The Toronto Cook Book

Take the largest berries obtainable; weigh; to each pound of fruit allow a pound of sugar; put in large dish, sprinkle with sugar and let stand two hours; then pour off all juice that may have come from berries; put into porcelain-lined kettle; heat slowly till it comes to boiling point, then boil quickly for ten minutes; add berries and then place kettle on a very low fire, just enough to heat but not let boil, for about fifteen minutes; then take from fire and place in glass jars; let cool before sealing. Avoid breaking berries, as they are so much nicer when left whole. Barberry Preserve Take twice as many sweet pears or apples as barberries and three-fourths as much sweetening, half sugar, half molasses. Put sugar and molasses on to boil. When boiling put barberries in, cook fifteen minutes, then skim out barberries and put in pears or apples. Cook till soft; then put back barberries and let boil up. Preserving and Canning Damson Plums Pick over and wash fruit; take pound of fruit to pound of sugar and boil down until thick. The sugar is poured right over the fruit. If necessary, put about quarter of a cup of water to the basket of fruit. These plums are very juicy in themselves, and one must use careful judgment in making same. They require from fifteen to thirty minutes cooking after coming to boiling point. Place in glass jars and seal. Quince Preserve Select large quinces, pare, core and cut into slices; put each piece as cut into cold water to prevent discoloration; when all ready, put them in preserving-kettle and cover with boiling water; boil gently until tender, then lift carefully with a skimmer; continue boiling quinces in same way until all are cooked. Put parings in same water in which quinces have been cooked and boil gently fifty minutes, keeping closely covered all the time; strain and measure and to every cup of liquor take one cup of sugar. Heat juice and sugar separately; now put together and stir sugar until dissolved, then boil quickly for ten minutes; skim well, put in the fruit and boil until they are clear, tender and red. To have the fruit a nice bright color, keep kettle closely covered while boiling. When done, lift pieces of fruit separately and place in glass jars, allowing syrup to boil until jellied, then pour over fruit and stand aside to cool. Seal when cold. Grape Conserve Take ten pounds of blue grapes; separate skins from pulps; boil pulps and strain out seeds; then add the skins, two pounds raisins whole or cut, four oranges (pulp cut fine), skins of two oranges sliced fine. Cook all together for thirty minutes. Then add ten pounds of sugar and boil ten minutes more, stirring often to prevent burning. This will keep in jelly glasses. Pumpkin Preserves Five pounds of pumpkin, five of sugar, three-quarters of root ginger, half a dozen lemons; cut the pumpkin into squares about one inch thick; put into crock in layers of sugar and ginger, and let it stand for twenty-four hours; when sufficient juice is extracted without adding any water, cut lemons into fine pieces ; boil all together for three hours slowly. The ginger should be put in a bag before boiling. The Toronto Cook Book Strawberry Preserves