The Housekeeper.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 88, 13 April 1912, Page 11

The Housekeeper .

BOTTLED FRUIT. A' most important point in bottling fruit satisfactorily is to keep the air from them. Air-tight jars aro absolutely necessary. Peaches, Bottled — Pare, halve, end btoiie somu ru'cu, sound peaches. Place the halves in perfectly dry, wido-mouthed bottles, and cover them entirely with a thick «yrup, made by boiling a pound of loaf sugar in three-quarters of a pint of water until tho sugar is dissolved. Cork (ho bottles, and tie them down. Wrap a wisp of hay round them to prevent their knocking against each other, and place them side by side in a 6te\vpan, with cold water up to their necks. Let tho peaches boil gently for a quarter of an hour, after the water comeß to the boil ; then lift the pan from the fire, and do not remove the bottles until the water is nearly cold. Seal very securely, and store in a cool, dry place. Peaches, Preserved Whole — Take Bofflo sound, not over-ripe peaches, wipe off the bloom, and put them into a deep jar, pour boiling water over them, throw a cloth over tho jar to keen in the steam, and let them remain until the water is cold. Lift them carefully out of the water, drain and peel them. Place a single layer of the truit at the bottom of a deep earthenware jair, cover the peaches thickly with finely-powdered and •sifted sugar, then place another layer of fruit and sugar on, and repeat until the jar is full, being careful that the sugar is thickly strewn over the fruit, and that the topmost . laj'or is sugar. Close the jar at once, and most thoroughly Eecure. The fruit should bo kept in a cool, dark, dry place .Nectarines, , Preserved — Take some not too ripe nectarines, split thorn in halves and remove tho pits, put tho same weight of sugar, as fruit into a- preserving pan, with a quarter of a pint of water to oach pound of sugar, boil it to a clear eyrup, thou put in the fruit and simmer gently for twenty minutes. Pour the preserve carefully into a bowl, breaking it us little as possible, and let it remain until the next day, when it must bo boiled again for ton_ minute*. Lift tho fruit out carefully with a Bpoon, put it into jars, boil tho syrup, fast by itself for ten minutes, pour it over the fruit, break tho stones, and blanch the kernels, put a portion in each jar, and secure. Grapes, Preserved — Tako four _ pounds of grapes beforo they aro fully ripe. Put thorn on the -fire in a saucepan of cold water, and let them remain until the water _ nearly boils, then drain and put thorn into_ cold water. Boil four pounds of sugar in two quarts of water, skim it carefully, and when cold put the fruit in an enamelled saucepan, pour tho syrup over it, and let all stand for hventy-four hours. Put tho grapes upon tho fire, heat thorn until tho syrup_ is scalding hot, and put them aeido until the next ,day, then dfrain ytf .the feyrup, and boil it gently for twenty minutes. Pour it over tho grapes, which should be arranged in a clean saucepan, end bring thorn once more to the point of boiling. Put the preserve into jars, pour a little dissolved upplo jelly over it, and secure.