Mother's Remedies Part 214

4. Sweet Tomato Pickles.--Peel and slice eight pounds of tomatoes, four and a half pounds of sugar, one pound of mace and cinnamon mixed, one quart of vinegar and one ounce cloves. Mix all together and boil one hour.

5. Standby Pickles.--Chop fine one gallon green tomatoes, twelve onions, slice fine two gallons of cabbage, one gallon vinegar, one pound brown sugar, half an ounce turmeric powder, one tablespoon black pepper, one ounce celery seed, one tablespoonful ground allspice, also ground cloves, white mustard, one quarter pound, and one gill salt. Boil all these together for two hours except spices, stirring well. When taken from the fire add the spices, put in air-tight jars. If this pickle is kept in a cool, dry place, you will find them in perfect condition at the end of the winter.

6. Pickled Peppers.--Select nice large peppers, cut off the stems and rind. Then put into strong hot brine, repeating this for three mornings, and then drain off and cover with hot vinegar. When wanted to use, take out of brine and stuff with creamed sweetbreads and mushrooms and serve on a lettuce leaf. This makes a very attractive and appetizing dish.

7. Piccalili.--One-half peck green onions, sliced, one peck green tomatoes, one cauliflower, one peck small cuc.u.mbers. Leave in salt water twenty-four hours; then put in a kettle with a handful of sc.r.a.ped horseradish, one ounce tumeric, one ounce cloves (whole), one-quarter pound whole pepper, one ounce cinnamon, one pound white mustard seed, one pound English mustard. Place in kettle in layers and cover with cold vinegar, boil fifteen minutes, stirring constantly.

[CANNING, PICKLING AND PRESERVING 835]

8. Sweet Pickled Peaches.--Make a liquid of three pounds brown sugar, one pint strong cider vinegar, and small handful each of cinnamon and cloves and bring to a boil. Wash clean, but do not peel, several pounds of peaches. Put in as many peaches as the liquor will cover; cook until moderately soft and put into jars. Cook all alike, and pour liquid over them. These are delicious.

9. Chopped Pickles.--Chop and mix together one peck green tomatoes, two large heads of cabbage, three green peppers, one small cup salt, let stand over night and drain. Then cover with cider vinegar and boil until soft; drain again and mix with one tablespoon cloves, same amount of mustard, two pounds each of raisins and sugar, one-half cup grated horse-radish, three chopped onions, celery and salt to taste. Hot vinegar enough to make moist, can rather dry.

10. Pickled Onions.--Select small white onions, peel and boil them in equal portions of sweet milk and water for ten minutes, or until tender, drain and pour scalding spiced vinegar on them immediately. Never use allspice, as it darkens the onions.

11. Pickled Red Cabbage.--Choose purple red cabbage, slice into a colander, sprinkle each layer with salt, let it drain two days, then put into a jar, pour boiling vinegar enough to cover, put in a few slices of red beet-root. A few spices in bunches and thrown in after being salted, will look red and pretty.

12. Pickled Grapes.--Select grapes that are not quite ripe, but dark colored, pick from the stem and wash, put in gla.s.s jars; in a separate kettle make a syrup of sugar and vinegar and boil a few minutes, add spices to suit the taste; pour over grapes and seal jars.

13. Spiced Cherries.--Take nine pounds of fruit, one pint cider vinegar, four pounds sugar, one-half ounce cinnamon bark, one-half ounce whole cloves, let the syrup come to a boil before putting in the fruit; cook the fruit until the skin breaks, then take out the fruit and boil the syrup down until thick, pour over the fruit hot.

14. Beet Pickles.--Cook beets in hot water until tender. Then remove the skin and if the beets are large slice them, as you would for table use.

Place these in a gla.s.s jar. Take a quart of cider vinegar, one cup granulated sugar, teaspoonful of salt, let this come to a boil, then pour over beets. If vinegar is very strong dilute about half. When these are opened in the winter, you will think you are eating fresh beets from the garden.

15. Pickled Cauliflower.--Choose good firm cauliflower, and full size. Cut away all the leaves and pare the stalks. Pull away the flowers in bunches.

Steep in brine two days, then drain them, wipe dry and put in hot pickle.

[836 MOTHERS' REMEDIES]

16. Pickled Cabbage.--The cabbage should be sliced and salted for two or three days, then placed before the fire for twenty-four hours, spread upon a dry cloth, after which they are put into a jar, and covered with spiced vinegar.

17. Cantelope Sweet Pickle.--Select melons not quite ripe, weighing about seven pounds in all, put them in a weak brine over night. Then boil in weak alum water until transparent. Take them out and place in a jar. Then take 1 quart cider vinegar, 2 ounces stick cinnamon, 1 ounce cloves, 3 pounds granulated sugar; let this boil, then add the cantelope, cooking it twenty minutes longer. Pour in a jar and close tight. Scald it over for two mornings.

18. Mother's Pickled Blackberries.--Take three quarts of blackberries, one quart of sugar, one quart vinegar. Put all together at the same time into your kettle and boil ten or fifteen minutes. No spices are required. After standing a few weeks they are very nice.

19. Pickled Brocoli.--Choose the whitest, closest and finest vegetables before they are quite ripe, pare off all green leaves and the outside of the stalks. Parboil them about five minutes in well-salted water. Then drain well and pull the branches in convenient sized pieces and put into a jar of pickle, prepared as follows: Heat vinegar to boiling point, add a little mace and whole red peppers, and pour hot over the brocoli.

