Pickles, Condiments and Spiced Fruits
“Mingle, mingle, mingle, you that mingle, may.”
RIPE CUCUMBER PICKLES.—Pare and seed ripe cucumbers, slice lengthwise and cut into pieces desired size. Let them stand twenty-four hours covered with cold vinegar. Drain, then put in fresh vinegar with two pounds of sugar and one ounce of cassia buds to one quart of vinegar and a tablespoonful of salt. Boil all together twenty minutes. Put in a crock and cover closely.—Mrs. W. C. Lynch.
GREEN TOMATOES AND ONIONS.—One peck of green tomatoes sliced, and use about one half as many onions as tomatoes and to this quantity add three peppers (either green or red) cut in small pieces. Sprinkle lightly with salt and let stand over night. Drain off liquor and when dry put them in hot vinegar which has been sweetened and spiced with cinnamon and cloves. Boil until tender. Leave spice bag in jar.—Mrs. Lynch.
UNCOOKED MUSTARD PICKLES.—(Excellent). Four quarts small cucumbers, four quarts small onions, three heads cauliflower, six green peppers. Dressing: One gallon of vinegar, two pounds of brown sugar, one pound mustard, one cup of flour. Let pickles stand over night in mild brine. Drain and put in jar. Then make dressing as follows and pour boiling hot over them. Boil vinegar and sugar together and thicken with flour dissolved in cold water. Pour this while boiling over pickles, when cold add mustard which has been dissolved in cold vinegar.—Mrs. Lynch.
PEACH PICKLE.—Make syrup by using two cups of sugar to one of vinegar. Tie whole spices up in sacks and put in the syrup. When it comes to boil drop in peaches from which the skins have been removed by pouring over boiling water. Stick whole cloves in each peach. Cook until tender. Be careful not to get mushy by over cooking. I pickle pears in same way.—Mrs. Harry McKay.
MUSTARD PICKLE.—Get small pearl onions, cauliflower and small cucumbers. Stand in brine for a week, changing each day. At end of time pour off brine and rinse in cold water. Prepare the following dressing and cook pickles for ten minutes. One and a half quarts vinegar, thicken with cup mustard, same amount of flour and cup sugar and a tablespoon of curry powder rubbed to paste in water, add one half cup melted butter, stir well and bottle while hot.—Mrs. Harry McKay.
CHILI SAUCE.—One peck of tomatoes, one quarter as many onions, one half teacupful of salt, two and one half teacups brown sugar, one and one half quarts of vinegar, three teaspoons cloves, one tablespoon of cinnamon, two teaspoons of nutmeg and two of ginger, scant teaspoon cayenne pepper, more if taste requires. Peel and slice tomatoes and onions, add the ingredients as above and boil in porcelain or aluminum kettle three hours, simmering the last hour.—Mrs. Harry McKay.
CHOW CHOW (Excellent).—Four quarts of chopped tomatoes, four quarts of chopped cabbage, two quarts of chopped onions, sprinkle salt over, let drain over night. In the morning put over to boil one gallon of vinegar, stir one and one half pounds of mustard into enough cold vinegar to mix thoroughly, add to boiling mixture. Then stir into this the chopped mixture. Keep stirring until it comes to a boil. When cool, add two ounces of curry powder. Seal in glass cans. Will keep for years. Excellent for meats.—Mrs. A. McKay.
PICALILLI.—One peck of green tomatoes, eight large onions, seven large cucumbers, two small heads of cabbage. Pear and chop medium fine. After well mixed add three quarters cup of salt and let them stand over night. In the morning, drain well, and add two cups of water, one cup of vinegar. Boil all together twenty minutes, drain, put back into kettle, turn over them two quarts of vinegar, one pound of sugar, two tablespoonfuls of cinnamon, one teaspoonful of cloves, one teaspoonful of ginger, one teaspoonful of allspice, one half teaspoonful of cayenne pepper, one cup of chopped horseradish, one tablespoonful of curry powder. If you use curry powder use less spices. Boil fifteen minutes. Seal.—Mrs. George Bruegger.
