Damson Plum Jam
| Damson Plums, | 1 quart |
| Sugar | |
| Water, | 2 tablespoons |
Compared to the large blue plums and the green-gage plums Adelaide found the damson plums quite small, and mother told her they would have to be cooked first before she could remove the stones easily. So Adelaide washed the Damson plums carefully, and with a silver knife slit each one before putting them into the saucepan. This was to let the juice run. But, first, Adelaide measured two tablespoons of cold water into the saucepan, then poured in the plums. Of course she had weighed the plums as usual, and also an equal amount of sugar, but the sugar she placed in a bowl and placed on one side until ready to use. The saucepan was then placed over the fire and the plums were cooked slowly until tender, when they were removed, and with two silver forks Adelaide easily picked out the stones. Adding the sugar, she returned the saucepan to the fire, and while it was coming to the boiling point she stirred constantly with a wooden spoon, so that the sugar would not stick to the bottom and burn. Still continuing to stir, she let the jam cook slowly for forty-five minutes.
The tumblers had been sterilized and the jam was poured into them at once. After the jam was cold Adelaide wiped the top and outside of each tumbler with a clean damp cloth, then poured melted paraffin over the top, and shook gently from side to side to exclude the air, pasted on the labels and stored the jars away in the preserve closet.
There were many other kinds of plums, but these were the ones that had the best flavors, mother said, and quite enough for Adelaide to experiment with for the present.
Barberry Jam
| Barberries, | 1 quart |
| Sugar | |
| Water, | ½ cup |
Barberries make a very tasty jam. Adelaide put them in the colander, which she dipped up and down in a pan of clean cold water until free from all dust, then carefully picked them over. Into the saucepan she poured one-half a cup of cold water, then added the barberries. Placing the saucepan over the fire, she let the barberries become just warm, then Adelaide pressed the fruit through a wire strainer and measured. To each cup of fruit she added a cup of sugar, which she returned to the saucepan, placed over the fire, let it heat gradually to the boiling point, then cooked twenty minutes, stirring constantly with the wooden spoon. The sterilized tumblers were waiting, and into these Adelaide poured the jam. When the jam was cold she wiped the tops and outsides with a clean damp cloth, poured melted paraffin over the jam, shaking it gently from side to side to exclude all air, then pasted on the labels and stored jam away in the preserve closet.
Rhubarb and Fig Jam
| Rhubarb, | 2½ lbs. |
| Figs, | ½ lb. |
| Sugar |