20. Mixed Pickles.--One quart boiled beets, chopped fine, one quart raw cabbage chopped fine, two cups sugar, tablespoon of salt, one teaspoonful red pepper, one cup grated horse-radish. Cover with cold vinegar and keep from the air.

21. Mustard Pickles.--One quart small cuc.u.mbers, one quart large cuc.u.mbers, cut in pieces, one quart large tomatoes, two quarts small onions, three heads cauliflower, six red and six green peppers cut in strips. Put these in separate dishes and let stand over night. In the morning drain off and cook in separate dishes of clear water until nearly tender. Then put together and boil a short time in the following paste: One ounce pulverized tumeric seed, half pound ground mustard, two cups flour, seven cups sugar, one gallon vinegar. This is an excellent recipe.

22. Sweet Pickled Peaches.--Boil together four pounds sugar and one pint vinegar to twelve pounds of fruit. Add the fruit and let it come to a boil; the next day drain off the liquor and boil again; do this three times and your pickles are delicious; add cinnamon to the liquor and stick two or three cloves in each peach.

23. Sweet Pickled Prunes.--Soak four pounds prunes for two or three hours, then steam them ten or fifteen minutes. While the prunes are soaking, boil together for ten minutes two pounds sugar, one pint vinegar, one ounce each of cloves and cinnamon and one-fourth of an ounce of ginger. After the prunes have been strained, pour the hot vinegar over them and boil all together until the prunes are soft. These are delicious.

[CANNING, PICKLING AND PRESERVING 837]

24. Celery Sauce that Mother Used to Make.--Take fifteen large ripe tomatoes, two red peppers, two onions, two and one-half cups vinegar, two stalks (arrowroot) celery, eight tablespoons sugar, two spoons salt; chop all fine and boil one and one-half hours.

25. Spiced Tomatoes.--Take red and yellow pear-shaped tomatoes; p.r.i.c.k two or three times with a fork, sprinkle with salt, let stand over night, pack in a gla.s.s jar and cover with vinegar, prepared as follows, for a half-gallon jar: 1 pint vinegar, 1 teaspoon ground cloves, 1 teaspoonful ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoonful ground allspice, 1 teaspoonful pepper, 1 tablespoon sugar. Let this come to a boil and pour over the tomatoes; after they get cold tie strong paper over them.

26. Ripe Cuc.u.mber Pickles.--Take twelve large cuc.u.mbers and remove the pulp. Cut them in strips about two inches wide and four inches long. Let these stand while you boil for a few minutes the following: 2 pounds sugar, 1 ounce cinnamon, 1/2 ounce cloves, 1 pint vinegar. Be sure and skim this while it is boiling, then put in the cuc.u.mbers, letting them cook until tender. Take the cuc.u.mbers out and let the liquor boil for fifteen minutes. Pour this over the cuc.u.mbers and cover tight.

27. Green Tomato Pickles.--Chop a peck of green tomatoes and stir in half a cupful of salt. Let these drain over night. Then add 3 green peppers, chopped, 1 teacup of grated horseradish, 2 quarts of vinegar, 1 teacupful of sugar. Let this all boil, stirring occasionally, gently, until the tomatoes are tender, then add a large spoonful of cinnamon and cloves.

These are very good and easily kept.

28. Pickled Tomatoes.--Select tomatoes that are thoroughly ripe, and let them lie in strong salt and water for four days; then put them down in layers in jars, mixing with them small onions and pieces of horseradish; then pour on vinegar, cold, after having spiced it. Be sure and use plenty of spices, cover carefully and let stand for a month before using.

29. Green Tomato Sauce, for Meats or Fish.--Slice two gallons of green tomatoes without peeling; slice one dozen good sized onions; one quart of sugar, two quarts vinegar, two tablespoons each of salt, ground mustard, and ground black pepper, one tablespoonful of cloves and allspice. Mix all together and stew until tender, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.

Put up in small gla.s.s jars.

30. Chili Sauce.--One peck ripe tomatoes, one pint vinegar, one cup sugar, two red peppers, three sweet peppers, six large onions, one tablespoon each of cinnamon, pepper and salt. Chop the onions and peppers fine. Boil for two hours.

31. Tomato Relish.--One peck good ripe tomatoes, chop and drain, 3 large onions, a peppers, red or green, 3 heads celery, chopped fine, 3/4 cup salt, 2 pounds brown sugar, 2 oz. white mustard seed, 1 oz. cinnamon, a pints vinegar. After the tomatoes have drained thoroughly, mix in the balance of the recipe. Do not cook; keep in a jar. This relish cannot be beaten. Everyone will like it.

[838 MOTHERS' REMEDIES]

32. Tomato Catsup No. 1.--Take one gallon ripe tomatoes, peel them, one teaspoon allspice, one tablespoon mustard, one red pepper; let all boil, then strain and to this add one tablespoon salt, one teaspoon ground pepper, one teacup vinegar, two pounds granulated sugar. Let all of this boil until reasonably thick, or as thick as desired.

33. Aunt Mary's Catsup.--One cup onions, one peck ripe tomatoes (chopped), one and one-half cups celery, one cup horseradish (grated), one cup sugar, half cup salt, one cup white mustard seed, two red peppers, one teaspoon each of black pepper, ground cloves, mace, cinnamon and celery seed, one quart vinegar. Drain tomatoes thoroughly, before adding spices. Keep this in stone jars and tie closely and it will keep nicely for a year or more.