BRANDY PEACHES.--Take large juicy _free-stone_ peaches, not so ripe as to burst or mash on being handled. Rub off the down from every one with a clean thick flannel. p.r.i.c.k every peach down to the stone with a large silver fork, and score them all along the seam or cleft. To _each_ pound of peaches allow a pound of double-refined loaf sugar, broken-up small, and a half pint of water mixed with half a white of egg, slightly beaten. Put the sugar into a porcelain kettle, and pour the water upon it. When it is quite melted give it a stirring, set it over the fire, and boil and skim it till no more sc.u.m rises. Next put in the peaches, and let them cook (uncovered) in the syrup till they look clear, or for about half an hour, or till a straw will penetrate them. Then take the kettle off the fire. Having allotted a pint of the very best white brandy to each pound of peaches, mix it with the syrup, after taking out the fruit with a wooden spoon, and draining it over the kettle. Put the peaches into a large tureen. Let the syrup remain in the kettle a little longer. Mix the brandy with it, and boil them together ten minutes, or more. Transfer the peaches to large gla.s.s jars, (two thirds full,) and pour the brandy and syrup over them, filling quite up to the top. When cool, cover them closely, and tie some bladder over the lids.

_Green Gages_--Are brandied in the same manner. Also, large egg-plums.

Pears also, having first peeled them. To pear sweetmeats always add lemon rind grated, and lemon juice.

PRESERVED TOMATOS.--This is an excellent and popular sweetmeat, when flavored well with lemon, which is indispensable to making it palatable.

Also, it should be well penetrated with sugar, therefore it is best not to attempt preserving tomatos whole. The best time for doing them is in the height of the lemon season. The most convenient for preserving are those with smooth even surfaces. If fluted or cleft they are difficult to peel when scalded, as the skins do not strip off so easily. Having weighed the tomatos, (which must be full-grown and quite ripe) allow to every two pounds, two pounds of the best _brown_ sugar, a large spoonful of ground ginger, and the juice and grated yellow rind of one large ripe lemon, rolled awhile under your hand. Having scalded and peeled all the tomatos, and mixed with the sugar a little beaten white of egg, put them into a porcelain-lined preserving kettle, (uncovered,) and add, gradually, the sugar. Boil the tomatos and sugar _slowly_ together, till the sc.u.m ceases to appear. Then add, gradually, the lemons, (peel and juice,) and boil slowly for an hour or more. The tomatos must all have bursted, otherwise they will not keep, from the sugar not getting sufficiently into them. When done, take them off the fire, and transfer to gla.s.s jars the tomatos with their syrup.

For yellow preserves take yellow tomatos, scald and peel them, and p.r.i.c.k each with a silver fork. Lay them in a porcelain preserving kettle with plenty of fresh vine leaves under and over them. Boil them with the vine leaves till they become a finer yellow. Then wash out the kettle and boil the tomatos, as above, with the _white_ sugar, and add the lemon.

_Green Tomatos Preserved._--Take green tomatos when they are full grown, but have not yet begun to turn in the least red. Scald and peel them, and lay them in a porcelain kettle with plenty of fresh vine leaves at the bottom. Cover them thickly with another layer of vine leaves at the top. Boil them very slowly with the vine leaves till they have all turned yellow. Then take them out, and spread them on large dishes. Wash the kettle, put in fresh vine leaves under and over the tomatos. They should become a fine green with the second boiling in vine leaves; otherwise repeat the greening. Then take them out, wash the kettle again, and return the tomatos to it with _a pound and a half of white sugar_ to each pound of tomatos. Boil and skim, till all is clear and nice. Then add the grated yellow rind and the juice of one large lemon to every pound of tomatos, and boil slowly an hour longer. All the tomatos should burst, that the sugar may thoroughly enter the inside.

Before you cover the jars, stir into each an additional quarter or half pound of powdered sugar. Green tomatos require a high flavoring of lemon, as they have no peculiar taste of their own.

