1427. Young Cucumbers

Choose nice young gherkins, lay them upon dishes, sprinkle salt over them, let them lie a week, drain them off, and put them into stone jars; pour boiling white vinegar over them, place them near the fire, cover them well with vine leaves, and if not a good green pour off the vinegar and boil it again; cover them with fresh vine leaves and continue doing so until they are a good colour, as to make a better green you must use a metal stewpan, or brass skillets, which are very pernicious and poisonous.

Use wooden spoons with holes to dish all pickles, keeping them always well covered and free from air getting to them.

1428. Cucumbers And Onions Together

To a dozen cucumbers put three large onions cut in thick slices; sprinkle salt over them; next day drain them for some hours, then put them into a stone jar, pour boiling vinegar over them, keep them by side of the fire, repeat the boiling vinegar, keep in the steam, and so on until green; the last time put in your ginger and pepper; put it in small stone jars.

1429. Elder Buds Pickled

The elder buds should be gathered when they are about the size of hop tops; put them into a strong brine of salt and water for nine days, and stir them two or three times a day; put them into a pan, cover them with vine leaves, and pour over the water they came out of. Set them over a slow fire till they become quite green, and then make a pickle of them of allegar, made of sour ale, a little mace, a few shalots, and some ginger sliced, boil this two or three minutes and pour it upon the buds, then tie them down and keep them in a very dry place.

1430. Gherkins Pickled

Choose your gherkins very green and straight; brush and place a layer in a pan, sprinkle them with fine salt, then another layer of gherkins, which sprinkle with salt also, and continue this operation until you have used nearly a bushel of gherkins; leave them in the salt for twenty-four hours, which will draw all the water from them; at the end of that time drain and place them in a jar, with a handful of allspice, the same of tarragon, a little balm, ten shalots, six cloves of garlic, two or three long peppers, twenty cloves, a lemon cut in quarters, and two small handfuls of salt. Boil two gallons of the best vinegar a second time, and pour it on again the following day, boil the vinegar for the third time, pour it over the gherkins, and when quite cold cover the jar with a wet parchment.

1431. Grapes Pickled

The grapes must be at their full growth, but not ripe; cut them in bunches, put them in a jar with vine leaves between each layer of grapes until the jar is filled; then take as much spring water as will cover the grapes and the leaves. As it heats put in as much salt as will make a brine sufficiently strong to bear an egg, you may use half bay salt and half common salt; when it boils skim it, strain it through a flannel bag and let it stand to settle, by the time it is cold it will be quite settled; strain it a second time through a flannel bag, then pour it into a jar upon the grapes, which must be well covered; fill the jar with vine leaves, then tie it over with a double cloth and set a plate upon it; let it stand for two days, then take off the cloth, pour away the brine, then take out the leaves and the grapes and lay them between two cloths to dry, then take two quarts of vinegar, one quart of spring water and one pound of coarse sugar, boil it for a short time and skim it very clean as it boils; let it stand till it is quite cold.

Wipe the jar very clean and dry, lay some fresh vine leaves at the . bottom between every bunch of grapes and on the top; then pour and strain the pickle on the grapes, fill the jar, let the pickle be above the grapes, tie up a thin piece of board in a flannel, lay it on the grapes to keep them under the pickle, tie them down with a bladder, and over that a leather, always keeping the grapes under the pickle.