CHILI SAUCE.—Two quarts ripe tomatoes, three green peppers, three onions, one cup of sugar, three cups of vinegar, two teaspoonfuls of salt, one teaspoonful each of cinnamon and cloves. Cook the tomatoes tender, chop the onion and peppers very fine, mix all well and cook a few minutes. Celery improves it. Bottle and seal.—Mrs. Lynch.
GERMAN SAUER KRAUT.—For this use nice, white, firm cabbages, slice them in very fine shreds, on one of these kraut cutters; place a layer of salt into a jar or keg, and alternately cabbage and salt, being careful to have salt on top. As each layer of cabbage is added it must be pounded down with a heavy pestle, and layers added as soon as the juice floods on the surface. When the jar is full, it must be set in a dry place, covered with a cloth, a wooden cover and then weight it down heavy, after it ferments the pickle must be drawn off and replaced by fresh until the liquor is clear. Renew the cloth and wash weight and cover and let stand for a month, then it is ready for use. Great care must be taken to have the cover perfectly clean. Each time the jar is opened it must be properly closed and be sure to always have some liquor on top. Either clear or salt water may be added. Now to boil the kraut. Put on in cold water, let it come to a boil, and never boil very fast but let it simmer for four or more hours. Parboil a nice fat piece of fresh pork and place in same kettle with kraut; let it boil together for some hours; about one hour before taking it up grate half a small raw potato into the kraut, let it simmer away. This gives it a nice flavor and also tends to give it a smoother appearance. The oftener you warm over sauer kraut the better it gets. They say it should be cooked nine times. I never tried it for ours never lasted that long.—Mrs. George Bruegger, demonstrated at Domestic Science club.
GERMAN DILL PICKLES.—Select medium sized cucumbers, as near of a size as possible, soak over night in a weak brine, or plain well water. Next day wipe each one carefully, so as not to bruise them, then pack alternately in grape leaves and dill, start with a layer of leaves and dill then a layer of cucumbers, and so on; be sure and have leaves on the top; while packing add a couple of roots of horse radish. Some wrap each cucumber in grape leaves, and claim it keeps them more solid and makes them much nicer. After they are all carefully packed then make a brine which will bear an egg, then add as much water as you have brine, to each gallon add one quart of strong vinegar, weight them down, but not too heavy. Remove all the scum which arises.—Mrs. George Bruegger.
CHILI SAUCE (Very nice).—One quart onions, two quarts cabbage, two quarts tomatoes, green, two quarts cucumbers, two quarts mangoes, one quart celery. Soak the tomatoes over night in salt water, run all the vegetables through food chopper and scald all together in clear water ten minutes then drain this water off. Mix one half cup flour, one and one half cups sugar, ten cents worth of mustard seeds, five cents worth of turmeric powder, five cents worth of celery seeds, two quarts vinegar. Pour over all and boil fifteen minutes. This has to be put in sealed jars.—Mrs. Southard.
CURRANT CATSUP.—Five pounds currants, three pounds sugar, one half pint vinegar, one teaspoonful cloves, one teaspoonful cinnamon, one teaspoonful salt, one teaspoonful allspice, one teaspoonful black and red pepper mixed. Boil one half hour and seal.—Mrs. Davidson.
SPICED CURRANTS.—Four pounds currants, five pounds sugar, one pint vinegar, two tablespoons cinnamon, two tablespoons cloves, two tablespoons allspice. Boil until thick.—Mrs. Mary Harvey.
CHUTNEY SAUCE.—One half pound brown sugar, eight tomatoes, eight ounces raisins, one quarter ounce cayenne pepper, one quarter ounce ginger, three ounces garlic, four ounces salt, one quart of vinegar. Boil all to a mush for several hours.—Mrs. Schollander.
GREEN APPLE CHUTNEY.—Pare and core six pounds of greening apples; boil in one quart of vinegar; set off until cool. Boil two pounds of moist brown sugar in one pint of vinegar; add two pounds of Sultana raisins, washed, picked and dried and four ounces of garlic pounded with vinegar; four ounces of green ginger; two ounces of red pepper and four ounces of salt. Mix well together with more vinegar if too thick. Keep on the back of the stove one day, slowly simmering, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Bottle on the next day.
