PICKLES.
Peach Pickles.—Select the finest and fairest fruit (we prefer Rareripes or Honest Johns to Morris Whites or Malacatoons, but that is a matter of taste), weigh the peaches, and for every pound of fruit take a full pound or slightly heaped quart of granulated sugar; put one gill of good cider vinegar and half a gill of water to every six pounds of sugar; put the vinegar and water into the preserving-kettle first, then add the sugar, set the kettle on the back part of the range or stove where it will dissolve gradually. While the sugar is melting prepare the peaches; pour boiling water over a few at a time, and then rub each one carefully with a soft towel to take off a thin skin without disfiguring the peach; as you peel throw them into cold water to prevent their turning black. When all are peeled, or if two are working at them, as one peels let the other stick a clove and two small pieces of cinnamon, or two or three cassia-buds into each peach, and occasionally put in two cloves, but not often, as too many cloves make them bitter. While preparing the sugar over the fire, and after waiting a suitable time, if you find it will not dissolve without more water, add some, but only a little at a time, say half a cupful. It is difficult to tell just how much water is needed, as some sugar melts more readily and with less water than others; for this reason it is wise to add the water by degrees, as for sweet peach pickles it is desirable to use just as little water as possible. Bring the syrup to a boil just as soon as possible after you have all the fruit prepared; skim as fast as the scum rises, and when clear put in as many peaches as will cover the surface of the syrup without crowding and bruising; let them boil up for three or four minutes, turn over carefully in syrup that both sides may be cooked evenly, and then remove into two-quart stone jars, with nicely fitting covers, taking care not to break the fruit; dip out a cup or two of syrup to each jar, cover over and set on the side of the range to keep hot for a little while, till you have others filled to take their place. Fill each jar full of fruit. When all the peaches have been thus cooked and removed to jars, pour in as much syrup as they will hold and allow the cover to fit closely. Put them aside for three or four days, then drain off all the syrup and heat it again; when boiling hot fill up the jars again, and cover up. Repeat the scalding again in a week’s time, unless you find the peaches were so ripe as to have cooked enough to endanger their falling to pieces. In that case another scalding would injure them. To seal up jars, cut a piece of old cotton or linen, large enough to cover over the top and come half an inch over the side, leaving it loose so the cover will fit in, dip the cloth in the white of egg to seal it down over the edge, place on the cover, then wet plaster of Paris quite soft and spread over the top and so far over the sides as to cover the cloth. The plaster hardens immediately, and you have a solid cover at once, and air-tight; wet only as much at a time as will be needed for one jar, as it stiffens so soon. Put on sufficient to entirely bury the stone cover.
Pickled Plums.—Prick the plums with a sharp needle, else they will fall to pieces badly when you put in hot syrup; tie the cloves and cassia-buds in a cloth, or throw loose into the syrup, instead of sticking them into the plums. Of course they are not thrown into boiling water like peaches, as it is desirable to preserve them as whole and perfect as possible. Except in these two particulars, proceed as with the peaches.
For extra rich pickles, when boiling the syrup the second time, add one third more sugar than was used to make the first syrup. This gives a very rich fine flavor; the small amount of vinegar used at first prevents its being too sweet.
Some prefer peaches, when pickled, quite sour. In that case a pint of vinegar and three pounds of sugar to every seven pounds of peaches is the common proportion, with cloves and cassia-buds or cinnamon, as in the first receipt; cassia-buds are milder and less woody in taste than cinnamon.
Pears and crab-apples, prepared like peaches, make a fine pickle.
