CAKES.

Remarks on Making and Baking Cake.

The materials for making cake should be of the best quality, as your

success very much depends on it. Flour should be dried and sifted, sugar

rolled fine, spices pounded and sifted. Where brown sugar is used, it

should be spread on a dish and dried before rolling it. I have known

very good pound cake made with brown sugar; also jumbles, &c. Persons

that make their own butter sometimes use it fresh from the churn, which

prevents the necessity of washing the salt out of it for cake, and it

mixes more readily than hard butter. Currants should be picked over,

washed and dried; raisins should be stemmed and stoned. When these

preparations are made the day before, it is a great assistance. Eggs

should be fresh, or they will not beat light: in beating the whites,

take a broad flat dish, and beat them until you can hold the dish upside

down,--this is a test of their lightness. A large bowl is best for

mixing and beating cake. You must use your hand for mixing the sugar and

butter, and as you add the other ingredients, you may take a large

wooden spoon; beat it some time after all is mixed. The oven should be

ready to bake immediately, as standing makes cake heavy. A brick oven is

the most certain,--and over your pans of cake, you should spread

several layers of newspaper, to prevent its browning too suddenly. Cake

requires more time than bread: a large cake should stay in the oven from

an hour and a half to two hours, turning and looking at it from time to

time; when you think it is sufficiently baked, stick a broad bright

knife in the centre; if it is dry and free from dough when drawn out,

the cake is likely to be done, though sometimes this is not a certain

test, and you will have to draw a little from the centre of the cake

with the knife. A broom straw will sometimes answer in a small cake

instead of a knife. A large stone pan, with a cover, is the best for

keeping cake, or a large covered bowl.

Icing for Cake.

Roll and sift a pound of loaf-sugar; whip the whites of three eggs; put

in the sugar gradually, and beat it for half an hour; if it is so thick

that it will not run, put in some rose water; let the cake be nearly

cool; dry it in an oven that is nearly cool.

Another Way.

Put the white of one egg and a little rose water into half a pound of

pulverized sugar, and heat them together till they stand; when it is

nearly light enough, add a few drops of lemon juice, or a small portion

of tartaric acid, dissolved in a _little_ water. It must be beaten in a

bowl which has never had any thing greasy in it, (either cream or

butter). The cake must have a little flour sifted over it, and wiped off

with a towel, then cover it with a thin coat of the icing, set it under

the stove or in a place that is a little warm, and let it harden; then

add the second coat thicker; this will he perfectly white, but the first

is always dark and has crumbs through it.

A Rich Fruit Cake.

Have the following articles prepared before you begin the cake: dry and

sift four pounds of flour, four pounds of butter with the salt washed

out, two pounds of loaf-sugar pounded, one ounce of nutmegs grated, an

ounce of mace pounded; wash four pounds of currants; dry, pick, and rub

them in flour; stone and cut two pounds of raisins; slice two pounds of

citron, blanch a pound of sweet almonds and cut them in very thin

slices; break thirty eggs, separate the whites and yelks, and beat them

till very light; work the butter with your hand till it is soft as

cream; put in alternately the flour, sugar and eggs. When all are mixed

in, and the cake looks very light, add the spice, fruit, almonds, and

half a pint of brandy; set it in a well heated oven to bake; when it has

risen, and the top is beginning to brown, cover it with paper; let it

bake four hours, and when it is nearly cool, ice it. This will keep a

long time in a stone pan, covered close.

A cheaper Fruit Cake.

Take four pounds of flour, three of butter, three of sugar, two of

raisins, one of currants, two dozen eggs, an ounce of mace, three

nutmegs, and a half pint of brandy; if you want it dark, put in a little

molasses; mix the ingredients together, as the above fruit cake, and

bake it from two to three hours.

Fruit or Plum Cake.

Dry and sift a pound of flour, roll a pound of sugar, and beat it with a

pound of butter, and the yelks of ten eggs well beaten; wash and dry a

pound of currants and rub them in flour; stone and cut half a pound of

raisins, and mix in with a glass of rose brandy, and a grated nutmeg, or

mace; when all the rest are well mixed together, beat up the whites of

the eggs, and add them; bake it an hour and a half.

Pound Cake.

Wash the salt from a pound of butter, and beat it with a pound of loaf

sugar till it is as soft as cream; have a pound of flour sifted, and

beat ten eggs, the whites and yelks separately; put alternately into the

butter and sugar the flour and eggs, continue to beat till they are all

in, and the cake looks light; add some grated lemon peel, a nutmeg, and

half a wine-glass of brandy; butter the pan, and bake it an hour; when

it is nearly cold, ice it. If you want a very large cake, double the

quantity. You can tell when a cake is done by running in a broom-straw,

or the blade of a bright knife; if it comes out without sticking, it is

done, but if not, set it back. You can keep a cake a great while in a

stone pan that has a lid to fit tight.

White Cake.

Beat the whites of twenty eggs; wash the salt out of a pound of butter;

sift a pound of flour, roll a pound of loaf-sugar, blanch a pound of

almonds; roll them fine with a bottle, and mix them with rose water.

Work the butter, sugar and almonds together till they look like cream;

have the eggs beaten very light, and add them and the flour alternately

till you get all in; beat the whole together till it is very light; have

a pan buttered, and put it in a heated oven to bake; when it begins to

brown, put white paper over the top; bake it about three hours; when it

is nearly cold, prepare an icing, flavored with rose water; put it on

the top and sides.

Washington Cake.

Take a pound and three-quarters of sugar, the same of flour,

three-quarters of a pound of butter, eight eggs, a pint of milk, and mix

them as a pound-cake; just as it is ready to bake, dissolve a

tea-spoonful of salaeratus in a little sour cream, and stir in; season

with nutmeg and rose brandy, or essence of lemon; bake it as pound cake.

Some persons put in a tea-spoonful of lemon juice just before baking.

Madison Cake.

Take a pound and a quarter of flour, and the same of sugar and butter;

five eggs, a pound, of raisins, and one of currants; two glasses of wine

or brandy; mace, nutmeg, and a tea-spoonful of salaeratus, dissolved in a

pint of new milk; bake it as pound cake.

Indian Pound Cake.

Take three-quarters of a pound of Indian meal sifted, and one-quarter

of wheat flour; roll a pound of sugar, work into it three-quarters of a

pound of butter; season with nutmeg and rose brandy; add four eggs

beaten light; mix and bake as other pound cake.

Rice Flour Pound Cake.

Take seven eggs, a pound of rice flour, one of sugar, and half a pound

of butter; season it with rose water and nutmeg; mix and bake it as

other pound cake, and ice it.

Sponge Cake.

Balance twelve fresh eggs with sugar, and six with flour; beat the eggs

very light, the whites and yelks separately; mix alternately the sugar

and eggs, and add the grated peel of a lemon; butter a large pan, or

several small ones; add the flour just as it is put in the oven,

stirring it just sufficiently to mix. Beating it after the flour is

added makes it heavy; pour it in, and put it to bake as soon as

possible. This makes a good pudding, with white sauce. One-half rice

flour is an improvement.

Rice Sponge Cake.

Take three-quarters of a pound of rice flour, one pound of white sugar,

finely powdered, and ten eggs; beat the yelks with the sugar, the

whites alone; add them and the flour to the yelks and sugar, a little

at a time; season it with rose brandy and nutmeg, and bake it in

shallow pans.

Sponge Cake in Small Pans.

Take twelve eggs, with the weight of them in sugar, and the weight of

six of them in flour; beat the yelks with the sugar, the whites alone;

season with nutmeg or grated lemon peel; put all together, adding the

flour the last; stir it quickly after the flour is added, as it will

make it heavy to beat it much; grease several small pans and pour it in,

bake with a quick heat, and they will be done in half an hour, or less,

according to the size. They are pretty iced.

Lemon Sponge Cake.

Take ten eggs, separate them, a pound of loaf-sugar, half a pound of

flour, the grated peel of two lemons and the juice of one; beat the

yelks with the sugar, the whites alone, when add them and sift in the

flour by degrees; beat well, have your pan buttered, and bake with a

quick heat either in a stove or dutch-oven, or a brick oven, the heat

should not be quite so great as for light bread--it will bake in

about an hour.

Cup Cake.

Take four cups of flour, three of sugar, one of melted butter, one of

sour cream, with a tea-spoonful of salaeratus dissolved in it, and three

eggs; season it with brandy and nutmeg; mix, and bake it as pound cake.

Loaf Cake.

Take about a pound of risen bread dough, work into it a tea-cup of

butter, three eggs beaten, a pound of sugar, a nutmeg grated and a

glass of brandy or wine; a pound of raisins, stoned and chopped,

should be added after it is well beaten; half a pint of cream slightly

warmed, with a table-spoonful of vinegar, and a tea-spoonful of

dissolved salaeratus should be stirred in just as you are ready to bake

it; also sifted flour enough to make it the proper consistence; bake

in a large pan, in a brick oven or stove, and it will require an hour

and a quarter.

Queen Cake.

Mix a pound of dried flour, the same of sifted sugar, and currants; wash

a pound of butter, add rose water--beat it well--a tea-cup of cream;

then mix with it eight eggs, yelks and whites beaten separately; add the

dry ingredients by degrees; beat the whole an hour, bake in little tins,

or saucers, filling only half.

Rich Jumbles.

Rub a pound of butter into a pound and a quarter of flour; beat four

eggs with a pound and a quarter of sugar; when very light, mix them with

the butter and flour; mix in a glass of rose water, and a nutmeg; roll

them in rings, and bake them slowly; sift powdered sugar over after they

are baked.

Common Jumbles.

Take a pound of flour, half a pound of butter, and three-quarters of

sugar, three eggs, a little nutmeg and rose brandy; mix the butter and

sugar together, and add the flour and eggs; mould them in rings, and

bake them slowly.

Molasses Jumbles.

Beat three-quarters of a pound of sugar, the same of butter, and three

eggs together; stir in half a pint of molasses; add rose brandy and

nutmeg, and enough flour to make a soft dough; roll it in rings, and

bake as other jumbles. By the addition of half a pint of molasses and a

tea-spoonful of salaeratus, you will have a common black cake, which may

be baked in one large pan.

Jumbles for Delicate Persons.

Roll a heaped pint of light-brown sugar, and rub it in two pints or

flour, half a pound of butter, and a dessert spoonful of cinnamon; beat

an egg, and mix it with half a tea-cup of rich milk (in which a very

small lump of salaeratus has been dissolved;) stir all together with a

wine glass of rose brandy; work it well, roll thin and cut them

out--bake with moderate heat.

Cup Jumbles.

Five tea-cups of flour, three of sugar, one heaped of butter, one of

sweet cream, three eggs and the peel of one lemon grated, or nutmeg, or

mace if you like; roll them thin, and bake in a quick oven.

Jackson Jumbles.

Three tea-cups of sugar, one of butter, five of flour, one tea-spoonful

of salaeratus in a cup of sour cream and two eggs; bake in a quick oven;

season them with the peel of a fresh lemon grated, and half a wine-glass

of brandy.

