THE ART AND MYSTERY OF CURING, PRESERVING, AND POTTING ALL KINDS OF MEATS, GAME, AND FISH TEXT

were simmered in sugar sufficient to make a thin syrup, which must be poured over the fruit, when placed in a deep dish, boiling hot, and so leave them for four or five days. Then pour out the syrup into a pan, and add sugar to make a strong syrup, into which you may put the tomatoes and simmer them gently until the syrup has entered fully into them. Remove them now from the fire and let them remain unmolested for four or five days longer. If the syrup has now not attained a proper consistence, you may add sugar, and boil until you have got the desired end. Pour now on the fruit while it is hot, and if when cold you are satisfied, make all safe with bladder and leather, and keep in a cool and airy room. CUCUMBERS. This is an elegant preserve if well managed. Take two dozen of the finest, largest, and most clear cucumbers, and without seeds. Cut them into pieces, take out the very soft part of the insides, put them into a jar with strong salt and water to cover them, and set them in a warm situation until they become yellow. Now wash them well, and set them in a pan of water, with plenty of fresh cabbage leaves, on the fire, close the lid of the pan, so that no steam can escape, and simmer them until of a fine green colour. If you have not yet attained your object, change the water and leaves, and simmer them again. Then take out the fruit, set it on a sieve to cool, and then into pure cold water for three or four days, changing the water daily. Put into a clean pan four pounds of the best refined sugar, with one quart of pure spring water, boil and skim it well. Then add the rinds of four large lemons pared very thin, and three ounces of the best ginger sliced, and boil all together ten minutes. Take it then off the fire, and when cool put in the cucumbers, and boil them until they are perfectly clear. If their appearance does not fully satisfy you, set them aside for forty-eight hours, and then repeat the boiling, and putting your cucumbers into your pots and glasses, pour the syrup over them, and secure them from the air with bladder and leather, or with paper over the glasses. GREEN-GAGE PLUMS. From a peck of this rich fruit, pick out all the largest and most clear. Put a handful of vine leaves into a pan, then a layer of the fruit, and so on, in alternate layers, to the end; fill the vessel up with water, put them over a moderate fire, and let them get thoroughly hot through, skim them well, pour off the water, and put the plums on a sieve to cool. Now take off the peels carefully, and, as you proceed, put them into the water they were heated in, with fresh leaves, and let them boil three minutes, preventing the escape of the steam as much as you possibly can. Let them remain at a moderate distance from the fire seven or eight hours, or until they become green; then put them on a sieve to drain, and then boil them up in a good clear syrup once a day, for three successive days. Then take them up, and place in clean dry glasses and jars; skim the syrup thoroughly over the fire, and, when nearly cold, pour it over the plums, put brandy paper upon them, and cover with bladder. You will have an elegant and very rich preserve. PEACHES AND NECTARINES. Before they are ripe, take the choicest of these fruit, rub off the down from them with soft old linen, and divide the skin at the seam with a sharp pointed knife. Put them into a clean jar, cover them with French brandy, and let them remain so for ten days; then take them out, and having ready a fine clear syrup, put the fruit into a pan with it, and boil them until they are beautifully bright and clear. When cold, take out the fruit, place it in glasses and jars, and fill up with the syrup nearly cold. Lay brandy paper over and cover with bladder. LEMONS PRESERVED. Take two dozen fine lemons, wipe them well, and pare off the yellow rind very thin. Cut out a piece of the rind at the blossom end, and take out the whole of the pulp and seeds. Rub the lemons over with fine bay salt, and lay them in cold water, so let them lie for a week, quite covered, and then boil them in fresh salt and water twenty minutes. Now prepare a syrup of one pound of the best loaf sugar to a quart of water, and well skimmed, and into which put the lemons, and boil them five or six minutes for four days successively, then place them in a jar and let them stand six weeks, and all the time well covered with the syrup. Now make a clear, thick, fine syrup of the best refined sugar and water, put the lemons into it, and boil them gently for ten minutes; then put them away, and in twenty-four hours boil them again at