The progress meatless cook book

Never cook fruit in dishes of tin or iron.

To prevent mould gathering on preserves, keep a pan of lime on the shelves of the fruit closet, and have the closet dark and cool.

When newly-made jelly is a trifle too thin, set the glasses in a pan and put in the warming oven until of the right consistency.

One way to see if jelly has cooked sufficiently is to try it with a spoon. If it runs from the spoon in drops, not in a stream, it is cooked enough.

When jellies refuse to “jell,” add a pinch of powdered alum.

If the preserving kettle be placed in a pan of boiling water, the contents can cook any length of time without burning, and need but occasional stirring.

Sprinkling ashes on the stove lid under a kettle of boiling fruit will prevent the fruit burning on the bottom of the kettle.

Drop half a dozen small agate marbles into the kettle of jelly. The marbles will keep in constant motion and prevent the juice from burning.

HEAT SUGAR FOR JELLY

Place the sugar in a granite dish in the oven and stir frequently till all portions of the sugar are heated. Do not close the oven door.

JELLY BAGS AND GLASSES

Make a jelly bag from coarse white flannel, pointed on the bottom. Bind the top and sew strong loops to suspend it by. The little hair like threads on the flannel seem to hold every little roughness, making the juice perfectly clear. Have the bag as large as will hang in the kettle. Put a stout stick through the loops and suspend it in the kettle with enough cold water to cover the fruit. Cook until soft, lifting the bag occasionally to stir the fruit about. When the fruit is cooked very soft, suspend the bag in a convenient place to drip till morning. Do not squeeze it. In the morning, add the juice from the bag to that in the kettle, let boil about twenty minutes, add an equal quantity of sugar and boil about ten minutes more. This is the usual way to make jelly.

JELLY GLASSES

Have them very clean, place in a large pan on the fire in cold water, and heat to boiling point. Turn glasses upside down to drain, then place quickly on a cloth wrung out of hot water. Fill the glasses and set aside for a day, then cover the jelly with melted paraffin, pouring it in the glasses from an old tea-pot or gravy dish. When a glass is opened, save the paraffin and use it over and over.

EASY WAY FOR JELLY

Berries and soft fruit may be washed and crushed, placed in a cheese cloth bag and squeezed carefully. Measure the juice and put in a kettle and boil ten minutes. Add an equal quantity of heated sugar, boil five minutes, and pour into glasses.

APPLE JELLY

Select perfect fruit, wash, cut out all imperfect parts, remove stems and cores, and put in a kettle with cold water to cover. Boil slowly till apples are soft. Strain through a jelly bag, and suspend the bag to drip over night. Next morning, add the juice to that in the kettle, boil twenty minutes, add an equal amount of heated sugar. Let boil ten minutes, skim and turn into glasses.

A few quinces added to apples make a delicious jelly.

A rose geranium leaf placed in the bottom of a glass before pouring the apple jelly in it, will impart a delightful flavor.

A drop of oil of cinnamon put in apple jelly is much liked by many.

A handful of cherry leaves thrown into apple jelly while boiling will give the jelly a perfect cherry flavor. The leaves may be removed after boiling about twenty minutes.

APPLE AND FIG JAM

Wash and wipe the desired quantity of apples, cut in two, but do not peel or core, remove stem, cover with cold water and cook till soft. Pour in a jelly bag to strain. Cut each fig of the desired quantity into three or four pieces, cover with cold water and cook till soft, then cool. After the figs are cold, stir in with the apple juice and sugar, using one pint of sugar to one pint of juice, and two cupfuls figs to four pints of juice. Boil this mixture till it jellies, then put it in sealed jars.

Part of this jam may be flavored with a little whole ginger.

CRANBERRY JELLY

Cook one quart cranberries in one cupful of water for ten minutes. Put through a sieve, add one cupful of sugar, stir till sugar is dissolved, then pour into glasses. Do not allow juice to boil after adding sugar.

CURRANT JELLY

Wash and remove imperfect berries, but not stems. Mash, bring to the boiling point and simmer till currants are colorless. Strain through a jelly bag. Let drip over night. Next morning, measure the juice and boil for five minutes. Add an equal quantity of heated sugar, boil five minutes and pour into glasses.

