The Complete Confectioner (1800)/Preserves
Take the best Seville oranges and pare them very neatly, put them into salt and water for about two hours; boil them very tender, till a pin will go into them easily, then drain them well from the water and put then into your preserving pan, putting as much clarified sugar to them as will cover them, laying a trencher or plate on them to keep them down; set them over a fire, and by degrees heat them till they boil; let them have a quick boil, till the sugar comes all over them in a froth; then set them by till next day, when you must drain the syrup from them, and boil it till it becomes very smooth, adding some more clarified sugar; put it upon the oranges, and give them a boil, and set them by till next day, when you must do as they day before. The fourth day drain them, and strain your syrup through a bag, and boil it till it becomes very smooth; then take some other clarified sugar, boil it till it blows very strong, and take some jelly of pippins, as will hereafter be expressed, with the juice of some other oranges; after they are preserved as above directed, take two pounds of clarified sugar, boil it to blow very strong; next one pint and a half of pippin jelly, and the juice of four or five oranges; boil them all together; then put in the syrup that has been strained and boiled to be very smooth, and give all a boil; put your oranges into your pots, or glasses, and fill them up with the above made jelly; when cold, cover them and set them by for use.
Note.—Be carful in all your boilings to clear away the scum, otherwise you will endanger their working; and if you find they will swim above your jelly, you must bind them down with the sprig of a clean whisk.
Take any quantity of pears, which are but half ripe, make a split on their head coss ways with a knife, no deeper than the heart. After this is done, put a pan of water on the fire, and when it boils put your pears in it, and boil them in, with a slow fire, till they become a little soft; then take them off the fire, and throw them immmediately into another pan of fresh water, in which you squeeze three lemons, pare your pears and put them in that lemon water: they will turn as white as snow; then take a preserving pan, put in it some of the first degree of your clarified sugar, put your pears in it, and let them boil about twelve minutes, taking care to take off all the scum they will throw; then take them out from the fire and put them in an earthen vessel; you will repeat this operation during the four days following, and strain the sugar off every time, and boil it before you put the pears in, because, as your will perceive, the sugar always throws off a white scum, which must be taken off; and it is after that you must put your pears in and boil them. When, you see the syrup is very thick, and that your pears have well taken the sugar, put them in pots, and take care that they be well covered with syrup, or else they will-soon turn mouldy. Cover them with paper or parchment.
Take any quantity of ananas, cut them into four quarters, or in round slices, and pare off the skin, then take clarified sugar and water in equal quantities, put in the ananas, and proceed as before, taking care to skim them well during the time you are doing them; for it is very essential to remark, that when you are making any sort of preserves whatever, if you do not skim them well they are apt to grow sour, which occasions a great deal of trouble to repair them again. You must not boil the ananas in water first, as directed for the other fruits, because it would deprive it of its best substance and flavour.
Pare your oranges; make a round hole in the bottom, where the stalk grew, the bigness of a shilling; take out the meat and put them into salt and water for two or three hours, then boil them very tender, and put them into clarified sugar; give them a boil the next day, drain the syrup and boil it till it becomes smooth; put in your oranges, and give them a good boil; when a little cool, drain them, and fill them with a marmalade made as directed, putting in the round piece you cut out; with the syrup, some other sugar, and pipping juice, make a jelly and fill up your pots and glasses.
For variety take three of your preserved oranges take off the tops, cut them so as to look like little cups, and fil them with this marmalade; they both eat pleasant, and make a variety.
Take the green oranges, slit them on one side, and put them into a brine of salt water, as strong as will bear an egg, in which they must be soaked at least fifteen days; then strain them and put them into fresh water, and boil them tender; put them into fresh water again, shifting them every day for five days together; then give them another scald, and put them into clarified sugar; give them a boil, and set them by till next day; then boil them again; the next day add some more sugar, and give them another boil; the day after boil the syrup very smooth, pour it on them and keep them.
Note.—That if at any time your perceive the syrup begin to work, you must drain them and boil the syrup very smooth, and pour it on them; but if the first proves sour, boil it like wise. Green lemons are done after the same manner. If the oranges are any thing large, you must take put the meat from the inside.
Take good lemons, fair and well coloured, and scrape a little of the uppermost rhind; take out the seeds and the juice; lay them in spring water, shifting them twice a day for a day or two; then boil them to be tender, with a pound and quarter of double-refined sugar, and a pint and three-quarters of spring water; take the scum off, and put in your lemons; have ready a pint of pippin water; boil it first with half a pound of sugar, and put it to them; boil it to a jelly, and put in the juice of your lemons; then let them boil, but a little after, and put them into your glasses, but be sure to cover them with syrup.
Cut a small hole in the top, and take them out with a scoop; dry them before you put them into your syrup, with a clean cloth.
Take any quantity of green gages, prick them with a pin, put them in a pan with water, and set them on the fire; when you see the water beginning to boil, take them off and leave them in the same water to cool till the next day, when you are to set them again on a very gentle fire, that they may turn green. When you see they are green enough, put them in a sieve to drain; then take clarified sugar, in which add three parts water, then the plumbs, and set the whole on a slow fire to make them throw off their water; after which, put them in a pan for two days, and then add clarified sugar, and proceed as for other preserves.
Take little gerkins, put them in a large deep jug, cover them close down with vine leaves, fill the jug with water, cover it with a plate, set it in the chimney corner, a little distance from the fire, yet so as to keep warm; let them stand so a fortnight, then throw them into a sieve to drain; they will look very yellow, and will smell disagreeable; throw them into spring water once or twice, to clear them; put them into a large deep stew-pan, or preserving-pan; cover them all over with vine leaves, put in as much clear spring water as will cover them; set them over a charcoal fire, look often at them, and when they are turned a fine green, drain off that water and put them into fresh cold water; have your syrup made ready thus; to every pound of sugar add one pint of water, the clear peel of a lemon cut in long shreads, an ounce of ginger boiled in water for a quarter of an hour; put the ginger and lemon peel to the sugar and water, boil it to a syrup, throw in your cucumbers, and give them a boil, pour them into the pan you intend to keep them in, let them stand till next day, and boil them again three times; when cold, cover them up, and they make as fine a sweet as is tasted.
