Green Gooseberries for Tarts

Ingredients

• gooseberries, gathered the same day
• hay
• scalding water
• sugar

Directions

1. Fill clean, dry, wide-necked bottles with gooseberries before they reach full growth.

2. Cork the bottles lightly and wrap a little hay around each bottle.

3. Set the bottles upright in a pot of cold water and gradually bring it to a boil.

4. Gently simmer the fruit until it appears shrunken and perfectly scalded.

5. Remove the bottles and fill them up with the contents of one or two bottles, being careful not to break the fruit.

6. Pour scalding water into the bottles to cover the gooseberries completely.

7. Cork the bottles well and cover the necks with melted resin.

8. Store the bottles in a cool place.

9. When using the gooseberries, pour off most of the water and add sugar as you would for fresh fruit.