ORIENTAL CHUTNEY.—Peel and core three pounds of tart apples. Mix with a pound of stoned tamarinds, three quarters of a pound of seeded raisins, a head of garlic, two pods of red pepper, and one ounce of grated ginger roots. Pound all together until reduced to a pulp. Add to the mixture a pint of brown sugar and a tablespoon each of currant jelly and thick tomato catsup. Blend well with a wooden spoon. Put in small jars and seal. This chutney improves with age and is most pungent.
EAST INDIA CHUTNEY.—Into three pints vinegar put a bag containing two ounces of ground mustard, four ounces of mustard seed, one ounce of cayenne pepper and one quarter ounce of turmeric. Add a pound of brown sugar and scant half pound of salt. Chop together thirteen large ripe apples, one pound of seeded raisins, seven large ripe tomatoes, four small onions and two cloves of garlic. Mince fine. Boil in the vinegar mixture for two hours. Press through a colander and bottle while hot. This is fine for cold meat, particularly so with roast pork.
GREEN GOOSEBERRY CHUTNEY.—This relish has not yet become common in America, though it is found on all well supplied English tables. Four pounds green gooseberries (not too ripe), one half ounce cayenne pepper, two ounces garlic, two ounces dried ginger, three pounds loaf sugar, two ounces mustard seed, two scant quarts best vinegar. Put the berries, when picked over, into a preserving kettle with one quart of vinegar and sugar and let simmer for an hour; pound the seeds, garlic, etc., and add, stirring with wooden spoon; when well mixed add more vinegar until the mass is of the proper consistency for chutney. Cool and bottle.
CORN SALAD.—Take one dozen ears of corn, (cut corn from cobs), one large head of cabbage chopped quite fine, not quite a half box of mustard, one cup sugar, one tablespoon chopped peppers, two tablespoons salt, mix with about four cups of good vinegar and boil about ten minutes, first mix the mustard with some of the vinegar. If too thick when done add more vinegar. Put in jars while hot. Will keep all winter, very nice with meat and potatoes.—Mrs. Paul Leonhardy.
MIXED PICKLES.—Two quarts green tomatoes chopped, one quart cabbage chopped, one quart onions chopped, two green peppers chopped, one quart brown sugar, one tablespoon each of cinnamon, cloves, celery seed, white mustard seed. Salt to taste. Boil about twenty minutes.—Mrs. D. E. Plier.
PRESERVED GREEN TOMATOES.—Take one peck of green tomatoes, peel and slice them, slice four lemons without removing the skins, put to this quantity six pounds of granulated sugar, and boil until transparent, and the syrup thick.—Mrs. George Bruegger.
OIL PICKLES.—(Sliced). Slice but do not pare medium sized cucumbers, sufficient to fill a gallon jar. Sprinkle one half cup of salt through the sliced cucumbers and stand in cool place two or three hours, then drain from the salt. Use one ounce black mustard seed, one ounce white mustard seed, one ounce celery seed, or one cup of finely minced celery, one half pint of olive oil, two onions chopped fine. Spread the cucumbers in the jar in layers sprinkling the seeds over them and spreading with part of the olive oil repeating the layers until the jar is filled, then cover all with cold, strained vinegar. Cover and set aside for future use.—Contributed.
SPICED BEETS.—Boil beets tender, lay in cold water, remove skins and unless small, slice and pack in fruit cans. Boil one cup of vinegar, three cups of water, one cup of sugar and spices to suit taste. Pour hot over the beets and seal.—Contributed.
UNCOOKED CHILI SAUCE.—Skin one peck of ripe tomatoes and chop them fine, add two cups skinned and chopped onions, two cups chopped celery, two cups sugar, one cup salt, four tablespoons white mustard seed, two teaspoons ground cloves, six or eight red peppers chopped fine, two teaspoons of ground black pepper and one quart of pure vinegar. Seal in air tight bottle.—Contributed.
PICKLES.—To a gallon of rain water add one cup of salt. Boil it and cover a gallon jar of pickles with the brine, drain off water, bring to a boil and turn over pickles for nine successive mornings. Then take out the pickles, pack in jars with layers of mixed spices. Boil enough vinegar (diluted if very strong) and add one cup of sugar to each gallon of vinegar and add a piece of alum size of a small walnut. Pour hot over the pickles in the jar, cover and put a weight on them and store in a dry, cool place. Good.—Contributed.
