Put the chestnuts on the fire in cold water, boil 5 minutes, take them out, and while hot strip them of their outer and inner skins. Put them in a big saucepan containing a syrup of the proportion of ½ lb. of sugar to 1 quart water and 1 teaspoonful of butter, when they come to the boiling point remove to the back of the stove. Use a large quantity of the syrup to the quantity of chestnuts. This syrup should diminish very slowly. When it has become very thick take out the chestnuts and drain them, add a little vanilla to the syrup. Now pour boiling water over the chestnuts to remove the syrup which covers them. Dry them well. Beat the thick syrup until it is opaque, then roll the dry chestnuts in it; remove with a skimmer and let them dry on a sieve.
Prunes may be treated in the same way.
SMALL CUCUMBER PICKLES
Put 1 pint of salt on ½ of a bushel of small green cucumbers, cover them with boiling water, and let them stand over night. Drain off the water and put them on the stove, a gallon at a time, in cold vinegar, to which add a lump of alum the size of a small hickory nut. Let them come to a boil, then take out and place in a stone jar. Have on the stove a gallon of the best cider vinegar, to which add about 2 lbs. of brown sugar, let come to a good boil. Take out the seeds of 4 red peppers and 2 green peppers, cut them in rings, cut in pieces 1 horse-radish root, pour boiling water over them, and let stand 15 minutes; drain off, add ½ cup of white mustard seed, a few whole cloves, and some cinnamon sticks. Then put all of this mixture on the pickles, cover them with boiling vinegar, and put away. Two or three cloves of garlic put in the jar are an addition.
PRESERVED STRAWBERRIES
(French)
These berries will remain whole. Prepare a basin of lime water. When the lime water is cool put in the strawberries and let them stand ¼ of an hour, then rinse them an instant in fresh water, drain them, taking care not to bruise the fruit. Take an equal amount of sugar to the amount of berries. To each pound of sugar, add 1 cup of water, boil until a very thick syrup, then add the berries. Cook 5 minutes, pour into sterilized jars and seal.