Currants and raspberries make one of the very best jellies.

GRAPE JELLY

Pick over the grapes, wash and remove from stems. Put in a kettle, heat to boiling point, mash and boil twenty minutes. Put through a colander, then through a jelly bag to drip till morning. Measure the juice and boil ten minutes. Add an equal quantity of heated sugar, boil five minutes and pour into glasses.

Pick over the berries, wash and cook slowly till soft, using one cupful of hot water to each quart of berries. Let drip all night in a jelly bag. Next morning, measure the juice and allow an equal quantity of heated sugar. Cook enough apples to make one cupful of apple juice, strain, add to the berry juice and boil twenty minutes.

Add the sugar and stir until dissolved, cook five minutes longer and turn into glasses.

RHUBARB JELLY

Wash, and cut rhubarb into small pieces, put in a kettle with cold water to cover and boil till soft. Let drip through a jelly bag over night. Do not squeeze. Measure the juice next morning, and allow an equal quantity of heated sugar. Boil the juice fifteen minutes, add sugar and boil five minutes. To each quart add one teaspoonful of gelatine dissolved in a little cold water. As soon as gelatine is dissolved in the juice, pour into glasses.

DRIED FRUIT JELLY

Wash the fruit, let soak over night and cook in the same water. Cook till tender and proceed as in making Apple Jelly.

ORANGE MARMALADE

Wash and cut the peel in quarters from eight oranges and four lemons. Cook the peel until soft in enough boiling water to cover. Save four cups of this water and pour it over three quarts of sugar. Scrape the white insides of the peelings with a spoon, throwing this inside lining away, and cut the peelings in narrow strips with the scissors. Remove the seeds and the tough skin from the orange, dividing it into small sections. Then cook the syrup, pulp and peelings all together for nearly one hour.

CARROT PRESERVES

Wash and scrape three pounds of carrots, steam until tender, add two quarts of sugar, grated rind and juice of six lemons, and one-half cupful chopped almonds. Cook thirty-five minutes.

LEMON RIND PRESERVE

During the summer, whenever lemonade is made, after squeezing the lemons, drop the shells into a jar of fresh water, keep it in the ice box and change the water twice a week. At the time of changing, drops of pure oil of lemon will be found floating on the water. Put these drops carefully in a bottle. After about two weeks, scrape the white inside out with a spoon and throw it away. Weigh the shells and add an equal weight of sugar and cook slowly till thick.

RASPBERRY PRESERVES

Take an equal weight of fruit and sugar. It is usually cupful for cupful. Cook one-fourth of the fruit till soft. Strain it, and pour the juice in the kettle with the sugar, stirring till sugar is dissolved. Put in the remainder of the fruit and boil for five minutes. Dip out the fruit and put in jars till nearly full. Boil the syrup till it jellies, pour over the berries till jars are completely filled, and seal.

If a tablespoonful of glycerine be added to each pound of fruit used in making jam, it will prevent crystallization.

FRUIT JARS

Turn fruit jars upside down to prevent fruit becoming mouldy.

Put a teaspoonful of pulverized borax into a pan of cold water, put the jars in the pan and set on the fire till the water is at boiling point. Remove the jars, place on a cloth wrung from hot water, and fill immediately with fruit. Put on one rubber and screw on the cover. Let stand till just cool enough to handle, and to harden the paraffin. Pour the paraffin all over the rubber where it touches the jar and where it hits the cover. When opening jars, save the paraffin and use again.

When a fruit jar cover refuses to come off, run a knife around the jar under the rubber band, and the cover will loosen immediately.

SAVING PEELINGS

Whenever apples, peaches or similar fruits are peeled, dry the peelings, and at preserving time they are fine for jelly.

TO REMOVE PEACH SKINS

Place the fruit in a pan and cover it with boiling water.

Place another pan of the same size over this, and let stand until cool, and the skins will come off almost whole in the fingers. And when the peach is cut open, the pit will drop out.

When putting away fruit jars if the rubbers are dropped inside and the cover screwed down, the rubbers will be just as good the next season.

Discoloration on the hands from vegetables or fruit may be removed by dipping the hands in very strong tea and washing them in warm water.