short intervals, until they look plump and clear. Now lay them in jars and glasses, and pour the syrup over them cold; cover with brandy-paper and tie bladder over them. APRICOTS. Take two dozen of the largest and soundest apricots when they are just fully ripe, wipe them clear from gum and other filth; push the stones out through the stalk ends with a blunted piece of wood; weigh the fruit now, and for each pound of apricots, allow one pound of the best refined sugar, the half of which, when reduced to a powder and sifted, you must strew over the fruit, and let them remain so for twenty-four hours. Boil them up gently, and when they have been cold repeat the boiling four or five times, at intervals of three hours, by which means they will have become clear and bright. Now take them up and lay them on a sieve, and when you have prepared a good clear thick syrup, boil the fruit up in it for five minutes, and skimming it well. Then put the apricots into clear glass jars, and pour the syrup over them. When cold make all safe with writing paper steeped in brandy, and tie wetted bladder over. They must be stored in a dry, airy room. DAMSONS. Choose the finest, large prune damsons for this purpose, pick them over carefully, throwing out the stalks, and all that are the least crushed, cut them open lengthwise, and take out the stones, put them into a pan with water sufficient to cover them, and boil them ten minutes; turn them out upon a sieve, and when cold, or nearly so, wipe each separately with some old soft linen or flannel. To each pound of the fruit allow one pound of the best refined sugar, the half of which, after being sifted finely, you must scatter equally over the damsons, on large dishes; put the other half of the sugar to the water in which the fruit was scalded, set it in a pan on a clear fire, and let it boil up; skim it thoroughly, and then simmer only, for ten or twelve minutes; put in the fruit and bring it to a boil; then take it off the fire, and let it stand, closely covered, half an hour; then put it again to simmer for half an hour longer, and then put it aside until the next day. Now boil up the fruit until it is tender, put the damsons into a sieve while warm, and boil the jelly alone full half an hour, and taking off any scum that may yet have arisen. Put the fruit into your pots, jars, &c., and pour your jelly over them, well heated. When cold, put brandy-paper upon the fruit, and melted mutton suet above that. Make all safe with bladder and leather, and store them in a dry, airy, cool room. MORELLO CHERRIES. Pick thoroughly ripe and sound fruit from the stalks and wipe them separately; prick them with a needle in three or four places. To each pound of fruit allow one pound and a half of the best sugar, and strew one half of it when finely sifted over the cherries upon clean large dishes, and let them remain so for twenty-four hours. Take now as much strained red-currant juice as will effectually dissolve the other half of the sugar, and put it into a pan over a moderate fire, and let it boil twelve or fifteen minutes, skim it well, add to it the fruit with their sugar, and let all simmer five minutes, being careful to not allow them to boil. Then remove the cherries into glasses, boil the syrup until it is thick and pour it cool over them. When cold guard them with brandy paper, and paste writing paper neatly cut over the glasses. BARBERRIES IN SPRIGS AND BUNCHES. Pick out the finest bunches and sprigs of fine ripe clear berries――reject all faulty ones――lay them in as much water as will be requisite for making their syrup, and boil them until they are tender. Now strain them upon a sieve, and to every pint of their juice add a pound and half of best refined sugar, boil and skim this thoroughly, and to each pint of the syrup put half a pound of the fruit in bunches and boil them very gently until they become quite bright and clear. When cold put them into clear glasses and pour the syrup to them. Use brandy paper, and paste writing paper over the glasses. HAMBURGH GRAPES PRESERVED WHOLE. Pick out some handsome little bunches, wipe them very carefully with soft old linen moistened with spirits and water, place them in a wide jar, and allow one ounce of white sugar-candy beaten small to each pound of the grapes, which, as the fruit is placed, must be scattered equally amongst it. Fill the jar up with French brandy, the best, and seeing in two days afterwards that the fruit is properly covered, make up safely with bladder and leather, and store away in a cool airy room. GOLDEN PIPPINS Pare two dozen fine pippins nicely, cut them into quarters and take out the cores. Boil the rinds of two fine large oranges in a