Macaroons.

Blanch a pound of almonds, beat them in a mortar, and put with them a

little rose water to keep them from oiling, the white of an egg, and a

large spoonful of flour; roll a pound of loaf-sugar, and beat the whites

of four eggs; beat them all together; shape them on white paper with a

spoon, and bake them on tin plates in a slow oven; let them be quite

cold before you remove them from the paper.

Naples Biscuit.

Beat twelve eggs till light; add to them a pound of dried flour and one

of powdered sugar; beat all together till perfectly light; put in some

rose water and nutmeg, and bike it in small shallow pans in a moderately

heated oven.

New Year Cake.

Mix together three pounds of flour, a pound and a half of sugar, and

three-quarters of a pound of butter: dissolve a tea-spoonful of

salaeratus in enough new milk to wet the flour; mix them together;

grate in a nutmeg, or the peel of a lemon; roll them out, cut them in

shapes, and bake.

Cider Cake.

Take a pound and a half of flour, three-quarters of sugar, and a quarter

of a pound of butter; dissolve a tea-spoonful of salaeratus in as much

cider as will make it a soft dough, and bake it in shallow pans; season

it with spice to your taste.

Dover Cake.

One pound of flour, one of sugar, half a pound of butter, six eggs, half

a nutmeg, a spoonful of rose brandy; beat the butter and sugar together,

adding the other ingredients, the whites of the eggs beaten separately;

bake as pound cake.

Jelly Cake.

This cake can be made by the sponge, cup, or Dover cake recipe; have

shallow tin pans or plates of the same size, butter them, and pour in

the batter so as to be about half an inch thick when baked; they take

but a few minutes to bake of a light-brown; and as you take them from

the oven, put them on a china plate, with a layer of jelly between each

cake, till you have four or five layers; cut the cake in slices before

handing it. Currant jelly is to be preferred, but quince will answer, or

peach marmalade.

Almond Cake.

Ten eggs, one pound of loaf-sugar, half a pound of almonds, half a pound

of flour, one nutmeg; beat the yelks first, then put in the sugar,

beating them very light; blanch the almonds and pound them in a mortar,

with rose water or the juice of a lemon; add them alternately with the

flour, and the whites of the eggs well beaten. If you bake in one large

cake, it will require an hour and a half in a slow oven; in small pans,

it will take less time, and in either case, will require watching.

Raised Plum Cake.

Take three pounds of flour, and mix to it as much new milk as will make

a thick batter, and a tea-cup of yeast; when it is light, beat together

a pound of butter, a pound of sugar, and four eggs; mix this in with a

pound of raisins, stoned and cut, half a pound of currants, a grated

nutmeg, and a glass of rose brandy; bake it two hours.

Black Cake.

Rub a pound and a half of softened butter in three pounds of flour, add

a pound of brown sugar, rolled fine, a pint of molasses, a

table-spoonful of rose brandy, a nutmeg or some mace, four eggs well

beaten, a pound of raisins stoned and chopped; mix the whole well, and

before baking add a tea-cup of sour cream with a tea-spoonful of soda

dissolved in it--beat it up again, have the pans well buttered, and put

in about three parts full; this quantity will make about six cakes, in

bread pans; bake as bread and if it brown too much, put paper on it, if

it seems too stiff, add a little more molasses or cream. It will keep

several weeks in cold weather.

Bunns.

Take a pound and a quarter of flour, half a pound of butter, and

three-quarters of a pound of sugar, six eggs, half a pound of currants,

half a nutmeg, a glass of brandy, and a pint of new milk; mix all well

together, and put in half a tea-cup of yeast; let it rise, and when

light, bake it in shallow pans.

Butter-milk Cakes.

One pound of sugar, a quarter of a pound of butter, three eggs, a

tea-cup of butter-milk, nutmeg or cinnamon to taste; add as much flour

as will make a dough that will roll out; cut in round cakes and bake

with a quick heat.

A Composition Cake.

One pound of sugar, one of flour, half a pound of butter, six eggs, two

and a half wine-glasses of milk, one tea-spoonful of soda and one of

tartaric acid; warm the milk and butter; add the sugar, then the yelks

of the eggs beaten light, then the whites and the flour alternately,

then the soda, (to be dissolved in half a wine-glass of water;) season

with nutmeg, mace, or a little essence of lemon, and add lastly, the

tartaric acid, dissolved in half a wine-glass of water. Bake it one hour

in an oven, as hot as is usual for bread; when brown at the top, cover

it with paper. A pound of dried currants is an agreeable addition.

Ginger Cup-cake.

Three cups of flour, one of sugar, one of molasses, one of butter, a

table-spoonful of ginger, one tea-spoonful of salaeratus, and three eggs;

bake in pans. A pound of stoned and chopped raisins is an improvement.

Light Ginger bread.

Take three cups of molasses, five of flour, one of sugar, three eggs,

and a tea-spoonful of salaeratus, dissolved in a cup of sour cream; work

the sugar with a quarter of a pound of butter; beat two dozen cloves,

and put in with two table-spoonsful of ginger; mix all together, and

bake in shallow pans or cups.

Crisp Ginger-cake.

Take three pounds of flour, one of sugar, and one of butter; mix these

together with three table-spoonsful of ginger, some cloves and anise

seed, and wet it with molasses; roll it thin; cut it in shapes, and bake

with a quick heat.

Ginger-bread Nuts.

Take a pound and a half of flour, three-quarters of a pound of sugar,

the same of butter, some cloves and cinnamon pounded fine, and an ounce

of ginger; mix these well together, and make it into a stiff dough, with

molasses; roll it thin, and cut it in small cakes.

Crullers.

Take two pounds of flour, three-quarters of a pound of sugar, half a

pound of butter, six eggs, and some mace or nutmeg; mix the flour, sugar

and butter together, and wet it with the eggs; if too stiff, put in some

cream, roll the dough thin; cut it in shapes, and fry them in boiling

lard. The more lard there is, the less they will soak it up.

Rusk.

Take a quart of milk, a tea-cup of cream, half a pound of lard, quarter

of a pound of butter, a spoonful of salt, and boil them together; beat

well two eggs with a pound of sugar, and pour the boiling milk on them

gradually, stirring all the time; when nearly cold, add a tea-cup of

yeast, and flour sufficient to make a stiff batter; when quite light,

knead it up as bread, and let it lighten again before molding out; when

they are moulded out, wet them over with sugar and cream, and let them

rise a few minutes and bake them; grate a little sugar over when they

come out of the oven.

Rusk for Drying.

Boil a quart of milk, and put in it half a pound of butter, and a little

salt; when nearly cold, stir in a tea-cup of yeast, a pound of sugar,

and flour to make a batter; when it is light, knead it up with flour,

and let it rise again; grease your pans, and make it out in cakes, about

the size of a tea-cup, and an inch thick; put two layers in each part,

and bake them three-quarters of an hour; when take them out, break them

apart, and put the top ones in other pans, and let them dry slowly in

the oven for an hour or more.

This rusk will keep for months, and is very useful in sickness, to make

panada; it is also good for delicate persons that rich cake disagrees

with, or to take on a journey. Nutmeg or mace to your taste.

If you like it richer, two eggs may be put in.

Bread Rusk.

Take as much lightened dough, as would make a loaf of bread, spread it

open, and put in a tea-cup of sugar, some nutmeg and a piece of butter;

work it well, mould it out, and bake it with your bread; wet the top

with sugar and cream before it goes in the oven.

Dough-nuts.

Boil a quart of new milk and melt in it half a pound of butter; beat

three eggs with two pounds of sugar, and pour on them the boiling milk,

stirring all the time; when it is nearly cold, star in a tea-cup of

yeast, a spoonful of salt, and flour enough to make a stiff batter; when

this is quite light, knead in flour to make a soft dough, two grated

nutmegs and a little mace; let it rise again till it is very light; roll

it out thin, cut it in shapes, and fry them in hot lard; dust over

cinnamon and loaf-sugar, pounded fine, while they are hot.

Common Dough-nuts.

Pour a pint of boiling water into a pint of new milk, put in a quarter

of a pound of lard, and a table-spoonful of salt; stir in a tea-cup of

yeast and flour to make a stiff batter; let it rise, and when very light

put in two pounds of light-brown sugar, two nutmegs, and enough flour to

make a soft dough; work it well and let it rise again till it is very

light; roll out and fry as other dough-nuts.

PRESERVES, JELLIES, &c.

To Clarify Sugar.

To every four pounds of sugar put a quart of water and the whites of two

eggs; if you put in the egg after it gets hot, it will cook before it

has the desired effect; when it comes to a boil, and the scum rises,

pour in a little cold water; let it boil up; take it off to settle, and

skim it well; let it boil up, and skim it three times, when it will be

fit to preserve with. You should always clarify white Havana sugar.

Apples.

Apples should be preserved in November, and they will keep till June.

Take firm pippins, pare them and take out the cores, leaving them whole;

or after you have cored them, cut them across in two pieces, they will

then be in rings; put them in cold water as fast as they are pared, to

keep them from turning dark; make a syrup of a pound of loaf-sugar, and

half a pint of water to each pound of apples; wipe the apples, and put

in as many as will go in, without one laying on another; let them boil

swiftly till they look clear, then take them up carefully on dishes, and

put in some more; when all are done, if the syrup should seem too thin,

boil it up after the apples are taken out; cut the peel of several

lemons in thin rings, boil them in a little water till they are soft,

and throw them in the syrup after the apples are taken out; put the

syrup in a bowl, and set all away till the next day, when put the apples

in glass jars or large bowls, spread the lemon peel about them and put

the syrup on the top; paste several thicknesses of paper over, and set

them in a dry cool closet.

If you only want the apples to keep a few weeks, they may be done with

half a pound of sugar to a pound of apples, and will look and taste

quite as well.

Apples with Brown Sugar.

Pare and halve your apples, either pippins, red-streaks or wine-saps;

make a syrup of light-brown sugar, allowing half a pound to a pound of

the fruit; after boiling and clarifying the syrup, pour it over the

fruit, and set it by for two days, then cook them, and seasoned with

green ginger root they are excellent; they will not require much

cooking, and should be of a light-brown color.

Crab Apples.

Put the crab apples in a kettle with grape leaves in and around them,

with some alum; keep them at scalding heat for an hour, take them out,

skin them, and take out the seeds with a small knife, leaving on the

stems; put them in cold water, make a syrup of a pound of sugar to a

pound of apples; wipe the apples and put them in; let them stew gently

till they look clear; take them out, and let the syrup boil longer.

Currants.

Make a syrup of one pint of currant juice to three pounds of sugar; if

it is brown sugar, put in the white of an egg to clarify it; let it boil

and skim it; have three pounds of currants picked and stemmed; put them

in the syrup, and let them boil slowly, about twenty minutes; take them

up and let the syrup boil longer.

Pine Apples.

