This is the time of the year when we are planning the restoration of the contents of our store room, which has rather a pathetic appearance in comparison with its jaunty look in the winter. Of course we have made the usual gooseberry jam —appreciated at the beginning of the season, despised in the middle and appreciated again at the end. Blackcurrant, too, has its place on the shelves, for we think of the tasty tarts, roly poly, etc., that we are able to make with it, and our thoughts also jump to the winter months when a hot blackcurrant drink is gratefully taken when one is suffering from a chill. Raspberry and strawberry jam have their important places, for we are always proud of our strawberry, and whoever heard of a storeroom without a supply of raspberry jam.

Various kinds of jams, sauces, pickles, bottled fruits, etc., have to make their appearance, and here are some recipes which have been taken from a particularly fine selection:

Chow Chow Pickles.

1 quart each cucumber, cauliflower, onions, French beans, green tomatoes. Cut size preferred. Mix and cover with salt. Let stand overnight. In the morning wash salt off; cover with vinegar and let it come to the boil. Mix one breakfast cup flour and scant teacup sugar, six tablespoons mustard, 1 oz. tameric and three tablespoons curry powder, with vinegar; stir into the pickle and boil for three minutes; then bottle.

Chutney.

4 lbs. apples, 2 lbs. brown sugar, 2 lbs. raisins, 2 ½ lbs. onions, 1 lb. lemon peel, ½ lb. salt, ¼ lb. ground ginger, 3 tablespoons curry, 1 teaspoon cayenne, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cloves, 2 ozs. garlic, 2 qts. vinegar. Put all through the mincer, then add vinegar and boil for one hour.

Fruit Chutney.

4 lbs. mixed fruit; 2 lbs. brown sugar; 2lbs. onions, 2 lbs. raisins; 1 lb. peel, ½ lb. salt, ½ lb. preserved ginger. Mince altogether, then add two quarts vinegar and boil for 1 ½ hours, slowly stirring all the time.

Fruit used: Apples, plums, pears, peaches, tomatoes—1 lb. bananas also if desired.

Here are two very successful recipes for cold sweets :—

Spanish Cream.

One quart milk, 3 heaped dessertspoons Davis gelatine, 5 teaspoons sugar, essence vanilla, 3 or 4 eggs.

Make a custard of the milk, yolks of eggs (well beaten) and sugar, being sure to bring to boiling point only, then add vanilla. Melt the gelatine with boiling water and add to the custard—both being luke warm. Then when the mixture is fairly cold, beat in stiffly beaten whites of eggs.

Melanese Souffle.

Yolks 3 eggs, ¼ lb. castor sugar, juice of 6 passion fruit.

Stir over fire until nearly boiling. Set to cool. Soak ¾ tablespoon gelatine in ½ cup warm water. Stir until dissolved. Whip ¼ pint cream stiff. Beat whites of eggs, then stir gently gelatine, then cream, then whites into cold mixture. Decorate with slabs of cream and passion fruit.