Preserved Cucumbers

Select small, well-formed cucumbers, boil for two or three minutes; take out of the water and pierce with a needle in three or four places and let drain. Allow to every pound of cucumber one pound of sugar and one pint of water; put all in a stewpan; add one stick of ginger and the rind of a lemon; simmer at side of the fire for about five minutes. Then take out the cucumbers and place in a jar; skim the syrup and pour over them; cover the jar tightly and let stand for two or three days. Strain off the syrup, give it another boiling, pour it again over the cucumbers, tie a bladder on the jar and keep in a cool place.

Red Currant Preserve

Pick four pounds of red currants from the stalks and put them into a pan over the fire to dry; next press them through a sieve and put back again over the fire, stirring constantly until the liquor becomes so clear that the bottom of the pan can be seen Melt six pounds of sugar over the fire and boil to the ball degree, which is ascertained by dipping the finger into cold water, then instantly into the boiling sugar, and back immediately into the cold water. If the sugar will roll from the finger in a little ball, can be crumbled between the fingers, and will stick to the teeth if bitten, the sugar is boiled to this state. Then pour the sugar over the currants and keep stirring them. In a short time, remove from the fire but continue stirring until the liquor bubbles, then turn it into moulds.

Fruit Preserved In Ginger Syrup

Put one pound of finely-broken white ginger into a saucepan with more than sufficient water to cover it and boil until the water is highly seasoned with the ginger; then add any firm fruit, boil until done, turn all into a jar and leave for four or five days, giving it a frequent stir. Put into a saucepan one pound of loaf sugar, half a pint of brandy, the peel of a lemon and juice of half a lemon, pour in a little of the ginger water and boil to a syrup. Skim well, add the fruit, boil for ten or twelve minutes, remove from the fire and leave for a week; then strain off the sugar, boil up again, put the fruit back and boil for fifteen minutes longer. Turn the preserve into pots, cover with paper soaked in brandy and then with wet parchment, and leave for a month before using.

Preserved Fruit Juice

The juice of fruit may be kept for some time by putting it in tins the same as whole fruits. Mash the fruit, press it to extract as much of the juice as possible and then pass it through a fine hair-sieve. Measure the juice and put it in a pan with three pounds of preserving-sugar to each quart. Fill some jars with the syrup, cover them, stand them in a saucepan with cold water to three parts their height, and boil for half an hour. Leave the jars in the water until cool, then seal and put them away for use.

Preserved Gooseberries

Put into a preserving-pan five pounds of gooseberries with one pound of sugar dusted over them and set the pan on the fire; when the juice commences to come out take off the pan. Repeat this process for two days more, then take the gooseberries out of the syrup, drain them on sieves and place them to dry either before the fire or in the sun, the latter for preference. After taking out of the pan, they may be dipped in fine sugar and packed away in boxes.