Green Tomato Pickles.—Slice half a peck of full-grown tomatoes just ready to turn red. They are more crisp if you can secure them after there has been almost a frost, not enough to turn the vines black. Slice very thin, cut off the blossom and stem ends and throw away. For every gallon of sliced tomatoes take twelve large green peppers,—the bell pepper is the best. Put a layer of sliced tomatoes into an earthen or wooden dish, then a layer of peppers, sprinkle over a handful of salt, then more tomatoes and peppers, adding salt to each layer till all are put in. A pint of salt is sufficient for a gallon. Press this down and place a weight on the plate or wooden cover. A metal cover will not answer. Let it stand till morning, when it should be put in a sieve or hung up in a strainer to drain. Put three quarts of best cider vinegar over the fire to scald. Tie up in a cloth two cups of white mustard-seed, half a cup of sliced horse-radish, half an ounce of whole cloves, and the same of cinnamon and allspice, and throw into the vinegar. When the brine has all drained from the tomatoes, pack them closely in a stone pot and pour the boiling spice and vinegar over it. Lay over them a plate small enough to fit inside the pot, and put a smooth clean stone on the plate to keep the pickle under the vinegar. Let it stand a few days, and then scald again. Some like part of the spices sprinkled through the tomatoes rather than have all tied in a bag. Some prefer the spices ground, and many prefer the tomatoes and peppers chopped, not very fine, rather than sliced. Either way they make a fine pickle.
To Pickle Green Tomatoes.—Slice thin in separate plates green tomatoes and onions; allow half a dozen of large green peppers to one peck of tomatoes. Take a large earthen or wooden bowl and lay in a layer of tomatoes and a layer of onions, sprinkling in a table-spoonful of salt to each layer; continue this until you have packed together all you wish to pickle. Then turn a large plate or clean dry board over the tomatoes, and put some heavy weight, a stone, on top and let it stand till morning; then drain off all the salt and juice, and pour over boiling vinegar, strongly spiced with cinnamon, cloves, and very little allspice and ginger, which should be tied in a little bag, and removed when the vinegar is poured over; cover close and let them stand a week, when the vinegar should be poured off, the pickles thoroughly drained, and cold vinegar poured over the tomatoes. Some chop the onions pretty fine after they are drained from the salt.
Pickled Nasturtiums.—Gather the seed when green and not fully grown, and drop them into vinegar as you pick them. When you have a sufficient quantity scald the whole in vinegar, and bottle them or soak them twelve hours in brine; then drain and pour over boiling vinegar, with whole black peppers and allspice tied in a bag. They are often used as substitutes for capers, and the flowers and young seeds are used in salads.
Pickled Cauliflower.—Select the most perfect; break off the flowers, as they would naturally part. Put a layer of them in a jar and sprinkle over salt; then another layer of cauliflower; then salt, and so on. Let them soak two days; then wash off the salt and let them drain well; then pack in a jar or bottle, and pour over boiling spiced vinegar. In a few days, if necessary, heat the vinegar again, and pour over them, and cover or cork closely.
Tomato Pickles.—Slice half a peck of green tomatoes very thin; sprinkle over them half a pint of salt; slice half a dozen onions and three large peppers full grown, but before they have turned red; add these to the tomatoes; let them stand twenty-four hours, then drain them perfectly free of the liquor or brine; mix with them one table-spoonful of black pepper, one of allspice, one of mustard, half a table-spoonful of cloves, and the same of cinnamon all finely powdered; to this add a quarter-pound of whole mustard-seed; stir all well together and just cover with good cider vinegar. Boil this mixture until as thick as jam, stirring often to prevent its burning.
To Pickle Onions.—Choose all of a size; peel and pour on them boiling salt and water; cover close, and when cold drain the onions, and put them into jars or bottles. For white onions, fill up with hot distilled vinegar; for colored onions, use white wine vinegar; for both, add ginger, two or three blades of mace and whole pepper. If the onions are soaked in milk a little while after peeling, it will preserve their color.
Another way is to soak the onions in brine three or four days, then drain and pour on cold boiled vinegar, with spices. This will insure their being crisp.
