or three times. When perfectly fresh, boil in water half an hour, drain, add cold water, cook till tender and then preserve in syrup as in first recipe.
Records on this page
Water-melon PreservesPie-Plant PreservesPlum Preserves