If people would only realize the value of fruit in its natural state, much of the time devoted to the preparation of pies, puddings, etc., would be saved. All uncooked fruit should be thoroughly ripe and served fresh and cold. Sometimes fruit is more easily digested when the woody fibre has been softened by cooking than when in its natural state, therefore a few simple recipes for cooking fruit are given.

Pare, core and quarter 6 or 8 tart apples. Make a syrup with 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of water, and a little grated lemon peel. When boiling, add the apples and cook carefully till they are just tender, but not broken. Remove them carefully, boil the syrup down a little and pour it over the apples. (For serving with roast goose, etc., cook the apples in a little water, mash until smooth, add sugar to taste.)

Pare tart apples of uniform size; remove the cores without breaking the apples. Stand them in the bottom of a granite kettle, sprinkle thickly with sugar, cover the bottom of the kettle with boiling water, cover closely and allow the apples to steam on the back part of the stove till tender. Lift carefully without breaking, pour the syrup over them and stand away to cool (delicious served with whipped cream).

Wash carefully and soak in water an hour before cooking, put them into a porcelain or granite kettle, cover with boiling water and let them simmer until tender. Add a tbsp. of sugar for each pint of prunes, and boil a few moments longer.

Put 1 pint of cranberries in a granite saucepan, 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of water. After they begin to boil cook 10 minutes, closely covered. (This may be pressed through a sieve while hot, removing the skins, if desired for a mould.)

Wash the rhubarb (if young and tender it will not be necessary to remove the skin), cut into pieces about 1 inch long. To every lb. of rhubarb allow 1 lb. of sugar. Put the rhubarb into a porcelain or granite kettle, cover with the sugar, and stand on the back part of the fire until the sugar melts. Move forward, let simmer for a few minutes without stirring, turn it out carefully to cool.

Take large, sweet pears, wipe them but do not remove the stems. Stand them in an earthen baking dish, pour around them a cup of boiling water, add 2 tbsps. sugar, cover with another dish and bake slowly until the pears are tender, basting occasionally with the liquor. When done, stand away to cool in the dish in which they were baked. When cold put them into a glass dish, pour the liquor over them and serve.

Pare and core, without breaking, tart apples. Put them into a shallow earthen dish, fill the cavities with sugar, add water to cover the bottom of the dish. Bake in a quick oven till soft, basting often with the syrup. (Quinces may be baked in the same way.)

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