pan of cold water until perfectly tender and lay them in pure spring water for three days. Put these into a pan, just cover them with water and let them boil twenty minutes, and strain the juice through a jelly-bag; then pare two dozen more pippins, take out the cores at the stalk ends neatly. Make now a fine clear syrup of two pounds of the best refined sugar and one pint of water, to which add the apple juice, and when it is cold put in the pippins, adding the orange peel cut into thin chips. Boil it very gently ten minutes, then take out the pippins, and when cool put them into jars and pour the syrup over them. Apply brandy paper, and tie bladder over the jars, and leather over that. Some adopt the mutton suet melted, with one-eighth of its weight of sweet lard added, which corrects the brittleness of the suet and causes it to adhere better to the sides of the jars. RASPBERRY MARMALADE. Pick fresh ripe raspberries from the stalks and simmer them gently about ten minutes, keeping them stirred all the time. Pour them and their juice into a clean hair sieve and rub them through it with a wooden spoon, leaving only the seeds behind. Weigh the fruit and boil it quickly for eight or ten minutes, then take the pan from the fire and stir gradually into it three quarters of a pound of sugar to the pound of pulp. When this is quite dissolved continue the boiling for another ten minutes――less time will occasionally be sufficient, but the thickness of the preserve and the manner in which it jellies on the skimmer will show when it is boiled enough. The raspberries may be rubbed through a sieve without the previous simmering, then mixed with their weight of sugar and boiled quickly for twenty minutes. Rich strawberry jam or marmalade is made in precisely the same manner. JAM OF MORELLO CHERRIES. This is a delicious preserve when made with fine ripe morellos. Stone the fruit, weigh it, heat it rather slowly to draw out the juice, then boil it quickly for twenty minutes over a very clear fire, add thirteen ounces of sugar for each pound of the cherries, and boil the jam from fifteen to twenty minutes longer, being careful to clear off all the scum. The sugar should be of good quality; it must be beaten to powder and added gradually to the fruit, and stirred with it off the fire until it is dissolved. A larger portion may be used when the morellos are very acid. An equal weight with the cherries will not be too much for some tastes, but their flavour will be better preserved with less. A few of the kernels blanched and wiped quite dry may be added a couple of minutes before the jam is poured out. RED CABBAGE. A RECEIPT FROM HALTON CASTLE. Take two middle-sized close-knit red cabbages, just when the frost has seasoned them, strip them of all superfluous leaves, cut them across in slices nearly a quarter of an inch thick, and scatter finely beaten bay or rock salt over them when laid on large dishes and covered with cloths; so let them lie twenty-four hours. Next drain the cabbage on a sieve and let it remain until the next day, still covered over. Put it into one jar that will contain it without pressure, and strew as you proceed pretty plentifully the following mixture amongst and finally upon the cabbage: Allspice, coarsely beaten 1 oz. Ginger, sliced 1½ oz. Black peppercorns 1 oz. Bay leaves, shred ½ oz. Laurel leaves, shred ½ oz. Now pour pure cold best London pickling vinegar into the jar, and take care that the cabbage is perfectly covered, and to the depth of an inch or more. Make up the jar with a bung, and secure it with resin or pitch. In a month you will have perhaps the best article of its kind to be found anywhere, its excellency consisting in its flavour, its colour, and crispness. GREEN SAMPHIRE. Carefully pick out the refuse from a peck of fresh samphire as soon as you get it, or it will be tough by delay. Immerse the accepted branches in salt and water strong brine for two days, then take it up and dry with cloths, place it lightly in a pan, and cover it with spring water in which a handful of salt and half an ounce of saltpetre have been dissolved, and put it on the fire to simmer, taking it off the moment that a thick steam comes upon the surface, and add for every quart of water used in the mouth of each jar a small teaspoonful of gum kino. Then make the jars secure with bladder and keep for use. CAULIFLOWERS. Purchase for pickling the closest, soundest, and whitest, entirely free from grub and insect, and pull them into nice branches and sprigs. Lay them loosely on large dishes, and scatter table salt generally through and over them, let them remain thus for three days. Next place them neatly in jars, and pour boiling