Fruit Butters and Conserves

Fruit butters are the fruit pulp which has been pressed through a sieve or colander and cooked with sugar (spices if desired) until it is thick enough to spread. Cook slowly, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Pour the butter while boiling hot into sterilized KERR JARS and seal immediately.

Conserves vary from Jams in that they are a mixture of several fruits often combined with raisins and nut meats.

Apple Butter (Spiced)

  • 16 cups thick apple pulp
  • 1 cup vinegar
  • 8 cups sugar
  • 4 teaspoons cinnamon

CORE and slice apples but do not peel. Add only enough water to cook apples until soft. Press through fine sieve and measure. Combine all ingredients. Coo until mixture remains in a smooth mass when a little is cooled (about 1 1/2 hours boiling). During cooking stir frequently to prevent burning. Pour into sterilized KERR Jars and seal while hot.

Apricot Butter

  • 10 cups apricots, sliced
  • 1 cup water
  • Sugar
  • 1/3 cup orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon grated orange rind

WASH, pit and slice apricots. Add water and cook until soft. Press through sieve. Measure and to each cup pulp add 2/3 cup sugar. Add juice and grated orange rind. Cook to desired consistency (about 10-15 minutes). Pour into sterilized KERR Jars and seal while hot.

Peach Butter

SCALD, peel and pit peaches. Cook to pulp using very little water. Press through sieve. To each cup pulp add one-half as much sugar. Cook until thick and clear. Spices may be added. Pour into sterilized KERR Jars and seal while hot.

Peach Butter (Dried Peaches)

  • 2 cups dried peaches
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 pint water

WASH peaches, soak in the water several hours, cook very slowly in same water until soft enough to mash to a pulp. Mash and add sugar. Simmer slowly, stirring frequently, until thick, then pour into sterilized KERR Jars and seal while hot.

Pear Butter

WASH pears. Do not peel. Slice. Add small amount of water to start cooking. Cook until very soft. Press through sieve. To each cup pulp add 1/2 cup sugar. (Spices may be added—1/2 teaspoon cinnamon to 3 cups pulp.) Cook until thick, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Pour into sterilized KERR Jars and seal while hot.

Plum Butter

FOLLOW the recipe for Pear Butter but drain off excess juice after plums are cooked soft. For spice, use 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon to 4 cups pulp. This excess juice may be used for jelly or fruit drinks.

Tomato Butter

  • 4 quarts cooked tomatoes
  • 7 cups of light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon allspice

MIX all ingredients. Cook very slowly until thick. Pour into sterilized KERR Jars and seal while hot.

Apricot-Orange Conserve

  • 4 pounds apricots (3 quarts, quartered)
  • 6 medium oranges
  • 6 cups sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 cup nut meats

WASH and cut apricots in quarters. Grate yellow and white peel from one of the oranges. Grated peel should measure 4 tablespoons. Extract juice from 3 of the oranges. Remove and discard all of peel from other 2 oranges. Cut up the 3 peeled oranges. Combine all ingredients except nut meats and boil rapidly until thick. Add nut meats 5 minutes before cooking is complete. Pour into sterilized KERR Jars and seal while hot.

Cherry Conserve

  • 3 cups sour cherries
  • 1 cup seedless raisins
  • 3 cups water
  • Sugar

REMOVE puts from cherries and cut raisins in pieces. Add water and boil 30 minutes. To each cup pulp and juice add 1 cup sugar. Cook rapidly until thick, stirring constantly. Pour into sterilized KERR Jars and seal while hot.

Cherry-Pineapple Conserve

  • 4 cups cherries, pitted and ground
  • 1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
  • 3 cups sugar

WASH and pi cherries. Run them through food chopper and measure. Drain pineapple and measure. Add pineapple and sugar to cherries. Cook mixture rapidly until thick and clear, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. If desired, add 1/2 cup of chopped nut meats when cooking time is complete. Pour into sterilized KERR Jars and seal while hot.

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Cranberry Conserve

  • 1 quart cranberries
  • 1 orange
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 1/4 cup nut meats

WASH cranberries. Cover with water and cook until tender. Then press through a sieve. Peel orange and put peel through food chopper. Dice peeled orange. Mix cranberries, chopped raisins, orange and orange peel together and cook slowly for 10 minutes. Then add sugar and simmer very gently until thick. Chop nut meats in small pieces. Add to mixture a few minutes before cooking is complete. (Any variety of nut meats may be used or may be omitted entirely.) Pour into sterilized KERR Jars and seal while hot.

