Spiced Blackberries
| Blackberries, | 2½ lbs. |
| Sugar, | 1 lb. |
| Vinegar, | ½ cup |
| Cinnamon (ground), | 1 teaspoon |
| Cloves (ground), | 1 teaspoon |
Adelaide put the pound of sugar, the half cup of vinegar, and the teaspoon each of ground cinnamon and cloves (the spices she tied in a piece of muslin) into the saucepan over the fire.
While the syrup was coming slowly to the boiling point Adelaide picked over and washed the blackberries by placing them in the colander, which she dipped up and down several times in a pan of clear cold water. After the blackberries had drained well and the syrup had come to the boiling point Adelaide added the blackberries. These she let boil gently for fifteen minutes, when she skimmed out the blackberries and dropped them carefully into the sterilized pint jar. Next she filled the jar to overflowing with the syrup, inserted a silver knife between the fruit and the jar to let all air bubbles rise to the top and break, fitted on a new rubber smoothly, sealed the jar quickly, and stood it upside down out of the way of any draft.
In the morning Adelaide inspected the jar carefully to see that it did not leak, wiped off all stickiness from the outside with a damp cloth, pasted on the label and stored the jar away in the preserve closet.
"Perhaps," said mother, "you may like to try other fruits another year, preserved in vinegar and sugar with spices, but I think for the present the ones I have given you will do."
"Yes, I think so too," replied Adelaide.
CHAPTER VII
PICKLES
Adelaide had never been allowed to eat many pickles, because mother did not approve of them for growing children, but an occasional sample had made Adelaide look forward to the time when she could have the same privilege as "grown ups," to eat anything she liked. The thought of preparing the pickles seemed to Adelaide the next best thing to eating them.
"I hope when I put up 'pickled onions' I don't cry," laughed Adelaide. "I can just remember grandma peeling a great big pan of onions and the tears rolling down her cheeks."
"Well, Adelaide," said mother, "if you will peel your onions under running water you won't need to waste any of your tears over them."
Mother said she would start Adelaide with the small pickled beets, as they were not only a general favorite, but exceedingly attractive to look at.
The vinegar used was the very best cider vinegar, as it did not pay to use any other kind.