At the same time take large green cucumbers, full ripe, and cut them in four, longways; put them into cold water, cover them with green vine leaves, and set them over a charcoal fire till they boil; take them off, throw them into cold water, and repeat it several times, till they are a fine green, and tender; then preserve them as before, or dry them as your other Candied sweetmeats; either way they answer in tarts, mince-pies, or cakes, as well as citron.
Take the almonds when they are well grown; and make a lye with wood, charcoal and water; boil the lye till it feels very smooth, strain it through a sieve, and let it settle till clear; then pour off the clear into another pan, and set it on the fire in order to blanch off the down that is on the almonds, which you must do in this manner, viz. when the lye is scalding hot, throw in two or three almonds, and try when they have been in some time, if they will blanch; if they will, put in the rest, and the moment you find their skins will come off, remove them from the fire, put them into cold water, and blanch them, one by one, rubbing them with salt: then wash them in several waters, in order to clean them; in short, till you see no soil in the water; when this is done, throw them into boiling water; and let them boil till so tender as a pin may easily pass through them; drain and put them into clarified sugar without water, they being green enough do not require a thin sugar to bring them to a colour; but, on the contrary, if too much heated, they will become too dark a green; the next day boil the syrup and put it on them, the day after boil it till it be very smooth, the day following give all a boil together, scum them and let them lie four or five days; then, if you will dry them or put them in jellies, you must follow the directions as for green apricots.
Note.—If you will have compote of either, it is but serving them to table when they are first entered, by boiling the sugar a little more.
Cut your white citrons into what size pieces you please; put them into water and salt for four or five hours; then wash them in fair water, and boil them till tender; drain them, and put them into as much clarified sugar as will cover them, and set them by till next day; then drain the syrup, and boil it a little smooth; when cool, put in your citrons; the next day boil your syrup quite smooth, and pour on your citrons; the day after boil all together, and put it into a pot to be candied, or put it into jellies, and compose it as you may think proper.
Take the orange flowers just as they begin to open, put them into boiling water, and let them boil very quick till they are tender, putting in a little juice of lemon, as they boil, to keep them white; then drain them, and dry them carefully between two napkins; put them into as much clarified sugar as will cover them; the next day drain the syrup, and boil it a little smooth; when almost cold, pour it on the flowers, and the following day you may drain them and lay them out to dry, dusting them a very little.
Take one ounce of cocheneal and beat it to a fine powder; boil it in three quarters of a pint of water to the consumption of half; then beat half an ounce of roach allum, and half an ounce of cream of tartar, very fine, and put them to the cocheneal; boil them all together a little while, and strain it through a fine bag, which put into a phial and keep for use.
Note.—If an ounce of loaf sugar be boiled in with it, it will keep what you do not use immediately from moulding.
Pare your pippins from all spots, and, with a narrow-pointed knife, make a hole quite through them; then boil them in fair water about a quarter of an hour; drain them, and take as much sugar as will cover them; boil it till it blows very strong, then put in your pippins, and give them another; then if you have, for example, a dozen of pippins, take a pound of sugar, and boil it till it blows very strong; put in half a pint of pippin jelly, and the juice of three or four lemons; boil all together, and put to the golden pippins; give them all a boil, scum them, and put them into glasses or pots.
Pare them very thin, and put them into a clean stewpan, saucepan, or preserving-pan, according to the quantity you want; but scoop out the cores, and into every pippin put two or three long narrow bits of lemon peel; take the parings, boil them in water enough to cover the pippins, strain it, and make it as sweet as syrup; pour it on your pippins, and stew them till they are quite tender; they make a pretty plate.
Take a pound of barberries picked from the stalks, put them into two quart pans, set them in a brass pot full of hot water, to stew them; after this strain them, add a pound of sugar, and a pint of rose water, boil them together a little, take half a pound of the best clusters of barberries you can get, dip them into the syrup while it is boiling, take out the barberries, and let the syrup boil till it is thick; when they are cold, put them into glasses or gallypots with the syrup.
Take any quantity of barberries without stripping them of their stalks, split them with a knife, take out all the seed which is in them, then tie them in little bunches; have clarified sugar, which set on the fire: when your sugar is at a high degree, put your little bunches in and boil them about ten minutes, after which put them in a pan, and place them in the stove with a slow fire for three days running; at the end of which time, take them from that sugar which you set again on the fire, to heighten it again to the above degree; for the barberries will have weakened it by throwing their juice in it. When that is done, put the bunches again in it, and place it as before in the stove for three whole days, after which draw out your bunches from the sugar, and put them to drain on a wire grate, made on purpose for these sorts of things; then range them on a horse hair sieve, and replace them in the stove to dry, and they are ready for use.
Take young and thick stalks of angelica, cut them into lengths of about a quarter of a yard, and scald them; then put them into water, strip off the skins, and cut them into narrow slips; lay them on your preserving pan, and put to them a thin sugar, that is, to one part sugar, as clarified, and one part water; set it over the fire, let it boil, and set it by till next day; then turn it in the pan, give it another boil, and the day after drain it and boil the sugar till it is a little smooth; pour it on your angelica, and if it be a good green, boil it no more; if not, heat it again, and the day following boil the sugar till it is very smooth, and pour it upon your angelica; the next day boil your syrup till it rises to the top of your pan, and put your angelica into your pan; pour your syrup upon it, and keep it for use.
Angelica, not altogether so young as the other, cut into short pieces, about half a quarter of a yard, or less; scald it a little, then drain it, and put it into a thin sugar as before; boil it a little the next day, turn it in the pan the bottom upwards and boil it, and then finish it as the other for knots.
