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Peaches Preserved Whole

This preserve is best made in the early part of October. Gather the peaches before they are fully ripe, wipe the down from them, put them into a deep pan, pour boiling water over them, cover them over, and let them remain near the fire, though not upon it, for an hour; then take out the peaches, put them in a bowl of cold water, and in a quarter of an hour take off the skins, push out the stones, and weigh the fruit. Take an equal weight of loaf sugar, dip each lump separately into water, put it into a preserving-pan, and then boil the moistened sugar gently until you have a clear syrup. Put the peaches in carefully with the blanched kernels, let them simmer for six minutes, then lift them out with a skimmer, put them into a deep dish, and pour the boiling syrup over them. The next day drain the syrup from them, let it boil for four minutes, and pour it again over the fruit: repeat this process every day for a week. On the eighth day boil up the syrup as usual, and put the peaches into it. Let them boil quickly for eight or ten minutes, but do not allow them to break; lift them out carefully one by one, put them into jars, place an equal portion of the kernels in each jar, and fill it up with the syrup. In two or three hours tie down securely with paper brushed over with the white of an egg, and store in a cool dry place. Probable cost of peaches, 2d. to 6d. each.