Pare and slice the pine apples, and make a syrup of a pound of sugar and

half a pint of water to a pound of fruit; clarify and skim it, then put

in the apples and let them cook gently for half an hour; if you do not

want to keep them long, much less sugar will do.

Blackberries.

Allow a pint of currant juice and a pint of water to six pounds of

blackberries; give them their weight in brown sugar; let them boil till

they appear to be done, and the syrup is rich. Blackberry jelly can be

made as currant jelly, and is good for sick children, mixed with water.

Blackberry Flummery.

Stew three pints of blackberries with one pint of sugar--soak a

tea-cup full of ground rice--and when the berries have been stewing

about fifteen minutes, stir in the rice, and stir the whole time

until it becomes thick. This should be eaten cold with cream, and

will keep two days.

Cherries.

To preserve four pounds of cherries, take one pint of currant juice,

into which put five pounds of sugar; when this boils up, take off any

scum that rises, and put in half of the cherries, with part of each stem

on; when they look so clear that you can see the stone, they are done;

take these up on a dish and put in the rest, and let them do slowly the

same length of time; take them up and let the syrup boil a few minutes

longer; do not put them in the jars till they are quite cold. Glass jars

are the best to keep all early fruits in, as you can then see if they

begin to ferment; if they do, you must boil them over; always put them

in a window where they will be exposed to the sun.

Common Cherries.

Stone the light-colored common cherries, and to every pound of

fruit, allow a pound of sugar, which boil up with the juice; after

you have skimmed it, throw in the cherries, and let them boil till

the syrup is rich.

Cherries for Common Use.

Stone twelve pounds of morel cherries; allow half a pound of brown sugar

to each pound of fruit, after it is stoned, let them cook slowly for two

hours; examine them through the summer, and if they show any signs of

fermentation, set them in a brick-oven, after the bread is done, or in a

dutch-oven of hot water, which keep at boiling heat for an hour.

It is a good plan to know the weight of your preserving kettle, as you

can then weigh the fruit in it, with a pair of steelyards.

Apricots.

Pour boiling water on the apricots and wipe them dry; then cut them in

half and take out the stone; make a syrup of their weight in sugar, and

a little water; when this has boiled, put in the fruit, and let it cook

slowly till it is clear, and the syrup is rich.

Ginger.

Scrape the outside from the green ginger, and boil it in a little water,

till it is soft; then take it out, and scrape off any spots that are on

it; make a syrup of half a pint of water to a pound of sugar and a pound

of ginger; let it boil slowly about half an hour; take it up and boil

the syrup a little longer.

Green Gage Plums.

Take an equal quantity of fruit and sugar, pour boiling water on the

plums, and wipe them dry; stick them over with a pin; make a syrup of

the sugar and some water, and when it boils, put in half of the

plums; let them do slowly till they are clear, then take them out and

put in the rest; if the syrup should be thin, let it boil longer. Do

not put them in the jars till the next day. Egg plums may be done in

the same way.

Green Lemons.

Take the young lemons, cut them in half, scrape them, and take out the

pulp; cut them in such shapes as you please; put them in a preserving

kettle and cover them with water; put in a little alum to green them,

and let them boil till they are transparent, then take them out and

drain them on a cloth; give the kettle another cleansing, and put them

in with their weight in sugar; let them stew gently, but be careful that

they do not boil; let them cook till the syrup is rich.

Raspberries.

Boil three pounds of raspberries in a pint of currant juice, for ten

minutes; put in four pounds of sugar, and let them boil half an hour, or

until it is a jelly. Paste paper over the jar.

Citron Melon.

Pare the melon and cut it in slices half an inch thick, without the

seeds; let it lay in salt and water for an hour, then wash the salt off,

and boil it in strong ginger tea; make a thin syrup and boil it again,

then make a syrup of a pound of loaf-sugar to a pound of citron, and

boil it in this till it is clear; season it with mace and lemon peel.

Watermelon Rinds.

Cut the rinds in any form you please; put them in strong salt and water,

with cabbage leaves over and around them, and set them in a warm place

till they become yellow; then wash them, and put them in a kettle with

alum and water, and grape or cabbage leaves over and through them; set

them on the fire, and keep it at scalding heat for two hours--but do not

let them boil. If they are not of a fine green color, change the water

and leaves; when they are green enough, put them in cold soft water for

three days, changing the water twice a day; then make a syrup of rather

more than a pound of sugar to a pound of melon, some sliced ginger, the

peel of a lemon, and a little mace; let them boil slowly fifteen

minutes, take them up, and boil them again at the end of a week.

Cantelopes, Cucumbers, or Melons.

Take young watermelons, cucumbers or cantelopes; scrape the melons, and

cut the rinds in shapes--leave the cucumbers whole; put them in a

preserving kettle with alum and water; cover them, and let them boil

till they are transparent; take them out, wash them in cold water, and

wipe each piece separately; have your kettle nicely cleaned, and give

them rather more than their weight in sugar; put a layer of sugar, and a

layer of melon, some slices of green ginger, and the rind and juice of a

lemon; let them stew over the fire till the syrup is rich; take them up,

and stew them over again in about a week.

Cranberries.

To preserve cranberries, allow them their weight in sugar; make a syrup

of the proportions of half a pint of water to two pounds of the sugar;

boil and skim it before you put the fruit in; then let them boil until

clear. To make sauce to eat with roast fowls, put three-quarters of a

pound of sugar to a pound of fruit.

Gooseberries.

Take the large gooseberries, pick off the stems and blossoms, give

them their weight in sugar; put them in the kettle alternately, with

the sugar, and pour over them a pint of water to four pounds of fruit;

let them boil gently till the scum arises; when this is taken off, let

them cook faster; when clear, take them up on dishes, and boil the

syrup longer.

Peaches.

Have sweet, white clingstone peaches--pare and stone them; to each

pound, take a pound of sugar made in a syrup, put the peaches in, and

when they look clear, take them up on dishes; let the syrup boil longer.

A New Mode of Preserving Peaches.

Pare, halve and weigh the peaches; put them in a preserving kettle of

boiling water, and to six pounds of peaches, put a tea-spoonful of soda

or pearl-ash; let them boil one minute; then take them out, and throw

them in cold water; scrape off the black scum which adheres to the

peaches; wipe and lay them on a dish; have the kettle cleaned, and put

the peaches in layers, with half their weight in sugar; they will not

require any water; let them cook slowly at first, then boil till

clear--when take them out, and let the syrup boil till it becomes rich.

The flavor of the peach is retained, and they are not so sweet as in

the old way.

Damsons.

Weigh out as much sugar as you have fruit; if it is brown you must

clarify it; put a pint of water to three pounds of sugar, make a syrup,

wash the damsons, put them in and let them cook slowly for half an

hour; then take them out on dishes, and let them dry in the sun for two

days, taking them in the house at night; boil the syrup half an hour

after the fruit is taken out; when done in this way they will be whole

and clear. You can make a jam by boiling them slowly for two hours; or

a jelly as currants.

To Preserve Strawberries.

Gather the strawberries in the mid-day, pick out the largest and best,

stem them, and to each pound of strawberries put a pound of loaf-sugar

and a glass of white wine; let them stand four or five hours; take off

the syrup so as not to mash the fruit, and clarify it; then put in the

strawberries, and to each pound put as much fine alum as will lay on

the blade of a penknife; let them boil up several times, and shake

them round in the kettle, but do not stir them with a spoon, as that

will mash them; a few minutes boiling is sufficient; after you take

out the fruit, let the syrup boil up, and when it is nearly cold pour

it over them in the jar; put a piece of white paper over the top, and

pour a spoonful of brandy on it; paste several thicknesses of paper

over the jar.

If you like your preserved strawberries, cherries, or peaches, to

have a fine pale color, allow them to bob half the time recommended

in the receipt, then spread the fruit thin on dishes, with but little

syrup, pour the rest of the syrup also on dishes, and set them daily

in the sun; if the weather be clear and the sun hot, four days will

be sufficient. Preserves done in this manner do not ferment. You

should spread a piece of gauze or netting over them to keep out

insects or dust.

Another Way.

To each pound of the fruit take a pound of crushed sugar; put them in

the preserving kettle, a layer of sugar and a layer of fruit; let them

stand a little while to make syrup before putting them over the fire;

they should boil fast for twenty minutes; watch them all the time,

taking off the scum as it rises; stir them gently without mashing the

berries; put them in jars, put brandy papers over them and paste or

tie them close. Preserves should never be put in jars that have had

pickles in them.

Tomatoes.

Take solid round tomatoes, scald and peel them, give them their weight

in sugar, put a layer of sugar and of tomatoes alternately; let them

boil slowly till the syrup forms, then boil faster, till clear, and the

syrup is rich; season with lemon peel, ginger or mace; some prefer the

yellow tomato for preserving.

Quinces.

Pick out the finest quinces, pare them, and cut them in halves, or in

rings; take the best of the parings and the seed, and boil them in water

till they are very soft, strain the liquor, and have the kettle cleaned

again, wash and weigh the quinces, and give them their weight in sugar,

put the sugar in the water the parings were boiled in--skin it, and put

in the quinces, let them boil very slowly till clear, take them up on

dishes, and boil the syrup longer.

Green Peppers.

Get peppers that have a sweet taste, take out the seeds, leaving on the

stems, lay them in salt and water for three days, changing the water

each day, then put them in a kettle with leaves around them, and a small

piece of alum, let them scald, but not boil, for two hours, take them

out, and let them lay in water three days, changing it twice each day,

then boil them in sugar and water fifteen minutes, then make a syrup,

allowing them their weight in sugar, and boil them gently in it half an

hour, take them out and boil the syrup longer.

Pumpkin.

Choose a fine grained, high colored pumpkin, fully ripe, cut it in thin

slices, about four inches long and two wide, to two pounds of pumpkin,

put two pounds of sugar in a bowl, cut the peel of two lemons in rings,

and squeeze the juice over the pumpkin, let it stand all night, the next

day put it on to preserve with two tea cups of water, let it cook gently

till the pumpkin seems clear and crisp, take it up, scald the lemon

peel, and boil it in the syrup, cool it on dishes, and put it in a jar.

Green Fox-Grape Jelly.

Fill a kettle with grapes, and let them boil with a pint of water till

the skins burst, mash and strain them, put a pound of sugar to a pint of

juice, and let it boil half and hour. Ripe fox-grapes may be made into

very nice jelly in the same way, and is very good to drink in sickness,

mixed with water.

Pears.

Pare and core the fruit, but leave the stems on; put them in a syrup

of a pound of sugar, and a half a pint of water to a pound of pears,

with some green ginger or lemon peel; boil the syrup half an hour

after they are done.

Ripe Fox-Grape Jam.

To two quarts of grapes, allow three pounds of brown sugar, and a pint

of water; have the grapes picked over and washed; put them all together

and let them boil more than an hour; take them up on shallow dishes, and

pick out as many seeds as you can with a spoon. This makes a good common

preserve when other fruits are scarce; they are also very good for pies.