water upon them, tie leather over, and let them stand by twelve or fourteen hours, then dry them on a sieve and remove them to glass jars, filling them up with the following pickle when cold: Bay leaves, shred 1 oz. Laurel leaves, shred 1 oz. Chillies, whole 1 oz. Capsicums, red and green 1 oz. White-wine vinegar 3 quarts This must be boiled twenty minutes, and skimmed quite clear. Let olive oil float at the top of the pickle, in the jars, to the depth of half an inch. Then cover with bladder. WHITE MUSHROOMS. Choose the smallest, round, perfect buttons, rub each separately with a piece of soft old flannel, wetted with a solution of bay salt, and let them be thoroughly cleansed after they are all rubbed. (See note, No. 11). When all ready put them into a pan with a little finely powdered bay salt scattered over them, and covered so closely that not the least steam can escape, for ten or twelve minutes, or until the water is extracted from them. Then get them removed, without any delay, on to a sieve, then dry them well with cloths, and let them get cold, effectually covered up from the action of the air. Make the following light pickle, by boiling it and skimming it well, and, laying your mushrooms in clean glass jars, pour it amongst and upon them: Mace, whole ½ oz. Eschalots, sliced ½ oz. Cloves, whole 1 oz. Chillies, whole 1 oz. Capsicums, whole ½ oz. White-wine vinegar 3½ quarts When the bottles are nearly filled with the pickle, let olive oil float on the top for an inch in depth, then make safe with bladder, and keep dry and cool. In a month they will be fit for use. SILVER ONIONS. Select your onions well, for many attempts at pickling them have been rendered abortive by the bad quality of the raw material. They should be globular and sound, and have the appearance of being got up in dry weather, and been well dried by the air and sun previous to being stored. The peeling will, however, prove much, and if you are suspicious of having been not well served, do not proceed with them. Peel a peck of nice onions, and, as you proceed, throw them into plenty of strong salt and water, and let them remain so for ten or twelve days, changing the pickle every second day. Set them now on a sieve to drain, then put them into jars and pour on them a brine freshly made of bay salt and water, boiling hot, and, covering up close, let them remain till cold. Repeat the scalding and with fresh pickle, and when drained thoroughly, put them into jars with Bay leaves, shred ½ oz. Laurel leaves, shred ½ oz. Chillies, whole 1 oz. Best ginger, sliced 1 oz. Mace, whole ½ oz. Best vinegar 3 quarts scattered amongst them, and fill up with the vinegar cold. Let olive oil float on the top, for nearly an inch deep, and secure the jars with wetted bladder, and, that dried, soft leather above all. For the preservation of the colour, this attention to the exclusion of the air is chiefly owing. These are of first-rate quality, and are much resorted to in the kitchens of the wealthy. PRESERVED WALNUTS. Take half a hundred of walnuts just when they are ready for pickling, that is, when punctured with a pin no shell can be perceived. Take a jar that will a little above hold them, deposit in it a layer of coarse-sugar half an inch thick, on this make a layer of walnuts well wiped, and every one sound, then a layer of sugar, and so on alternately to near the top of the jar. The allowance of sugar must be half a pound to every score of nuts. Tie coarse paper over the mouth of the jar and place it in a saucepan of boiling water, in which it must remain three hours. This will dissolve the sugar; the syrup should now cover the fruit; if it does not, add some more sugar and continue the simmering. When cold, cover the mouth of the jar with bladder, and do not disturb them for six months, for the longer kept the better they will be. These will be found of excellent and extensive use in families of many children as a gentle aperient medicine. One is a dose for a child of five to seven years old, and so in advancing ratio, and instead of proving nauseous to young palates, will be regarded as a treat, and, if I am not mistaken, adults will occasionally be troubled with constipation. APPLE MARMALADE. Pare and core two pounds of rather acid apples, put them into an enamelled pan with a pint of sweet cider, or with half a pint of cape wine, and a pound of crushed good loaf sugar, and cook them slowly by a gentle heat three hours. Squeeze the fruit first through a colander and then through a sieve. If not sweet enough add powdered sugar to your taste. Put it in small white jars, cover with bladder and writing paper. It will be very nice, and extremely wholesome as supper for the