GREEN GAGE PLUMS

Take a pound of sugar to a pint of the fruit;

scald the plums and wipe them ; pierce them with

a needle ; put very little water to the sugar ; when

122 FAMILY RECEIPT BOOK.

the syrup boils, put in the plums. Have a slow fire, and let them boil till they are clear; take out the plums, and spread them on dishes to cool ; put the syrup in a tureen, and set all away till perfectly cold. Then put some of the plums in half pint tumblers, nearly filling them full of the syrup, -which will be very rich; pour on the top of each tumbler a dessert spoonful of good brandy. Cut a round piece of white paper the size of the top of the tum- bler; soak it in brandy, and lay it on top; then cover it tight by pasting paper over. Preserves properly done and put up in this way will be as good at the end of three years as the fii'st. Glass tumblers are excellent for putting up jelly and pre- serves. Prune plums, egg plums, and the common blue plums may all be done in the same way.

WATER MELON RINDS. The rinds are cut in various fancy forms; make a strong salt and water ; put them in with cabbage leaves as for greening; keep them near the fire, turning them very often, till they become yellow; have a kettle of alum water ready ; wash the rinds, and put them in the kettle with cabbage leaves over and under them and between every layer ; put the kettle on the fire; do not let them come to a boil, but keep them scalding over two hours ; when they are green, put them in cold water for three days ; change the water several times. Some per- sons make two syrups ; but one will be sufficient, by

FAMILY RECEIPT BOOK. 123

making a syrup of a pound and a quarter of sugar to one of melon; drop in some ginger; boil twenty- five minutes.

PINE APPLE PRESERVES. Pack the pine apple, after it is peeled and cut into slices, in a jar with a layer of sugar on every layer of the fruit; set the jar for fifteen minutes in a kettle of boiling water ; cover it tight, and keep it in a dry place.