Spiced Currants

Currants,1 quart
Sugar,1 lb.
Vinegar,½ cup
Cloves (ground),1 teaspoon
Cinnamon (ground), 1 teaspoon

Adelaide picked over the currants and removed the stems. Putting the currants into the colander, she dipped it up and down several times in a pan of clear cold water, then set it aside to drain. Into the saucepan she poured the currants, added one pound of sugar, a half a cup of vinegar, and a teaspoon each of cloves and cinnamon.

Placing the saucepan over the fire, she let the currants heat through gradually, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, and when thoroughly scalded she lifted out the currants with a skimmer.

Adelaide boiled the juice until it thickened, then added the currants again and let them just boil up. They were then ready to put into the sterilized pint jar, so Adelaide filled it to overflowing. Next she inserted a silver knife between the jar and the fruit, to let all air bubbles rise to the top and break, placed a new rubber on the jar smoothly, sealed quickly and stood upside down out of the way of any draft.

In the morning the jar was examined carefully to be sure it did not leak, all stickiness was wiped off with a damp cloth from the outside, then the label was pasted on and Adelaide stored the jar away in the preserve closet.