Two hundred recipes for putting up the year's fruit and vegetables - preserves, jellies, jams, marmalades, pickles, and relishes - collected by Mary Mason Wright in Preserving and Pickling.
First published in 1917, this is a manual from the years when a full store cupboard was ordinary household economy rather than a weekend hobby. Wright begins with what decides whether a jar keeps at all: the proper utensils, the sterilisation of glasses and jars, and the choice of sound materials. From there she works through preserves and conserves, new preserves made from combined fruits, jellies and jams, the making of marmalades, spiced and pickled fruits, pickled vegetables, and a chapter of relishes laid down for winter.
The quantities are domestic and the method is plain, which is why the recipes still hold up: small batches, seasonal produce, and no equipment beyond a decent pan and clean glass. Anyone who cans, bottles, ferments, or has a glut of plums to deal with will find it an unfussy companion.
This edition features:The complete text, with roughly two hundred recipes, general directions, and a closing miscellany
General directions on utensils, sterilising glasses and jars, and choosing sound materials
Separate chapters on preserves and conserves, on jellies and jams, and on the making of marmalades
Spiced and pickled fruits, pickled vegetables, and a full chapter of relishes laid down for winter use
Small domestic quantities throughout, suited to an ordinary home kitchen rather than a still-room