EASY PICKLES.—Take pickles of uniform size (about three inches long) wash and pack in fruit jars as tightly as you can. Add one cup of salt, one cup of sugar, an ounce of mixed white and black mustard seed, an ounce of whole cloves and cinnamon bark mixed or any spices preferred and alum the size of a walnut to one gallon of vinegar. Bring to a good boil, then turn over the pickles in the jars and seal. A piece of horse radish root is nice placed in each jar.—Contributed.
WATER MELON PICKLES.—Peel and cut the water melon rind into small cubes and boil it until tender and clear in water to cover, with alum the size of a pea. Drain and boil again in a syrup made of one pint of diluted vinegar and three pints of sugar. Add cloves and cinnamon in spice bag, to suit taste. Pour over the pickles, bring to a boil and cover pickles for three days in succession. Then seal.—Contributed.
CANNED CURRANT JUICE.—Express juice from currants by mashing through colander. Mix one pound of sugar with each pint of juice. Cook five minutes and seal. Use one tablespoon of canned juice to a glass of ice water and fill with crushed ice. Raspberry, strawberry and cherry juices may be canned likewise using a little less sugar.
SPICED GOOSEBERRIES.—Six quarts of gooseberries, four and one half quarts sugar. Boil one hour, add one pint vinegar and one tablespoon each of cloves, cinnamon and allspice. Boil three minutes then seal.
SPICED PLUMS.—Ten pounds of blue plums, eight pounds sugar, one pint vinegar and one tablespoon cloves and cinnamon. Boil to a jam and seal.
SPICED GRAPES.—Pulp seven pounds of grapes by separating skins and pulp and pressing pulp through a colander to extract seeds, then mixing it with the skins. Boil with four and one half pounds of sugar and one teaspoon each of cloves, cinnamon and allspice. Boil twenty minutes or to a soft jam.
SPICED CURRANTS.—To four quarts of ripe currants, add three and one half pounds brown sugar, one pint vinegar and one tablespoon each of cloves and cinnamon. Cook until currants are tender. Boil syrup thick first then adding the currants.
SPICED GREEN TOMATOES.—Chop eight pounds of green tomatoes fine, add four pounds brown sugar, boil three hours then add nearly one quart of vinegar and one teaspoon each of cloves, cinnamon and mace. Boil fifteen minutes and seal.
PEPPER HASH.—(Uncooked.) Chop one head of cabbage, one bunch celery, one half dozen green peppers and one half dozen peeled and sliced onions fine together and let stand over night. Drain in the morning and mix the chopped vegetables with one quart of vinegar, two cups white sugar, one half cup of salt, two tablespoons of mustard seed and one tablespoon of celery seed. Seal in jars, keeps well all winter.—Contributed.
SPICED GOOSEBERRIES AND SPICED CURRANTS.—Make a syrup of three pounds of sugar and one pint of vinegar, add steamed gooseberries (about six pounds) and when cooked thick add one tablespoon of cinnamon and one half tablespoon of cloves and allspice. For spiced currants substitute fresh red currants freed from stems but cook only until the currants are tender as too much boiling makes them hard and tough. Boil the syrup quite thick before adding the currants and then bring to a boil and simmer five minutes.
PICKLED CHERRIES.—Five pounds of stoned cherries, one quart of vinegar, two pounds of sugar, one half ounce each of cinnamon, cloves and mace. Tie spices in a thin bag and boil with the vinegar and sugar to a thick syrup. Pour over the cherries and seal. If the large dark California cherries are used do not stone them.
TOMATO CATSUP.—Wash and cut up one half bushel of tomatoes and six onions, mix with two pounds brown sugar, one fourth pound whole black peppers, one fourth pound each allspice and of salt, one ounce of cloves, cayenne pepper to suit taste. Boil all together about two hours, strain through flour sieve and mix with one quart of vinegar. Boil thick and seal hot. Spices may be omitted if not liked.
GOOSEBERRY CATSUP.—Cook gooseberries soft in water, press through colander. Allow three pounds of sugar to five pounds of pulp, half a pint of vinegar, and small teaspoon each of cinnamon and salt. Boil until thick and seal. For grape catsup follow same directions, adding cloves to the spices.