nd
add half a pint of good yeast; after it has risen a few hours, thicken
it with Indian meal stiff enough to roll out upon a board; then put it
in the sun and air a few days to dry. A piece of this cake two inches
square, dissolved in warm water, and thickened with a little flour,
will make a large loaf of bread.

Potatoes make very good yeast. Mash three large potatoes fine; pour
a pint of boiling water over them; when almost cold, stir in two
spoonfuls of flour, two of molasses, and a cup of good yeast. This
yeast should be used while new.

* * * * *

PRESERVES, &C.

Economical people will seldom use preserves, except for sickness.
They are unhealthy, expensive, and useless to those who are well.
Barberries preserved in molasses are very good for common use. Boil
the molasses, skim it, throw in the barberries, and simmer them till
they are soft. If you wish to lay by a few for sickness, preserve them
in sugar by the same rule as other preserves. Melt the sugar, skim it,
throw in the barberries; when done soft, take them out, and throw in
others.

A pound of sugar to a pound of fruit is the rule for all preserves.
The sugar should be melted over a fire moderate enough not to scorch
it. When melted, it should be skimmed clean, and the fruit dropped
in to simmer till it is soft. Plums, and things of which the skin is
liable to be broken, do better to be put in little jars, with their
weight of sugar, and the jars set in a kettle of boiling water, till
the fruit is done. See the water is not so high as to boil into the
jars.

When you put preserves in jars, lay a white paper, thoroughly wet
with brandy, flat upon the surface of the preserves, and cover them
carefully from the air. If they begin to mould, scald them by setting
them in the oven till boiling hot. Glass is much better than earthen
for preserves; they are not half as apt to ferment.

CURRANT JELLY.

Currant jelly is a useful thing for sickness. If it be necessary to
wash your currants, be sure they are thoroughly drained, or your jelly
will be thin. Break them up with a pestle, and squeeze them through
a cloth. Put a pint of clean sugar to a pint of juice, and boil it
slowly, till it becomes ropy. Great care must be taken not to do it
too fast; it is spoiled by being scorched. It should be frequently
skimmed while simmering. If currants are put in a jar, and kept in
boiling water, and cooked before they are