Spons' Household Manual: A treasury of domestic receipts and a guide for home management
General
Spons' Household Manual: A treasury of domestic receipts and a guide for home management
Home economics
Melons, Preserved.--Medium-sized melons are better than very large
ones for preserving, and they should not be over-ripe. Peel them,
and press the juice from the pulp and seeds, which should be taken
from the melons with a silver spoon: Wash the melons after this, and
add the water in which they have been washed to the juice obtained
from the pulp and seeds. The melons should be cut lengthwise into
eight pieces, if possible using a silver knife; allow them to soak a
day and night in cold water with a little salt and vinegar, in the
proportion of 1 teaspoonful salt and 2 of white vinegar to ½ gal.
water, throwing a clean cloth over during the time to keep out the
dust. In the meanwhile prepare a syrup with the juice from the pulp
and seeds, boiling 1 lb. good loaf sugar for 15 minutes to every ½
pint of the juice, and then letting it stand to become cold. After
the pieces of melons have soaked for 24 hours--care being taken that
they have been quite under the water all the time--place them in a
preserving-pan and add the cold syrup as prepared; set it on the
fire, and, after it comes to the boil, let it simmer for about ¼
hour, skimming it during the time; then remove the slices of melon
into a bowl, taking care not to break them and pour the syrup over
them. For 3 successive days pour off the syrup, give it a boil up
and pour it over again; on the third day place the slices of melon
in wide-mouthed bottles adding some bruised ginger to each; fill the
bottles with the hot syrup, let them remain until cold, and then tie
tightly down with bladder.
Mulberry Jam.--Take ripe mulberries and allow 1 lb. sugar and 1 pint
mulberry juice to every lb. picked fruit; boil and skim the sugar
with the juice for 5 minutes after the sugar is thoroughly dissolved;
then add the fruit, and boil quickly for ½ hour, stirring well; take
off the fire, and, if quite stiff when cold, it is done sufficiently,
if not, boil for another ¼ hour.
Mulberry Jelly.--It should be made like red currant jelly: the
fruit first stewed, by putting it in jars and setting the jars in a
saucepan of water and letting it simmer till the juice is well drawn;
then strain it off, and to every pint of juice put 1 lb. lump sugar;
boil gently for ¾ hour. Two or three kernels of peaches or almonds
are a great improvement.
Orange Chips.--Cut your oranges longways, take out all the pulp, and
put the rind into rather strong salt and water for 6 days, then boil
them in a large quantity of spring water until they are tender; take
them out and lay them on a hair sieve to drain, then make a thin
syrup of fine loaf sugar (1 lb. to 1 qt. water), put in your peels,
and boil them over a slow fire till you see the syrup candy about the
pan and peels, then take them out and grate fine sugar over them. Lay
them on a hair sieve to drain, and set them in a stove or before the
fire to dry. Lemon chips or candied peel may be made in the same way.
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