Household Hints.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 128, 4 February 1909, Page 3

Household Hints.

Bottling Fruit. ; ]U,-- .\:y. The follow::;;: r.vthod of '; tmtt;i:.: r fr':i'. is the ' n:-i< -1 known to n;e. Make '■'::'■ I ' ill'-.-' quite hot in an i,vr n :.<>' ho: '■:.• 'if'"- "" rr;;fk them .•,-'•;:•'--. they :•."•• if serunuTusly ,-;.•;..:. ; t:> -. r :•.■•': *:-.•• fr.iit into the bot- :.!• s. :-«a:Iy rilling ti err. but using i.o ?:;gar. There v.::; hv a httle air filtering into the battles between the fruit; this is removed i'y u.-ing water. Let the water be quite boiling, then carefully pour it over the fruit, ur.til it stands nn inch above it, end the fruit is completely covered. Quickly cut rounds of paper to fit the necks of the bottle*; lay one en the top of each, and over it pour salad oil or melted mutton suet. Cork the bo* ties at once, and seal them down with melted wax, or. as the fat is supposed to completely exclude the air, they may be simply tied down with brown paper. Sealing wax for the Bottles.- Melt Jib. of white resin in a tin dish over the fire: then add Joz. of boiled linseed : oil. Test it by dropping a little on a cold stone. If the resin has lost its brittlcness, enough oil has been used; if not, a little more oil will be required. Finish by stirring in JJoz. of prepared chalk and loz. of vermilion to colour it red. When required for use, it has only to be melted and pot;red over the I corks and tops of the bottles. I Other Methods of Bottling.--Some kinds of fruit such as apricots, ' cherries, plums, and greengages are best cooked in syrup before bottling. Apricots should be cut in half, and the stones removed; plums also, if they ■ are too large. Cherries and small ! plums need not be stoned. Make a I syrup of lib. of sugar and a large teacupful of water, let it just boil up. This quantity will cook 31b. of fruit, so, if-there is more than this quantity, the sugar and water must be correspondingly increased. I cannot specify the exact time which the fruit will take, because it depends so much on the kind, and also whether it is green or ripe, but in any case care should be taken not to break it. When the stone » of apricots and plums are removed, some of them may be cracked and the kernels added to the preserve. Another method, which is more suitable for solid fruit, such as plums and damsons, is to fill the glass bottles with fruit, cover with cold water, tie them down with bladder, and stand them in a pan or copper with hay or straw between to prevent the bottles touching each other. Fill the pan or copper with cold water, so that the bottles are covered up to their necks, gradually hi-at the water until up to scalding point, then remove the bottles and let them remain till cold. Store them in a cool dry place, and if not touched until required for use they should remain good all the winter. To Preserve Whole Quince3.—Cut 6 or 71b. of golden pippins into slices without paring them, and put them into a preserving pan with 4 • pints of water; boil them quickly, covered closely over until the water is a thick jelly, to every pint of which add one pound of loaf sugar pounded fine. Boil it, and skim thoroughly. Scald the quinces until thef ore tender, and then put them into the syrup. Boil * quickly and skim well, and when the quince is clear, put a small portion of the syrup into a glass, and if the jelly is sufficiently firm, put the quinces into jars and pour the symp over them. Set them to cool, and then cover with paper dipped into the white of an egg. To Preserve Cucumbers. — Gather large and small cucumbers when dry, ' with the sulks and flowers on; put them into a stone jar, and. with some salt and water; cover them with vine leaves, and set them on the hob by the fire for a fortnight, or until they turn quite yellow. Strain the leaves and salt and water from them; put the cucumbers into a bell-metal skillet with the same salt and water, set them over the fire covered with cabbage leaves till they turn green. When very green and clear, drain from them the salt and water, split them, and take out | the seeds. Have ready a thin syrup ! of sugar, allowing a ti':'. to 1 pint of i water, with 2 oz. of whole Kinder. I When cold pour it on the n;rumb< rs. ; Warm up th<- syrup every tiny, twice ; for "or J day:-, and pour ~:- ;' : , m quit<- ; cold: tlvn tie then; >.v r f r ;;.-■•■.