To Pickle Red Cabbage.—Select the purple-red cabbage, take off the outside leaves, quarter, and take out the stalk, then shred the cabbage into a colander or small basket, and sprinkle with common salt. Let it remain a day or two, then drain and put into jars; fill up with boiling vinegar, spiced with ginger and black pepper, in the same proportions as for the cucumbers, and add a few slices of red beet-root; some add a few grains of powdered cochineal. If the vinegar is boiled, and then allowed to stand until cold before pouring over the cabbage, it will better insure its crispness, but will not keep so well as if put on boiling hot.
Cucumber Pickles.—The small long kind are the best for pickling, and those but half grown are nicer than the full grown. Let them be freshly gathered; pull off the blossom; but do not rub them; pour over them a strong brine boiling hot; cover close, and let them stand all night. The next day put your hand in the jar or tub and stir gently, to remove all sand; drain on a sieve, and then dry in a cloth. Make a pickle with the best cider vinegar, adding spice in the following proportions: To each quart of vinegar put half an ounce of whole black pepper, the same of ginger and allspice, and one ounce of mustard-seed. If the flavor is agreeable, add four shalots and two cloves of garlic to a gallon of vinegar. When this pickle boils up, throw in the cucumbers, and make them boil as quickly as possible three or four minutes. Put them in a jar with the boiling vinegar, and cover closely. When cold, put in a sprig of dill, the seed downward, if you like it. Made in this way they will be tender, crisp, and green. If the color is not quite clear enough, pour off the vinegar the next day; boil up, and pour over the cucumbers; cover perfectly tight.
To Pickle small Cucumbers and Gherkins.—Choose small perfect gherkins or cucumbers; spread on platters, mix a small bit of alum, pulverized, with salt, and cover them; let them lie in this a week. Then drain them, put them into a jar, cover with boiling vinegar, and cover it thick with grape-leaves. Set them near the fire. If they do not become tolerably green after an hour or so, pour the vinegar into another jar, set it on the hot range or hearth until too hot to bear your hand in it, but do not let it boil, then pour again over the pickles, cover with fresh leaves; repeat this till they are as green as you wish.
Tomato Catsup.—Wash and drain two bushels of fair, ripe tomatoes; cut out the stems and any imperfect spot; put the fruit into a kettle, giving each one a squeeze to break the skin as you throw them in (a brass kettle, scoured perfectly bright, is the best, as being less likely to burn on the bottom than the porcelain kettle). Cut up twelve ripe bell-peppers and as many onions, and put with the tomatoes. Set the kettle over the fire and let the fruit cook two hours, stirring often from the bottom to prevent the tomatoes sticking or burning. Then strain through a wire sieve, or better still a patent scoop and sieve combined, made of tin; with a crank or handle to turn the paddle, which easily presses the juice and meat through the strainer at the bottom, leaving seeds and skins inside. When strained, add a pint and a half of salt, a quart of vinegar, three table-spoonfuls of ground cinnamon, three of black pepper, two of cloves, two of allspice, two of mace, and one of ginger. Boil slowly twelve hours. Of course it cannot be finished in one day; but at night must be emptied from the kettle into large wooden or earthen bowls, covered over closely, and left to stand till morning. The brass kettle should be well cleaned and dried as soon as emptied, that no verdigris may form in or around it, and to be all ready for use the next day. In the morning put the catsup up into the kettle again, and boil slowly all day, or till as thick as rich cream, so that no clear liquid will rise to the top. Stir often from the bottom; as it thickens it will stick to the bottom if not carefully stirred, and scorch very easily. That will spoil the whole. It is well to turn a plate down on the bottom of the kettle, it will not burn so readily. People differ so in their ideas of seasoning—some like food very fiery and highly seasoned, while others like very little—that it is not possible to give the exact amount of spices. We have given a medium quantity which, by tasting, can be varied to suit your own taste. When cooked sufficiently the catsup should be put into strong bottles tightly corked and tied down. Very little danger of bursting the bottles or forcing the cork out. None that we have ever tried have done so. In hot weather, if kept too damp, it may sour; but we have now some made last summer as good as the new.