PRESERVED QUINCES.--Take the largest and ripest yellow quinces; after they have remained on the trees till the first frost. Wipe them clean, and boil them whole till they are tender all through, and can be easily penetrated with a splinter skewer. Save and strain the water in which they were boiled. When cool, pare and core the quinces, and carefully remove the blemishes. To every pound of fruit allow a pound of the best double-refined loaf sugar. Make a syrup of the water in which the quinces were boiled, allowing half a pint of this water to every pound of sugar. When melted, set it in a porcelain kettle over a moderate fire, and boil and skim it till no more sc.u.m appears. Then put in the fruit, either whole or quartered, or cut into circular slices about half an inch thick; and boil it uncovered. When the quinces are quite clear and soft, (but not the least broken) take them out, and spread them on large flat dishes. Afterwards transfer them to large gla.s.s jars, rather more than half filled; pour the syrup warm over them; and when cool cover the jars, and tie pieces of bladder over the covers. You may boil, by themselves, the cores and parings, in as much water as will cover them well, till they are entirely dissolved. Then strain them through a linen bag, and while hot stir in as much powdered loaf sugar as will form a thick jelly. If the quinces have been preserved whole, fill up with this jelly the holes left by the cores; or if sliced, spread the jelly over the slices. Quinces soon become very hard and tough, unless they have been well boiled by themselves, before putting them into the sugar. Merely scalding or coddling them is not sufficient. If you have not jelly for filling up the holes, subst.i.tute marmalade. To keep quinces well, requires plenty of rich syrup.

PRESERVED CRAB-APPLES.--Take the finest Siberian crab-apples, which being always red, and having a pleasant acid, are the only sort now used for preserving. Rub each crab-apple with a dry clean flannel, and then p.r.i.c.k every one in several places with a large needle to prevent their bursting. To every pound of fruit allow a pound and a half of double-refined loaf sugar, and a pint of water. First make a syrup of the sugar and water, boiling it in a porcelain kettle, and skimming it till perfectly clear. Put in the crab-apples, adding for each pound the juice and grated yellow rind of a large lemon. The lemon is indispensable to this sweetmeat. Simmer them slowly in this syrup till tender all through, so that they can be pierced with a twig of broom-corn; but do not allow them to break. When done, put them up warm in gla.s.s jars more than half full, and the syrup over them. You may heighten the fine red color with a little prepared cochineal--that is, cochineal powder kept in a bottle after being boiled with alum and cream of tartar.

_Bellflower Apples or Large Pippins_--May be preserved whole in the above manner. They look handsomely on a supper table, covered all over with a thick meringue or icing flavored with lemon or rose, and spread smoothly over every apple with a real rose-bud stuck in the top of each.

You may color the icing a beautiful pink, by mixing with it a little prepared cochineal.

PRESERVED CHERRIES.--No cherries are worth preserving except morellas, or the large Virginia red, or carnation cherries. Stem and stone them carefully, saving the juice; and strew them thickly with powdered white sugar. To a quart of cherries allow a pound of the best loaf sugar. Make a syrup, allowing half a pint of water to a pound of sugar. Boil and skim it, and when the sc.u.m has ceased to rise put in the cherries and their juice, and give them a slow boil up. Put them up warm in gla.s.s or white-ware jars, and tie bladder over the lids.

FINE PRESERVED STRAWBERRIES.--Have ready two sorts of strawberries, one half being of the largest and finest scarlet sort, (not too ripe,) the other smaller and less expensive, but quite ripe and perfectly fresh and nice. Put the smaller ones into a porcelain kettle, having allowed three quarters of a pound of double-refined loaf sugar to every quart of fruit. Boil the sugar and small strawberries together; skimming well, and stirring down to the bottom after every skimming, and mashing it to a jam. When done, set it to cool in a large pan; wash the kettle clean, or take another one, and make in it a clear syrup, allowing to each pound of the best loaf sugar a _small_ half pint of water. When melted set it over the fire, and boil and skim till the sc.u.m ceases to rise.

Put the large strawberries in this, and give them one boil up. If boiled too long they will break. As soon as they have come to a boil take them (one at a time,) with a silver tea-spoon, and lay them separately on large flat dishes. Then mix the syrup with the jam thoroughly together, and boil it a quarter of an hour. Put the large strawberries, one at a time, into gla.s.s jars, (more than half full,) and fill up to the top with the hot jam. When cool lay a round of brandy paper on the surface, and secure the lids by tying pieces of bladder over them.

STRAWBERRIES IN WINE.--Put a small quart of fine large scarlet strawberries into a gla.s.s jar, having sprinkled among them a quarter of a pound of the best loaf sugar. Fill up the jar with madeira or sherry.

They are served at parties in small gla.s.s saucers, heaped on the top with whipped cream, or with white ice cream. What is sold by many confectioners as strawberry ice cream, has in reality no strawberries about it; as may be known by its beautiful rose color, such as strawberry juice never produces, particularly after being preserved with sugar. This fine delicate pink tinge comes in reality from alkanet. Most of what is called strawberry cordial, is in reality alcohol colored with that elegant dye.

