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Grape Conserve
8 pounds grapes 1½ pounds raisins, seeded 4 pounds sugar Wash the grapes and press the pulp from the skins. Cut the oranges in quarters and slice very thin through skin and pulp. Cook the pulp of the grapes in a double boiler until softened, then press through a sieve to remove the seeds. To the pulp add the skins and the orange and let cook until the skins are tender; add sugar and raisins and let cook until like marmalade. 6 pounds plums 2 oranges, sliced I
The ingredient list as printed in the book is scrambled — the quantity of grapes is missing entirely and a line for plums has drifted in from a neighbouring recipe. The method itself is sound and typical of the period; work from it with the proportions noted below.
- The missing grape quantityThe instructions call for grapes, oranges, raisins and sugar, but only the raisins (1½ lb), sugar (4 lb) and, probably, the oranges (2) survive in the printed list; the "6 pounds plums" line appears to belong to another recipe on the page. Comparable conserves often use roughly equal weights of grapes and sugar, so about 4 lb of grapes is a reasonable working figure — but the original quantity is simply lost.
- Use slip-skin grapes"Press the pulp from the skins" only works with American slip-skin varieties — Concord above all, or Niagara. Seedless table grapes such as Thompson will not separate and have no seeds to sieve out, which removes the point of the first three steps.
- Why the double boilerGrape pulp is thick and scorches easily over direct heat before it softens. Indirect heat lets it break down safely. Ten to fifteen minutes over simmering water is usually enough to loosen the seeds for sieving.
- Slice the oranges paper-thinThe whole fruit goes in, peel and all, so thickness decides the texture of the finished conserve. Thin half-moons, then halved again, soften properly; thick slices stay leathery no matter how long it cooks.
- Cook the peel before the sugarThe order matters. Sugar toughens citrus peel and it will soften very little afterwards, so the skins and orange should be tender before the 4 lb of sugar goes in.
- Judging "like marmalade"After the sugar, expect 20 to 40 minutes of open boiling with frequent stirring — raisins and grape skins settle and catch. It is done at about 220F, or when a spoonful chilled on a cold plate wrinkles and holds a line drawn through it.
- Sealing, which the recipe omitsPeriod instructions assumed hot jars and paraffin. Current practice is half-pint jars filled to ¼ inch headspace and processed in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude.
- YieldNot stated in the original, and it depends entirely on the assumed weight of grapes; with the proportions suggested above expect well over a dozen half-pints.
A conserve, in the vocabulary of American preserving books of this period, meant a jam carrying dried fruit and often nuts and citrus he a a plit grape jam or a grape butter.