FRENCH PRUNES IN COGNAC

Lay the prunes in white wine for two days; then put on a wire sieve to drip, but do not squeeze them.  When they look dry, which will be in about half an hour, lay in glass jars with alternate layers of sugar and stick cinnamon and a few pieces of mace and a very few cloves.  When the jars are full, fill up with cognac and seal.  Set in the sunniest place you can find for three days.

BRANDIED PEACHES

Select only the largest and finest quality of clingstone peaches.  Allow a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit, and a pint of the best brandy to every four pounds of peaches.  Make a syrup of the sugar with enough water to just dissolve it, and boil about half a dozen blanched peach kernels with it.  When the syrup boils put in the fruit and let it boil about five minutes.  Remove the fruit carefully upon platters, and let the syrup boil fifteen or twenty minutes longer, skimming it well.  Put the peaches in wide-mouthed glass jars.  If the syrup has thickened pour in the brandy.  Remove from the fire at once, pour over the fruit and seal.

BRANDIED CHERRIES

Select the largest sweet cherries for this purpose, leaving the stems on.  Allow half a pound of sugar to every pound of fruit, and a pint of good brandy for every five pounds of fruit.  Make a syrup of the sugar, using as little water as possible.  Pour it over the cherries and let them remain in the syrup all night.  Next day put them in a preserving kettle and heat slowly.  Boil about eight minutes.  Take up the cherries with a perforated skimmer and boil the syrup fifteen minutes.  Add the brandy to the boiling syrup, remove from the fire and pour over the cherries hot, and seal.

BRANDIED QUINCES

Select large yellow, pear-shaped quinces, and peel and quarter them.  Take out the cores and throw into cold water, until all are pared.  Then boil until tender, so they can easily be pierced.  Take them out with a perforated skimmer and weigh.  Then take three-quarters of a pound of sugar to a pound of quinces, and boil in a little over half the quince water.  Add stick cinnamon and cloves (removing the soft heads).  Boil until quite a thick syrup.  Pack the quinces in jars, add a pint of good brandy to the syrup and pour boiling hot over the quinces and seal immediately.

BRANDIED PEARS

Pare the fruit, leaving the stems on.  Weigh.  Proceed as with peaches.

CANNED VEGETABLES

Only young, tender, fresh vegetables should be canned.

Time your work by the clock, not by guess.

Weigh and measure all material accurately.

Take no risks.  Food is too valuable.

Most fruits and vegetables require blanching; that is, all vegetables and fruits, berries excepted, should be first plunged into boiling water or steam after being picked over, and then, in turn plunged at once into very cold water.