Yooper Food

Preserves & Conserves

Apple, Baked Crabapple Preserves

• ½ peck (4 quarts) crabapples
• 4 lbs. sugar
• 1 tbsp. water

Wash, wipe and remove the blossom ends of perfect, large, red crabapples. Pour a tablespoon of water in bottom of a covered dish or jar, then place, in alternate layers, apples and sugar, but not too full. A layer of sugar should be on top. Cover, and bake for 2-3 hours in a slow oven (250 F), basting 3-4 times with the hot syrup. Place in glasses, and seal.

Apple, Ginger Apples

• 1 quart sour apples, diced
• 1 lemon
• 6 pieces ginger root
• 2 cups brown sugar

Wipe, pare, quarter, core, and cut the apples into small squares. Grate the rind of the lemon. Boil water, sugar, and lemon juice for 12 minutes or more, or until clear, then add the rest of the ingredients and cook slowly for 2 or more hours, until thick and brown. Will keep for several weeks or longer if filled while hot in airtight jars.

Apple, Old Fashioned Apple Butter

• 10 lbs. tart apples
• 4-6 cups apple cider
• juice of 2 lemons
• 3 cups sugar
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground cloves
• ½ tsp. allspice

Preheat the oven to 275 F. Quarter the apples and core, but do not peel. Place in a cooking pot, with enough cider to cover. Cover the pot, and cook until the apples are tender (about 20 minutes). Press through a sieve or food mill. The apple pulp should measure about 3 quarts. Stir the rest of the ingredients into the apple pulp, then pour it into a deep roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until it is a rich, dark brown, and thick enough to mound in a spoon. This should take from 6-8 hours. Apple butter can be eaten as is, or canned, processed by water bath method for ten minutes.

Blueberry, Blueberry Butter

• 2 quarts fresh blueberries
• 8 large, green cooking apples
• 8 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. allspice
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. mace

Wash and drain blueberries. Peel, core, and slice apples. Combine fruit in a Dutch oven or pot with remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring. Lower the heat and simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally, until it has reached the right consistency for spreading. May be stored in the freezer or canned. If the latter, process using the water bath method for ten minutes. Note: Frozen, sugarless blueberries may be used, but the flavor will probably not be as good.

Cherry, Baked Cherry Preserves

• 4 quarts cherries
• 4 quarts sugar
• 1 tbsp. water

Stem and stone large cherries, so that they remain whole. Place a tablespoon of hot water in a large casserole or other dish, then alternate, in layers, cherries and sugar, but not too full, ending up with sugar on the top layer. Cover closely. Bake in a slow oven (250 F) for two hours, basting with the syrup several times. Place in glasses or jars, and seal.

Cranberry, Baked Cranberry Preserves

• 4 quarts cranberries
• 4 quarts sugar
• 1 tbsp. water

Pick over, wash, and drain large, perfect cranberries. Place a tablespoon of hot water in a large casserole or other dish, then alternate, in layers, cranberries and sugar, but not too full, ending up with sugar on the top layer. Cover closely. Bake in a slow oven (250 F) for two hours, basting with the syrup several times. Place in glasses or jars, and seal.

Gooseberry, Gooseberry Conserves

• 2 lbs. gooseberries
• 3 large oranges
• 1 lb. seeded raisins
• 3 lbs. sugar

Grate the rind of the oranges, remove the skin, and use grated rind and juice. Mix all together, and cook slowly until thick. Seal hot.

Grape, Grape Conserves

• 8 lbs. concord grapes
• 3-4 oranges
• 2 lemons
• 1 lb. seeded raisins or figs
• sugar

Pick over, wash, drain, and remove stems from grapes. Put in preserving kettle, add only a little water, and let simmer until the seeds are free. Then press through sieve, discarding skins and seeds. Add oranges and lemons, cut fine. To each pound of fruit, add one pound of sugar. Boil until thick, then fill jelly glasses, cool, and seal.

Mixed, Cherry, Currants, & Raspberry Conserves

• 1 quart cherries, stoned
• 1 quart large currants
• 1 pint raspberries
• 1 large orange
• sugar

Wash and pick over the fruit. Cut the orange into thin slices. Weigh, and add an equal amount of sugar to preserving kettle along with fruit. Let come to a boil slowly, then boil rapidly until thick. Pack into jelly glasses and seal with paraffin.

Pear, Ginger Pears

• 8 lbs. pears
• 4 lemons
• ¼ lb. Canton ginger
• 4 lbs. sugar

Wipe pears, quarter, core, and remove the stems; cut into small slices. Add the sugar, the ginger (cut fine), and the juice of the lemons. Cut the lemon rinds into long, thin strips. Mix it all together and let it stand overnight. Place in a preserving kettle, on stove, and let cook slowly for three hours, or until thick and clear. Put in stone jar, well covered, or in glass jars or cans.

Plum, Plum Conserves

• 3 lbs. blue plums
• 3 oranges, cut in small pieces
• juice of 2 lemons
• 1 lb. English walnuts, meat only
• 1 lb. seeded raisins
• 3 lbs. sugar

Wash the plums, remove the stones, and cut the plums into small pieces. Mix with the rest. Place in a preserving kettle, on the stove, and let it come to a boil slowly, then cook steadily until the fruit is clear and thick. Put in jelly glasses or jars, and seal.

Strawberry, Strawberry Preserves

• 3 quarts strawberries
• 5 cups sugar
• 2 cups water or berry juice

Pick over, wash, and stem fine, large strawberries. Measure out about 2 pounds of picked over strawberries. Boil sugar and water/juice to a thick syrup, then skim. Add berries, cover, and bring slowly to a boil. Remove cover, let boil rapidly for fifteen minutes. Cover, and let stand until cold. Remove the cover, and let stand overnight. Pour into sterilized jelly glasses, and cover with paraffin. Note: For berry juice, crush, heat, and strain the imperfect berries.

Strawberry, Sunshine Strawberry Preserves

Use equal weights of sugar and strawberries. Put the strawberries in a preserving kettle in layers, sprinkling sugar over each layer, not more than 2-inches deep. Place on the stove, and heat slowly to the boiling point. Skim carefully. Boil rapidly for ten minutes. Pour on platters, cover with glass. Let stand in the sunshine for 8-12 hours. Pour into jars and seal.

Watermelon, Watermelon Rind Preserves

Peel the rind of a watermelon that is not too ripe, cut or chop it into ½-inch cubes or strips, leaving as much of the firm, red pulp on the rind as possible. To 4 cups of melon, add 3 cups sugar, and 3 lemons (sliced fine and seeded). Let boil slowly for about two hours, until the rind is clear and the juice is thick. Place in airtight jars. Or, take 2 oranges and only 1 lemon. Or, when nearly done, add a small can of grated pineapple and cook an additional fifteen minutes.

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