AVOID YOURSELF WHAT YOU THINK WRONG IN YOUR NEIGHBOUR. 213 and then boil until they are clear. Stand for two days in the syrup, then put into a thin candy, and scald them in it. Keep two days longer in the candy, heating them each day, and then lay them on glasses to dry. 1531. Preserved Peaches. Wipe and pick the fruit, and have ready a quarter of the weight of fine sugar in powder. Put the fruit into an ice-pot that shuts very close; throw the sugar over it, and then cover the fruit with brandy. Between the top and cover of the pot put a double piece of grey paper. Set the pot in a saucepan of water till the brandy is as hot as you can bear to put your finger into, but do not let it boil. Put the fruit into a jar, and pour on the brandy. Cover in same manner as preserves. 1532. Brandy Peaches.-Drop them into a weak boiling lye, until the skin can be wiped off. Make a thin syrup to cover them, boil until they are soft to the finger-nail; make a rich syrup, and add, after they come from the fire, and while hot, the same quantity of brandy as syrup. The fruit must be covered. 1533. Preserved Plums.-Cut your plums in half (they must not be quite ripe), and take out the stones. Weigh the plums, and allow a pound of loaf sugar to a pound of fruit. Crack the stones, take out the kernels, and break them in pieces. Boil the plums and kernels very slowly for about fifteen minutes, in as little water as possible. Then spread them on a large dish to cool, and strain the liquor. Next day add your syrup, and boil for fifteen minutes. Put into jars, pour the juice over when warm, and tie them up, when cold, with brandy paper. -Plums for common use are very good done in treacle. Put your plums into an earthen vessel that holds a gallon, having first slit each plum with a knife. To three quarts of plums put a pint of treacle. Cover them over, and set them on hot coals in the chimney corner. Let them stew for twelve hours or more, occasionally stirring, and next day put them up in jars Done in this manner, they will keep till the next spring. 1534. To Preserve Lemons, Whole, for Dessert. - Take six fine, fresh, well-shaped lemons, cut a hole just round the stalk, and with a marrow-spoon scoop out the pips, and press out the juice, but leave the pulp in the lemons. Put them into a bowl with two or three quarts of spring water, to steep out the bitterness. Leave them three days, changing the water each day; or only two days if you wish them to be very bitter. Strain the juice as soon as squeezed out, boil it with one pound of loaf sugar (setting the jar into which it was strained in a pan of boiling water fifteen or twenty minutes); tie it up, quite hot, with bladder, and set by till wanted. Taste the water the lemons are lying in at the end of the third day; if not bitter, lift the lemons out into a china-lined pan, pour the water through a strainer upon them, boil gently one or two hours; set by in the pan. Boil again next day, until so tender that the head of a large needle will easily pierce the rind. Put in one pound of loaf sugar, make it just boil, and leave to cool. Next day boil the syrup, and pour it on the lemons; add one pound of sugar, and hot water to supply what was boiled away. Lift out the lemons, and boil the syrup and pour on them again every day for a fortnight, then every three or four days, adding gradually three pounds of sugar. When the lemons look clear and bright, boil the syrup pretty hard, add the lemon juice which had been set by, just boil, skim: put the lemons into jars, pour the syrup upon them, and tie up the jars instantly with bladder. 1535. Preserved Ginger. Scald the young roots till they become tender, peel them, and place in cold water, frequently changing the water: then put into a thin syrup, and, in a few days, put into jars, and pour a rich syrup over them. 1536. To Preserve Eggs.-It has been long known to housewives, THE HIGHEST HAPPINESS IS TO BE GOOD AND TO DO GOOD. 219 that the great secret of preserving eggs that consistence that it will cause an fresh is to place the small end down- egg put into it to swim with its top wards, and keep it in that position-just above the liquid; then place the other requisites not being neglected, eggs therein. such as to have the eggs perfectly fresh 1539. Bad Butter may be improved greatly by dissolving it in thoroughly hot water; let it cool, then skim it off, and churn again, adding a little good salt and sugar. A smal portion can be tried and approved before doing a larger quantity. The water should be merely hot enough to melt the butter, or it will become oily. 1538. Eggs may be Preserved when deposited for keeping, not allow-by applying with a brush a solution of ing them to become wet, keeping them gum arabic to the shells, and aftercool in warm weather, and avoiding