Let your cucumbers be small, fresh gathered and free from spots; then make a pickel of salt and water, strong enough to bear up an egg; boil the pickel in a copper kettle if convenient; and skim it well; then pour it upon the cucumbers and tie them down for 24 hours, strain out through a colander and dry off well with a cloth.
Take the best wine or cider vinegar, cloves, mace, nutmegs, pepper and race ginger, boil them together and put the cucumbers in with a little salt, as soon as they begin to turn their color, put them into jars, crocks or tight barrels; when cold tie on a bladder or leather. This is excellent and worthy attention.
SOFT GINGER BREAD.
Four cups of molasses, 2 of butter, 2 of milk, eight eggs, two teaspoonsful of pearlash, ginger, and sufficient flour to make it stiff as pound cake.
TO PRESERVE PEACHES.
Take ripe free stone peaches—pare, stone and quarter them; to six pounds of the cut peaches allow three pounds of the best brown sugar; stew the sugar and peaches together, and set them away in a covered vessel; next morning put them into a preserving kettle and boil it slowly about an hour and three quarters, skimming it well.
TO PRESERVE PLUMBS, &c.
A pound of sugar to a pound of fruit; the sugar should be melted over a fire, moderate enough not to scorch it when melted. It should be skimmed clean and the fruit dropped in to simmer until it is soft. Put them in jars and cover carefully from the air. Glass is much better than earthen for preserves—they are not so apt to ferment.