Currant Jelly.

Pick the leaves from the currants and fill your kettle with them; put a

tea-cup of water to keep them from sticking; cover them with a plate and

let them boil slowly half an hour; take them out, and strain them

through a flannel bag; to every pint of juice put a pound of loaf-sugar;

let it boil till it is a thick jelly, which will be in about fifteen

minutes, and put it in tumblers or jars.

Lemon Butter or French Honey.

Take half a pound of butter, melt it in an earthen dish and squeeze in

the juice of six lemons; beat twelve eggs with two pounds of brown

sugar, stir it in with the rind of two lemons grated, mix it all

together, and let it boil twenty minutes, when it will be about the

consistency of honey; the flavor is agreeable, and it may be eaten on

bread, or as a sauce for boiled pudding.

Currant Syrup.

Prepare the currants as for jelly; to every pint of juice put a pint of

water and a pound of sugar; let it boil half an hour and skim it well;

if the flavor of the raspberry is preferred, it may be added in the

proportion of one pint of it to four of currant juice. It is a very

pleasant drink mixed with water in warm weather.

Quince Jelly.

Wash and wipe the quinces; cut them in small pieces, and take out the

seeds carefully; have your kettle cleaned and half full of water; throw

the quinces and seeds in till you get it full; cover them over and let

them boil till very soft; mash them well and strain them; to every pint

of juice put a pound of sugar; clean the kettle again, pour in the juice

and sugar, and let it boil till it forms a jelly; it should be put into

tea-cups, if you want to turn it out whole, with brandy papers on top,

and pasted over. It is a nice jelly to use with whips or trifle.

Apple Jelly.

Pare and quarter a preserving kettle full of pippin apples; cover them

with water, and lay a plate close over them; let them boil until

perfectly soft, taking the plate off to skim them; spread a coarse thin

cloth over a large bowl; pour the apples on the cloth, and let the juice

run through, without squeezing; hold the towel by the corners, and move

it gently; take three-quarters of a pound of loaf-sugar to a pint of the

juice, and boil it fast, skimming it, until it becomes jelly, which will

be in from ten to fifteen minutes, pour it in tumblers or glass jars,

and when quite cold, paste them over. This will keep a year. Red streak

apples make a fine red jelly, boiled with the skins on them. If you have

currant or grape jelly that has candied, they can be restored by making

some apple syrup, and mixing it hot; it will not require any more

sugar--about one-third apple juice; let it boil a few minutes. Very

sweet preserves that have candied can be improved by this process.

Apple Marmalade.

Apples make a very good marmalade when other fruits are scarce, and can

be done at any time through the fall, or winter, pare the apples, cut

them up, and put them to boil, with some water and green ginger scraped,

and tied up in a bag, after they have boiled an hour, take out the

ginger, and put in half a pound of sugar to one of fruit, let it cook an

hour longer.

Peach Marmalade.

Take soft yellow peaches, pare them, and cut them in quarters, give them

their weight in sugar, put the peaches in the preserving kettle with a

pint of water, without the sugar, and let them boil till they are well

cooked, covered over with a plate, when done, mash them in the kettle

till very fine, and stir in the sugar, let them cook slowly an hour, or

they may be finished in a stone jar in the oven, or set in a stove

boiler, and the water kept boiling all the time, they are not then so

likely to burn as when finished over the fire, they will do with less

sugar, if they are dried in the sun two days previous to preserving.

Another Way.

Pare and quarter the peaches, and to eight pounds of peaches, allow five

pounds of sugar, put them on, sugar and peaches at once, mixing them

through, let them stew slowly until a syrup forms, when they may cook

pretty fast for several hours, without once stirring, then take them up,

and mash them well, if the marmalade is not thick enough, spread it on

dishes, and dry in your oven after the bread is taken out. Quinces and

apples may be done in the same way.

Quince Marmalade.

Pare the quinces and cut them up fine, put the parings and cores to

boil, then strain them, put in the quinces, and let them boil till

soft-when mash them fine, and put in three-quarters of a pound of sugar

to a pound of fruit, let them cook gently for two hours, and take them

up in pint bowls; when cold, put brandy papers on the top of each, and

paste them over, they will turn out whole to put on table.

Marmalade of Mixed Fruits.

Pare equal quantities of peaches, apples, pears and quinces, cut them

fine, and put them to boil with a pint of water to six pounds of fruit,

let them cook thoroughly, but do not let them burn, take them out, and

mash them well, clean the kettle, and put them back, with half their

weight in sugar, let them cook very slowly for two hours.

Lemon Marmalade.

Soak the peel of lemons that have been left after making lemonade,

changing the water twice a day for three days, to extract the bitter,

boil them till soft, then mash and put in enough sugar to make it

pleasant to the taste; stew it a short time after the sugar is put in;

put it in a bowl, and when cold, cut it in slices for the table; it will

keep several weeks.

To Conserve Pears.

Have the nicest pears you can get, pare them, and leave on the stems;

take half a pound of loaf-sugar to a pound of pears; put them in the

kettle together, with water enough to moisten the sugar; if the pears

are very juicy, they will not need any; cover them over with a plate,

and let them boil very gently for two hours; take them out on dishes,

and boil the syrup to jelly, and put it away by itself; set the pears in

the sun, or in a moderately heated oven; when quite dry, sprinkle them

with loaf-sugar, and put them away in glass jars.

Peaches in Cider.

Scald and wipe the peaches; cut them from the stone, and dry them in the

sun two days; boil a gallon of sweet cider half away; put in the

peaches, and let them stew slowly till done; they will keep without any

sugar, but you can put some in, if you wish them sweeter.

Pears can be kept in the same way.

Peaches, &c. in Brandy.

Take fresh yellow peaches, or large clingstones, pour boiling water on

them, and wipe off the down; make a syrup of half a pound of sugar to

a pound of fruit, and boil and skim it; put in the peaches, and let

them cook for fifteen minutes; take them up without any syrup, and

cool them on dishes; boil the syrup down to half, and put an equal

quantity of peach or French brandy, pour this over the peaches after

they are in jars.

Plums or cherries may be done in the same way.

Grapes in Brandy.

Put some close bunches of grapes, not too ripe, in a jar, and prick each

one with a needle, strew over them half their weight in pounded rock

candy, and fill up the jar with brandy.

To Conserve Peaches.

Take the yellow peaches, pare them, and cut them from the stone in one

piece, to six pounds of peaches have two pounds of sugar, make a syrup

of three-quarters of a pound of sugar, and a little water, put them in,

and let them stay till they are quite clear, then take them up carefully

on a dish, and set them in the sun to dry, pound the sugar fine, and

strew over them, turning them over to let each part have some, do not

put much on at a time, and if any syrup is made, remove them to fresh

dishes, when they are sufficiently dry, lay them lightly in a jar, with

a little sugar between each layer.

If the peaches are sweet clings, three pounds of sugar to twelve of

peaches will be enough, if you dry them a day in the sun before they

are stewed.

Sauce of Cherries, or Damsons.

Allow half a pound of brown sugar to every pound of fruit, and to each

seven pounds a pint of molasses, and one of strong vinegar, let them

cook slowly, so as not to break the skins, take them up in a jar, put in

a few cloves, let the syrup boil longer, and pour it over.

Frosted Fruit.

Take large ripe cherries, apricots, plums or grapes; if cherries, cut

off half of the stem; have in one dish some white of an egg beaten, and

in another some powdered loaf-sugar; take the fruit, one at a time, and

roll them first in the egg, and then in the sugar; lay them on a sheet

of white paper in a sieve, and set it on the top of a stove or near a

fire till the icing is hard.

Grapes for Pies.

After the first frost, pick the wild grapes, and put them in a jar, free

from stems; fill it with boiling molasses, and tie it up close; set it

on a hot hearth, or on the top of a stove, in a pan of water, for

several days. These are very useful to make common pies in the winter.

Green Tomatoes for Pies.

Pick the green tomatoes before they are much frosted; scald them and

take off the skins; put them in your kettle and let them boil for half

an hour; cut them up, and put in a pound of sugar to three pounds of

tomatoes, and let them cook for half an hour longer; season them with

the juice and peel of a lemon, and put them away in jars. They make very

good pies in the winter, and resemble gooseberries.

Conserve of Roses.

Gather the leaves of the damask rose, while they are fresh; spread a

pound of loaf-sugar on your cake-board, and roll in about half a pound

of rose leaves, or as many as will work into it, have your kettle

cleaned, and stew them in it very gently for about half an hour; put it

in tumblers to use when you have a cough. It is very good for children

that are threatened with the croup; you should have some by the side of

the bed to use at night.

To keep Damsons for Pies.

To every twelve pounds of damsons take seven pounds of brown sugar; put

them together in a stone jar, a layer of fruit and a layer of sugar; tie

it up close, and set it in a heated oven; let it stay till it is cold,

and continue to set it in, after every baking, for several weeks; or you

can cook them on the top of a stove, in a pan of hot water.

Dried Cherries, &c.

Dried cherries should be kept in a jar, with sugar sprinkled among them;

they are very useful in sickness; a tea-cupful of cherries, with a quart

of boiling water poured on them, and left to draw for half an hour, with

sweetening, makes a very agreeable drink when you cannot get lemonade.

When stewed for pies you should allow them plenty of water, and not put

in the sugar till they are nearly done.

Boiling water poured on dried apples also makes a good drink in

sickness.

Apple Butter.

_With Remarks on the Use of Earthen Vessels_

Have your kettle well cleaned, and fill it early in the morning with

cider made of sound apples, and just from the press; let it boil half

away, which may be done by three o'clock in the afternoon; have pared

and cut enough good apples to fill the kettle; put them in a clean

tub, and pour the boiling cider over; then scour the kettle and put in

the apples and cider, let them boil briskly till the apples sink to

the bottom; slacken the fire and let them stew, like preserves, till

ten o'clock at night. Some dried quinces stewed in cider and put in

are an improvement. Season with orange peel, cinnamon or cloves, just

before it is done; if you like it sweeter, you can put in some sugar

an hour before it is done. If any thing occur that you cannot finish

it in a day, pour it in a tub, and finish it the next day; when it is

done put it in stone jars. Any thing acid should not be put in earthen

vessels, as the glazing is poisonous. This way of making apple butter

requires but little stirring; you must keep a constant watch that it

does not burn.

Pears and peaches may be done in the same way, and if they are sweet,

will not require sugar.

Another Way.

It is important to have a large copper or bell-metal kettle, into

which put the cider as soon as it comes from the press; put it over a

brisk fire, and boil it half away; then put the cider from the kettle

into clean stone jars, (warm the jars to prevent the danger of

breaking them;) have your apples pared and cut over night, as many as

would fill your kettle twice; have the kettle well cleaned, and in the

morning put in half the cider, and fill the kettle nearly full of

apples, and put it over a brisk fire; when they begin to boil up, stir

them down, which may be done two or three times, before you put in

your stick to stir constantly; then put in the rest of the apples and

cider, as fast as the kettle will take them, and boil it four hours

after the last apples are put in, stirring it all the time; you should

have for the purpose a stick made of hickory wood, somewhat like a

common hoe, with holes in it.

