PRESERVES

TOMATO CONSERVE.

From MRS. CAROLINE E. DENNIS, of New York State, Alternate Lady Manager-at-Large.

Three pounds of sugar, to three pounds of tomatoes; add two lemons, peeled and sliced _very_ thin; sliver the peel into smallest bits and add, with two inches of preserved ginger root, also cut very fine.

Put tomatoes in a kettle, mash with a spoon, mix in the sugar, lemons and ginger, and boil slowly for _three_ hours, or until the preserve is of the consistency of marmalade. This is a new and very choice sweetmeat; and, so far as we know, is not to be found in any other recipe-book.

ORANGE MARMALADE. From MRS. GOVERNOR OGLESBY, of Illinois, Lady Manager.

One dozen imperial oranges (good pulp and thick yellow skin); their scant weight in sugar. Peel six and grate the yellow rind without the white skin. Slice the peel from the other six into thin shreds; boil in three waters till very tender. Chop the oranges, removing all tough fibres and seeds; put on, with the juice that drains from the oranges, the sugar, a little water and the drained orange peel shreds; boil fifteen minutes, thon add the pulp and grated rind and boil twenty minutes.

COMPOTE OF APPLES.

From MRS. HATTIE E. SLADDEN, of Oregon, Alternate Lady Manager.

Make a syrup of one quart of water and one pint of white sugar. Pare and core (without breaking) six tart apples; stew in syrup until tender. Remove the apples to a deep gla.s.s dish; then add to the syrup a box of gelatine and cinnamon stick. When thoroughly dissolved, pour over the apples, first removing the cinnamon bark.

STEAMED PEACHES.

From MRS. W. NEWTON LINCH, of Went Virginia, Lady Manager.

Place the fruit in a steamer and allow it to remain until skin can be removed, as that from a scalded tomato. Make a strong syrup of granulated sugar; place the peaches in the jar, pour the syrup over them very hot and seal at once. Steamed peaches make a delightful dish for lunch during their season. Do not make the syrup quite so strong and allow the peaches to get very cold before serving.

QUINCE PRESERVES.

From MRS. M.P. HART, of Ohio, President of State Board and Lady Manager.

Pare and core the quinces. Put the parings and cores into a kettle with sufficient water to cover them, and let them boil for a short time. Then strain and pour the liquid over the quinces. Let the quinces cook until they are soft before adding the sugar. The quinces and syrup must be boiled until they become transparent and of a rich color. The rule is one pound of sugar to a pound of fruit; a less quant.i.ty of sugar will be sufficient if the fruit should be well cooked and carefully sealed.

WATERMELON PRESERVES.

From MRS. H.K. INGRAM, of Florida, Alternate Lady Manager.

Take a thick rind of a ripe watermelon. Cut into small strips, or any desirable fancy shapes; cut off all the red inside part and sc.r.a.pe off all the hard outside sh.e.l.l. Boil the pieces in water with peach or grape leaves and soda, in the proportion of a dozen leaves and a teaspoonful of soda to two quarts of water. When tender, take them out of the water and put them in cold water that has had half a large spoonful of alum dissolved in it. They will then become brittle and green. Let them soak in the alum water for an hour; then rinse in clear, cold water, and boil in a syrup made of equal weight of white sugar. Boil with them lemons cut in thin slices, allowing one lemon to two pounds of rind. Boil fifteen or twenty minutes. When a little cool, add a little essence of ginger, or if not the essence, boil in the syrup with the rinds a little green or ground ginger tied in bits of thin cloth. After three or four days pour the syrup off and boil down to a rich syrup that will just cover the rinds, and pour it over them scalding hot.

BLACKBERRY JAM.

From MRS. MARY S. MCNEAL, of Oklahoma, Alternate Lady Manager.

Put the fruit into a preserving kettle and boil fifteen or twenty minutes, stirring often and skimming off any sc.u.m that may rise; then add sugar in the proportion of three-fourths pound of sugar to one pound of fruit. Boil thirty minutes longer, stirring continually; when done, pour into small jars or jelly gla.s.ses.

CANNED SPICED BLACKBERRIES.

From MRS. H.J. PETO, of Arizona, Alternate Lady Manager

Wash the berries carefully and drain in a colander. For each quart of fruit add two cups granulated sugar and one-half cup of pure cider vinegar. Put all in a porcelain lined sauce pan, set on the stove and scald thoroughly; then add one-half dozen cloves and one and one-half ounces stick cinnamon for each quart of berries. While the fruit is hot, pour into gla.s.s jars and cover at once; it will be ready for use in three or four days. A delicious relish.

SPICED GREEN GRAPES.

From MRS. GEORGE A. MUMFORD, of Rhode Island, Alternate Lady Manager.

Five pounds green grapes (wild are best); three pounds sugar; one pound raisins; one-half pint vinegar; one tablespoonful ground cloves; one tablespoonful ground allspice; one tablespoonful ground cinnamon.

Stone the grapes and raisins; simmer one hour.

ORANGE JELLY.

From MRS. THERESA J. COCHRAN, of Vermont, Alternate Lady Manager.

Grate the yellow rinds of two oranges and two lemons and squeeze the juice into a porcelain lined preserving kettle, adding the juice of two more oranges and removing all the seeds; put in the grated rind a quarter of a pound of sugar, or more if the fruit is sour, and a gill of water, and boil these ingredients together until a rich syrup is formed; meantime dissolve two ounces of gelatine in a quart of warm water, stirring it over the fire until it is entirely dissolved; then add the syrup, strain the jelly, and cool it in molds wet in cold water.--_White House Cook Book._

CURRANT JELLY.

Prom MRS. M.P.H. BEESON, of Oklahoma, Lady Manager.

One-half cup sugar to one cup currant juice. Boil for fifteen minutes.

This will make a lovely jelly.

CRAB APPLE JELLY.

From MRS. GENEVIEVE M. GUTHRIE, of Oklahoma, Lady Manager.

Wash and quarter large Siberian crabs, but do not core; cover to the depth of an inch or two with cold water and cook to a mush; pour into a coa.r.s.e cotton bag or strainer, and, when cool enough, press or squeeze hard to extract all of the juice. Take a piece of fine Swiss muslin or crinoline, wring out of water, spread over colander placed over a crock, and with a cup dip the juice slowly in, allowing plenty of time to run through; repeat this process twice, rinsing the muslin frequently. Allow the strained juice of four lemons to a peck of apples and three-quarters of a pound of sugar to each pint of juice.

Boil the juice from ten to twenty minutes; while boiling, sift in the sugar slowly, stirring constantly, and boil five minutes longer. This is generally sufficient, but it is always safer to "try it" and ascertain whether it will jelly. This will make a clear, sparkling jelly.--_From Practical Housekeeping Cook Book._

The jelly is excellent.

PICKLES AND CATSUP