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Pickled Plums

Select plums not too ripe, prick them well all over with a fork, arrange them in layers in a jar with cinnamon and cloves and orange-peel between each layer, cover over with vinegar, and soak them in this for twenty-four hours, at the end of which time stain off the vinegar into a saucepan, boil it up quickly for about ten minutes, and let it become cool, then pour it over the fruit. After the lapse of twenty-four hours again strain the vinegar, boil it for ten minutes with some sugar, six ounces to every quart of the liquid, pour it over the fruit, and leave it until cold. Cover the jars with stout paper, tie securely, and keep them in a dry place.

Preserved American or Siberian Crab-Apples Gather the apples just prior to their becoming ripe, select carefully, cut the stems short, and then plunge the fruit into boiling-water for a few minutes until the skin of any one of them begins to crack. Take from the fire, strain through an earthenware colander, and they may then be easily peeled. Great care must be taken when peeling the apples to keep them very clean and perfect in shape. Before starting to do this make a thin syrup of one pound of loaf sugar to about one pint of water, and keep it boiling hot until all the apples are peeled and dropped into a large glass jar. When a sufficient number are done pour the hot syrup over them, and store away in a cool pantry. The following day strain off again, place the syrup in a stewpan with one-fourth pound more sugar to each pint; then boil and skim. Return the apples to the jar and pour the hot syrup over a second time. If on the day following the syrup looks clear, and the fruit is soft, they may be considered ready for tying down, though there will be no harm in repeating the boiling process once or twice more in order to insure immunity from mould.