Dried Cherries

Kentish cherries are fittest for this purpose; they should be ripe, and gathered in dry weather; the stones carefully picked out without bruising the fruit, with small-pointed wooden skewers or pegs about six inches long. As the cherries are picked, let them be thrown into a white pan containing syrup of 28 degrees; and as soon as this is finished, pour off the syrup into a preserving-pan; boil it up; and when the first heat has gone off, pour it to the cherries. This process must be performed for three successive days; and on the fourth day the cherries are to be thoroughly drained from their syrup, strewn apart from each other upon clean wire trays (see Adams' Illustrations), and put in the screen to dry. Care must be taken to see that they are turned about in order that they may receive the heat equally, and also to ascertain that it is never intense, for that would increase their colour to a dark shade, which is to be avoided with all fruits.