Candied Preserves, &c.

If your preserves candy, set the jars in hot water for half an hour; if

they are in glass jars put them in something else, as glass cracks

easily, when exposed to heat. Preserves made with white Havana sugar are

not so liable to candy as others. Common preserves are improved, and are

more certain to keep well, by being placed on flat dishes and set in a

brick-oven after the bread is taken out: they may remain two or more

hours without injury. When preserves are about to boil over, you should

have a common fan at hand and fan them, which will sometimes answer

instead of taking them from the fire.

Cider Marmalade.

Boil two gallons of sweet cider down to one gallon; have ready two

gallons of apples, pared and cut; pour the cider out of the kettle,

and clean it; then put in the apples, and pour the cider in, and two

or three pounds of sugar; if it will not hold all conveniently, add at

intervals; let them stew four hours; do not stir till they are nearly

done--stirring makes fruit stick to the kettle and burn; if you stir

once you must keep on. This is a pleasant sauce for dinner, or eaten

with bread and butter at tea, and will keep in a cool place through

the winter.

Tomato Figs.

Take six pounds of sugar, to one peck (or sixteen pounds) of ripe

tomatoes--the pear-shaped look best; put them over the fire (_without

peeling_) in your preserving kettle, their own juice being sufficient

without the addition of water; boil them until the sugar penetrates and

they are clarified. They are then taken out, spread on dishes, flattened

and dried in the sun, or in a brick-oven after the bread is taken out. A

small quantity of the syrup should be occasionally sprinkled over them

whilst drying; after which, pack them down in jars, sprinkling each

layer with powdered sugar. The syrup is afterwards concentrated and

bottled for use. They retain surprisingly their flavor, which is

agreeable and somewhat similar to the best figs. Ordinary brown sugar

may be used, a large portion of which is retained in syrup.

Molasses Candy or Taffy.

Put a quart of good molasses (not sugar house) in a dutch-oven or iron

pot, having previously greased it with butter; let it boil very fast,

stirring it all the time for fifteen minutes; then put in a tea-cup of

sugar and let it boil fifteen minutes longer, stirring all the time;

take a little out on a plate, and when it is brittle, pour it while hot

into tin plates rubbed with butter; put it in a cold place and break it

up when you want it for use; never put taffy in china or earthen plates,

as they would probably be broken in taking it out. Some think it an

improvement to add the kernels of black walnuts, nicely picked--put them

in just as you take up the taffy and give it one stir; a tea-cup of

kernels to a pint of molasses is a good proportion.

Walnut Cheese.

Take a pint of nice kernels and pound them in a mortar with two tea-cups

of brown sugar, and a table-spoonful of water; put it in cups or small

bowls and it will turn out like other cheese. It is a favorite

refreshment with some country children.

CORDIALS, WINES, VINEGAR, PICKLES, &c.

Peach Cordial.

Put a gallon of peach brandy into a wide-mouthed vessel, and five pounds

of fine flavored peaches, cut from the stone; boil five pints of water

with two pounds of loaf-sugar and a pound of peaches, till it is a clear

and rich syrup; pour this boiling hot on the brandy and stir it well;

put in two dozen peach kernels, blanched and pounded, and a little mace;

let it stand three weeks covered tight--at the end of which time, bottle

it for use. It is a nice seasoning for cake.

Quince Cordial.

Grate the quinces and strain them; to every quart of juice, put a pound

of loaf-sugar and a pint of spirits; boil, strain and bottle it.

Cherry Cordial.

Mash and strain the cherries, boil the juice, and to a gallon, put two

pounds of sugar, and half a pint of spirits; the sugar should be boiled

in it; skim and strain; when cold, bottle it.

Lemon Brandy.

Have a bottle three-quarters full of brandy; when you use lemons for

other purposes, pare off the yellow skin very thin, cut it small and

drop it in the bottle, till you get it full. Be careful not to put in

any of the tough white part, as that will give it a bitter taste; cork

the bottle and keep it to season cakes and puddings.

Rose Brandy.

Fill a large bottle with damask rose leaves, picked while they are

fresh; fill the bottle with brandy, or good spirits of any kind; cork it

tightly and set it away for use. It will bear filling up several times.

Blackberry Cordial.

Mash and strain the blackberries; put the juice on to boil in a brass or

bell-metal kettle; skim it well, and to each gallon of juice put three

pounds of sugar and a quart of spirits; bruise some cloves and put in.

This is valuable as a medicine for children in summer.

Rose Water.

Gather the damask rose leaves; have a tin pan that will fit under your

warming-pan; wring a thin towel out of water, spread it over the pan,

and put rose leaves on this about two inches thick; put another wet

towel on top of the leaves, and three or four thicknesses of paper on

it; put hot embers in the warming-pan, and set it on top of the paper,

propped up so as not to fall; when you renew the coals, sprinkle the

towel that is at the top of the rose leaves; when all the strength is

out of the leaves, they will be in a cake; dry this, and put it in your

drawers to scent the clothes; put another set of leaves in, sprinkle

the towels, and so till you have used up all your rose leaves. Rose

water is a very nice seasoning for cake or pudding; it should be kept

corked tightly.

Cologne.

Put into a bottle half an ounce of oil of lavender, one drachm of oil of

rosemary, two of essence of lemon, two of essence of bergamot, forty

drops of oil of cinnamon, and a little musk, if you like it; pour on it

three pints of best alcohol.

Blackberry Wine.

Gather the fruit when fully ripe, but before the sun has had time to

dry the juice; put it in a tub and pour in clear cold water enough to

cover it; mash it to a pulp with a wooden masher; strain it through a

linen bag or towel; a deal of juice will remain in the pulp, which in

order to get you must add some sugar to it, and boil it in your

preserving kettle, when you may strain again, and will have little left

but seeds; to every gallon of the liquor, add three pounds of good

brown sugar; pour it in a keg, (which should stand in a cellar, or cool

dry place:) let it stand two or three weeks, with the bung laid loosely

on; as the froth works out fill it up, (with some of the liquor kept

out for the purpose.) French brandy in the proportion of a quart to

five gallons, is an improvement. At the end of three or four weeks, it

may be closely bunged and put away in a safe dry closet, where it

should remain undisturbed for a year, when it may be racked off,

bottled and sealed over.

Gooseberry Wine.

Put three pounds of lump sugar in a gallon of water; boil and skim it;

when it is nearly cold, pour in it four quarts of ripe gooseberries,

that have been well mashed, and let it stand two days, stirring it

frequently; steep half an ounce of isinglass in a pint of brandy for two

days, and beat it with the whites of four eggs till they froth, and put

it in the wine; stir it up, and strain it through a flannel bag into a

cask or jug; fasten it so as to exclude the air; let it stand six

months, and bottle it for use; put two or three raisins in each bottle,

and cork it up.

Currant Wine.

Pick and mash the currants, either with your hands or a clean block, in

a tub; strain them, and to one gallon of juice, put two gallons of

water; and to each gallon of the mixture, put three pounds of sugar;

stir it until the sugar is dissolved, then put it in a clean cask that

has never been used for beer or cider; put it in a cellar or cool place,

and let it work out at the bung for several weeks; have a gallon of it

saved in a jug to fill up with, as it works out. When it is done

working, bung it up.

You may rack it off towards spring, or it will not hurt it to

stand a year.

If you want a barrel of wine, you must have eight gallons of currant

juice, sixteen of water, and seventy-two pounds of sugar; put in a quart

of brandy after it has done working; if you can get a clean brandy

barrel to put it in, it is better than a new one.

Another Way.

Mash well together equal quantities of currants and water, strain the

juice and to every gallon add three pounds of best brown sugar; fill the

cask two-thirds full, bung it tight and put clay over; by this means the

air is excluded while the process of fermentation is going on; the cask

should be iron-bound; rack it off and bottle or put in demijohns the

next spring after making.

Elderberry Wine, &c.

To each gallon of berries, put one of water; mash them in a tub, and

leave them two days, stirring them frequently; then strain them, and to

each gallon of juice put three pounds of brown sugar, and to every five

gallons, two ounces of bruised ginger, and one of cloves, which tie up

in a bag, and boil in the wine for an hour, and put it in a cask; when

it is nearly cold, put in two spoonsful of lively yeast; let it ferment

two days, and put in a pint of spirits with the bag of spice, and close

it up. This is excellent as a medicine for delicate or elderly persons.

Fill a bottle with elderberries, with a dozen cloves, and fill it up

with spirits. It is good to give children that have the summer disease;

mix a tea-spoonful of it with sugar and water for a child, or a

table-spoonful for a grown person.

Ginger Wine.

Boil nine quarts of water with six pounds of lump sugar, the rinds of

three lemons very thinly pared, and two ounces of face ginger pounded;

when it has boiled half an hour, skim it, and pour it on the juice of

two lemons: when nearly cold, add two spoonsful of yeast; put a pound of

raisins in the cask, with a half a pint of brandy, and half an ounce of

shaved isinglass; strain it in the cask, and stop it tight; bottle it in

six or seven weeks.

Raspberry Wine.

Pick over the raspberries, and to every quart put a quart of water;

bruise them, and let them stand two days; strain off the liquor, and to

every gallon put three pounds of lump sugar; stir it till the sugar is

dissolved, and put it in a clean barrel, or keg; at the end of two

months, bottle it, and put a spoonful of brandy, or a glass of wine in

each bottle.

Raspberry Vinegar, and its uses.

Put two pounds of raspberries in a large bowl, and pour on them two

quarts of white-wine vinegar; the next day, strain the liquor on two

pounds of fresh raspberries; let this stand a day, and strain it into a

stone jar; to each pint of the liquor put a pound of loaf sugar; stir

till it is dissolved, and put the jar in a sauce-pan of water, which

keep boiling for an hour; skim it, and bottle it when cold. This is used

not only as a refreshing drink, mixed with water, but is said to be of

use in complaints of the chest. No glazed or metal vessels should be

used in making it.

Spruce Beer.

Boil some spruce boughs with some wheat bran, till it tastes

sufficiently of the spruce; bruise some allspice, and put in; strain it,

and put two quarts of molasses to half a barrel; when it is nearly cold,

put in half a pint of yeast; after it has worked sufficiently, bung up

the barrel.

To Make Two Gallons of Beer.

Put two pounds of brown sugar in a jug, with a heaped spoonful of

ginger, and a pint of strong hop tea; pour in a gallon and a half of

warm water, and a tea-cup of yeast; leave out the cork a day--then

fasten it up, and set it in a cool place; or if you bottle it, put two

or three raisins in each bottle.

Harvest Beer.

To make fifteen gallons of beer, put into a keg three pints of yeast,

three pints of molasses, and two gallons of cold water; mix it well, and

let it stand a few minutes; then take three quarts of molasses, and

three gallons of boiling water, with one ounce of ginger; mix them well,

and pour into the keg, and fill it up with cold water.

