The Art of Preserving All Kinds of Animal and Vegetable Substances

§ XXVII Love-Apples. (Tomates, Ou Pommes d’Amour.)

I gather love-apples very ripe, when they have acquired their beautiful colour. Having washed and drained them, I cut them into pieces, and dissolve them over the fire in a copper vessel well tinned. When they are well dissolved and reduced one third in compass, I strain them through a sieve sufficiently fine to hold the kernels. When the whole has passed through, I replace the decoction on the fire, and I condense it till there remains only one third of the first quantity. Then I let them become cool in stone pans, and put them in bottles, &c., in order to give them one good boiling only, in the water-bath.

I have not yet tried any experiments with the flower of the love-apple, but there is no doubt that this new method will furnish means of deriving, at a slight expence, a great value from them also.