wards packing them in dry charcoal freezing in winter. Take an inch board dust. of convenient size, say a foot wide, and two and a half feet long, and bore it full of holes, each about an inch and a half in diameter; a board of this size may have five dozen holes bored in it, for as many eggs. Then nail strips of thin board two inches wide round the edges, to serve as a ledge. Boards such as this may now be made to constitute the shelves of a cupboard in a cool cellar. The only precaution necessary is to place the eggs as fast as they are laid in these holes, with the small end downwards, and they will keep for months perfectly fresh. The great advantage of this plan is the perfect ease with which the fresh eggs are packed away, and again obtained when wanted. A carpenter would make such a board for a trifling charge. 1540. Rancid Butter. This may be restored by melting it in a water bath, with some coarsely powdered animal charcoal (which has been thoroughly sifted from dust), and strained through flannel. 1541. Salt Butter may be freshened by churning it with new milk, in the proportion of a pound of butter to a quart of milk. Treat the butter in all respects in churning as fresh. Cheap earthenware churns for domestic use may be had at any hardware shop. 1537. ANOTHER METHOD OF PRESERVING EGGS.-The several modes recommended for preserving eggs any length of time are not always suc1542. To Preserve Milk.-Processful. The egg, to be preserved vide bottles, which must be perfectly well, should be kept at a tempera- clean, sweet, and dry; draw the milk ture so low that the air and fluids from the cow into the bottles, and as within its shell shall not be brought they are filled, immediately cork them into a decomposing condition; and, well up, and fasten the corks with packat the same time, the air outside of thread or wire. Then spread a little straw its shell should be excluded, in order at the bottom of a boiler, on which to prevent its action in any way place the bottles, with straw between upon the egg. The following mixture them, until the boiler contains a suf was patented several years ago by Mr. ficient quantity. Fill it up with cold Jayne, of Sheffield. He alleged that water; heat the water, and as soon as by means of it he could keep eggs it begins to boil, draw the fire, and let two years. A part of his composition the whole gradually cool. When quite is often made use of - perhaps the cold, take out the bottles and pack whole of it would be better. Put into them in sawdust, in hampers, and stow a tub or vessel one bushel of quick-them in the coolest part of the house. lime, two pounds of salt, half a pound Milk preserved in this manner, of cream of tartar, and mix the same allowed to remain even eighteen months together, with as much water as will in bottles, will be as sweet as when reduce the composition, or mixture, to first milked from the cow. and 220 SLANDER IS A POISON, FOR WHICH 1543. Meat may be kept several days in the height of summer, sweet and good, by lightly covering it with bran, and hanging it in some high or windy room, or in a passage where there is a current of air. 1544. Hams, Tongues, &c., Glazing for.-Boil a shin of beef twelve hours in eight or ten quarts of water; draw the gravy from a knuckle of veal in the same manner; put the same herbs and spices as if for soup, and add the whole to the shin of beef. It must be boiled till reduced to a quart. It will keep good for a year; and when wanted for use, warm a little, and spread over the ham, tongue, &c., with a feather. chooses to afford,-not, however, exceeding one nutmeg. Let the whole surface be well covered with the seasoning; then lay the fish in layers packed into a stone jar (not a glazed one); cover the whole with good vinegar, and if they be intended to be long kept, pour salad oil or melted oil over the top. Caution. The glazing on earthen jars is made from lead or arsenic, from which vinegar draws forth poison. 1547. Preserving Potatoes.The preservation of potatoes by dipping them in boiling water is a valuable and useful discovery. Large quantities may be cured at once, by putting them into a basket as large as the vessel containing the boiling water will admit, and then just dipping them a minute or two, at the utmost. The germ, which is so near the skin, is thus destroyed without injury to the potato. In this way several tons might be cured in a few hours. They should be then dried in a warm oven, and laid up in sacks, secure from the frost, in a dry place. 