STRAWBERRY WINE.--Fill four gla.s.s jars holding each a quart, with fine ripe strawberries that have been hulled or picked clean. Cover them; set them in a large kettle of cold water, and place it in a moderate heat till it gradually comes to a boil. Then let it boil but five minutes. Cork the jars, and seal them closely before you take them out of the water. Use the cement of two-thirds resin and one-third beeswax.

Keep the jar for four weeks in a dry cool place. By that time you will find the strawberries with a thick white sc.u.m at the top, and a clear juice at the bottom. Pour it into clean bottles, through a funnel with a fine straining cloth. Cork the bottles, but do not drive the corks hard down, lest the bottles should burst if too tight. Arrange the bottles on the kitchen mantleshelf, where they may have some heat from the fire.

You will see when a vinous fermentation takes place. It may continue a week. When it has entirely subsided, and is very clear, strain off the liquid from the sediment into fresh bottles, and cork them tightly. When you put them away, lay the bottles on their sides. This is a delicious cordial, and requires no brandy in it.

_Preserved Gooseberries._--Top and tail the gooseberries, which should be of two sorts, and as ripe as you can get. The best kind quite ripe, large, and of a light amber color. Wash the others, and boil them in a porcelain kettle with barely water enough to keep them from burning.

When they are soft and broken, mash the pulp through a sieve, or squeeze it through a linen bag. Measure it, and to each pint allow a large pound of powdered loaf sugar. Boil the sugar with the pulp, skimming and stirring it till it begins to jelly. Then put in the large gooseberries, and give them one boil up. When done take them out separately, and spread them on a large flat dish. Continue to boil the syrup a while longer, till you find it congeals well on holding out a spoonful in the open air. Then put the large gooseberries into jars, and pour the syrup over them while still hot and liquid. Put them up warm.

_Raspberries_--May be preserved as above, reserving the finest for putting whole into the jelly. The large white raspberries make a fine sweetmeat, done whole in jelly or jam of white currants.

Black currants should always be made into jelly or jam. They require less sugar than other sweetmeats, (a quarter of a pound less) their juice being naturally very thick.

COUNTRY PLUMS.--Gather your plums when perfectly ripe, and ready to fall from the trees. Split them with a knife, and remove the stones. Spread them out on large dishes, so as not to touch, and set them in the hot sun on a sunny roof or balcony; taking them in every evening before dark, and not putting them out till after the dew is off in the morning.

Repeat this for three or four days. Then pack them down in stone jars with a large quant.i.ty of the best brown sugar, a layer of plums and a layer of sugar alternately, (sugar being at the bottom and top) and cover the jars closely. Let them remain undisturbed till February or March. When opened, you will have plenty of rich syrup among them. They make good spring pies, and will be prized for family use at that season.

_Country Grapes._--The little wild grapes have a very pleasant taste after the first frost in the autumn, and should not be gathered till that time. Until frosted, they are too sour to eat. To keep them all winter, strip them from the stems and put them in stone jars with layers of good brown sugar, till the jars are three parts full. Then fill up to the top with West India mola.s.ses. They will make good winter pies, when cranberries, dried peaches, and dried apples are scarce.

_Persimmon Jam._--Do not gather persimmons till late in the fall, when they are well sweetened with the frost. They are unfit to eat till all the leaves are off the trees, and till they are ripe enough to mash.

Then pack them in jars with plenty of brown sugar. Maple sugar will do.

In the back-woods they will be valued. When cooked they will be improved by the addition of a little _sweet_ cider.

PICKLES.

For pickles the articles should all be fine and freshly gathered. They are generally too hard to be cut or eaten conveniently, and there is too much unnecessary fear of pickles proving soft. It is not now customary to keep them for weeks in salt and water; two or three days will be sufficient for this part of the process, and some kinds do not require it at all. The arts of both preserving and pickling are of late years much simplified. All pickles have nearly the same taste, and there is no use (and much trouble) in multiplying varieties, when a few sorts of the very best will be found amply sufficient for any table. One important point to be always observed, is to use none but the most wholesome vinegar, (the genuine cider,) as all that is made of drugs is unwholesome to the eater and destructive to the pickles. On no consideration boil them in bra.s.s, copper, or bell-metal--things which fortunately are now nearly exploded from all kitchens; iron lined with Delft, (called porcelain,) being universally subst.i.tuted.

To green pickles boil them with a thick bed of fresh vine leaves, both under and over them. This will first render them yellow; then boil them again in a clean kettle with fresh vine leaves. If not green enough when you think they are done, repeat the boiling again, with fresh vine leaves and fresh water. Avoid eating pickles that are of a fine verdigris green. They are greened with copper, and are poisonous.

