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Classic
Cook Books
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page 227
taste by a little roughness; if there be too much it will spoil the fruit. Put
as many gooseberries into a large sieve as will lie at the bottom without
covering one another. Hold the sieve in the water till the fruit begins to look
scalded on the outside; then turn them gently out of the sieve on a cloth on the
dresser, cover them with another cloth, and put some more to be scalded, and so
on till all be finished. Observe not to put one quantity on another, or they
will become too soft. The next day pick out any bad or broken ones, bottle the
rest, and fill up the bottles with the alum-water in which they were scalded;
which must be kept in the bottles; for if left in the kettle, or in a glazed
pan, it will spoil. Stop them close.
The water must boil all the time the process is carrying on. Gooseberries done
this way make as fine tarts as fresh off the trees.
Another way.--In dry weather pick the gooseberries that are full grown, but not
ripe; top and tail them, and put into open-mouthed bottles; gently cork them
with new velvet corks; put them in the oven when the bread is drawn, and let
them stand till shrunk a quarter part; take them out of the oven, and
immediately beat the corks in tight, cut off the tops, and rosin down close; set
them in a dry place; and if well secured from air they will keep the year round.
If gathered in the damp, or the gooseberries' skins are the least cut in taking
off the stalks and buds, they will mould. The hairy sort only must be used for
keeping, and do them before the seeds become large.
Currants and damsons may be done the same.
To keep Damsons for winter Pies.
Put them in small stone jars, or wide-mouthed bottles; set them up to their
necks in a boiler of cold water, and lighting a fire under, scald them. Next
day, when perfectly cold, fill up with spring water; cover them.
Another way.--Boil one third as much sugar as fruit with it, over a slow fire,
till the juice adheres to the fruit,
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