A decoction of the root of sassafras is good to put in beer.

Porter Beer.

A pleasant drink in summer is to take one bottle of porter, five bottles

of water, and a pint of molasses, or a pound of sugar; make a spoonful

of ginger into a tea, and mix all well together; have seven clean

bottles, with two or three raisins in each; fill them, cork them tight,

and lay them on their sides on the cellar floor.

Molasses Beer.

Take five pints of molasses, half a pint of yeast, two spoonsful of

pounded ginger, and one of allspice; put these into a clean half-barrel,

and pour on it two gallons of boiling water; shake it till a

fermentation is produced; then fill it up with warm water, and let it

work with the bung out, a day, when it will be fit for use; remove it to

a cold place, or bottle it. This is a very good drink for laboring

people in warm weather.

To Make Cider.

To make cider that will keep sweet for a length of time, requires

particular attention to all the points. All the works and utensils in

use must be perfectly clean, so that nothing acid shall come in contact

with the pulp or liquor while pressing. The casks should be cleaned in

the following manner:

After washing each barrel clean, put in a lump of unslaked lime, and

pour in a gallon of boiling water; bung it up, and roll the barrel

several times a day, letting it lay with the bung down; in the evening,

empty out the lime-water, and wash the barrel clean in several waters;

after the water is drained out, burn a brimstone match in it, made of a

piece of coarse muslin one inch broad, and four long, dipped in melted

brimstone; light one end of the match, and put it in; put the bung on

slightly, so as to hold the other end, and allow air sufficient to make

it burn; when the rag has burned out, drive in the bung to keep in the

sulphuric gas, which, if allowed time, will condense on the sides.

The apples should be kept under cover, and secured from rain. After

they have laid to mellow for two or three weeks, select those that are

sound; break off the stems and leaves; have the trough perfectly clean,

and after they are ground, keep them from the sun and rain for

twenty-four hours; then press them, and fill into the casks; the first

running is always the best; each cask that is filled should be

numbered, so as to know the quality; and after they are all filled,

draw off and mix them, the weak with the strong; keep the casks filled

up with cider while they are fermenting; when the fermentation is

subsiding, there will be a thin white scum rise slowly: when this is

all off, lay on the bung lightly; rack it off in a few days in barrels,

in which brimstone has been used, and bung it tight; rack it off again

in March, and keep the bungs in tight.

To Make Vinegar.

You may always have good vinegar for pickling, and other purposes, by

taking a little pains. Get a tight whiskey barrel, if it is clean you

need not rinse it, and put into it ten gallons of the best vinegar you

can procure, with one quart of whiskey and one quart of molasses; every

day for a week, add a gallon of good cider that has not been watered,

and shake the barrel each time; let it stand in this state two weeks,

shaking the barrel frequently. After this, you may put in a gallon of

cider occasionally, with any that has been left at table, or the

settlings of decanters or bottles that have had wine in, but do not put

in any water. It will make much sooner in the garret or a warm place,

but if the barrel is fixed early in the summer, you will have plenty to

pickle with in the fall; taste it so as not to add cider too fast. Have

a phial with a string attached to it that you can put in at the bung.

You should have a barrel of good hard cider before you begin to make

vinegar. If you are in want of vinegar, fill a jug from the barrel, and

set it in the hot sun, where it will turn sour much quicker. It is a

good plan to keep a jug in a closet, where you can empty all the slops

of cider and wine; and when you get it full, empty it in the barrel.

After the pickling is done, you can put as much hard cider in the

barrel, a gallon at a time, as you have taken out, with a little

molasses, and half a pint of whiskey; if you put too much of the latter

it will prevent it from getting sour, but a little gives strength to

the cider, and the molasses increases the acidity, and helps to color

it. If you should have any juice of cherries, currants, or

blackberries, put it in, or if you can get cheap sour raisins, they

will be an improvement to the flavor of the vinegar; a tea-cup of burnt

sugar will give it a good color.

Vinegar made in this way will keep pickles good for several years. If

the cider has not sufficient strength it will take longer to make.

To Pickle Mangoes.

Pick your musk-melons at a proper age, before they get too hard;

make a slit in the sides and take out the seeds with a tea-spoon;

boil a pickle of ground alum salt, that will bear an egg, and let

the melons lay in this a week; then make a new pickle, and let them

lay in it another week; then wash them, and scald them in weak

vinegar, or sour cider, with cabbage leaves around the kettle; put

them in a jar, and put the vinegar and leaves in with them; leave

them two days, then wipe them carefully, and to two dozen mangoes,

have an ounce of mace, one of cloves, some nasturtions, small

onions, scraped horse-radish, and mustard seed sufficient to fill

them; fill up the inside of each one, and tie them round with

strings. Put them in your kettle with strong vinegar, and let them

scald a few minutes; then put them in a wide-mouthed jar, and pour

the vinegar over; have them covered close, and they will keep good

for several years. Large green tomatoes make good mangoes,

previously salted and drained, when fill them as other mangoes.

For Pickling Mangoes with Oil and Vinegar.

Cut a square piece out to remove the inside; lay them in salt and water

nine or ten days, and afterwards green them as any other pickle. For

stuffing, take two ounces of garlic, dried and pulverized, two ounces of

horse-radish, prepared as the garlic, two ounces of nutmegs, two ounces

of cloves, two ounces of mace, two ounces of whole mustard seed. When

the mangoes are large, put a small cucumber, and two beans in each. Wipe

each mango perfectly dry before the stuffing is put in; sew each up, and

tie twine around it; then put them in a pot, and pour the pot two-thirds

full of sharp vinegar; pour sweet oil on the top till covered. The

ingredients must be mixed with sweet oil. The spices, &c. mentioned, are

sufficient for a dozen mangoes.

Cucumbers.

Gather the cucumbers while they are small, lay them in a jar with salt

enough to make a pickle; pour in a little water, and if there is not

salt enough to cover them, in a few days put in more. At the end of two

weeks put them in a kettle, with cabbage leaves around and through them;

fill it up with weak vinegar, and let them scald three hours; put all in

a jar for three days, then take out the cucumbers, pour out the vinegar

and leaves; put them back in the jar, with some cloves, peppers,

horse-radish and mustard; boil some strong vinegar and pour over them.

Small Cucumbers.

Wash small cucumbers from two to four inches long; put a gallon of very

strong vinegar in a large jar, with mustard seed, scraped horse-radish,

and celery seed, a small portion of each, and a tea-cupful of salt; put

the cucumbers in the jar; tie them close. Martina's may be pickled in

the same way, or in the old way of pickling cucumbers.

To Pickle Cherries or Peaches.

If peaches, wipe them well with a coarse towel; if cherries, cut the

stems half off, but do not stone them; put them in jars, and to every

half gallon of vinegar it takes to cover them, put a pound of sugar, and

cloves and cinnamon to taste; boil and skim it well, and when nearly

cool pour it over the fruit; for three successive days pour off the

vinegar, and boil and pour it on again.

Peaches.

Pick out sound clingstone peaches; lay them in salt and water for a day,

then wipe them on a coarse cloth: boil up some strong vinegar, with a

little ginger, whole pepper and mustard seed; put the peaches in a jar

and pour this over.

White Walnuts.

Take full grown white walnuts, or butter-nuts, before the shells get so

hard that a pin will not run through easily; put them in a jar; boil a

pickle of ground alum salt that will bear an egg, skim it, and when it

gets cold; pour it on the walnuts; let them lay in this ten days; then

make another pickle as strong as the first, and leave them in it ten

days longer; then scrape each one carefully, until you get all the rough

skin off, wipe them with a very coarse cloth, and let them soak in cold

water two days; boil them in weak vinegar, and let them lay in this a

week; boil enough good vinegar to cover them; mix together scraped

horse-radish, mustard seed, cloves, red pepper, onions and garlic; put a

layer of the walnuts in a jar, and sprinkle the spice over; pour the

boiling vinegar over the top.

English Walnuts.

Gather them when nearly full grown, but not too hard; pour boiling salt

and water on them; let them be covered with it nine days, changing it

every third day; then take them out on dishes, and put them in the sun

to blacken, turning them over; then put them in a jar and strew over

them pepper, cloves, garlic, mustard seed and scraped horse-radish;

cover them with cold strong vinegar and tie them up.

Black Walnuts.

Gather the walnuts while you can run a pin through them; boil them in an

iron pot three hours, to soften the shell; put them in a tub of cold

water, hull and wash them, and put them in your jars; pour salt and

water over them, and change it every day for a week; at the end of that

time scald them in weak vinegar; let them stand in this three days, then

pour it off, and for half a bushel of hulled walnuts, have quarter of a

pound of cloves, a tea-cup of mustard seed, two spoonsful of black

pepper, a pint of scraped horse-radish, two pods of red pepper, some

sliced onions and garlic; put these in the jars with the walnuts, and

fill them up with strong cold vinegar.

Pickled walnuts will keep for six or seven years, and are as good at the

last as the first.

Virginia Yellow Pickles.

To two gallons of vinegar, put one pound of ginger, quarter of a pound

of black pepper, two ounces of red pepper, two of cloves, a tea-cup of

celery seed, a pint of horse-radish, a pint of mustard seed, a few

onions or garlic, and three ounces of turmeric to turn them yellow. The

above ingredients should be mixed together in a jar, and set in the sun

by the first of July, tied up close, with a block over each jar to keep

out the rain. Put whatever you intend to pickle in salt and water for

two or three days; then pour boiling salt and water on them; wash them

and drop them in the jars of vinegar.

You can pickle any thing in this way but walnuts. The same pickle, by

adding more vinegar to it, will do for two years; if the jars are set by

a fire, a much less time will do to take the strength out of the spices;

the turmeric should be tied up in a bag.

Tomatoes.

Scald and peel a peck of ripe tomatoes; lay them on dishes, and strew

salt thickly over them; let them stand for twenty-four hours,

occasionally pouring off the liquor that the salt extracts; then drain

them on a sifter, and gently squeeze them, as it is this juice that

weakens the vinegar and makes the pickles spoil; take a large jar, put

in a layer of tomatoes, then a layer of sliced onions, mustard seed,

cloves and white pepper, or whole black pepper; (you may if you like,

break two pods of red pepper and put in each jar.) When the jar is full,

pour very strong vinegar over, and in a few days they will be ready for

use, and will keep all winter. They retain much of the tomato flavor,

and should be kept in a cool place.

Another Way.

Take small round tomatoes when they are not too ripe; stick them with a

needle in several places, to keep the skin from bursting, and let them

lay a week in salt and water; then wash them and put them in a jar with

some cloves, pepper and small onions; cover them with strong cold

vinegar, and tie up the jar.

Pepper Mangoes.

