Before they become too large, let them be gathered; and take care not to cut them in taking off the stalks and buds. Fill wide mouthed bottles; put the corks loosely in, and set the bottles up to the neck in water in a boiler. When the fruit looks scalded, take them out; and when perfectly cold, cork close, and rosin the top. Dig a trench in a part of the garden least used, sufficiently deep for all the bottles to stand, and the earth be thrown over, to cover them a foot and a half. When a frost comes on, a little fresh litter from the stable will prevent the ground from hardening, so that the fruit cannot be dug up. Or, scald as above; when cold, fill the bottles with cold water; cork them, and keep them in a damp, or dry place: they will not be spoiled.
Another way.
In the size and preparation as above. When done, have boiling water ready, either in a boiler or large kettle, and into it put as much rock alum as will, when dissolved, harden the water, which you will taste by a little roughness: if there be too much it will spoil the fruit. Put as many gooseberries into a large sieve as will lie at the bottom without covering one another. Hold the sieve in the water till the fruit begins to look scalded on the outside: then turn them gently out of the sieve on a cloth on the dresser: cover them with another cloth, and put some more to be scalded; and so on till all shall be finished. Observe not to put one quantity on another, or they will become too soft. The next day pick out any bad or broken ones, bottle the rest, and fill up the bottles with the alum water in which they were scalded: which must be kept in the bottles; for if left in the kettle, or in a glazed pan, it will spoil. Stop them close.
Note. The water must boil all the time the process is carrying on. Gooseberries, done this way, make as fine tarts as fresh off the trees.
Another way.
In dry weather pick the gooseberries that are full grown, but not ripe: top and tail them, and put into open mouthed bottles. Gently cork them with new velvet corks; put them in the oven when the bread is drawn, and let them stand till shrunk a quarter part: take them out of the oven, and immediately beat the corks in tight: cut off the tops, and rosin down close. Set them in a dry place; and if well secured from air they will keep the year round.
If gathered in the damp, or the gooseberries’ skins are the least cut in taking off the stalks and buds, they will mould.
Currants and damsons may be done the same.
To keep Currants.
The bottles being perfectly clean and dry, let the currants be cut from the large stalks with the smallest bit of stalk to each, that, the fruit not being wounded, no moisture may be among them. It is necessary to gather them when the weather is quite dry; and if the servant can be depended upon, it is best to cut them under the trees, and let them drop gently into the bottles.