To Preserve Gooseberries

Select six quarts of gooseberries; choose three quarts of the largest and finest to preserve whole, reserving the remaining for jelly.

Place the whole berries in a pan with enough water to cover them, and simmer slowly until they begin to be tender, but do not keep them on the fire until they are likely to burst.

Remove the berries with a perforated skimmer, drain the warm water, and transfer them directly to a pan of cold water.

Place the berries intended for jelly into a stew-pan, adding half a pint of water per quart of gooseberries.

Boil quickly until they break apart, then stir and mash with a spoon.

Place the mashed berries into a jelly-bag that has been dipped in hot water, and squeeze to extract all the juice.

Measure the juice, and for each pint add a pound and a half of loaf sugar.

Break up the sugar and put it into a preserving kettle; pour the juice over it, and let it stand to melt, stirring frequently.

When the sugar has dissolved, set the kettle over the fire, add the gooseberries, and boil for twenty minutes or until they are clear and the jelly thickens and congeals in a spoon.

If the gooseberries appear likely to break, remove them carefully and let the jelly boil alone until finished.

When finished, place the gooseberries and jelly together into glass jars.