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PRESERVED APRICOTS.

Halve and pare ripe apricots, or if not quite ripe, boil them till the skin can easily be removed.  Lay them in a dish hollow downwards, sift over them their own weight of white sugar, let them lay for some hours, then put the fruit, with the sugar and juice into a preserving pan, and simmer till the fruit is clear, take it out, put it carefully into pots, and pour over the syrup.

This receipt will serve as a guide for preserved nectarines, peaches, plums, gages, &c.  A few of the kernels should always be put in with the fruit, as they improve the flavor of the preserve.

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STRAWBERRIES PRESERVED WHOLE.

Weigh an equal quantity of fruit and white sugar powdered, sift all the sugar over the fruit, so that half of it shall equally be covered, let it lay till the next day, when boil the remainder with red currant juice, in which simmer the strawberries until the jelly hangs about them.  Put the strawberries into pots, taking care not to break them, and pour over the syrup.

This receipt will serve for raspberries and cherries, which make a fine preserve.

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STRAWBERRY JAM.

Bruise gently, with the back of a wooden spoon, six pounds of fine fresh fruit, and boil them with very little water for twenty minutes, stirring until the fruit and juice are well mixed; then put in powdered loaf sugar of equal weight to the fruit, and simmer half an hour longer.  If the preserve is not required to be very rich, half the weight of sugar in proportion to the quantity of fruit may be used; but more boiling will be requisite.  By this recipe also are made raspberry, currant, gooseberry, apricot, and other jams.

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RED CURRANT JELLY.

Strip carefully from the stems some quite ripe currants, put them into a preserving pan, stir them gently over a clear fire until the juice flows freely from them, then squeeze the currants and strain the juice through a folded muslin or jelly bag; pour it into a preserving pan, adding, as it boils, white sugar, in the proportion of one pound of sugar to one pint of juice.

If made with less sugar, more boiling will be required, by which much juice and flavour are lost.  A little dissolved isinglass is used by confectioners, but it is much better without.  Jams and jellies should be poured into pots when in a boiling state.

Jellies should be continually skimmed till the scum ceases to rise, so that they may be clear and fine.  White currant jelly and black are made in the same manner as red.  By this receipt can be made raspberry jelly, strawberry jelly, and all other kinds.

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APPLE JELLY.

Pare, core, and cut small any kind of fine baking apples—­say six pounds in weight; put them in a preserving pan with one quart of water; boil gently till the apples are very soft and broken, then pass the juice through a jelly bag; when, to each pint, add half a pound of loaf sugar, set it on the fire to boil twenty minutes, skimming it as the scum rises; it must not be over boiled, or the colour will be too dark.