Page:Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.djvu/1282

1142 2534.—DAMSONS, PRESERVED.

Ingredients.—To each lb. of fruit allow ½ a lb. of preserving sugar.

Method.—Fruit for preserving in this manner should be dry, perfectly sound and ripe. Remove the stalks, place the fruit and sugar in layers in a large jar, stand the jar in a large boiling-pot of cold water, and simmer until the plums are quite tender but not broken. Cool slightly, then drain the juice into a preserving-pan or large stewpan, and boil rapidly for 20 minutes. Meanwhile place the fruit in pots, and when ready, pour the syrup over them. Cover with paper brushed over with white of egg, fasten down securely so as to completely exclude the air, and store in a cool, dry place.

Time.—From 2½ to 3 hours. Average Cost, 4d. or 5d. per lb.

2535.—FIGS, TO PRESERVE.

Ingredients.—Green figs. To each lb. allow 1 lb. of sugar and ½ a pint of water, brine that will float an egg.

Method.—Make a slit across the top of each fig, cover them with brine, and let them remain for 8 days. Drain well, boil gently in a little water until quite tender, then drain again and cover with cold water. Change the water daily for 3 days, and on the third day have ready a syrup made of the sugar and water in the proportions given above. Boil the figs in the syrup for 10 minutes, repeat the process daily for 3 or 4 days, until the figs are tender and green. Place them in jars or bottles, add the syrup, cover closely, and store in a dry, cool place.

2536.—FRESH FRUIT, TO BOTTLE. (See Damsons, Bottled, No. 2526, and Gooseberries, Bottled, No. 2539.)

2537.—FRESH FRUIT, TO BOTTLE, WITH SUGAR.

Allow 4 ozs. of preserving sugar to each quart of fruit, and follow the directions given under Damsons, Bottled, No. 2526, and Gooseberries, Bottled, No. 2539.

2538.—GINGER, IMITATION OF.

Ingredients.—24 sticks of well-grown rhubarb or a corresponding quantity of stalks of lettuce going to seed, sugar, ginger.

Method.—Remove the outside stringy part, and cut the stalks into 2-inch lengths. Put them into a preserving-pan with 4 pints of cold water, 1 lb. of preserving sugar, and 1 heaped tablespoonful of ground ginger. Bring slowly to boiling point, simmer for 20 minutes, then turn the whole into an earthenware vessel. On the following day drain the juice into the preserving-pan, when boiling, add the stalks, and simmer gently for ½ an hour. Repeat this process on the two