Rensselaer Republican, Volume 14, Number 47, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 August 1882 — HOUSEHOLD HINTS. [ARTICLE]

HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

A Tin-lined Butter-tub makes a first-rate cake box, or by taking off the wood on the outside or putting on a short wire handle you will have a very serviceable tin pail. This pall Is particular good to use on the stove to neat water In. Gooseberry Jam.—Simmer the fruit in a very little water, press through a sieve, and return to the kettle. Then add to each pound of the pulped gooseberries three-quar-ters of a pound of sugar, and boll half an hour, stirring constantly. Fruit in honey.- Fruit may be preserved in honey. Put tbe fruit first in to a jar, then put honey over it, and seal ah-tight; when.the honey is poured from the fruit it will have the flavor and appearanoe of jelly, making a delloious dessert. To Make Gooseberry Catsup take ten pounds of gooseberries, seven pounds of sugar, three pints of vinegar; add cinnamon, cloves alleploe, to suit the taste; boll slowly for two hours, putting the sugar In list and letting it boil for a short time only. A Nice Tomato Dish.—One of the nioeet and simplest ways of dressing tomatoes is to out them in halves, lay them in a baking dish, cover each piece with some bread crumbs, a little pepper and salt and some flnelyohopped parsley, pour a little oil over and hake in a good oven. When washing lisle-thread gloves for your husband or son do not use soap: instead of that put a teaspooaful of ammonia in one quart of water. If washed in this way, there is no danger of there being spots and streaks in the gloves, as there would almost oertainly be if washed in the usual way. Currant Catsup. Take four pounas of stemmed red currants and one and one-half pounds of brown sugar. Cook until thlok. Be oareful not to bum. Then add one teaspoonful of salt, one of pepper, one of doves, one tabiespoonful or cinnamon, and a pint of good vinegar. This is a good recipe.

Gooseberry Jelly. Plok the fruit before quite ripe; put into a dish and place in a kettle of hot water; cover closely and boll until the fruit is tender. Strain the same as ourrant jelly, and to each pint of juice allow a pound of sugar; Doil twenty minutes, turn into jelly oups and set in the sun for several days, or until stiff. Protect from insects ana dew. Raspberry Jam.— Three-fourths pound sugar to every pound of fruit. Put the fruit on alone, or with the addition of one pint ourrant Juice to every four pounds raspberries. Boil half an hour, mashing and stirring well; add the sugar and cool twenty minutes more. Blaokberry jam is very good made in the same way, only omitting the ourrant julos. Common Tomato Sauob.— Cut up some ripe or preserved tomatoes in halves, place them In a stew-pot with a few strips of lean ham, some sliced onions, thyme, laurel leaves and a little beef liquor, and stew them half an hour over a slow fire; then add two or three spoonfuls of beef liquor, and boil. Afterward pass through a sieve, add a little butter and serve up. A stong good-sized table is almost a necessity in the oellar. Jan that are too heavy to be lifted on and off shelves may be set on the table. Many cellars are sometimes infested with ants and other bugs. One way to keep them from orawling over the jars is to take the tin cans iu which peaches or tomatoes came, set the legs of the table in the cans and fill them half foil of water. Currant Jam.—Pick free from stems and leaves, weigh and orush; But in a porcelain kettle and plaee on le back of the stove where they will gradually heat: then let boll twenty minutes and add sugar in the proportion of three-fourths pound to a Eound of the fruit. Boil one-half our more, stirring most of the time. When done put into small jars or glasses and either seal or secure like jelly with paper. Currant Jelly.— Look over the fruit and see that it is perfectly clean; crush and set on back of tie stove until heated through; strain, and for every pint of Juice measure a pint of sugar, put the fruit Juice on to boil and the sugar la a pan in the oven to beat. Let the juice boil twenty-five minutes, skimming as needed. Then stir the sugar, which should be very, very hot, and then boil five minutes longer. If the sugar was thoroughly heated, five minutes boiling would be sufficient, but it will be-best to test it before pouring out, by trying a little on a spoon. If the Juioe jellies as the spoon is turned from side to side it Is done. Uses or Borax.— Lady readers who have not tested the magic properties of borax have been losing a great help and comfort. If onoe used, you wifi never be without a bcttle on your toilet table. It removes stains and dirt from the hands better than soap, and at the same time softens and smooths the skin. It is splendid for washing the hair, and will, without injury, cleanse brushes and combs in a few moments. For washing purposes saves both soap and labor. It will extract the dirt from articles of delicate texture without rubbing, it being only necessary to put articles to soak over night, and they need only be rinsed in tne moralng. Two tablespoonsfol of pulverized borax dissolved in a quart of water, to which water enough is added to oover a pair of blankets, will cleanse them beautifully. It also saves great labor in washing paint. It is said to drive away ants and roaches, if sprinkled on the shelves of safes and pantries.