PLAN No. 127B. MAKING ORCHARD AND GARDEN PAY

A farmer’s wife in Iowa, who wanted to make some money of her own, instead of feeling that she had to ask her husband for every dollar she received, started in a systematic manner to have a bank account of her own.

The family lived within twenty miles of a large city, and the farm contained an extensive orchard, as well as over an acre devoted to gardening purposes, and in these the wife found a broad field for her activities.

She thoroughly understood the many tempting ways in which fruits, vegetables and other orchard and garden products can be put up, and she knew the city people would pay for the products of her skill, so she entered upon an extensive campaign of canning, pickling and preserving, any one of which lines will furnish any energetic woman with a way for making money, even though she may adopt only one of the profitable plans. She could not begin to supply the demands of the city people.

PLAN No. 128. PICKLED PEACHES AND PEARS

There are few things that have a more delicious taste than pickled peaches or pears, especially when pickled the way this farmer’s wife pickled them.

Take one-half cup of vinegar and one-half pound of sugar to a little over a pound of the fruit. Place the sugar and vinegar over the fire until it comes to a boil. Add a layer of fruit, and cook until soft enough to run fork through it; then remove the fruit and fill the same way until all are done. The syrup needs no more cooking. Stick cloves in the fruit before cooking, and add cinnamon to syrup, if desired.

When she sent these to the city, she soon had calls for more, and the prices they brought were a source of much pride as well as profit to the energetic housewife who put them up.

PLAN No. 129. PICKLED APPLES

Apples, especially those of the choicest varieties, are very good without pickling, but a great deal more so when they are pickled the way the farmer’s wife prepared them, as follows:

Take ripe, hard, sweet apples. Peel evenly, and if the apples are perfect, leave them whole, otherwise cut in quarters. To a peck of apples, take about two quarts of vinegar and four pounds of sugar, half an ounce of mace, half an ounce of cloves, and the same amount of allspice, all unground; one teaspoonful of mustard seed, a few pepper grains and a little salt. Heat the vinegar and sugar together to the boiling point, skim well, put the spices in a thin muslin bag and add the vinegar, then put in the apples. Place over the fire, and stew slowly until the apples are soft. Then take out the apples, let the vinegar boil down, and pour in over the fruit. Cover and put away.

Of course, in making large quantities, she increased the amount of the ingredients accordingly, yet maintained the proportions named.

PLAN No. 130. PICKLED CHERRIES

The cherry trees were full that year, and she made good use of cherries by using this recipe:

To every quart of cherries, allow a cupful of vinegar, one-half cupful of sugar, one dozen whole cloves, half a dozen blades of mace. Put the vinegar and sugar on to heat, with the spices, boil five minutes, turn out into a covered stoneware vessel and let it get perfectly cool. Strain out the spices, fill small jar three-fourths full of cherries, then fill up with cold vinegar. Cork or seal tightly. Leave the stems on the cherries.

Besides filling several shelves in her own cellar with these, she sold large quantities to her city customers at “top” prices.

PLAN No. 131. PICKLED PLUMS

It would hardly seem possible to make a plum any better than it is when ripe and right off the tree, but this Iowa woman did so as follows:

To seven pounds of plums, take four pounds of sugar and two ounces each of stick cinnamon and cloves, one quart of vinegar and a little mace. Put in the jar first a layer of plums, then a layer of spices; scald the vinegar and sugar together, and pour over the plums, and when the jar is full, scald all together. They are then ready for use at once.

But she didn’t use all she put up. She sold to city people who liked her other products so well.

PLAN No. 132. SWEET CUCUMBER PICKLES

People like cucumber pickles, so this woman catered to their taste as follows:

Take ripe cucumbers, cut in two, scrape out the seeds, cut into strips and soak over night in salt water. To every quart of vinegar add one pound of sugar; boil and skim. Boil the strips in vinegar until tender and quite transparent. Take out the pickles, strain the vinegar, put it over the fire with a small muslin bag of mixed spices, boil two hours, pour over the pickles, cover and put away.

She sold these pickles at a good profit.

PLAN No. 133. INDIAN CHUTNEY MAKE

This will be something new to many people, but it is so good that almost any woman could derive a good living from making and selling this and nothing else. Here is the way the Iowa lady made it:

Pare, core and chop in small squares pieces half a pound of sour apples, and to them add half a pound each of tomatoes, brown sugar, stoned raisins and salt, a quarter of a pound each of cayenne pepper and powdered ginger, two ounces each of onions and garlic, one quart of lemon juice and three quarts of vinegar. Mix all well together, and put in a closely covered jar. Keep in a warm place, and stir every day for a month, being careful to see that it is kept covered; strain through a sieve at the end of this time and bottle. The liquor may be used as a sauce for fish or meat, and imparts a flavor seldom equaled.

PLAN No. 134. SPICED CURRANTS

Any one should be able to obtain any quantity of currants desired in their season, and make extra money by spicing them as this Iowa lady did, as follows:

Three pounds of white sugar, five pounds of ripe currants, one tablespoonful each of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice. Boil currants one hour, then add sugar, spices and one-half pint of vinegar and boil one-half hour longer.

This was one of the best sellers she put up.

PLAN No. 135. TOMATO PRESERVES

With tomatoes as plentiful and cheap as they are almost every year, and with so many people who like them, it is a wonder that thousands of women do not make a living by preserving, according to the following recipe, which this lady used:

Peel the tomatoes, and to each pound add a pound of sugar and let stand over night. Take the tomatoes out of the sugar, and boil the syrup, removing the scum. Put in the tomatoes and boil gently twenty minutes. Remove the fruit again, and boil until the syrup thickens. On cooling, put the fruit into jars and pour the syrup over. The round, yellow variety of tomatoes should be used, and as soon as ripe.

It is hard to imagine a more delicious preserve, or one that will bring a better price.

PLAN No. 136. CRAB APPLE JELLY

While thousands of bushels of crab apples are allowed to go to waste every year, and cost nothing but the picking, hundreds of women could be earning considerable money by gathering them, as they make the best jelly in the world, and it can be sold at almost any price one may ask. This Iowa lady used her surplus stock of crab apples as follows:

Wash the fruit clean, put in a kettle, cover with water, and boil until thoroughly cooked. Then pour into a sieve and let it drain. Do not press it through. For each pint of this liquor, allow one pound of sugar. Boil from twenty minutes to half an hour. Jellies can also be made from quinces, peaches and Porter apples in the same way.

Even with all of this she could make, the lady was unable to supply the demand.

She secured customers for her products through a few short ads in the city papers.