Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-10-09
FARM and FIRESIDE.
Pickles and Preserves.

Now is very good time to make up
sweet pickles, compendiously, as plums,
pears, peaches, citron and watermelon
rind, are all on hand and make a nice
variety. I have very much simplified my
processes of late years. Plums [ pick and
put in stone crooks until they are finished
picking. [ make all my sweet syrups
alike, leaving the fruit to give its distinct
i've flavor to the pickle. I pour, scalding
hot, this sweet splced vinegar over the
plums. and tie them up. For several
mornings set these crooks in hot water
bath until they come to the simmering
point. After taking them through this
process about four times, L put the con-
tents of the stone crooks into glass jars,
put into each jar three or four cloves, a
stick of cinnamon and blade Of mace, ard
tie up securely.
Peaches and pears proceed with, just as
I would preserves, and when straw will
pierce them readily, put them in jars,
pour over the rich syrup, seasoned with
delicate spices and fiayored agreeabIy
with best cider vinegar, and seal up. A
Glove in the bud end of each pear I'M
proves it.
I make citron preserves by pairing wa
ming to the solid inside. 1 cut citron
melon into strips or into fancy shapes,
and with small sharp blade one may
copy the most delicate ivory or shell carv-
ing. Soak these in perceptibly salt water
one night, then half day in fresh water,
changing it frequently, then simmer in
moderate alum water four hours, having
packed the citron 10 kettle between
thick layers of grape leaves. Then put
the citron into ice-cold water, change this
every hour and leave it in soak until ready
to proceed next morning. Then make a
strong tea of white ginger and boil the
citron in it until a straw will stick in it,
Now make a syrup of best white sugar,
using one pound to one pint of water.
Boil the citron in this until clear and
tender. Take il out and put it into hot
bottles and let them stand in hot water
until you have made rich syrup, which
you may season with delicate spices or
lemon juice. Pour this over your pre-
serves and seal them.
Reserve as many bottles as you want for
pickles, and season the syrup with best
cider vinegar and pour over them. The
preserves are beautiful, the pickles delc-
lous, but, as the Irishman said, as he
tugged up hill to his fathers funeral, it
does seem like making a toll Of q pleasure
to go through this tedious process. Do
not fail to make of green canteloupe a
good supply of brown sugar citron as you
make the preserves, using orange peel as
well as ginger in the tea scald. Drain
and dry this, and it answers fully as we'll
as the commercial citron, which Is very
expensive, for mince meat and cake. Pack
it when dry, in sugar.
Plums, grapes, and ounces are LOW in
order for jelly. Express their juices raw
or after scalding, by dripping or pressure
through thick sack under your cider
screw. Weigh the best white sugar, a
pound to pint. put it In tin bucket and
set it to heat inside the stove or in bath
of boiling water, while you boil and keep
clean skinned the juice Of the fruit for
twenty min utes after boiling sets up. Now
put in the hot sugar, boil five minutes
longer, put into hot glasses; dip tissue
paper IN spirits, lay it On the jelly, close
up your glasses and keep in a cool place.
To make ounce jelly, wipe the fruit
and cut out the stems and buds. Put it
in an earthenware or bright metal kettle.
cover the fruit with water and cover the
kettle close. When soft enough, peel some
for preserves if you wish to make any:
the cores and pairing may be returned into
the kettle with the remaining ounces and
boiled very soft. Put the mass into a
stout bag and drip or press it dry. If you
press it, let it settle perfectly. The clear
liquid will make transparent jelly, the
bottom liquor will make opaque. but
equally good for home use or Jelly-cake
Follow the same process as directed for
the grapes and plums.
Be sure to make good stock of plum
syrup as foundation for wine sauce.
l omitted to say that pippin apples. pre-
served in ounce syrup. OF one-haIf apple
juice mixed in ounce jelly, hardly betrays
the adulteration.
Soft peaches pulped through colander
and pressed dry, then seasoned with syrcp
OF Ieet pickle, is delicious catsup.
Syrup for Street Pickles.-One pint of
vinegar to three pints of thick syrup made
of best white sugar and favored with nut
meg, mace, cinnamon and lemon peel. is
about the usua! preparation kept on hand
for this use.-Louisujlle, Kg, Home and
Furn1.
To KEEP TOMATOES FOR WINTER.
A correspondent sends the "Rural New |
Yorker the following: GAS the tomato |
season is here 1 can contribute one wav to !
keep them for winter use that may be new
10 some of your readers. [ ate them
IN February, sliced and seasoned with
'ugar and little vinegar, that seemed in
every way as nice as tomatoes fresh from
,he vines Dissolve teacupful of salt in
gallon of water, Pick ripe tomatoes.
out not over ripe, leaving little stem On.
Ihe tomatoes must be kept we'll covered
With brine. and they will keep till spring
" longer"