Note.—When you will candy it, you must drain it from the syrup, wash it,and candy it as the orange and lemon.
Take your ringoe roots, and parboil them reasonably tender; then pick and peel them; wash them very clean, dry them with a cloth, and put in as much clarified sugar as will cover them; boil them leisurely on a chafing dish of coals, till you see the rolls look clear and your syrup something thick, betwixt hot and cold, and put them up.
Take the white of an egg, beat it very well, and take double refined sugar, beaten very fine and sifted; then take the marjoram, and rub it on a glass that is clean, and lay it in form of the glass; so do it with your eggs, then seer it with your sugar on it, and lay it on papers to dry.
Pare and core the quinces; to every pound of sugar and quinces, put in a pint of water; boil them together as fast as you can, uncovered; the same way you may preserve pippins white.
Core and pare your quinces; those which you would have white, put into a pail of water for two or three hours; then take as much sugar as they weigh, and add as much water as will make a syrup to cover them; boil the syrup a little, then put in the quinces, and let them boil as fast as you can till they are very tender and clear; afterwards take them out, and boil the syrup a little higher alone, and when it is cold put the quinces up in pots; if you would have them red, put them raw into sugar and let them boil gently, being closed covered, till they are red; you must not put them into cold water.
Take the apricots when about to stone, before it becomes too hard for a pin easily to pass through; pare them in ribs very neatly, because every stroke with the knife will be seen; then put them into fair water as you pare them, and boil them till tender enough to slip easily from your pin; drain them and put them into a thin sugar, that is to say, one part sugar clarified, and one part water; boil them a little, and set them by till next day; then give them another boil, and the day after drain them, boil your syrup four or five days; then boil some more sugar till it blows hard, and add it to them; give all a boil, and let them lie till the day following; then drain them from the syrup, and lay them out to dry, dusting them with a little fine sugar before you put them into the stove.
Take the apricots when full grown, pare them, and take out their stones; then have ready a pan of boiling water, throw them into it, and scald them till they rise to the top of the water; take them out carefully with your scummer, and lay them in your preserving pan, and lay over them as much sugar, boiled to blow, as will cover them; give them a boil round, by setting the pan half on the fire and turning it about as it boils; then set it full on the fire, and let it have a covered boiling; then let them settle a quarter of an hour, and pick those that look clean to one side, and those that do not, to the other; boil that side that is not clear, till they become clear; and, as they do so, pick them away, lest they boil to a paste; when you see they look all alike, give them a covered boiling, scum them, and set them by; the next day, boil a little more sugar to blow very strong, put it to the apricots, and give them a very good boil; scum and cover them with paper, and put them in a stove for two days; then drain them and lay them out to dry, first dusting the plates you lay them on, and then the apricots extraordinary well, blowing off what sugar lies white upon them; put them into a very warm stove to dry, and when dry on one side, turn and dust them again; when quite dry, pack them up.
Note—In the turning them, you must take care there be no little bladders in them; if there be you must prick them with the point of a penknife, and squeeze them out, otherwise they will blow and sour.
Split the apricots, and then take out the stones; pare them, and turn them round with your knife; put them into your pan without scalding, and put as much sugar, boiled very smooth, as will cover them; then manage them on the fire as the whole apricots, scum them, and set them in the stove; the next day boil some more sugar, very strong, drain the syrup from the apricots, boil it very smooth, put it to the fresh sugar, and give it a boil; then put in the apricots, boil them first round, and then let them have a covered boil; scum them and cover them with paper, then put them into the stove for two or three days; drain them, and lay them out to dry, first dusting them.
Pare and stone your apricots, then scald them a little; then lay them in your pan, and put as much clarified sugar to them as will cover them; the next day drain the syrup, and boil it smooth; the slip in your apricots, and boil as before; the next day make a jelly with codlings, boiling some apricots among them to give a better taste; when you have boiled the jelly to its proper height, put in the apricots with their syrup, and boil altogether; when enough, scum them well, and put them into your glasses.
Gather your codlings when they are about the size of a walnut, and let the stalk and a leaf or two remain on each; put some vine leaves in a brass pan of spring water, and cover them with a layer of codlings, then another of vine leaves, and proceed in the same manner till the pan is full; cover it close to keep the steam in, and set it on a slow fire; when they become soft, take off the skins with a penknife; then put them in the same water with the vine leaves; it must be quite cold, or it perhaps may crack them; put a little roach allum, and set them over a very slow fire till they are green {which will be in about three or four hours), then take them out, and lay them on a sieve to drain; make a good syrup, and give them a gentle boil once a day for three days, after which put them into small jars. Cover them with brandy-paper, and keep them for use.
Shell fine young pease, and put them into boiling water with some salt; after boiling five minutes, drain them in a cullender, and put them on a cloth doubled five or six times, on a table; let them lie free, in order to dry. Your bottles should be prepared before-hand, and be quite clean and dry. Fill them with the pease, and put on the top some mutton fat tryed; tie a bladder with a thin board or lath over them, and let them be put in cool dry closet or cellar; boil your water when you use them, and put in a little butter, salt, and sugar; and as soon as they are enough, drain them, and put them into a sauce-pan with some butter, and shake it while it is melting. Pease done this way will keep good till Christmas.
Split the nectarins, and take out the stones; then put them into clarified sugar, and boil them round till they have well taken the sugar; take off the scum, cover them with a paper, and set them by; the next day boil a little more sugar, till it blows very strong, put it to the nectarins, and give them a good boil; take off the scum, cover them and put them into the stove; the following day drain them, and lay them out to dry, first dusting them a little; then put them into the stove.
