[Canning, pickling and preserving 843]

13.  Tomato Preserves.—­Select small, pear-shaped tomatoes, not too ripe.  Prick with a needle to prevent bursting, and put their weight in sugar over them.  Let this stand over night, then pour off the juice into a preserving kettle and boil until it is a thick syrup, clarifying it with the white of an egg; add the tomatoes and boil until they look transparent.  One lemon to a pound of fruit, sliced thin and cooked with the fruit, together with a piece of ginger root, will improve it.

14.  Preserved Strawberries.  No. 1.—­Take a couple of quarts of berries at a time, remove the stems, and place in a colander.  Pour water over them to cleanse them.  Make a syrup of two pounds of white sugar and a half cup of water.  Drop the berries into this and allow them to boil rapidly for twenty minutes, removing all scum that rises, but do not stir the fruit.  Pour into tumblers, and when you are done cook your syrup and juice to a jelly and fill up your jelly glasses.  Keep in a dry place.

15.  Preserved Strawberries.  No. 2.—­To one pound of berries use three-fourths of a pound of sugar,—­in layers (no water).  Place in a kettle on the back of the stove until the sugar is dissolved into syrup; then let it come to a boil, stirring from the bottom.  Spread on platters, not too thickly and set out in the hot sun till the syrup thickens—­it may take two or three days.  Keep in tumblers or bowls like jelly.  Strawberries done in this way retain their color and flavor.

16.  Spiced Currants.—­Three pounds white sugar, five pounds ripe currants, one tablespoonful each of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice.  Boil currants one hour, then add sugar, spices and a half pint vinegar, boil a half hour longer.

17.  Spiced Gooseberries.—­Six quarts gooseberries, nine pounds sugar, cook one and a half hours, then add one pint vinegar, one tablespoonful each cloves, cinnamon and allspice.  Boil a few minutes.  When cold they should be like jam.  Boil longer if not thick enough.

18.  Tomato Preserves.—­Peel the tomatoes and to each pound add a pound of sugar and let stand over night.  Take the tomatoes out of the sugar and boil the syrup, removing the scum.  Put the tomatoes in and boil gently twenty minutes; remove fruit again and boil until the syrup thickens.  On cooling put the fruit into jars and pour the syrup over.  The round yellow variety of tomato should be used and as soon as ripe.

[844 Mothers’ remedies]

19.  Preserved Pears.—­Peel the fruit which should not be overripe, cut into halves, extract cores and throw at once into a dish of cold water.  From the water put into jars, arranging the pieces as compactly as possible, cover with cold water and then drain off.  Make a syrup of sugar and water, allowing a teacupful of sugar to a jar and fill the jars to the brim; put on the covers, without rubbers