The new practical housekeeping

Ginger Nuts, — Cream gill butter and heaping gill brown sugar, add half pint flour, tablespoon and a half ginger, half teaspoon cloves and cinnamon, grated peel of an orange, half pint molasses with teaspoon soda stirred in, and roll into a sheet half inch thick. Cut into small cakes inch in diameter, mold into balls, place in a greased pan and bake. Will keep well. Ginger Cakes. — Put two teaspoons soda into pint molasses, beat to a foam, add gill cold water and quart flour ana beat well, slightly melt half pint butter, add to above, with quart flour and teaspoon ginger, bake in patty pans forty minutes. For a Ginger Plum Cake cream half pint each nutter and sugar, add tablespoon ginger, half tablespoon each of cloves and cinnamon three well beaten eggs, alternated with one quart flour, half of each at a time, pint molasses with teaspoon soda ; stir well, add three quarters 'pound seeded raisins and half pound currants. For Ginger Tea- Cake, mix two^ cups each powdered sugar and warmed butter, add three well beaten yolks, a cup molasses, four heaping cups flour, tablespoon each ginger and soaa. Bake in patty pans in a moderate oven. Ginger Snaps. — Boil together one cup each molasses, butter and sugar. Add two teaspoons each soda and cinnamon, one each cloves and ginger, flour enough to roll out smoothly. Roll thin and bake quickly. » In order to work intelligently, the principle applied in canning should be understood. The fruit is prepared by placing it in a vessel from which the external air is entirely excluded, and this is effected by the use of heat to rarefy and expel the air that may be entangled in the mass of fruit or lodged in its pores. The preservation of fruit does not depend upon sugar, though enough of this is generally used to make it palatable. The heat answers another purpose ; it destroys the ferment which fruits naturally contain, and so long as they are kept from contact with the external air they do not decompose. Fruits for canning should be selected carefully, and are much better if gathered in the morning, in dry weather, with the morning sun upon them, if possible ; they will then have their fullest flavor, and keep in good condition longer than when gathered at any other time. Until fruit can be used, it should be placed in the dairy, an ice-house, or a refrigerator. In an ice-house it will remain fresh and plump for several days. Fruit gathered in wet or foggy weather will soon be mildewed. All imperfect and over-ripe fruit must be rejected. Large fruits, such as peaches, pears, etc., are in the best condition to can when not quite fully ripe, and should be put up as soon as possible after picking. An easy way to peel peaches is to place them in a wire basket, to the handle of which a cord has been tied, let down into boiling water for a moment (some use strong white lye), then into cold water, and strip off the skin. This is called the dipping process. The fruit must be at a certain stage to be prepared in this way, for if too green it will not peel, and if too ripe it will be too much softened by the hot water. Peaches, pears, and all large fruits should be thrown into an earthen vessel of cold water as soon as [illustration: peeling process],as exposure to the air darkens them.