Take the Newington peach, when full ripe, split it and take out the stone; then have ready a pan of boiling water, drop in the peaches, and let them have a few moments scalding; take them out, and put them into as much sugar, only clarified, as will cover them; give them a boil round, then scum them and set them by till the next day; then boil some more sugar to blow very strong, which sugar put to the peaches and give them a good boil; scum them and set them by till the day following; then give them another good boil; scum them, and put them into a warm stove for the space of two days; then drain them and lay them out, one half over the other, dust them and put them into the stove; the next day turn and dust them, and, when thorough dry, pack them up for use.
Pare your peaches and take out the stones, then cut them into very thin slices, not thicker than the blade of a knife; then, to every pound of chips take one pound and a half of sugar, boiled to blow very strong; throw in the chips, give them a good boil, and let them settle a little; take off the scum, let them stand a quarter of an hour, and then give them another good boil, and let them settle as before; then take off the scum, cover them and set them by, and the next day drain them and lay them out, bit by bit; dust them and dry them in a warm stove; when dry on one side, take them from the plate with a knife, and turn them on a sieve,, and again afterwards, if they are not pretty dry; but which they generally are.
First preserve your peaches whole, with their weight of sugar; do not scald them in water, but boil them in the syrup three times; lay your peaches in a large deep glass for the purpose, take the syrup and pour it over them, with an equal quantity of brandy; cover them close and keep them for use. Nectarines may be done in the same way.
Violet plumbs are a long time yellow, and are ripe in the month of June; they are preserved in the following manner: put them into clarified sugar, just enough to cover them, and boil them pretty quick; the next day boil them again as before; the day after drain them and take away their skins, which you will find all flow off; then put them into sugar, boiled till it blows a little, and give them a boil; the day following boil some more sugar till it blows a little, and give them another boil; the next day boil some more sugar to blow very strong, put it to the plumbs in the syrup, boil them a little, then scum them; the day following drain them and lay them out to dry, observing to dust them before you put them into the stove.
Take the green amber plumbs when full grown, prick them in two or three places, and put them into cold water; set them over the fire to scald, in which you must be very careful not to let the water be too hot, lest you hurt them; when they are very tender, put them into a very thin sugar, that is to say, one part sugar and two parts water; give them a little warm in this sugar, cover them, and the next day give them another warm; the third day drain them, and boil the syrup, adding a little more sugar; then put the syrup to the plumbs, and give them a boil, and the day after boil the syrup till very smooth; then put it to the plumbs, cover them, and put them into the stove; the day following boil some more sugar to blow very strong, put it to the fruit give all a boil, and put them into the stove for two days; then drain them, and lay them out to dry, first dusting them very well; manage them in the drying as other fruit.
Take pippins, apricots, pear plumbs, or peaches, while they are green, and put them in a preserving-pan, or stew-pan; cover them with vine leaves, and then with fine clear spring water; put on the cover of the pan, set them over a clear fire, when they begin to simmer take them off, and carefully with your slice take them out, peel and preserve them as you do other fruit.
Take the green orange plumbs, full grown, before they turn; prick them with a fine bodkin, as thick all over as you possibly can; put them into cold water, as your prick them, and when all are done, set them over a very slow fire, and scald them with the utmost care you can, nothing being so subject to break, and if the skin flies they are worth nothing; when they are tender, take them off the fire, and set them by in the same water for two or three days; when they become sour, and begin to fret on the top of the water, be careful to drain them very well, and put them in single rows in your preserving-pan; put to them as much thin sugar as will cover them, that is, one part sugar and two parts water; set them over the fire, and by degrees warm them, till you perceive the sourness to be gone, and the plumbs are sunk to the bottom; then set them by, and the day after throw away that syrup, and put to them a fresh sugar, of one part sugar and one part water; in this sugar give them several heats, but not to boil, lest you hurt them; cover them and set them in a warm stove, that they may suck in what sugar they can; the next day drain the sugar, and boil it till it becomes smooth, adding some more fresh sugar; pour this sugar on them, return them into the stove, and the day after boil the sugar to become very smooth; pour it upon the plumbs, and give all a gentle boil; scum it and put them into the stove; the day following drain them out of the syrup, and boil some fresh sugar, as much as you judge will cover them very smooth; put it to your plumbs, and give all a very good covered boiling; then take off the scum, cover them, and let them stand in the stove two days; then drain and lay them out to dry, dusting them very well.
To preserve the green Mogul Plumb.
Take this plumb when just upon turning ripe, prick, with a penknife, to the very stone on that side where the cleft is, and put them into cold water as you do them; then set them over a very slow fire to scald, and when they are become very tender, take them carefully out of the water and put them into a thin sugar, that is, half sugar and half water; warm them gently, cover them, and set them by; the next day, give them another warm and set them by; the day following drain the syrup and boil it smooth, adding to it a little fresh sugar, and give them a gentle boil; the day after boil the sugar very smooth, pour it upon them, and set them in the stove for two days; drain them, and boil a fresh sugar to be very smooth or just to blow a little, and put it to your plumbs; give them a good covered boiling, scum them, and put them into a stove for two days; drain them, and lay them out to dry, dusting them well.
- This is a little round plumb, about the size of a damson; it leaves the stone when ripe, is somewhat inclining to a yellow in colour, and very well deserves its name being the finest green when done, and with a tenth part of the trouble and charge; as you will find by the receipt.
Take these plumbs when full grown, and just upon the turn; prick them with a penknife in two or three places, and scald them by degrees till the water becomes very hot, for they will even bear boiling; continue them in the water till they become green, then drain them and put them into clarified sugar; boil them very well, and let them settle a little; then give them another boil, if you perceive they shrink and take not the sugar in very well; prick them with a fork all over, as they lie in the pan, and give them another boil; scum them, and set them by; the next day boil some other sugar, till it blows, and put it to the; give them another boil, set them in the stove for one night, and the next day drain them and lay them out; first dusting them.
