The French gardiner instructing how to cultivate all sorts of fruit-trees and herbs for the garden : together with directions to dry and conserve them in their natural / first written by R.D.C.D.W.B.D.N. ; and now transplanted into English by Phiocepos.

SECT. IV.

To preserve fruit with Wine in the Must, in Cider, or in Hony.

To Pre∣serve fruit with Wine Cider. Ho¦ny. ALl sorts of Fruits which may be preserved in Sugar, may also be preserved in Must, in Cyder, or in Ho∣ny. And there is no other dfficulty in making choyce of fruits to scald and preserve this way, then in choosing such as you would preserve in Sugar.

In Must. To describe in this place the prin∣cipall rules which must of necessity be observed in preserving fruit in the Must or new Wine; You shall take▪

three pails full, three pots, or 3 parts of must, according to the quantity of fruit which you intend to preserve: set it in a Kettle or Skillet on the fire, but with care, that if your fire be of wood, the flame being too great do not burn some side of the vessell. Then let your must continue boyling till it be reduced to one third part, that it may be of fitting ••onsistence to preserve your fruit in, sufficiently, & keep it from moulding & spoyling.

The fruits being pared or unpared, according to their natures or your curiosity, those which ought to be scalded being done, well drained, and dryed from their water, are to be put and preserved in this Must care∣fully scummed, and made to ••oyl till you perceive that the Syrupe is of a sufficient consistence, which you shall know by dropping some of it on a plate, if it appear in stiff Rubies & run not about, the plate a little inclining.

You cannot take your Must too new, & therefore, as soon as you per∣ceive

the grapes very ripe, tread them immediatly, and take of that must as much as will serve, white or re••, ac∣cording to the fruit you would pre∣serve. Some fruits as the Quince, the Pear, & the Blew grape, &c. require Must of blew grapes, others of white, as Walnuts, the Muscat-grape & the like, whose candor and whitenesse you desire to preserve.

To heighten the tast of those fruits which you ought to preserve in red-Wine, put in a little Cinnamon and Cloves tyed up in a button of Lawn that they may not be dispersed a∣mongst the preservs, lost or consum'd in the Syrupe, and to those which require white wine, a bunch of green Fenel bound up likewise in a cloath.

Ma••malad of Grapes or Raisins▪ Codiniack, or Marmalad of Grapes is made of the fairest, & ripest blew grapes, gathered in the afternoon at the heat of the day, to the end that their moysture may be intirely dryed up: Lay them in some lost of your house, where both the ay•• & the Sun

have free entercourse, spreading them upon Tables or Hurdles, that, for at the leas•• a fortnight, they may there sweat & shrink: In case the weather prove cloudy, or that the season prove cold, you may set them in your O••en temperately warm, after which presse them wel with your hands, cleansing them from all their seeds and stalks, putting the husks and juice to boyl in the kettle, & diligently scumming and cleering it from the seeds: Reduce this liquor also to a third part, dimini∣shing the fire, according as your con∣••ection thickens, and stirring it often about with your spatule or spoon to prevent its cleaving to the vessel,* 1.1 and that it may boyl equally. Being thus prepar'd, you shall percolat it through a Sieve or course cloath, bruising the husks with your wooden Ladle, the better to express out the substance, aud besides, you shall wring it forth, or squeez it in a press: when this is done, set it again on the fire, & boyl it once more keeping it continually

stirring till you conceive it to be suf∣fici••ntly boiled, then taking it off, pour it into Earthen-pans, to prevent its contracting any ill smack from the kettle, and being half cold, put it into Gally-pots, to keep.

Potting. You shall let your pots stand open five or six daies, and then cover them with paper so fitted as to lye upon the very preserve within the pot, and when visiting your pots, you finde that any of your paper is mouldy, take it away and apply another, this doe as long as you shall see cause, which will be untill such time as all the superfluous humidity be evaporated, for then the mouldinesse will vanish unlesse your confection was not suf∣ficiently boyled, in which case it must be boyled again, and then you may cover them for altogether.

M••stard de Dijon. To make Mustard a la mode de Dijon, you shalf only take of this Codiniack and put to it store of Seneve or Mustard-seed well b••uised in a mor∣tar with water, & finely searced, and

when it is exquisitely mixed toge∣ther, quench therein some live coles, to extract all the bitternesse from the se••d, then either barrel or pot it up, well closed, and reserved for use.

You may also preserve all sorts of fruit in Perry that has not been di∣luted, reducing it in boyling also to a third part, as we shewed you in the Must. Lastly.

In Hony. To preserve in Hony, you shall take that which is most thick, hard and most resembling Sugar, boyling it in a preserving Pan, scumming it exactly, & stirring it about to prevent its burn∣ing. You shall discover if it be e∣nough boyled, by putting into it a Hen•• egg, if it sink, it is not yet e∣nough, if it float, it is of sufficient consistence to preserve your Fruits: You know that Hony is very subject to burn, & therefore finish this pre∣paration upon a gentle fire, frequently stirring the bottom of your pan with the spatule to prevent this accident.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Gas••be an instru∣ment made like an Oare.