Peach Mangoes.—Select large free stone peaches and take out the stone through a slit in the side. Cover with weak brine scalding hot. Let stand until cool enough to handle. Lift out the peaches on a cloth strainer, and wipe dry with a clean, soft cloth. Now fill the cavity with mixed spices to taste, as white mus tard seed, cloves, mace, cinnamon, grated horse-radish, ginger root, etc., softened by placing all together in a thin muslin bag and immersing for a few minutes in boiling water. Re move the bag from the water, let the spices drip dry, fill the peaches, sew them up, pack them in jars, and fill to overflowing with a scalding hot sirup made of 1 pint of sugar in 3 pints of vinegar. Seal while hot. Let stand a week or two before bringing to the table.
Tomato Catsup. — Wash bushel fine ripe red tomatoes. Quarter them, place them in a preserving kettle, and bring them to a boil. Remove from the fire and let cool until they will bear the hands. Then rub them through a wire sieve and add to the strained juice 2 teacupfuls of salt, 2 teacupfuls of mixed spices, 1 quart of vinegar. Boil over a slow fire for an honr or more, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Fill the bottles to overflowing with the hot liquid and seal at once. Thin for use, if necessary, with a little vinegar. Wrap in colored paper to exclude the light.
Or boil the tomatoes until they are soft. Squeeze them through a fine sieve, and to the juice add 1 pint of salt, 1 ounce of Cayenne pepper,, a few cloves of garlic or shallots. Mix and boil until reduced one half. Bot tle and seal.
Or cut up the tomatoes, place them in a preserving kettle in layers sprinkled with salt, using about 2 teacupfuls of salt to I bushel of fruit. Let stand three or four hours before boiling. Strain and add to the juice horse-radish, onions, or garlic, mus tard seed, and mixed spices. Let stand twenty-four hours or more. Boil down to the right consistency. Bottle and seal.
Select firm, ripe tomatoes, gash them on two or three sides and place them in a porcelain saucepan. Boil them to a pulp. Rub the pulp through a colander or coarse sieve, and afterwards through a hair or other fine sieve, and for each peck of fruit add 1 ounce of salt, 1 table spoonful of black pepper, 1 teaspoon ful of Cayenne, 1 ounce of mace, 1 ounce of ground cloves, 6 ounces of ground mustard and 1 ounce each of celery seed and mustard seed tied in a cheese-cloth bag. Boil the whole for four or five hours, stirring fre quently, especially toward the last. When the catsup is of the right con sistency, remove from the fire and let stand overnight to cool. For each
peck of fruit stir in 1 pint of pure white wine or cider vinegar. Remove the bag of celery and mustard seed. Bottle and cork tightly. Store in a cool, dark place.
Or cut the tomatoes in half and boil to a pulp. Press through a coarse, and afterwards a fine sieve, and for each peck of fruit add sea soning as follows: ounce of Cayenne pepper, / ounce of black pepper, ounce each of mace, allspice, cloves, a ounces of mustard. Salt to taste and add ginger or essence of celery if desired. Boil as above. When cool, stir in 1 pint of vinegar for each peck of fruit. Bottle and seal as above.
Or cut the tomatoes into quarters, place them in a porcelain saucepan and boil to a pulp. Run through a coarse, and afterwards a fine sieve, and boil down for three or four hours, or until as thick as jelly, stir ring constantly especiall3r toward the last to prevent burning. Stir in for each peck of fruit, 3 ounces of salt, 3 drams of allspice, / ounce of yellow mustard, ounces of black pepper, 4 drams of cloves, / ounce of Cayenne pepper, 2 quarts of pure white-wine or cider vinegar. Stir in the ground spices and the vinegar. Bring the vvhole to a boil for not more than five minutes and bottle when cold.
Canning Tomatoes. — Select firm, ripe tomatoes, place them in a colan der and dip them into boiling water j ust long enough to loosen the skin. Remove from the water, place them where they will drain, and carefully pull o.ff the skin without injuring the fruit. Once more place in colander to drain and pack carefully in large glass jars or cans as full as they will hold. Place these in hot water, bring to a boil and seal.
Or if tin cans are used, first apply with a soft brush fresh butter or un salted lard to the inside of the can and its cover. This will prevent the fruit acid from attacking the tin and forming a poisonous compound. Seal with a bit of solder or putty, or lay over the top a cloth dampened with al cohol, run paraffin over this and draw over the top a piece of cotton batting.
Currant Catsup.—Pick over care fully a pounds of ripe red currants and place them in a preserving kettle with of a pound of granulated sugar. Cook until of the consistency of thick cream. Boil in a separate saucepan for not more than five min utes I of a pint of vinegar, in which place a muslin bag containing table spoonful of ground pepper, and any other spices desired. Pour the spiced vinegar into the currants and sugar and bottle for use.