OK... here's the report: #1 I made the recipe as written..... EXCEPT I thinly sliced 1 & 1/2 quartered small lemons (3/4c) instead of making chuncks.. Someone thought that might look better... and it does. The peel, pith and insides look nice and are sort of candied. The flavor of lemon is not strong.... just a nice back-note. #2 After leaving the pre-heated mixture sit overnight in a stainless steel (non-reactive) kettle (trust me, a large sauce pan isn't big enough) I moved it to a stainless steel deep frying pan (chicken fryer) because I thought it would cook-down faster if it was shallower and had more surface evaporation space. It took less than an hour to reduce by 1/2. #3 Since there weren't any directions to tell when this was suppose to be done, I watched for the bubbling to thicken, then I took it's temperature with my candy thermometer. When it got to 220º F I removed it from the heat. The consistency is perfect for a perserve. #4 I ended up with 54 ounces of WONDERFUL perserves canned in 5 jars --- well, 4, now that we ate one. I'm thinking about making more of this to give as gifts. Not only does it taste wonderful, it is also very pretty.

I have been making fresh fruit Liqueurs for years with absolutely no problems, and outstanding results. So long as you are using the vodka / brandy at full strength right out of the bottles to steep the fruit there is no problem. You don't even need to store it in the fridge to steep, in fact, that tends to slow down the extraction process. I do it right on the counter. Give the jar a good shake every day or so. Strain our your fruit, sweeten to taste and bottle as you wish, I use wine bottles and corks, but absolutely no heat processing is necessary. Storing the finished product in the fridge tends to mute the flavors, and they are brighter at room temperature. Just as canning has requirements about acidity, etc, so does cordial making. The trick with using fresh fruit is to keep the proof up to retard any spoilage during extraction. Here are a few recipes you might like to try: CRANBERRY CORDIAL 8 Cups (4 bags) Raw Cranberries 6 cups Sugar 1 Litre Amber Rum 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract Place the Cranberries in batches in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse until the berries are coarsely chopped. Transfer the berries to a glass gallon jug with tight fitting lid. Add the Sugar, Rum and Vanilla and stir until mixed. The sugar may not completely dissolve at this time. Tightly cap and store in a cool dark place. For the next 6 weeks, gently shake the jar every day to mix the contents. When matured, strain the cordial through a double layer of cheese cloth into decorative bottles. Seal with corks and let age. The liqueur will be mellower after a month of age, and is excellent even after one year. BLACKBERRY LIQUEUR 2 Cups Fresh Blackberries, picked over and rinsed 1 Cup Sugar 1 Cup Vodka 1 Cup Brandy 1 Cup Light Corn Syrup 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice Place Berries in a clean 1 gallon jar and add Sugar. Crush the berries with a wooden spoon and let stand for one hour. Add Vodka and Brandy, cap tightly and shake. Add Corn Syrup and Lemon Juice. Let stand in a cool dark place for 2 weeks. Use a fine mesh strainer to strain our solids and discard them. Rack or filter into final containers. Cover and age one month more before serving. RASPBERRY LIQUEUR 1 1/2 Pounds Fresh Raspberries, picked over and washed 1 Cup Sugar 3 Cups White Zinfandel 1 1/2 Cups Vodka 2 Cups Water Crush the Raspberries and Sugar together in a bowl, let stand for one hour. Transfer to a clean glass gallon jar and add the Wine, Vodka, and Water. Cover tightly and shake gently. Let stand in a cool dark place for 3 days, shaking daily. Use a fine mesh strainer to strain out solids and discard. Rack or filter into bottles, seal with corks and age at least one more month before serving. LIMONCELLO 2 Cups 100-proof Vodka Zest of Five Lemons 2 Cups Water 1 Cups Sugar Combine Vodka and Lemon Zest in a 1-quart covered glass Jar, let stand at room temperature for 3 days. Make a simple syrup by heating the Water and Sugar over medium heat, stir until Sugar dissolves. Stir the syrup into the jar containing the Vodka. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, discard the Lemon Zest. Pour into clean jars, cap tightly and store in the freezer. Serve well chilled in small glasses. Have fun and enjoy the final product. Steve

Everyone has such pretty decorations. MrsMarv, you have a great view from your table. I can't show my apothecary jars, but will tell what is in them. The largest is usually filled with faux fruit of the season. Right now it has apples, limes, oranges and lemons. Usually at Christmas it is filled with black, red and silver ornaments and beads, and sits on the kitchen table. The middle size is filled with rose petals from flowers I've received the last couple of years. It sits in my bedroom. Usually I put the "from" card in there, too. Right now the other one is empty. Lee

A bell jar or cloche has no bottom. I have a few of these. I have a larger one that has an old bird's nest with a few fake speckled eggs. I've used the nest as a base for a very old postcard so that it stands up lengthways. A bit of ivy winds around the nest. I love using the bell jars over old plates, saucers, even small silver trays and compotes. I have one covering a small glass stand and on the stand is an old pocketwatch. Another is over a transferware saucer with a candle on the saucer. You can put a small plant underneath a cloche. I've seen the small *statues* underneath them. Tons of neat things you can use them with. tina