PERSIMMONS, FEIJOAS, GOOSEBERRIES

New Zealand Listener, Volume 18, Issue 465, 21 May 1948, Page 26

PERSIMMONS, FEIJOAS, GOOSEBERRIES

ERSIMMONS, feijoas and Chinese gooseberries are all plentiful this year, and help to give a delightful "party-touch" to fruit salads as well as being delicious eaten. alone. Fresh, raw fruit served as dessert instead of a pudding is a good idea, especially if the main dish has been a substantial one. Feijoas are getting more popular every year and many requests are coming in for ways of using them, and also for persimmon and _ gooseberry recipes. Feijoa and Guava Jelly Cut up roughly, 3lb. "feijoas, lb. ordinary red guavas, 2lb, cooking apples -skins as well. Boil in just enough water to cover until all is well-pulped. When you are sure that all the juice is extracted-at least an hour-strain through gouble-muslin slowly. Measure the juice, bring it to the boil, add warmed sugar, allowing cup for cup, and stir well till thoroughly dissolved and the whole is boiling again. Then boil fast till it will set when tested-may take only 10 minutes, Watch it well and test often. If no guavas are available, add an extra pound of feijoas and the juice of 1 or 2 lemons. Feijoa and Melon Jam Four pounds feijoas cut up with skin on; 4lb. pie-melon peeled and cut up small; 2 breakfast cups of water; 6lb. sugar. Cut up fruit and simmer with the water until the melon is tender. Then add sugar, stir till dissolved, and boil until it will set. Feijoa Conserve Make first a syrup by boiling together for 10 minutes water and sugar in the proportion of 2 cups sugar to 1 cup water, Thinly peel feijoas, cut into quarters, and drop into hot syrup. Prepare 2 or 3 lemons-cut into tiny but whole sections, free from pith and skin, Have half as much lemon as feijoa, or even a little less. Drop these pieces in with the feijoas and simmer rather quickly until it is all cooked and will set when tested. This is a lovely conserve with whole pieces set in a jelly. Bottle when half-cooked in smal! jars. ‘Persimmon Jam aes Cut out the stalk-part of the persimmons and then slice up the fruit. Allow Yalb. sugar to each pound of fruit. Sprinkle half the sugar over and leave all night. Next day bring to the boil, with a little whole ginger (bruised and in a muslin bag). Stir in the rest of the sugar, warmed, stirring constantly till boiling again and frequently afterwards, and adding the juice of 1 or 2 lemons, to flavour and to help in setting. Test frequently; boil oh it will ‘set when tested. Chinese Gooseberry Jam Cut any quantity of Chinese gooseberries in half and scoop out the pulp. First cover the bottom of the preserving pan with water about %-inch, Add

the pulp, and boil gently till cooked. ‘Then add %lb, sugar and the juice of a lemon to every pound of the pulp, and half the grated rind. Orahge juice makes a nice change. Boil as usual, stirring, till it will set when tested. Gooseberry Chutney Twelve Chinese gooseberries peeled and cut up, 3 medium-sized onions grated, 1 large banana cut up, 2 lemons peeled and cut into chunks, 1 small cup sultanas or raisins, 1 teaspoon

ground ginger, Y%lb.. preserved ginger, 1 large cup sugar (brown), 1 dessertspoon salt (or aq little less), 4 teaspoon pepper, 1 large cup vinegar. Put all into saucepan, just cover with vinegar, and simmer about 142 hours. Mash with potato masher-do not strain through colander. When cool, bottle and cork well. : Gooseberry and Tree Tomato Jam Ten tree tomatoes; 12 Chinese gooseberries; 6 cups of sugar; 2 large cups of water. Skin tomatoes, cut up into the pan. Scoop out pulp from Chinese gooseberries, add to tomatoes with the water, and cook about % hour, When the jam, comes to the boil, add warmed sugar, and cook until it will set when tested on a saucer, Gooseberry and Orange Jam Four and a-half pounds of Chinese gooseberry pulp; 4141b. sugar; juice and grated rind of 8 sweet oranges; the same of 2 lemons. Boil all together until it will set when tested.