1545. Curing of Hams and Bacon. It is simply to use the same quantity of common soda as saltpetreone ounce and a half of each to the fourteen pounds of ham or bacon, using the usual quantity of salt. The soda prevents that hardness in the lean of the bacon which is so often found, and keeps it quite mellow all through, besides being a preventative of rust. This receipt has been very extensively 1548. To Preserve Cucumbers. tried amongst my acquaintance for the-Take large and fresh-gathered cucumlast fifteen years, and invariably ap-bers; split them down and take out all proved. the seeds, lay them in salt and water, sufficiently strong to bear an egg, for three days; set them on a fire with cold water, and a small lump of alum, and boil them a few minutes, or till tender; drain them, and pour on them a thin syrup: 1546. Method of Preserving Mackarel. Mackarel are at certain times exceedingly plentiful, especially to those who live near the coast. They may be preserved so as to make an excellent and well--let them lie two days; boil the syrup flavoured dish, weeks or months after the season is past, by the following means. Having chosen fine fish, cleansed them perfectly, and either boiled them or lightly fried them in oil, the fish should be divided, and the bones, heads, and skins being removed, they should then be well rubbed over with the following seasoning:-For every dozen good-sized fish use three tablespoonfuls of salt (heaped), one ounce and a half of common black pepper, six or eight cloves, and a little mace, finely powdered, and as much nutmeg, grated, as the operator again, and put it over the cucumbers; repeat it twice more, then have ready some fresh clarified sugar, boiled to a blow (which may be known by dipping the skimmer into the sugar, and blowing strongly through the holes of it; if little bladders appear, it has attained that degree); put in the cucumbers, and simmer it five minutes :-set it by till next day;-boil the syrup and cucumbers again, and set them in glasses for use. 1549. Pickling.-There are three methods of pickling; the most simple is merely to put the article into cold IT IS DIFFICULT TO FIND AN ANTIDOTE. vinegar. The strongest pickling vinegar of white wine should always be used for pickles; and for white pickles, use distilled vinegar. This method we recommend for all such vegetables as, being hot themselves, do not require the addition of spice, and such as do not require to be softened by heat, as capsicums, chili, nasturtiums, button onions, radish-pods, horseradish, garlic, and shalots. Half fill the jars with best vinegar, fill them up with the vegetables, and tie down immediately with bladder and leather. One advantage of this plan is, that those who grow nasturtiums, radish-pods, and so forth, in their own gardens, may gather them from day to day, when they are exactly of the proper growth. They are very much better if pickled quite fresh, and all of a size, which can scarcely be obtained if they be pickled all at the same time. The onions should be dropped in the vinegar as fast as peeled; this secures their colour. The horseradish should be scraped a little outside, and cut up.in rounds half an inch deep. Gather barberries before they are quite ripe; pick away all bits of stalk, and leaf, and injured berries, and drop them in cold vinegar; they may be kept in salt and water, changing the brine whenever it begins to ferment; but the vinegar is best. 1550. THE SECOND METHOD OF PICKLING is that of heating vinegar and spice, and pouring them hot over the vegetables to be pickled, which are previously prepared by sprinkling with salt, or immersing in brine. Do not boil the vinegar, for if so its strength will evaporate. Put the vinegar and spice into a jar, bung it down tightly, tie a bladder over, and let it stand on the hob or on a trivet by the side of the fire for three or four days; shake it well three or four times a day. This method may be applied to gherkins, French beans, cabbage, brocoli, cauliflowers, onions, and so forth. 1551. THE THIRD METHOD OF PICKLING is when the vegetables are in a 221 greater or less degree done over the fire. Walnuts, artichokes, artichoke bottoms, and beetroots are done thus, and sometimes onions and cauliflowers. 1552. FRENCH BEANS.-The best sort for this purpose are white runners. They are very large, long beans, but should be gathered quite young, before they are half grown; they may be done in the same way as described in No. 1549. 1553. ONIONS.-Onions should be chosen about the size of marbles: the silver-skinned sort are the best. Prepare a brine, and put them into it hot; let them remain one or two days, then drain them, and when quite dry, put them into clean, dry jars, and cover them with hot pickle, in every quart of which has been steeped one ounce each of horseradish sliced, black pepper, allspice, and salt, with or without mustard seed. In all pickles the vinegar should always be two inches or more above the vegetables, as it is sure to shrink, and if the vegetables are not thoroughly immersed in pickle they will not keep. 1554. RED CABBAGE.