The Rural cook book

of flavor. Pears were also canned in perry (pear cider), but the result was Dot considered so desirable as where the apple juice was used. ' ; Pear Chips. — Four pounds of Duchess or other hard pears sliced thin, four pounds of sugar, the juice of three lemons and grated rind of one, one ounce of dry or green ginger root chopped fine and one-half tumbler of water. Cook until clear, then seal in jelly glasses. Pear Syrup. — Very nice syrup may be made from pears, core and pare them; cover with cold water and set on back of stove, let simmer until soft, then dip off juice carefully or strain through a colander. If the juice is not clear strain through a fine strainer. Return to the (ire and boil down rapidly to about one-quarter, then add sugar, about as for jelly, a cupful of sugar to a cupful of juice. Boil until the syrup is thick as you wish and put in glass jars. This, when properly made, is thought to be as nice as maple syrup. The flavor may be varied a little by using a very little lemon juice or green ginger. If desirable, the cooked pears may be used by boiling them a short time with a little sugar, or with sugar and vinegar. Persimmon Figs.— Gather them, and press each fruit between thumb and finger, and put in layers tn an open-mouthed jar with a thin layer of sugar between the layers of fruit and sugar on the top. After a few weeks, say three or four, lay on a platter or plate in single layers and dry in a very cool oven or in the sun. Canned Plums Without Cooking.— This recipe comes from the plum belt of central New York, and will be found very satisfactory: Take enough large yellow egg plums to fill a quart can. Put them into a granite or earthen pan and pour boiling water over them, let stand three minutes, then drain. Pour over more boiling water, which will crack the skins. Remove the skins, and place the plums carefully in a hot sterilized glass jar. Have ready a thick syrup made by boiling two cupfuls of granulated sugar that has been moistened with water, and cooked to the "brittle stage." Pour the boiling syrup over the plums and seal. The syrup will form like "icicles," but after a day or two will dissolve. Make enough syrup for two or three cans at once, as it is hard to tell just how much it will take to fill a can. They always keep perfectly, and retain their flavor much better than when cooked, but the secret is in having everything boiling hot. Plum Cheese. — For economy make this on the same day you make plum jelly. After extracting the jelly juice pass the remaining pulp through a colander to remove skins and pits, then weigh. Add a pound of sugar to every two pounds of plums and boil one-half an hour; seal up. Plums in Cold Water.— A housekeeper who has had experience with the cold-water process of keeping fruit says she has kept wild plums all Winter in this way, putting them in a large stone jar and covering them with enough cold water to leave about four inches over them. A saucer or plate with a weight on it must be placed on top of the fruit "to keep the top layers deep enough under the water. To make sauce from wild plums kept in this way, take out as many of the fruit as are required, and parhoil until the skins crack in water containing a pinch of baking soda. Then rinse well in clear cold water, drop into boiling syrup, and cook until done. This makes a delicious sauce; the parboiling with the soda takes the "pucker" out of the fruit. Cranberries will keep for months if covered with cold water as described, and many housekeepers put up green currants and gooseberries, also rhubarb, in the same