Take fully grown green peppers, cut a slit in the side of each and take

out the seeds; make a strong brine and lay them in it for three days;

then soak them in clear water a day and night; pack them in a jar, and

pour boiling vinegar over them with a piece of alum; let them stay in

this three days, when boil the vinegar again, and pour over them; when

they are green, stuff them with chopped cabbage, mustard seed, cloves,

horse-radish, pepper, and a small onion in each; tie them up, put them

in a jar; boil fresh vinegar and pour over.

Observe always to have the kettle you boil vinegar in well cleaned;

never put pickles in common earthen-ware, as the glazing is poisonous.

Onions.

Peel small white onions and pour boiling milk and water over them; when

cold, put them in a jar, and make a pickle of strong vinegar, a little

mace, ginger, white mustard seed, and horse-radish; boil it and pour

over them.

If you want them to be white, do not put in black pepper or cloves.

Mushrooms.

Take the small round mushrooms that are pale pink underneath, with white

tops, and peel easily; put them in a jar with a little mace, white

mustard seed and salt; cover them with cold vinegar, and tie them close.

If you put in black pepper or cloves, it will turn them dark.

Nasturtions.

Have some strong vinegar in a jar with a little salt, and as you gather

the nasturtions, put them in, and keep the jar tied close.

Cherries.

Take sound morel cherries with the stems on, and put them in a jar; boil

spices in strong vinegar, and pour over them hot. Damsons may be done in

the same way. A little sugar improves the pickle.

Cabbage.

Take firm heads of purple cabbage, quarter them, sprinkle them with

salt, and let them lay three or four days, when shave them fine, drain

off the salt and put them in a jar, boil enough vinegar to cover them,

with horse radish, pepper and cloves, when nearly cold pour it on the

cabbage, and put in a little cochineal tied up in a bag, it will he fit

for use in a week.

Another Way.

Cut hard cabbage fine as for slaw, sprinkle salt through it, and let it

lay under a moderate pressure for twelve hours, then drain well through

a colander, slice a dozen raw onions, have a large jar in readiness, put

in a layer of cabbage, strew in some of the onions, a few cloves, a

tea-cupful of mustard seed, some whole black pepper, cut six half ripe

red pepper pods, and sprinkle in; add a little more salt, boil vinegar

and pour on sufficient to cover the mixture.

Cut Cucumbers.

Slice large cucumbers lengthwise--do not pare them--then cut them half

an inch thick; if you have small ones, slice them across, put them in

a large jar, and sprinkle them well with salt, after standing a day or

two, pour off the liquid the salt has extracted, drain them, and wash

the jar, and put the cucumbers in alternately, with sliced onions,

mustard seed, white pepper, whole black pepper and a few cloves, pour

over them strong vinegar, and tie close, keep them in a cool place,

but do not allow them to freeze in severe weather, as freezing spoils

the flavor of pickles. When pickles do not keep well, pour off the

vinegar, and put more on, but if the vinegar is of the best quality,

there is little fear of this. Putting alcohol on over paper, will

prevent their moulding.

Cucumber Catsup.

Take full grown cucumbers, pare them, and cut out the lines of white

pith, which are on three sides; cut them in slices about half an inch

thick; to six cucumbers, put one onion, sliced fine; then sprinkle them

with salt, placing the fruit in layers, with salt between;--next

morning, press the liquor from them; put them in _small jars,_ and fill

up with strong vinegar, seasoned with pepper, mustard seed, and salt, if

necessary. The small jars are recommended--as the cucumbers do not keep

well after they have been exposed to the air.

Tomato Catsup.

Take a peck of ripe tomatoes, wash and cut out the stems, but do not

peel them; put them over the fire in your bell-metal kettle, cover them,

and let them boil till soft enough to mash, when pour them in a colander

placed over a pan; drain them and throw away the liquid; then mash and

strain the tomatoes, a few at a time, through a ball sifter: this is

rather a tedious process; but, as the waste liquor has been previously

drained off, the catsup will require but about twenty minutes boiling;

throw in the spices before you take it up, fine pepper and salt,

mustard, and a few whole cloves, and sliced onions, if you like their

flavor; allow a tea-cup of strong vinegar to each bottle of catsup; part

of which may be put in with the spices, and the rest in each bottle on

top of the catsup, before you cork and seal them.

Walnut Catsup.

Gather the walnuts, as for pickling and put them in salt and water for

ten days, then pound them in a mortar, and to every dozen walnuts put a

quart of strong vinegar, and stir it every day for a week, then strain

it through a bag, and to every quart of liquor put a tea-spoonful of

pounded mace, the same of cloves, and a few pieces of garlic or onion,

boil it twenty minutes, and when cold, bottle it. White or black walnuts

are as good for catsup as the English walnut, and will keep good for

several years.

Green Tomato Catsup.

After the tomatoes have ceased to ripen, slice and put them in a jar,

with salt scattered through them, let them stand two days, then drain

them in a colander, put them in the jars they are to remain in, strewing

sliced onions, cloves, whole pepper, mustard seed, and one or two red

pepper pods through them, boil vinegar enough to cover them and pour

over, tie them close and put a plate on each jar.

Mushroom Catsup.

Take the largest mushrooms, those that are beginning to turn dark, cut

off the roots, put them in a stone jar, with some salt, mash them and

cover the jar, let them stand two days, stirring them several times a

day, then strain and boil the liquor, to every quart of which, put a

tea-spoonful of whole pepper and the same of cloves, and mustard seed,

and a little ginger, when cold, bottle it, leaving room in each bottle

for a tea-cupful of strong vinegar, and a table-spoonful of brandy; cork

them up and seal them over. Tomato Sauce.

Scald and peel a peck of ripe tomatoes; cut them in slices and lay them

on a large dish; cover well with salt each layer; the next morning put

the tomatoes in a colander or on a sifter, and drain off all the liquid;

then mash them with a wooden masher, and to each quart, put a pint of

strong vinegar, two table-spoonsful of white mustard seed, a dozen

cloves, a dozen grains of black pepper, an onion sliced and chopped, a

table-spoonful of salt; if mashed fine you can pour it out of

wide-mouthed bottles; put a table-spoonful of spirits in each bottle at

the top; cork tight, and seal. If you prefer putting the sauce in small

stone jars, put spirits on paper at the top of each. Spiced Peaches.

Take nine pounds of good ripe peaches, rub them with a course towel, and

halve them; put four pounds of sugar and a pint of good vinegar in your

preserving kettle, with cloves, cinnamon and mace; when the syrup is

formed, throw in the peaches, a few at a time, so as to keep them as

whole as may be; when clear, take them out and put in more; boil the

syrup till quite rich, and then pour it over the peaches. Cherries may

be done in the same way. Mushroom Sauce.

Gather large mushrooms, that have not turned dark, peel them and cut

off the stems; put them in a pan and strew salt over each layer; when

all are in, mash them well; then put them in a jar, put a plate on the

top, and set it in a pot of cold water; let it heat gradually, and

boil for fifteen or twenty minutes; to each quart of the pulp put

three tea-cupsful of strong vinegar, two tea-spoonsful of powdered

mace, or one of cloves, two of white mustard seed, one of black

pepper; put it in jars or wide-mouthed bottles, with a spoonful of

alcohol at the top of each, and secure it from the air. This is by

some preferred to the catsup.

TO CURE BACON, BEEF, PORK, SAUSAGE, &c.

To Cure Bacon.

To one thousand weight of pork, put one bushel of fine salt, one pound

and a half of saltpetre rolled fine and mixed with the salt; rub this on

the meat and pack it away in a tight hogshead; let it lay for six weeks,

then hang it up and smoke it with hickory wood, every day for two weeks,

and afterwards two or three times a week for a month; then take it down

and rub it all over with hickory ashes, which is an effectual remedy

against the fly or skipper. When the weather is unusually warm at the

time of salting your pork, more care is requisite to preserve it from

taint. When it is cut up, if it seems warm, lay it on boards, or on the

bare ground, till it is sufficiently cool for salting; examine the meat

tubs or casks frequently, and if there is an appearance of mould, strew

salt over; if the weather has been very warm after packing, and on

examining, you should find evidence of its spoiling, lose no time in

unpacking the meat; for a hogshead of hams and shoulders that are in

this state, have six pounds of brown sugar, three pounds of salaeratus,

mixed with half a bushel of salt; rub each piece with this, and as you

pack it in the hogshead, (which should be well washed and cleaned,)

sprinkle a little coarse salt over each layer of pork, and also on the

bottom of the hogshead. I have known this plan to save a large quantity

of pork, that would have been unfit for use, if it had not been

discovered and attended to in time. Some persons use crushed charcoal to

purify their meat. Shoulders are more easily affected than hams, and if

the weather is warm the ribs should be cut out of the shoulders. Jowls

also require particular care; black pepper, about a pound to a hogshead,

sprinkled on the meat before it is hung up to smoke, is valuable as a

preventive where flies are troublesome; have a large pepper-box kept

for the purpose, and dust every part that is exposed; pepper is also

good to put on beef before it is hung up to dry; wash it off before

cooking, and it does not injure the flavor.

To Pickle Pork.

Take out all the ribs, and cut it in pieces of about three pounds each;

pack it in a tight barrel, and salt it well with coarse salt; boil a

very strong pickle made of coarse salt, and when it is cold pour it over

the meat, and put a weight on the top; if you wish pork to keep, do not

put saltpetre in, as it injures the flavor.

To Cure Hams and Shoulders.

To cure five hundred weight of hams and shoulders, take fifteen quarts

of common salt, one pound and a half of saltpetre rolled fine, half a

pound of red pepper pods chopped fine, and four quarts of molasses; mix

them all together and rub the meat well, pack it down, cover it close,

and let it remain six weeks, then hang it up and smoke it with green

hickory wood for three weeks. If there is a damp spell of weather, it is

best to make a fire in your meat-house occasionally through the summer,

to keep the meat from moulding.

To Make a Pickle for Chines.

