[Canning, pickling and preserving 847]

14.  Raspberry Jams.—­To three or four pounds of ripe red raspberries add an equal quantity of white sugar.  Crush the whole well in a preserving kettle; add one pint of currant juice and boil gently until it jellies upon a cold plate; put into a small jar and cover with brandied paper.  Tie over them a thick paper and keep in a dark, cool, dry place.

15.  Strawberry Jam, with Red Currants.—­Take four pounds of strawberries, one pint of red currant juice, and two pounds of sugar.  Place in a porcelain kettle and boil the berries and currant juice first, then add the sugar and boil up again, skimming well.  Put in jars, cover with paraffin and keep in a cool place.

16.  Peach Jelly.—­Cook peaches and add a few kernels; when done strain.  To one pint of peach liquor add one lemon and one pound of sugar.  Dry and heat the sugar in a separate pan and let the peach liquor boil twenty minutes.  Then add the sugar and boil a few minutes longer.  This is very nice.

17.  Gooseberry Jam.—­To one pound of pulped fruit, add three-fourths pound of sugar.  Stew the berries in a little water, press through a coarse sieve or colander.  Then place on the stove again and add sugar.  Boil three-quarters of an hour, stirring constantly.  Pour in jars or jelly glasses.

[348 Mothers’ remedies ]

CANDY MAKING

Confectioners’ and common candy.

From the Following Recipes and Formulae, Hundreds and
Even Thousands of Candies Can Be Made.

Candy Making at Home.—­The proverbial “sweet-tooth” is a characteristic of the American people.  Hundreds of tons of candy are annually consumed, and fortunes have been made in the business.  The range of price is from ten cents to a dollar a pound, with some specially wrapped and boxed bon-bons exceeding the latter price, not because of intrinsic excellence, but because of the ornamental form in which they are presented.  Cheap candies are adulterated and hence more or less detrimental to health.  Good candies are not harmful, unless eaten to excess.  Delicious candy may be made at home at much less cost, and some famous candies, like the “Mary Elizabeth” and others, had their beginnings in a home kitchen and grew into popular favor because of their known purity and uniform excellence.  The cost of ten one-pound boxes of candies is estimated at $1.50 when materials are bought in small quantities; such candies, placed on sale at church fairs, bazars, etc., are sold at forty and fifty cents per box.  Even at twenty-five cents a box there is a profit of ten cents on each box.  Any girl can prepare bon-bons for a luncheon or a party at home, if she is willing to take the trouble,—­which is, after all, a pleasure to many.  She may save her own candy boxes and by getting a supply of paraffin paper, fill them again with candies quite as good as those they originally contained; or buy new boxes of the paper box manufacturers at two or three cents apiece.  A box of home-made candy makes a nice Christmas or birthday gift.