If you cannot obtain vine leaves, you may green pickles by boiling them with fresh cabbage leaves under and over. The first boiling will turn them yellow, the second with new leaves should render them green. But vine leaves are better and more certain. Put them up warm in stone or, gla.s.s jars with broad flat corks; and tie kid leather over them.

INDIA PICKLE.--For this pickle you may use a variety of _young_ fruits and vegetables. For instance, red cherries, grapes, plums, apricots, young peaches, or lemons, limes, b.u.t.ton-tomatos, cauliflowers sliced, white cabbage sliced, hard-boiled eggs sliced, little onions, nasturtions, small cuc.u.mbers, &c. Having nicely prepared these things, put them all together into a large porcelain kettle, and scald them in a strong brine made in the proportion of a quarter of a pound of fine salt to a quart of boiling water. Pour it hot over the pickles, and let them remain in it till next day. Then take them out, and drain off all the brine through a sieve. Spread them out (so as not to touch,) on large flat dishes or old j.a.pan servers, and set them in the hot sun for three or four days; carefully taking them in at evening, and if the weather becomes damp or cloudy. Afterwards put them into a cullender or sieve, wash them well through cold water, and then wipe them all dry with a coa.r.s.e cloth. Put them into a large pan. Mix together a quarter pound of grated horse-radish, sliced; two cloves of garlic; half a hundred small white onions; two ounces of mace; a quarter of a pound of ground ginger; two nutmegs, powdered; two pounds of powdered loaf sugar; half a bottle of the best ground mustard; half a pound of yellow mustard seed, and an ounce of turmeric powder, which must on no account be omitted, as a yellow tinge is indispensable to this pickle. Mix all the seasoning with sufficient excellent cider vinegar to render it liquid, and pour it over the pickles in the pan, and then stir them up from the bottom. Let the whole rest till cold. Then transfer it to stone jars. Have ready some more vinegar, pour it boiling hot on the pickles, &c., but do not fill up to the top, as they expand and rise.

PICKLED PEACHES.--Take eight fine large free-stone peaches, (white or yellow,) when nearly but not quite ripe. Wipe off the down with a clean flannel, and put them into a brine strong enough to bear up an egg. In two days take them out, and drain them for several hours on an inverted sieve. Tie in a piece of thin muslin one ounce of whole white pepper; one of broken-up ginger; eight blades of mace, and two ounces of mustard seed. Boil this seasoning for ten minutes in a quart of the best cider vinegar. Lay the peaches in a broad-mouthed stone jar, with the bag of spice at the bottom, and pour the vinegar boiling hot upon them. At the top add a table-spoonful of salad oil. Put them up warm, and secure them with broad flat corks, and rounds of leather tied on carefully.

_Peach Mangoes._--The above sort of peaches are best for mangoes. Steep them in brine for two days. Cut a small piece out of each, and carefully loose the stones from the inside with a small sharp knife. It will then be easy to thrust them out of free-stone peaches, and none others should be used, either for pickling or preserving. Make a filling for the places that were occupied by the stones. For this purpose, use fresh mustard seed moistened with vinegar; sc.r.a.ped horse-radish, powdered ginger, a clove of garlic, or a minced shalot or very small onion, and a very little chilli or red pepper minced very small. Also a little powdered mace, and a little chopped peach. With this mixture stuff the peaches hard. Replace the bits that were cut off, and tie them on firmly with fine packthread, crossing the peach. Boil a quart of the best vinegar, seasoned with white spices and mustard seed, tied up in muslin; and when it has boiled ten minutes, pour it hot over the peach mangoes in a stone jar. Add at the top a table-spoonful of salad oil; cork the jar immediately, and tie leather over it. Where there is no dislike to cloves, you may stick half a dozen into the outside of each peach; but we think a few small bits of mace will be preferable, as the clove taste will overpower every thing else.

MELON MANGOES.--Take the small green melons, used only for this purpose, and let them lie in a strong brine for two days. Take them out and drain them well. Cut a small square bit out of one side, and through this hole extract all the seeds and filaments. Have ready a stuffing made of grated horse-radish, white mustard seed, minced shalot, or a clove of garlic chopped fine; a very little chilli or red pepper, and a little powdered mace. Wet this stuffing well with vinegar, and then fill with it the cavity of the mango. Replace the bit that was cut out, and tie it in with packthread, crossing all over the melon. Then place the mangoes in a stone jar. Have ready a sufficiency of the best vinegar, (a large quart or more, for eight or ten mangoes,) boiled ten minutes, with a seasoning of mustard seed, ginger, mace, grated horse-radish, and chopped shalot or little onion, or a clove of garlic minced very small--all tied in a bit of muslin. Pour the vinegar boiling hot over the mangoes, having placed among them the bag of seasoning. Finish with sweet oil at the top of the jar.

