Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-19
Table and Kitchen.
Sweet Pickles Better Liked Than Pre-

Sweet Pickles Better Liked Than Pre-
serves.
Spiced and sweet picked fruits have su-
perseded the preserved fruits to a very
great extent, a pleasant mingling OF
sweet and sour is more agreeable to the ma
jority of tastes than either the very acid
or sour pickles or the cloying sweetness of
the old-fashioned preserves Much of the
success of your handiwork in picking lies in
the quality of the vinegar used. Get only
the purest and best. The white wine va
riety Gf you get it) is the best. and the sec
ond best is the pure strong cider vinegar.
In regard to spices used. cloves are the
strongest and should not be used too gen.
erously; mace comes next, and very small
quantity of this will be required; then comes
allspice and cinnamon. Ginger is used in
many sweet pickles, especially of the fruit
variety and the most wholesome of all
the spices.
For the work of picking select your uten-
sis with care on account of the acid. The
saucepanS and kettles must be lined with
porcelain and it is best to use wooden
spoons and forks (the cheap salad sets will
answer, large spoons, large-mouthed fun-
nels, measures, and in fact all the neces-
sary utensils for the work except the jars
may be obtained in the agate or porcelain
lined ware. Glass jars are best but I'M
quantities of pickles are to be preserved and
one desires to economic in space on pam
try closet shelves. If glass jars are used
keep them in dark place. or if this is not
possible slip the thick heavy paper bags
wf.--. come from the grocers-over them,
or wrap well in newspapers. If you are
flat dwelier" and obliged to keep your pre-
serves and pickles on the pantry shelves you
adopt the idea one good practical
housewife has carried out-that of having
a drop door" placed on the top shelf, which
can be easily let down to protect the jars
from the light, and may be raised to remove
admit the jars by having bracket ar
ranged for its support or a hook and loop
fastened to the ceiling.
Another housewife has sliding doors
placed on one or two of her pantry
shelves, making very satisfactory pre-
serve closet Scalding or par-boiling
fruit and vegetables to be spiced and
picked will cause them to absorb the vine
gar more readily, but they will not be so
crisp. All articles should be perfectly cold
and dry, after parboilng, before putting
them in vinegar. Unless strong vinegar is
used the spiced or sweet pickles will be in
sipid. Never use raw vinegar, as 1T is apt
to become ropy and does not keep well.
Cider vinegar is never safe to use unless
scalded But 1t should not be boiled too
long, as overheating destroys it's strength,
and it should be very strong when poured
over the fruit the first time wherefore use
1t as soon as it comes to the boiling point
Long boiling gives you richer colored
fruit, but robs it of much of the natural
flavor. Pears and such fruit is likely to
harden if placed at once into a thick
syrup should be cooked in clear water o. a
very weak syrup until they are just ten
der On the other. hand, peaches and APP
pies will soften if placed at first in the rich
syrup. To extract the juice and harden
them, strew sugar over them and let hem
stand over night or at least for several
hours, or, better still, cook them for very
few minutes in good thick syrup, then lift
them out with a wire spoon or skinner, lay
them on fiat dishes and place them in the
sun for several hours then arrange in The,
jars and pour the boiling hot syrup ever
them. WV