To preserve Ginger.—(No. 97.)
Take green ginger, pare it neatly with a sharp knife; throw it into a pan of cold water as it is pared, to keep it white; when you have sufficient, boil it till tender, changing the water three times; each time put it into cold water to take out the heat or spirit of the ginger; when tender, throw it into cold water: for seven pounds of ginger, clarify eight pounds of refined sugar, see [No. 475]; when cold, drain the ginger, and put it in an earthen pan, with enough of the sugar, cold, to cover it, and let it stand two days; then pour the syrup from the ginger to the remainder of the sugar; boil it some time, and when cold, pour it on the ginger again, and set it by three days at least. Then take the syrup from the ginger; boil it, and put it hot over the ginger; proceed in this way till you find the sugar has entered the ginger, boiling the syrup, and skimming off the scum that rises each time, until the syrup becomes rich as well as the ginger.
Obs.—If you put the syrup on hot at first, or if too rich, the ginger will shrink, and not take the sugar.
N.B. When green ginger is not to be procured, take large races of Jamaica ginger boiled several times in water till tender, pare neatly, and proceed as above.
To preserve Cucumbers.—(No. 98.)
Take large and fresh-gathered cucumbers; split them down and take out all the seeds; lay them in salt and water that will bear an egg, three days; set them on a fire with cold water, and a small lump of alum, and boil them a few minutes, or till tender; drain them, and pour on them a thin syrup; let them lie two days; boil the syrup again, and put it over the cucumbers; repeat it twice more; then have ready some fresh clarified sugar, boiled to a blow (see [No. 94]); put in the cucumbers, and simmer it five minutes; set it by till next day; boil the syrup and cucumbers again, and set them in glasses for use.
Preserved Fruit, without Sugar.—(No. 99.)
Take damsons when not too ripe; pick off the stalks, and put them into wide-mouthed glass bottles, taking care not to put in any but what are whole, and without blemish; shake them well down (otherwise the bottles will not be half full when done); stop the bottles with new soft corks, not too tight; set them into a very slow oven (nearly cold) four or five hours; the slower they are done the better; when they begin to shrink in the bottles, it is a sure sign that the fruit is thoroughly warm: take them out, and before they are cold, drive in the corks quite tight; set them in a bottle-rack or basket, with the mouth downwards, and they will keep good several years.
Green gooseberries, morello cherries, currants, green gages, or bullace, may be done the same way.
Obs.—If the corks are good, and fit well, there will be no occasion for cementing them; but should bungs be used, it will be necessary.