To Preserve Cucumbers

Take fresh gathered gerkins of a large size, and lay them in salt and water for two days; then drain and wipe them dry, put them into glasses, make boiling-hot a mixture of sugar, vinegar, and water, a small quantity of each; pour it over the cucumbers, cover and set them in a warm place, likewise boil the liquor and pour over them for three successive days. Then take a quart of the liquor, add to it plenty of cloves, mace, ginger, and lemon peel. Boil these ingredients for half an hour, strain, and put to it plenty of sifted sugar, clear it with whites of eggs if requisite, boil to a strong syrup, and put it to the gerkins. When wiped dry and in the glasses, cover them down very close.

How To Preserve Currants

Take large bunches of ripe currants, make a thin syrup with sugar and water, set it over a fire, when it boils put in the fruit, and let them remain in a cool place till the next day; then take them out carefully, lay them on a dish, make the liquor boil again, and put in the currants, taking care not to let them break. Take them out a second time, add more sugar to the syrup, with a quart of currant juice; clarify it, boil it to a strong syrup, and when it is cold put the currants into glasses, pour the syrup over, and tie them down close.

How To Preserve Barberries

Bruise a quart of ripe barberries, add a quart of spring water, put them over a fire, when boiling run the liquor through a fine sieve, and put with it three pounds of clarified sugar. Then add a sufficient quantity of large bunches of ripe barberries, put them over a fire, when boiling-hot set them away till the next day, take the barberries out of the syrup and put them into glasses; boil the liquor to a good consistence, pour it over, and cover them close.

Gooseberry Fool

Put a quart of green gooseberries and a gill of water in a stewpan over a fire close covered; when the fruit is tender rub it through a fine hair sieve, add to the pulp sifted loaf sugar, and let it stand till cold. In the mean time put a pint of cream or new milk into a stewpan, with a stick of cinnamon, a small piece of lemon peel, sugar, a few cloves and coriander seeds, and boil the ingredients ten minutes. Have ready the yolks of six eggs and a little flour and water well beaten; strain the milk to them, whisk it over a fire to prevent it from curdling, when it nearly boils set the pan in cold water, stir the cream for five minutes, and let it stand till cold. Then mix the pulp of the gooseberries and the cream together, add a little grated nutmeg, and sweeten it more if agreeable to the palate.

N. B. Strawberries raspberries, apricots, and other ripe fruits, may be rubbed through a sieve and the pulp added to the cream.

How To Bake Pears

To a pint of water add the juice of three Seville oranges, cinnamon, cloves, and mace, a small quantity of each, a bit of lemon peel, and boil them together a quarter of an hour; then strain and add to the liquor a pint of red port, plenty of loaf sugar, and a little cochineal; after which pare, cut into halves, and core, twelve large baking pears, put them into a pan, add the liquor, cover the pan with writing paper, and bake them in a moderate oven.

N. B. They may be done in the same manner in a stewpan over a fire.

Sago

To half an ounce of sago washed clean add a pint of water and a bit of lemon peel; cover the pan close, set it over a fire, let it simmer till the sago is nearly done, and the liquor absorbed. Then put to it half a pint of red port, a tea-s oonful of pounded cinnamon and cloves or mace, sweeten to the palate with loaf sugar, ami let it boil gently for ten minutes.

Oatmeal Pottage, Or Gruel

Mix together three table spoonfuls of oatmeal, a very little salt, and a quart of water; put them over a fire, and let it boil gently for half an hour. Then skim and strain it, add to it an ounce of fresh butter, some loaf sugar, a little brandy, and grated nutmeg; or instead of these ingredients put pepper, salt, and fresh butter, to the palate; then boil it again five minutes, mix it till very smooth, and let it be of a moderat; consistence.

How To Bottle Gooseberries, Etc. For Tarts

Gather gooseberries on a dry day when about half grown, and pick off the stalks and blossoms; then put the fruit into wide-mouthed bottles and shake them down; cork them very close, bake them in a moderate oven till thoroughly heated through, and set them in a dry cool place.

N. B. Damsons, currants, cherries, or plums may be done in the same way.

[The above mode of preserving fruits is recommended in preference to preserving them with sugar, it frequently happening that fruits done with syrup will fret, and in that event the whole be spoiled.]

How To Bottle Gooseberries Another Way

When the gooseberries are picked put them into the bottles and cover them with spring water; then set them in a large pan of cold water, put them over a moderate lire, and when the gooseberries appear to be scalded enough take out the bottles and set them in a cool place, and when cold cork them close.

[This mode has been found to answer extremely well. The small champaign gooseberry is recommended likewise for the purpose.]