227. Pickled Peaches

Select ripe cling-stone peaches. To one gallon of good vinegar add four pounds of brown sugar; boil this for a few minutes, and take off any scum which may rise. Rub the peaches with a flannel cloth, to remove the down, and stick a clove in each; put them in glass or stone jars, and pour the liquor upon them boiling hot. When cold, cover the jars and let them stand in a cool place for a week or ten days, then pour off the liquor and boil it as before, after which return it, boiling, to the peaches, which should be carefully covered and stored away for future use.

If your peaches are very hard, boil them in water till tender, before you pickle them, and they will be fit for use almost immediately.

228. Pickled Beans

String-beans, or French beans, are the kind used for pickling. Take off the strings but do not break the beans; put them in strong salt and water for three or four days; cover them with a board and weight so as to keep them under the water. Then take them out, wash them, and put them in a preserving kettle with hot water enough to cover them, and put leaves or a cloth over them to keep in the steam. When they are green take them out, drain them and put them in jars; pour hot vinegar over them, with any kind of spice you may like best, and a small piece of alum in each jar. Radish pods are pickled in the same way.

229. Pickled Mangoes

Cut your mangoes in half, take out all the seeds, tie them together with coarse thread, and lay them in strong salt and water for three or four days. Then wash and drain them, put them into a kettle with vine or cabbage leaves over the top, or they may be covered with a clean coarse cloth; pour in hot water enough to cover them, and let them stand near the fire to keep hot. When they are green take them out, untie them, turn the cut side down and drain them. Cut some horse-radish in fine slips, and mix with it some mace, cloves, pepper, allspice and mustard seed; fill your mangoes with this, and if you like it add a clove of garlic to each one, place the two sides together and tie them again. Put them in jars and cover them with vinegar. Cut off the threads before they are sent to the table.

Gherkins are done in the same way.

231. Pickled Beets

Boil your beets till tender, but not quite soft. To four large beets boil three eggs hard, remove the shells; when the beets are done take off the skin by laying them for a few minutes in cold water and then stripping it off; slice them a quarter of an inch thick, put the eggs at the bottom, and then put in the beets with a little salt. Pour on cold vinegar enough to cover them. The eggs imbibe the color of the beets, and look beautiful on the table.

232. Pickled Cherries

Pick over your cherries, remove all the specked ones. Put them into a jar, and pour over them as much hot vinegar and sugar as will cover them; to each gallon of vinegar allow four pounds of sugar. Boil and skim it and pour it hot over the fruit. Let it stand a week, then pour off the vinegar and boil it as before, pour it hot over the cherries the second time. As soon as they are cold tie them closely.

235. Mushroom Catsup

Procure fresh mushrooms, pick them carefully, wipe them clean, and put a layer in the bottom of a pan, sprinkle over some salt, then another layer of mushrooms and more salt until all are in; cover the pan and let them stand two days, mash them well and strain them through a hair sieve. To each quart of the pulp add one ounce and a half of whole black pepper, half an ounce of whole allspice, and a few blades of mace. Boil it till reduced to two-thirds the original quantity. When done pour it in a pan and stand it away till the next day, then pass it through a hair sieve and bottle it for use. Put it in small bottles, on the top of each pour a table spoonful of sweet oil to exclude the air. Cork them closely and rosin the corks.

236. Walnut Catsup

When your pickled walnuts are soft, mash them through the vinegar which covers them, strain it and boil it to a proper thickness. Bottle it, put a table spoonful of sweet oil on the top of each bottle, and cork them tightly; seal the corks and it will keep for several years.

This catsup is excellent.

237. Pickled Nasturtiums

Cut the green seeds of the nasturtiums with a piece of the stem to each. Put them in a jar of cold vinegar.

238. Pickled Tomatoes

Take one peck of ripe tomatoes, prick them with a large needle, and lay them in strong salt and water eight days. Then take them out of the brine and lay them in vinegar and water for twenty-four hours. Scald a dozen small onions in Vinegar and stand the whole away to get cold. Drain the tomatoes and add them to the cold onions and vinegar, with two wine-glasses of mus-tard-seed and an ounce of cloves.