Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1891-03-21
HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY.
Mrs Biiius Makes some rurs Cider vln
OgAF.

About two years ago Mrs. Billus
bought gallon of sweet cider and put
il into little jug, which she placed
behind the kitchen range.
Il have no confidence In the cider
! vinegar we get at the stores. John,
she explained to her husband ITS
made of poisonous chemicals, or the
wasbings of beer glasses. or something
of that kind. am going to make my
own cider vinegar and I'll know it's
pure"
do you think it will ferment prop
,erly If you keep it corked up tight like
that?" inquired Mr.. Billus.
It's got to be kept corked II you
want it Clean" she replied. %Do you
suppose I want all the dust Of the
kitchen settling in it? My mother
used to make her own vinegar, and I
don't think I've quite forgotten how she
did it."
'All right" rejoined Mr.. Billus. SITS
your vinegar. Make it any way You
please"
It was q warm place behind that
range, and the cider went to work at
once.
A few nights later Mr.. Billus was
aroused from his slumbers by noise in
the kitchen. He came downstairs with
lamp in one hand and q revolver in
the other, and found that the cider had
blown the cork of the jug and made a
striking picture of q rising sun on the
ceiling, besides scattering everything
in its vicinity with q brownish yellow
foam.
The next morning Mrs. Billus re-
moved the traces of the catastrophe and
tied piece of cloth over the mouth of
the jug in lieu of cork.
at will keep out the dirt and permit
the cider to ferment without doing any
mischief" she said. Its working all
right, John"
Several weeks passed away. Dust
settled on the Jug. Mrs. Billus could
observe a somewhat sour odor as she
lowered near the stove, and one day
she lifted the jug from its resting
place, removed the cloth, poured out
tablespoonful of the contents and
tasted it.
1t wasn't vinegar yet. It's usefulness
as sweet cider was thing of the past,
but it wouldn't have answered at all for
making pickles.
at needs lifting diluting," said a
neighbor to whom Mrs. BilIus stated
the case one morning. "It's too strong"
Having read somewhefe that rain
water was the purest of all. Mrs. Billus
filtered a quantity from the cistern,
poured it into the jug, but the latter
back behind the range, and waited pa
tiently whole month. Then she tasted
the cider vinegar again.
It was somewhat sour, but more Bit
ter than sour, and seemed to have
flavor of everything that had been
cooked in the kitchen for months. It
wasn't vinegar yet, by several stages.
"My mother used to put little mo-
lasses in her cider vinegar if it didn't
turn just right" said another neighbor
to whom Mrs. Billus related her trou-
bles..
Mrs. Billus accordingly put pint of
Orleans molasses into the Jug and
awaited developments for six weeks be-
fore testing the merits of the molasses
prescription.
The stuff now tasted like the Juice of
green olives, with dash of aloes and
castor oil. The Orleans molasses had
made the mixture sweeter, but had not
soured it, as it were, to any great ex-
tent.
did you ever try yeast?" asked q
caller one day after Mrs. Billus had
narrated her sufferings with that vine
gar. Il have seen my mother put
small piece of yeast in hers if it was
too slow in making"
Then Mrs. Billus bought cake of dry
yeast, crumbled it into the mouth of
the jug, and waited six months. At the
end of that she sampled the contents
again.
The stuff tasted like mixture of mu-
ratio acid ind bilge water. It wasn't
vinegar. That was clear.
All it needs, Maria" solemnly OBJ |
served Mr.. Billus, on one occasion when |
the subject was up, @is time. Give it |
time, my dear. Heavens and earth, |
Maria, you can't make vinegar in |
dayI"
Mrs. Billus looked at him sharply, |
but he seemed to be perfectly in earn
est. and the topic was dropped.
At the expiration of another period |
of some months she tasted the contents
of the jug again.
It wasn't as much like vinegar as it |
was a year and half before.
%If you say anything more about Civ
ing that vinegar time, John Billus,"
she exclaimed, %theren be trouble"
"What's the matter with it, my dear?"
he inquired blandly, isn't it sour
enough?"
"No. It's bitter. And horrible.
That's all it is.
II think, Maria he remarked, that
if you will remove the cloth from the
top and give one good look down into
the jug in your present frame Of mind
the stuff will either turn sour or evap-
crate.
Then he grabbed his hat and went
forth into the bowling, pitless storm
that ragged outside.
More months passed away. About
ten days ago Mrs. Billus inspected the