Take these plumbs when full ripe, put them into your preserving-pan, and put to them as much sugar as will cover them; give them a very good boil let them settle a little, and boil them again three or four times; scum them, and the next day drain them from the syrup; return them into the pan, boil as much fresh sugar to blow as will cover them, and give them a thorough boiling; scum them, set them in the stove for twenty-four hours, and drain them; then lay them out to dry, after having dusted them very well.
Note.—In the scalding of green plumbs, you must always have a sieve in the bottom of your pan to put your plumbs in, that they may not touch the bottom; for those that do, will burst before the others are scarcely warm.
Take the small green figs, slit them on the top, put them in water for ten days, and proceed thus: put as much salt into the water as will make it bear an egg; then let it settle, take the scum off, and put the clear brine to the figs; keep them in water for ten days, then put them into fresh water, boil them till a pin will easily pass into them; drain and put them into the other fresh water, shifting them everyday for four days; again drain them, put them into clarified sugar, give them a little warm, and let them stand till the next day; warm them again, and when they are become green, give them a good boil; then boil some other sugar to blow, put it to them, and give them another boil; the next day drain and dry them.
Take the white figs when ripe, slit them in the tops, put them into clarified sugar, and give them a good boil; scum them and set them by; the next day boil some more sugar till it blows, pour it upon them, and boil them again very well; scum and set them in the stove, the day after drain and lay them out to dry, first dusting them very well.
Choose raspberries that are not too ripe, and take the weight of them in sugar; wet your sugar with a little water, put in your raspberries, and let them boil softly; be careful not to break them; when they are clear, take them up, and boil the syrup till it be thick enough, then put them in again, and when they are boiled put them up in glasses.
If you intend to preserve the red sort of raspberries, gather them on a dry day, when they are just turning red, with the stalks on, about an inch long; lay them singly on a dish, beat and sift their weight of double refined sugar, and strew it over them; to every quart of raspberries, take a quart of red currant jelly juice, and to it its weight of double refined sugar; boil and thin it well, then put in your raspberries, and give them a scald; take them off, and let them stand for two hours; then set them on again, and make them a little hotter; proceed in this manner two or three times till they look clear; but take care to prevent their boiling, as that will occasion the stalks to come off; when they are tolerably cool, put them into jelly glasses with the stalks downwards. White raspberries may be preserved in the same manner only using white currant jelly instead of red.
Take the largest and best grapes before they are thorough ripe; stone and scald them, and let them lie two days in the water they are scaled in; then drained them, and put them into a thin syrup, and give them a heat over a slow fire; the next day turn the grapes in the pan, and heat them again the day after; then drain them, put them into clarified sugar, give them a good boil, scum them, and set them by; the following day, boil more sugar to blow, put it to the grapes, give all a good boil, scum them, and set them in a warm stove all night; the day after drain the grapes, and lay them out to dry, first dusting them very well.
Take the great Gascoyne grapes when they are green, before they are too ripe, and prick every one of them; to every pound of grapes add a pound and a quarter of sugar; make a syrup with the verjuice of the grapes stained; when your sugar is made clear and perfect, put in your grapes strained into juice; put them in a deep bason, cover them close, and set them on a pot of scalding water to boil; when your grapes are tender, take them up, boil the syrup a little more, and betwixt hot and cold, put them in broad glasses or gally-pots (which is better than glasses, as you must lay one cluster above another); then put a paper over them and tie them up.
Take some close bunches of red or white grapes, before they are too ripe, and put them into a pan, with a quarter of a pound of sugar-candy, and fill the jar with brandy; tie it close, and set them in a dry place.
Set some mulberries over the fire in a skillet, or preserving pan; draw from them a pint of juice when it is strained; then take three pounds of sugar, beaten very fine, wet the sugar with the pint of juice; boil up the sugar and skim it, put in two pounds of ripe mulberries, and let them stand in the syrup till they are thoroughly warm; then set them on the fire, and let them boil very gently; do them but half enough, and put them by in the syrup till next day, then boil them gently again when the syrup is pretty thick, and will stand in round drops; when it is cold, they are enough; and may be put into a gallipot for use.
Let the mulberries not be too ripe, but rather a reddish green, and tart; having prepared a quantity of sugar equal to the mulberries, and brought it to its blown quality, throw in the mulberries, and give them a covered boiling; the sugar also may be melted with the juice of mulberries to clarify it; when they have boiled; take the pan from the fire, scum it, and set it in the stove till next day; then take them out, drain them from the syrup, and put them up in boxes for use.
Pare your walnuts til only the white appears, and be careful in doing them that they do not turn black, and as fast as you do them throw them into salt and water, and let them lie till your sugar is ready; take three pounds of good loaf sugar, put it into your preserving-pan, set it over a charcoal fire, and put as much water as will just wet the sugar, let it boil; then have ready ten or twelve whites of eggs strained and beat up to a froth; cover your sugar with a froth as it boils, and skim it; then boil it, and skim it till it is as clear as chrystal, then throw in your walnuts; just give them a boil till they are tender, then take them out, and lay them in a dish to cool; when cool, put them in your preserving-pan, and when the sugar is as warm as milk, pour it over them. When quite cold, paper them down.
Take walnuts of the smaller kind, put them in salt and water, and change the water every day for nine days; then put them in a sieve, and let them stand in the air till they begin to turn black; then put them into a jug, pour boiling water over them, and let them stand till the next day; put them into a sieve to drain, stick a clove in each end of your walnut, put them into a pan of boiling water, and let them boil five minutes; then take them up, make a thin syrup, and scald them in it three or four times a day, till your walnuts are black and bright; make a thick syrup with a few cloves, and a little ginger cut in slices; skim it well, pour in your walnuts, boil them five or six minutes, and put them into your jars: lay brandy paper over them, and tie them down close with a bladder. They will eat better the second year after their keeping than in the first as their bitterness goes off with time.
