Cucumbers

1. Take small cucumbers, put them in a large stone jar; to a four gallon jar full put water enough to cover; one quart of salt, and alum the size of a walnut; turn off the brine, and scald every day, putting it on boiling hot, for nine days; then wash and soak over night, if too salt; put into jars or bottles; add whole cinnamon, cloves, mace, allspice, and peppers (green peppers preferred); scald the vinegar, and pour on hot.

2. Make a brine of salt and water, put in the cucumbers; and let them remain nine days, pouring off the brine and scalding it every second day; on the ninth day, take some cider vinegar, which, if very strong, dilute with one-third water; have it boiling hot, and pour over the pickles, having first covered them with vine or cabbage leaves; then take cider vinegar, and sweeten, say, from one and one-half pounds to two and a half pounds of sugar to one gallon of vinegar; have ready the spices, and put all into the vinegar; while heating, turn off the first vinegar, and pour this over them; exclude them entirely from the air. If liked, add grated horse-radish.

Cucumber Pickles

Lay the cucumbers in good brine for twenty-four hours, then take them out and scald them in equal parts of vinegar and water, (a brass kettle is best) in alternate layers of pickles and grape-vine leaves, then put them in a jar, and pour the hot vinegar and water over them; let them stand over night; then take the vinegar and water and pour over again for three successive days; at the end of that time, pour off the old vinegar and cover the pickles with fresh vinegar, and add small red peppers to taste.

Pickled Peppers

Cut the stems out in a round circle with a sharp penknife, and preserve them; fill each pepper with a mixture of fine-chopped cabbage, horse-radish, mustard seed, and salt; wash the peppers in cold water, then fill, replace the piece cut out, tie with coarse thread, pack in stone jars, and fill up with cold, sharp vinegar. They will be ready for use in two weeks.

Pickling Cauliflower

Take good white heads, break them into small pieces, and boil for ten minutes in strong salt and water; skim out the pieces, which should be so tender that a splint of broom corn can be run through the stems; lay them on a towel to drain off the water, and when thoroughly cold, put them into a pickle-jar with a few whole cloves, allspice, pepper, and sticks of cinnamon tied up in a cloth; boil and skim thoroughly, then pour it directly over the cauliflower.

Radish-Pod Pickles

Gather when young and tender, put them into brine over night, then boil this brine, and pour it over the pods in jars, covering closely to keep the steam in; when the brine is cold, repeat this, and do so until the pods are green; then drain them, and pour over them boiling hot vinegar, with mace, ginger, long peppers, and horse-radish in it; when nearly cold, pour off the vinegar, boil it once more, and again pour over the pods; when cold, tie down, and set away.