Preserved Blackberries

Blackberries, 1 quart
Sugar

After picking over the blackberries Adelaide placed them in the colander and dipped it up and down in a pan of clear cold water several times to remove all dust and dirt. After weighing the berries she poured them into a saucepan and sprinkled over them an equal weight of sugar. These stood for an hour before Adelaide put the saucepan over the fire and let the berries and sugar come slowly to the boiling point. Adelaide stirred them gently with a wooden spoon, being careful not to break the fruit.

When they boiled up she skimmed out the blackberries into a dish and the syrup cooked for five minutes.

Returning the blackberries to the syrup she put the saucepan at the back of the range and let the fruit slowly heat without stirring. After they had stood fifteen minutes she poured the berries at once into the sterilized pint jar, filling it to overflowing. With a silver knife, which she inserted between the jar and the fruit, she let all air bubbles rise to the top and break. Placing a new rubber over the top smoothly she sealed quickly and stood the jar upside down out of the way of any draft. In the morning it was ready to be inspected carefully for any leaks, and she wiped off all stickiness with a damp cloth, pasted on the label and stored the fruit away in the preserve closet.