Take the smaller sort of walnuts when full grown, and not shelled; boil them in water till very tender, but not to break, so they will become black; drain them and stick a clove in every one; put them into your preserving-pan, and if you have any peach syrup, or that of the white walnuts, it will be as well or better than sugar; put as much syrup as will cover the walnuts, boil them very well, scum them, and set them by; the next day boil the syrup till it becomes smooth, put in the walnuts, and give them another boil; the day after drain them, and boil the syrup till it becomes smooth, adding more syrup, if occasion; give all a boil, scum them, and put them into the pot for use.
Gather your walnuts when they are not much larger than a good nutmeg, wipe them very clean, and lay them in strong salt and water twenty-four hours; then take them out, and wipe them very clean; have ready a stewpan of boiling water, throw them in, let them boil a minute, and take them out; lay them on a coarse cloth, and boil your sugar as directed for the white walnuts; then just give your walnuts a scald in the sugar, take them up, and lay them to cool. Put them in your preserving-pot, and pour on your syrup.
Note.—They answer much better boiled up with the coarsest Lisbon sugar.
Take a head of garlick, peel the cloves, throw them into spring water, give them just a boil, and preserve them as you do your apricots.
Take the almonds when they are well grown, and make a lye with wood, charcoal and water; boil the lye till it feels very smooth, strain it through a sieve, and let it settle till clear; then pour off the clear into another pan, and set it on the fire in order to blanch off the down that is on the almonds, which may be done thus:—When the lye is scalding hot, throw in two or three almonds, and try, when they have been in some time, if they will blanch; if they will, put in the rest, and the moment you find their skins will come off, remove them from the fire, put them into cold water, and blanch them, one by one, rubbing them with salt; then wash them in several waters, in order to clean them; in short, till you see no soil in the water; when this is done, throw them into boiling water, and let them boil till so tender as a pin may easily pass through them; drain and put them into clarified sugar without water, they being green enough do not require a thin sugar to bring them to a colour; but, on the contrary, if too much heated, they will become too dark a green; the next day boil the syrup and put it on them, the day after boil it till it is smooth, the day following give all a boil together, scum them and let them lie four or five days; then, if you will dry them or put them in jelly, you must follow the directions as for green apricots.
To a pound of jordan almonds, take half a pound of double-refined sugar; blanch one half of the almonds, and leave the other half unblanched; beat the white of an egg very well, pour it on your almonds, and wet them well with it; then boil your sugar again, dip in your almonds, stir them all together, that your sugar may hang well on them; then put them on plates, place them in the oven after the bread is drawn; let them stay in all night, and they will keep the year round.
Take the best Morello cherries when ripe, either stone them or clip their stalks off; to every pound take a pound of sugar, boil it till it blows very strong; then put in the cherries, and by degrees bring them to boil as fast as you can, that the sugar may come all over them; scum them and set them by, and the next day boil some more sugar to the same degree; put some jelly of currants, drawn as directed; for example: if you boil one pound of sugar, take one pint of jelly of currants, put in the cherries and the syrup to the sugar, then add the jelly, and give all a boil together; scum them, and fill your glasses or pots, taking care, as they cool, to disperse them equally, or otherwise they will all swim to the top.
Stone your cherries, and weigh them to eight pounds; put two pounds of sugar, boil it till it blows very strong, put the cherries to the sugar, and heat them by degrees till the sugar is melted, for when the cherries come in, it will so cool the sugar that it will seem like glue, and should you put it on a quick fire at first, it will endanger the burning; when you find the sugar is all melted, then boil it as quick as possible till the sugar flies over them; scum and set them by in an earthen pan, for where the sugar is so thin, it will be apt to canker in copper, brass, or silver; the next day drain them and boil the sugar till it rises; pour in your cherries, give them a good boil, scum them, and set them by till the next day; then drain and lay them out on sieves, and dry them in a very hot stove.
Dip the stalks and the leaves in the best vinegar when it is boiling hot, stick the sprigs upright in a sieve till they are dry; in the mean time boil some double refined sugar to syrup, and dip the cherries, stalks and leaves in the syrup, and just let them scald, lay them on a sieve, and boil the sugar to a candy height, then dip the cherries, stalks leaves, and all; then stick the branches and leaves, and dry them as you do other sweetmeats. They look very beautiful at candle light in a dessert.
Take green gooseberries, slice them on the side, that part of the liquor may run out, put them into pots, and put into the pots two or three spoonfuls of water; stop the pots very close, and put them in a skillet of water over the fire, till the gooseberries have made a liquor as clear as water; half a pound of gooseberries will make this liquor; take a pound of cherries stoned, one pound of double-refined sugar beaten small, strew some at the bottom of your silver bason, and then a layer of cherries, and cover them over with sugar; keep some to throw over them as they boil, put to the cherries five or six spoonfuls of gooseberry liquor, set them over the fire, and boil them very moderately at first, till your sugar is melted, and afterwards as fast as you can; scum it very well and carefully; when your liquor is brought to a jelly, it will stick your spoon, and then put it up. They do best half a pound at a time.
Take Morello cherries, hang them by their stalks one by one, where the sun may come to dry them, and no dust can get to them; this must be in autumn; cut the stalks as for preserving, place them one by one in your glasses, scrape as much sugar as will cover them; then fill them up with white wine, set them in a stone to swell, and then use them.
Take six pounds of cherries, and stone them; put half a pound of the best powdered sugar, boil them in a little copper, or other vessel as most convenient; when you think they are enough, lay them one by one on the back side of a sieve, set them to dry in an oven that has been heated, and when dry, put them in a stove to keep them so. If any liquor be left, do more cherries as above; they will keep well coloured all the year.