Gooseberry and Rhubarb Conserve

  • 1 1/2 pounds gooseberries
  • 1 pound rhubarb
  • 4 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup nut meats

WASH the gooseberries, removing both stems and tails. Cut rhubarb in small pieces. Mix the fruits. Add the sugar and boil until thick. Add the nut meats when cooking is complete. Pour into sterilized KERR Jars and seal while hot.

Peach and Cantaloupe Conserve

  • 4 cups diced peaches
  • 4 cups diced cantaloupe
  • 4 lemons, juice and grated rind
  • 6 cups sugar
  • 1 cup English walnuts, blanched and chopped

PEEL and dice peaches and cantaloupe. Combine all ingredients, with the exception of nut meats. Cook mixture until thick and clear; add nut meats and pour into sterilized KERR Jars and seal while hot.

Peach-Grapefruit Conserve

  • 8 cups peaches, diced
  • 3 medium grapefruit
  • Grated rind 1 orange
  • 6 cups sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 cup chopped almonds

WASH, peel, dice and measure peaches. Remove and discard peel from grapefruit. Cut fruit into pieces and add to peaches. Grate yellow and white peel from orange and add it to grapefruit and peaches. Add sugar and lemon juice. Boil mixture rapidly until thick. Add nut meats 5 minutes before cooking is complete. Pour into sterilized KERR Jars and seal while hot.

Pear Conserve

  • 5 pounds firm pears (15 cups sliced)
  • 10 cups sugar
  • 2 cups seedless raisins
  • 1/2 cup orange rind, cut fine
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 4 tablespoons lemon juice

PEEL pears and cut in small pieces. Add sugar and let stand overnight. Then add raisins, orange rind cut in small pieces, and juice of oranges and lemons. Cook until thick, or about 30-35 minutes. Pour into sterilized KERR Jars and seal while hot.

Plum Conserve

  • 4 pounds plums (8 cups cut up)
  • 4 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
  • 1 cup seedless raisins
  • 6 cups sugar
  • 1 cup walnuts

WASH plums, remove seeds, weigh fruit. Combine all ingredients except nut meats. Cook until thick. Blanch nut meats 2 minutes, drain, cut or chop. Add to mixture when cooking is complete. Pour into sterilized KERR Jars and seal while hot.

Prune Conserve

  • 2 cups raisins
  • 8 cups prunes (if dried ones are used cut in fourths, soak them in cold water for 5 hours, then drain)
  • 1 pound walnut meats (3 cups) broken in small pieces
  • 1 1/3 cup orange juice
  • 8 cups sugar

MIX together and boil all ingredients except nut meats until thick. Stir in nut meats when cooking is complete. Pour into sterilized KERR Jars and seal while hot.

Raspberry-Cherry Conserve

  • 3 cups red sour cherries
  • 3 cups red raspberries
  • 4 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/4 cup nut meats

COOK cherries in very little water (about 1/2 cup) until skins are tender. Add raspberries and sugar. Cook until thick and clear. Stir in nut meats when cooking is complete. Pour into sterilized KERR Jars and seal while hot.

Rhubarb Conserve

  • 5 pounds rhubarb
  • 8 cups water
  • 3 cups weak vinegar
  • 2 oranges
  • 1/2 teaspoon cloves
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 cups seedless raisins
  • 2 cups walnut meats

WASH rhubarb, cut in pieces and cover with boiling water. Allow to stand 3 minutes and drain. Add sugar, vinegar, grated rind and juice of oranges, spices, and raisins but in pieces. Cook slowly until thick, add chopped nut meats and pout into sterilized KERR Jars and seal while hot.

Strawberry Conserve

  • 3 pints strawberries
  • 2 cups fresh pineapple, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 cup seedless raisins
  • 1 orange
  • Sugar

WASH and hull berries and slightly crush them. Put pineapple through food chipper and measure. Add lemon juice. Grind raisins and orange, combine all fruits. This should make about 8 cups crushed fruit. Add sugar equal to weight or measure of all fruit. Cook until thick, stirring frequently. Pour into sterilized KERR Jars and seal while hot.

Tomato Conserve

  • 18 cups tomatoes cut in chunks
  • 3 teaspoons ginger
  • 6 cups sugar
  • 3 lemons

COOK tomatoes 75 minutes. Then add sugar, thinly slice lemon, and ginger. Cook until thick and smooth, then pour into sterilized KERR Jars and seal while hot.

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