- 8 quarts of plums.
- 2 quarts of sugar.
- 1 pint of water.
Nearly all kinds of plums can be cooked with the skins on. If it is desired to remove the skin of any variety, plunge them in boiling water for a few minutes. When the skins are left on, prick them thoroughly to prevent bursting. ([See fruit pricker, p. 10.])
Put the sugar and water into the preserving kettle and stir over the fire until the sugar is dissolved. Wash and drain the plums. Put some of the fruit in the boiling sirup. Do not crowd it. Cook five minutes; fill and seal the jars. Put more fruit in the sirup. Continue in this manner until all the fruit is done. It may be that there will not be sufficient sirup toward the latter part of the work; for this reason it is well to have a little extra sirup on the back of the stove.
STEWED TOMATOES.
Wash the tomatoes and plunge into boiling water for five minutes. Pare and slice, and then put into the preserving kettle; set the kettle on an iron ring. Heat the tomatoes slowly, stirring frequently from the bottom. Boil for thirty minutes, counting from the time the vegetable begins actually to boil. Put in sterilized jars and seal.
WHOLE TOMATOES.
- 8 quarts of medium-sized tomatoes.
- 4 quarts of sliced tomatoes.
Put the pared and sliced tomatoes into a stewpan and cook as directed for stewed tomatoes. When they have been boiling twenty minutes take from the fire and rub through a strainer. Return to the fire.
While the sliced tomatoes are cooking, pare the whole tomatoes and put them in sterilized jars. Pour into the jars enough of the stewed and strained tomato to fill all the interstices. Put the uncovered jars in a moderate oven, placing them on a pad of asbestos or in shallow pans of hot water. Let the vegetable cook in the oven for half an hour. Take from the oven and fill to overflowing with boiling hot, strained tomato, then seal. If there is any of the strained tomato left, can it for sauces.