-Choose fine firm cabbages-the largest are not the best; trim off the outside leaves; quarter the cabbage, take out the large stalk, slice the quarters into a cullender, and sprinkle a little salt between the layers; put but a little salt-too much will spoil the colour; let it remain in the cullender till next day, shake it well, that all the brine may run off; put it in jars, cover it with a hot pickle composed of black pepper and allspice, of each an ounce, ginger pounded, horseradish sliced, and salt, of each half an ounce, to every quart of vinegar (steeped as above directed); two capsicums may be added to a quart, or one drachm of cayenne. 1555. GARLIC AND SHALOTS.-Garlie and shalots may be pickled in the same way as onions. 1556. MELONS, MANGOES, AND LONG CUCUMBERS may all be done in the same manner. Melons should not be much more than half grown; cucumbers full 222 SAVING AFFORDS THE MEANS OF GIVING. grown, but not overgrown. Cut off the top, but leave it hanging by a bit of rind, which is to serve as a hinge to a box-lid; with a marrow-spoon scoop out all the seeds, and fill the fruit with equal parts of mustard seed, ground pepper, and ginger, or flour of mustard instead of the seed, and two or three cloves of garlic. The lid which encloses the spice may be sewed down or tied, by running a white thread through the cucumber and through the lid, then, after tying it together, cut off the ends. The pickle may be prepared with the spices directed for cucumbers, or with the following, which bears a nearer resemblance to the Indian method:To each quart of vinegar put salt, flour of mustard, curry powder, bruised ginger, turmeric, half an ounce of each, cayenne pepper one drachm, all rubbed together with a large glassful of salad oil; shalots two ounces, and garlic half an ounce, sliced; steep the spice in the vinegar as before directed, and put the vegetables into it hot. 1557. BROCOLI OR CAULIFLOWERS. Choose such as are firm, and of full size; cut away all the leaves, and pare the stalk; pull away the flowers by bunches, steep in brine two days, then drain them, wipe them dry, and put them into hot pickle; or merely infuse for three days three ounces of curry powder in every quart of vinegar. 1558. WALNUTS.-Be particular in obtaining them exactly at the proper season; if they go beyond the middle of July, there is danger of their becoming hard and woody. Steep them a week in brine. If they are wanted to be soon ready for use, prick them with a pin, or run a larding-pin several times through them; but if they are not wanted in haste, this method had better be left alone. Put them into a kettle of brine, and give them a gentle simmer, then drain them on a sieve, and lay them on fish drainers, in an airy place, until they become black; then make a pickle of vinegar, adding to every quart, black pepper one ounce, ginger, shalots, salt, and mustard seed, one ounce each. Most pickle vinegar, when the vegetables are used, may be turned to use, walnut pickle in particular; boil it up, allowing to each quart, four or six anchovies chopped small, and a large tablespoonful of shalots, also chopped. Let it stand a few days, till it is quite clear, then pour off and bottle. It is an excellent store sauce for hashes, fish, and various other purposes. 1559. BEET ROOTS. Boil or bake gently until they are nearly done; according to the size of the root they will require from an hour and a half to two hours; drain them, and when they begin to cool, peel and cut in slices half an inch thick, then put them into a pickle composed of black pepper and allspice, of each one ounce; ginger pounded, horseradish sliced, and salt, of each half an ounce to every quart of vinegar, steeped. Two capsicums may be added to a quart, or one drachm of cayenne. 1560. ARTICHOKES.-Gather young artichokes as soon as formed; throw them into boiling brine, and let them boil two minutes; drain them; when cold and dry, put them in jars, and cover with vinegar, prepared as method the third, but the only spices employed should be ginger, mace, and nutmeg. 1561. ARTICHOKE BOTTOMS.-Select full-grown artichokes and boil them; not so much as for eating, but just until the leaves can be pulled; remove them and the choke; in taking off the stalk, be careful not to break it off so as to bring away any of the bottom; it would be better to pare them with a silver knife, and leave half an inch of tender stalk coming to a point; when cold, add vinegar and spice, the same as for artichokes. 1562. MUSHROOMS.-Choose small white mushrooms; they should be but one night's growth. Cut off the roots, and rub the mushrooms clean with a bit of flannel and salt; put them in a jar, allowing to every quart of mushrooms one ounce each of salt, and ginger, half an ounce of whole pepper, eight blades |