MUSHROOMS PICKLED.--For pickling, the small b.u.t.ton mushrooms are best.

After cutting off the stalk closely, and with a sharp penknife peeling off carefully their thin outside skin, measure two quarts, taking care that they are all of the right sort, and freshly gathered; the outside of a dull whitish color, and the underside of a fine pinkish salmon tinge. If very white above and below, or if bright yellow, they are poisonous. _Good_ mushrooms grow always in open fields or airy places; never in woods or marshes. To pickle two quarts, prepare eight little bags of very clear muslin; and tie up in each bag six blades of mace, six slices of root ginger, and half a nutmeg broken up. Have ready four gla.s.s jars, such as are considered to hold a quart. Lay a bag of spice in the bottom of each. Having sprinkled the mushrooms well with salt, let them rest till next day. Then divide the mushrooms and their liquor into four pints. Put one pint into each jar, with a bag of spice at the bottom, and another at the top. Pour on boiling cider vinegar of the best quality, and finish with a table-spoonful of salad oil. Cork the jars immediately, and tie leather carefully over the top. All mushrooms turn brown on the under-side the day after they are gathered, and sometimes sooner.

Boiling the spice in the vinegar will weaken the mushroom flavor. When you open a jar of pickled mushrooms, immediately cork it again; tie on the leather cover, and use it up as soon as possible. Therefore, pint jars, with half a pint of mushrooms in each, are convenient.

BELL-PEPPERS PICKLED.--Take fine full-grown bell-peppers. Make a brine in a stone jar of salt and water, strong enough to float an egg, and let the peppers remain in it two days, putting a weight on the cover to keep it down. Then take them out, wash them well in cold water, drain them, and wipe them dry. Cut a slit in the side of each, and extract all the seeds, as if left in, they will be entirely too hot. Through these slits let all the water run out. Put them into a clean stone jar. Boil sufficient of the best cider vinegar, interspersed with the muslin bags of broken-up cinnamon, mace, and nutmeg. Pour it, boiling hot, on the peppers in the jar. Distribute the bags of spice among the peppers, and cork the jar warm. You may stuff the peppers in the manner of mangoes, with pickled red cabbage finely shred, minced onions and minced cuc.u.mbers pickled, and seasoned with a little mustard seed, ginger, and mace. Tie up the slit with packthread, crossing all round. Fill up the jars with vinegar, putting sweet oil on the top.

Your may green bell-peppers in the usual way, with vine leaves or cabbage leaves.

All pickles should be kept in a dry place. If you find them mouldy they are not always spoiled. Take them out of the jar, wipe off all the mould carefully, and throw away the vinegar. Wash the jar very clean, scald it, and set it in the sun to purify still more. Make a new pickle with fresh seasoning, and put them into that.

PICKLED CAULIFLOWERS.--Take large, ripe, full-blown cauliflowers. Remove the leaves and stalk, and divide the blossom into pieces or cl.u.s.ters of equal size. Throw them into a porcelain kettle of boiling water, (adding a little salt,) let them simmer, and skim them well. When they come to a boil, take them up with a perforated skimmer, and lay them on a sieve to drain. Put them into stone jars, (three parts full.) Season with mace and nutmeg infused in sufficient of the best cider vinegar, and simmer it for a quarter of an hour. When it comes to a boil take it off the fire, and pour it hot over the cauliflower in the jar, filling quite up to the top, and adding sweet oil at the last. Cover it while warm, and tie leather over the top. If you wish to have the cauliflowers yellow, boil with the vinegar some turmeric powder tied up in thin muslin. This is a very nice pickle.

Broccoli is done in the same manner, but should be previously greened by boiling it with vine leaves.

PICKLED BEETS WITH CABBAGE.--Take a large fine _red_ cabbage, wash it well, and drain it. Quarter it, (having removed the stalk) and slice it with a cabbage-cutter as for coldslaw. Boil some beets in the usual way till quite tender, (they require a very long time) and while warm peel and slice them in round pieces, or split them down, and cut them into long bits. Lay them in a large stone jar, alternately with layers of the shred cabbage, till the jar is more than half full. Have ready some scalding vinegar that has been boiled with a seasoning of blades of mace and sliced ginger root, and some nutmeg. Pour the vinegar, boiling hot, upon the cabbage and beet, till you have the jars quite full. Finish with a large table-spoonful of sweet oil. Cover the jar with leather, and put it away warm.