Take the longest sort of gooseberries the latter end of May, or beginning of June, before the green colour has left them; set some water over the fire, and, when it is ready to boil, throw in the gooseberries; let them have a scald, then take them out, and carefully remove them into cold water; set them over a very slow fire to green, cover them close that none of the steam can get out, and when they have obtained their green colour, which will perhaps be four or five hours, drain them gently into clarified sugar, and give them a heat; set them by till next day, and give them another heat; set them by till next day, and give them another heat; this you must repeat four or five times, in order to bring them to a very good green colour; thus you may serve them to table by way of compote. If you wish to preserve them to keep either dry or in jelly, you must proceed as directed for green apricots.
Take the large Dutch gooseberries when full grown, but before they are quite ripe, pare them into fair water, stone them, put them into boiling water, and let them boil very tender; then put them into clarified sugar in an earthen pan, and put as many in one pan as will cover the bottom, and set them by till next day; then boil the syrup a little, and pour it on them; the third day give them a gentle boil round, by setting the side of the pan over the fire, and turning the side of the pan over the fire, and turning it about as it boils, till they have had a boil all over; the day following make a jelly with codlings, and finish them as you do the others.
Get the largest preserving gooseberries, pick off the black eye, but not the stalk; scald them, but take great care they do not break; then take them up and throw them into cold water, and to every pound of gooseberries put a pound and a half of double refined sugar, which must be first clarified; to every pound of sugar a pint of water; and when the syrup is cold, lay your gooseberries single into your preserving-pan, and put the syrup to them, set them on a slow fire, and let them boil, but not too fast, lest they break; when you perceive the sugar has entered them take them off, cover them with white paper, and set them by till next day; then take them out of the syrup, boil the syrup till it begins to be ropy, scum it, put it to them again, and set them on a gentle fire; let them preserve gently till you perceive the syrup will rope, then take them off, set them by till they are cold, and cover them with paper; boil some gooseberries in fair water, when the liquor is strong strain it off, let it stand to settle, and to every pint of that liquor put a pound of double-refined sugar, and make a jelly of it; put the gooseberries in glasses, when cold pour the jelly over them, and the next day paper them; wet and half dry the inside paper, to lie down the closer, put on your upper paper, and set them in the stove. If you have a mind to make a little tree of them according to art, they will be pretty in a dessert.
To every pound of gooseberries, when stoned, put two pounds of sugar, but boil the sugar till it blows very strong, then strew in the gooseberries and give them a gentle boil, till the sugar comes all over them; let them settle a quarter of an hour, give them another good boil, sum them and set them by till the next day; then drain and lay them out on sieves to dry, dusting them well; put them before a brisk fire in the stove, and when dry on one side, turn and dust them on the other; when quite dry, put them into your box.
Gather them when dry, full grown, and not ripe; pick them one by one, put them into glass bottles that are very clean and dry, and cork them close with new corks; then put a kettle of water on the fire, and put in the bottles with care; wet not the corks, but let the water come up to the necks; make a gentle fire till they are a little coddled, and turn white; do not take them up till cold, then pitch the corks all over, or wax them close, and set them in a cold dry cellar.
Put a pound of sugar into a preserving-pan, for every pound and a quarter of currants, with a sufficient quantity of juice of currants to dissolve the sugar; when it boils, skim it, and put in your currants, and boil them till they are very clear; put them into a jar, cover them with brandy-paper, and keep them in a dry place.
Stone your currants, clip off the black tops, and clip them from the stalks; to every pound boil two pounds of sugar, till it blows very strong; slip in the currants, give them a quick boil, take them from the fire and let them settle a little; then give them another boil, and put in a pint of currant jelly, drawn as directed, till you see the jelly will flake from the scummer; then remove it from the fire, let it settle a little, scum them and put them into your glasses, and as they cool take care to disperse them equally.
Having stoned your currants, tie six or seven bunches together with a thread, to a piece of split deal, about the length of your finger; put double-refined sugar, equal in weight to your currants, into your preserving-pan, with a little water, and boil it till your sugar flies; then put the currants in, and give them a boil up, and cover them till next day; when take them out, and either dry or put them in glasses, with the syrup boiled up with a little of the juice of red currants; put brandy-paper over them, and tie them close down with another paper, and set them in a dry place.
Stone your currants and tie them up in bunches; to every pound of currants boil two pounds of sugar, till it blows very strong; dip in the currants, let them boil very fast till the sugar flies all over them; when settled a quarter of an hour, boil them again till the sugar rises almost to the top of the pan; let them settle, scum them and set them by till next day; then drain them and lay them out, taking care to spread the sprigs that they may not dry clogged together; dust them very much, and dry them in a hot stove.
Take it in bunches as it grows, put on the fire a large deep stew-pan filled with water; when it boils throw in a little salt, put in your samphire, and when you see it look of a fine beautiful green, take off the pan directly, and with a fork take up the samphire, lay it on sieves to drain, and when cold, either preserve it, or dry it. If you frost them they will be very pretty.
Take the largest Dutch gooseberries, cut them across the head, and half way down, pick out the seeds clean, but do not break the gooseberries; take fine long thorns, scrape them, and stick on your gooseberries, put in the leaf of the one, to the cut part of the other, and so till your thorn is full, then put them in a new pipkin with a close cover; cover them with water, and let them stand scalding till they are green (before your water boils); while they are gently greening make a syrup for them, and take whole green gooseberries and boil them in water till they all break, then strain the water through a sieve; to every pound of hops put a pound and a half of double-refined sugar, put the sugar and hops into the liquor, and boil them uncovered, till they are clear and green, then take them up and lay them on pye plates, and boil your syrup longer; lay your hops in a very deep gallipot, and when the syrup is cold pour it on them, cover them with paper, and keep them in a stove for some time; afterwards in a very dry place.
Put your damsons in a pot, to two quarts put a pound of fine sugar, and bake them in a slow over two hours; then set them in a cool place a week, and pour over them as much rendered beef suet as well be an inch thick; it must be put on hot every time you take any out; and they will keep all the year.
