Take the largest and finest free-stone peaches, before they are too ripe. Pare them, and cut them in halves or in quarters. Crack the stones, and take out the kernels, and break them in pieces. Put the peaches, with the parings and kernels, into your preserving kettle, with a very little water. Boil them till they are tender. Take out the peaches and spread them on a large dish to cool. Strain the liquor through a bag or sieve. Next day, measure the juice, and to each pint allow a pound of loaf-sugar. Put the juice and sugar into the kettle with the peaches, and boil them slowly half an hour, or till they are quite soft, skimming all the time. Take the peaches out, put them into your jars, and pour the warm liquor over them. When cold, tie them up with brandy paper.
If boiled too long, they will look dull, and be of a dark colour. [Footnote: To preserve peaches whole, pare them and thrust out the stones with a skewer. Then proceed as above, only blanch the kernels and keep them whole. When the peaches are done, stick a kernel into the hole of every peach, before you put them into the jars. Large fruit will keep best in broad shallow stone pots.]
If you do not wish the juice to be very thick, do not put it on to boil with the sugar, but first boil the sugar alone, with only as much water as will dissolve it, and skim it well. Let the sugar, in all cases, be entirely melted before it goes on the fire. Having boiled the sugar and water, and skimmed it to a clear syrup, then put in your juice and fruit together, and boil them till completely penetrated with the sugar.
PRESERVED CRAB APPLES
Wash your fruit. Cover the bottom of your preserving kettle with grape leaves. Put in the apples. Hang them over the fire, with a very little water, and cover them closely. Do not allow them to boil, but let them simmer gently till they are yellow. Take them out, and spread them on a large dish to cool. Pare and core them. Put them again into the kettle, with fresh vine-leaves under and over them, and a very little water. Hang them over the fire till they are green. Do not let them boil.
Take them out, weigh them, and allow a pound of loaf-sugar to a pound of crab-apples. Put to the sugar just water enough to dissolve it. When it is all melted, put it on the fire, and boil and skim it. Then put in your fruit, and boil the apples till they are quite clear and soft. Put them in jars, and pour the warm liquor over them. When cold, tie them up with brandy paper.
PRESERVED PLUMS.
Cut your plums in half, (they must not be quite ripe,) and take am the stones. Weigh the plums and allow a pound of loaf-sugar to a pound of fruit.
Crack the stones, take out the kernels and break them in pieces. Boil the plums and kernels very slowly for about fifteen minutes, in as little water as possible. Then spread them on a large dish to cool, and strain the liquor.
Next day make your syrup. Melt the sugar in as little water as will suffice to dissolve it, (about half a pint of water to a pound of sugar) and boil it a few minutes, skimming it till quite clear. Then put in your plums with the liquor, and boil them fifteen minutes. Put them in jars, pour the juice over them warm, and tie them up, when cold, with brandy paper. [Footnote: Plums for common use, are very good done in molasses. Put your plums into an earthen vessel that holds a gallon, having first slit each plum with a knife. To three quarts of plums put a pint of molasses. Cover them and set them on hot coals in the chimney corner. Let them stew for twelve hours or more, occasionally stirring them, and renewing the coals. Next day put them up in jars. Done in this manner they will keep till the next spring.]