Boil your beet root for four hours, till you see it quite soft; then make a syrup of a pint of spring water and half a pound of sugar, and boil the beet root in it, for a quarter of an hour; then put it in gallypots for use. When you want to use them for sauce, soak them in warm water for ten minutes or more, and slice them into oil and vinegar.
Get a dozen of pippins or pearmanes, pare them, put a quart of water to them, one pennyworth of cinnamon stick, grate part of a lemon rhind, and some cochineal steeped in water, and half a pound of loaf sugar; then send them to the oven, tie over them a paper, and after that coarse paste; do not forget to scoop a hole in the middle of the apples to let the liquor through them; let them stand in a slow oven; when you think they are enough, take them out of the oven, take off the paper, and let them stand in the syrup; in the morning drain it from them, and put to it a little water, a pound, or a pound and a half of sugar, as you would have a quantity of syrup for them; and when you have scummed them well, clear it with the white of an egg, when that is done put in your apples again, and let them boil in the syrup till it be clear; then put in as much cochineal as will make them of a good colour; sometimes take the apples out least they should break, and let the syrup all night, and in the morning set it over the fire, which must be of charcoal; let it boil up, then take the apples out, and put them in again; when your syrup is boiled to a thickness for keeping, and your apples a good colour, shred your lemon peel, and put in it half an ounce of candied orange, cut in thin slices; put your apples into the pot you design to keep them in, and when your syrup is half cold put it on your apples, and put them up for use.
Pare your pippins, and make a hole in them, as directed for preserving them; then weigh them, and boil them till tender; take them out of the water, and to every pound of pippins take a pound and a half of loaf sugar, and boil it till blows very strong; then put in the fruit, and boil it very quick till the sugar flows all over the pan; let them settle, cool them, scum them, and set them by till the next day; then drain them and lay them out to dry, dusting them with fine sugar before you put them into the stove; the next day turn them and dust them again; when dry pack them up.
You may dry them in slices, or quarters, after the same manner.
First boil them in new ale wort, on a slow fire, for a quarter of an hour; them take them out and press them flat, and dry them in your oven, or stove; put them up in papers, in a box, and they will keep all the year.
Take your codlings, and coddle them gently, close covered; then peel your codlings, and put them into cold water, setting them over a slow fire till they are green, close covered; they will be two or three hours doing.
Drain what quantity you will from the syrup, and boil as much sugar as will cover it, till it blows; put in your angelica, and give it a boil till it blows again; when cold, drain it, tie it in knots, and put it into a warm stove to dry, first dusting it a little; when dry on one side, turn it to dry on the other, and then pack it up.
Take a pound of sugar, make it into a syrup, boil it candy high, and put in three quarters of a pound of Jordan almonds blanched; keep them stirring all the while, till they are dry, then crisp them, put them in a box, and keep them dry.
Stone the barberries, and use them in bunches; weigh them, and to every pound of berries clarify two pounds of sugar, make the syrup with half a pint of water to a pound of sugar, put your barberries into the syrup when it it is scalding hot, let them boil a little, and set them by with a paper close to them; the next day make them scalding hot, repeat this two days, but do not boil it after the first time, and when they are cold lay them on earthen plates, strew sugar well over them, the next day turn them on a sieve, and sift them again with sugar; turn them daily till they are dry, taking care your stove is not too hot.
Take your fruit when it is fit to pot, and strew some sugar at the bottom of the pot, then fruit, and then sugar; so on till the pot is full; cover them with sugar, tie a bladder over the pot, then leather, and keep it in a dry place.
Take fine dry sand, that has little or no saltness in it, and make it as dry as possible with often turning it in the sun; gather your fruits when they are just ripening, or coming near ripe, and dip the ends of the stalks in melted pitch or bees-wax; and having a large box with a close lid, dry your fruit a little in the sun to take away the superfluous moisture and lightly spread a layer of sand at the bottom of the box, and a layer of fruit on it, but not too near each other; then scatter sand very even about an inch thick over them, and so another layer till the box is full; then shut the lid down close, that the air may not penetrate; and whenever you take out any thing, be sure to mind the placing them even again, so you will have them fit for tarts, or other uses, till the next season; if they are a little wrinkled, wash them in warm water and they will plump again: you may use millet instead of sand, if you think it more convenient.
Take a large earthen pot, put the fruit into it, a layer of their own leaves being between them; then boil water and honey, scumming it till no more will rise, make it not too thick of the honey, and pour it warm on them; stop up the vessel close, and when you take them out for use, put them two hours in warm water, and they will have in a great measure their natural taste.
When they are come to their full growth, before they are quite ripe, make, for every bunch of grapes, a bag of white paper, well oiled, close the top, that no rain can get into the bag, and they will keep good till after Christmas; or if you pull them when just ripe, and dip their stalks in melted pitch or wax, and hang them in strings across a room, so that they do not touch one another. Pears will keep the same way all the year.
Gather them when they are ripe, with the green husks on, bury them in dry sand, and mix the filberts with them.
Gather them on a very fine clear day, at twelve o'clock; have ready a box and, a little writing-sand, place a layer of sand, then a layer of flowers, and so on alternately, till the box is full; close the box, that no air can get in.
Boil your artichoaks in water till you see they are soft; then take them out, and pound some cochineal very fine, and mix in fresh water, and boil them again a quarter of an hour; then dry them in bags for a quarter of an hour.
Take your walnuts full ripe, and peel them; then dry them well in the sun for a week or more, rub them often with a cloth till you see no mould on them; then keep them in a bag, in a dry place, and when you want any for a dessert, crack and peel them quite clean, but take care that you keep the nut whole, or in quarters; then put them in some spring water, as warm as you may bear your finger in; let them stand three or four hours, then put them in cold spring water, and let them stand all night; the next day, when you go to set your dessert, put them in glasses, and they will be crisp and fine as when fresh gathered.
Gather them on a dry day, dry them in the sun, and keep them in papers, in a dry place, and before you use them, lay them in warm water.