Rub the chines with fine salt, and pack them in a tight barrel, make a

pickle of coarse salt, strong enough to bear an egg, boil and skim it,

and when nearly cold pour it on, let there be enough to cover them, and

put a weight on the top. Chines are good smoked. It is best to make a

separate pickle for the heads; wash and scrape them, cut off the ears

and noses, and take out the eyes. The jowls may be packed and smoked

with the bacon. Sausage Meat, &c. Separate the tender parts of the meat

from the rough and bony pieces, and chop each sort separately, to

twenty-two pounds of meat have half a pound of salt, three heaped

table-spoonsful of sage, three of pepper, and two of thyme. If you have

a box large enough to hold this quantity, sprinkle it over the meat

before it is chopped, and it will be thoroughly mixed by the time it is

done. It is best to have a small piece fried to taste, and if it is not

seasoned right, it can be altered; you should have some pieces of fat,

chopped in with the meat. The sage and thyme should be carefully dried,

but not heated too much, neither should it be hung up too near the fire,

as it would spoil the flavor, rub it through a wire sifter, and if that

should not make it fine enough, pound it in a mortar or grind it in your

pepper mill. The pepper should be ground and ready some days before it

is needed, as the pork season in the country is (while it lasts) one of

the busiest in the year, every thing should be prepared beforehand that

you possibly can. It is a good plan to have plenty of bread and pies

baked, and a quantity of apples stewed, vegetables washed and ready to

cook, so that every member of the family, that is able, may devote

herself to the work of putting away the meat which is of so much

importance for the coming year, while some are cutting up the fat to

render into lard, others may be employed in assorting the sausage meat,

and cutting it into small pieces for the chopping machine, by trimming

off every part that can be spared. You can have one hundred pounds of

sausage from twelve hundred weight of pork, and since the introduction

of sausage choppers, a great deal more sausage is made, than formerly,

by the old method. Clean a few of the maws, and soak them in salt and

water, and fill them with sausage meat, sew them close, let them lay in

pickle for two weeks then hang them up, and when your meat is smoked,

let them have a few days smoke. In this way sausage will keep all

summer, and is very nice when boiled slowly for several hours, and eaten

cold. The best fat to chop in with sausage is taken from the chines or

back bones. To keep sausage for present use, put it in small stone pans,

and pour melted lard over the top; for later in the season, make muslin

bags that will hold about three pounds, with a loop sewed on to hang

them up by; fill them with meat, tie them tight, and hang them in a cool

airy place; they will keep in this way till August, when you want to fry

them, rip part of the seam, cut out as many slices as you want, tie up

the bag and hang it up again. If you have a large quantity, a sausage

chopper is a great convenience. Liver Sausage Take four livers, with the

lights and hearts, have two heads cleaned, and boil them with any

scraps, or skinny pieces you have, skim the pot, take out the livers

when they are done, and let the heads boil longer, when they are done,

pick out the bones, and chop all together, season with sage, thyme,

sweet marjoram, salt and pepper, put it in pans, and fry it as sausage.

Bologna Sausage Chop ten pounds of beef, with two pounds and a half of

the fat of fresh pork, pound one ounce of mace, and one of cloves, and

mix in, let it stand a day, then stuff it in large skins, let them lay

in brine ten days, then hang them up to smoke a few days, they can be

put in the same brine with beef or tongues. Hogs' Head Cheese Take off

the ears and noses of four heads, and pick out the eyes, and lay them in

salt and water all night, then wash and put them on to boil, take out

the bones carefully, chop and season them well, and pack it in bowls,

they will turn out whole, and may be eaten cold with vinegar, or fried

as sausage.

Pigs' Feet.

Pigs' feet should be well cleaned by dipping them in scalding water, and

scraping off the hairs, leave them in weak salt and water two days,

changing it each day; if you wish to boil them for souse, they are now

ready, but if the weather is cold they will keep in this a month. They

should be kept in a cold place, and if they are frozen there is no

danger of their spoiling, but if there comes on a thaw, change the salt

and water, soak them in fresh water all night before you boil them. In

this way they are good to eat with pepper and vinegar while hot, or may

be dipped in batter and fried after they are cold.

To make Souse.

Boil the feet till the bones come out easily, and pick out all the large

bones, pack them in a stone pan with pepper and salt, and cover it with

vinegar, they may be eaten cold, or dipped in flour and fried. Another

way is to pick out all the bones, season them with salt, pepper and

sage, and warm them up as you want to use them.

Pigs' feet, after being boiled, are very nice stewed as terrapins,

make the gravy with butter and water, they are nourishing food for

delicate persons.

Vessels for salting meat should be cleaned well after the meat is hung

up, and set on boards in the cellar, if they do not smell sweet, they

should be washed and soaked before meat is packed in them again. You

should see that the hoops are sound, and have covers made to fit them.

If taken care of in this way, they will last a number of years.

Scrapple.

Take eight pounds of scraps of pork, that will not do for sausage, boil

it in four gallons of water, when tender, chop it fine, strain the

liquor and pour it back into the pot, put in the meat, season it with

sage, summer savory, salt and pepper to taste; stir in a quart of corn

meal; after simmering a few minutes, thicken it with buckwheat flour

very thick, it requires very little cooking after it is thickened, but

must be stirred constantly.

Dried Beef.

An experienced housekeeper has furnished the following method for curing

and drying beef, which will keep good for two years, without being

injured by must or fly, and is much admired. Have the rounds divided,

leaving a piece of the sinew to hang up by, lay the pieces in a tub of

cold water for an hour, then rub each piece of beef that will weigh

fifteen or twenty pounds, with a handful of brown sugar and a

table-spoonful of saltpetre, pulverized, and a pint of fine salt,

sprinkle fine salt in the bottom of a clean tight barrel, and lay the

pieces in, strewing a little coarse salt between each piece; let it lay

two days, then make the brine in a clean tub, with cold water and ground

alum salt--stir it well, it must be strong enough to bear an egg half

up, put in half a pound of best brown sugar and a table-spoonful of

saltpetre to each gallon of the salt and water, pour it over the beef;

put a clean large stone on the top of the meat to keep it under the

pickle, (which is very important,) put a cover on the barrel; examine it

occasionally to see that the pickle does not leak,--and if it should

need more, add of the same strength; let it stand six weeks, then hang

it up in the smoke house, and after it has drained, smoke it moderately

for ten days, it should then hang in a dry place, before cooking, let it

soak for twenty four hours; a piece that weighs fifteen or twenty pounds

should boil two hours--one half the size, one hour, and a small piece

should soak six or twelve hours, according to size. Beef cured in this

way will make a nice relish, when thinly sliced and eaten cold, for

breakfast or tea, or put between slices of bread and butter for lunch,

it will keep for several weeks,--and persons of delicate stomachs can

sometimes relish a thin slice, eaten cold, when they cannot retain hot

or rich food.

This receipt will answer for all parts of the beef, to be boiled for the

dinner table through the summer.

To Cure Beef.

Make a pickle of six quarts of salt, six gallons of water, half a pound

of saltpetre, and three of sugar, or half a gallon of molasses, pack the

beef in a barrel, with fine and coarse salt mixed, when the pickle is

cold, pour it over, and put a weight on the top, let it stay two weeks,

when you can hang it up and smoke it, to boil through the summer, or

boil the pickle over again, and leave it in till you want to use it;

this is for two hundred pounds.

A New Method of Curing Beef.

Take six gallons of water, nine pounds of salt, (fine and coarse mixed,)

three pounds of sugar, one quart of molasses, three ounces of saltpetre,

and one ounce of pearl ash or salaeratus, boil and skim it well, and let

it stand till entirely cold, when pour it on beef that has been

sprinkled with salt for several days. You can boil of this beef from the

brine all winter, or hang it up, and smoke it with your bacon.

To Cure a Dozen Tongues.

Soak the tongues an hour in a tub of cold water to extract the blood,

and cut off most of the root, mix together a quarter of a pound of

saltpetre, finely powdered, one pound of brown sugar, and a pint of

salt, rub the tongues with this, and put them in a tight barrel; then

make a pickle that will bear an egg, which pour over them, turn them

every three days, and let them stay in the pickle two weeks, then smoke

them two days, and hang them up in a dry place; boil and skim the pickle

that the tongues have been in, and it will do for a round of beef.

Pickle for Two Rounds of Beef.

Cut the rounds in a suitable shape for drying, mix together two pints of

salt, one of molasses, or a pound of sugar, and half a pound of

saltpetre, rub them with this, and pack them in a tight vessel, make a

pickle that will bear an egg, and pour it over, put a weight on the top,

and let it lay for ten days, when take it out, and smoke it two days,

hang it up in a dry place, it will be fit to slice and broil in a week,

or cut it very thin, and stew or fry it with butter and cream. Legs of

mutton may be salted as rounds of beef, and will resemble venison, when

dried and chipped.

In preparing pickle for any kind of meat, observe that one gallon of

water will hold, in solution, a quart of salt and two ounces of

saltpetre.

To Corn Beef, Pork or Mutton.

Rub the meat well with salt, and pack it in a tub. If the weather is

warm, it will require a good deal of salt, but no saltpetre.

To Restore Meat that has been kept too long.

When meat has been kept too long in summer, it may be improved by

putting it in sour milk for several hours, or washing it in vinegar is

good, some hours before it is cooked, you must wash it well in cold

water several times, if it lays all night in sour milk, or salt and

vinegar, it should be put in soak early in the morning in cold water. In

very hot weather, when you have fresh meat, fowls, or fish left at

dinner, sprinkle them with strong vinegar, salt and pepper, warm this up

the next day, either as a fry or stew, the vinegar will evaporate, and

not injure the taste. Cold rock fish is good, seasoned with salt, pepper

and vinegar, to use as a relish for breakfast or tea.

To Keep Meat Fresh.

Where persons live a distance from market, and have no fresh meat but

what they kill, it is important to know how to keep it fresh. In winter,

if it is hung up in an out-house, it will keep very well for six weeks,

or more, when it has once frozen, it is safe till a thaw comes on, when

rub it with salt. In the summer, if you have an ice-house, you can keep

it without trouble. If rubbed with salt, and pinned in a cloth, it will

keep in the cellar two days, or by lowering it down your well, attached

to a rope, and changing the cloth every other day, it will keep good a

week in hot weather.

To Put up Herring and Shad.

Those that put up their own fish should be careful to have the barrels

tight and well cleaned, if the pickle leaks from them, they are liable

to spoil. Scale the fish and wash them, as it will save much time, when

you prepare them for cooking, take out the gills, but leave on the heads

of herrings.

The heads should be taken off the shad, and split them down the back,

put a layer of fish, then a layer of ground alum salt,--and after they

are packed, put on a weight to keep them down. If herring are well

cured, they will be good at the end of two years.

To Put up Herring, _According to the Harford Mode_.

First put the herring into the brine left from curing bacon, or, if you

have none of that description, make a brine that will bear an egg, and

let them remain in it thirty or forty hours; then, if for pickled

herring, change them into new brine, which must also bear an egg, and

head them up to keep. If for red herring, hang them up, and smoke them

thoroughly. A little saltpetre, added to the brine, is an improvement.

It is better to take out the roe.

BUTTER, CHEESE, COFFEE, TEA, &c.

Butter.

It is of the first importance that every thing connected with milk and

butter should be kept clean; if the milk acquires an unpleasant taste,

it communicates it to the butter. Tin pans are best to keep milk in, and

they should be painted on the outside to keep them from rusting when

they are put in water.

In summer, milk should be kept as cool as possible; before it is

strained, the pans and strainer should be rinsed with cold water, and

the milk not covered until it is cold, as soon as the cream rises

sufficiently, it should be skimmed, and put in a large tin bucket with a

lid that fits down tight, and stirred every day. Butter will be spoiled

by neglecting to stir the cream, a yellow scum will form on it, which

gives it an unpleasant taste. And if you leave a pan of milk till the

cream is covered with spots of mould, you had better throw it away than

put it in, as it will spoil the taste of a whole churning.

If you have no way of keeping your cream cool in hot weather, it ought

to be churned twice a week, the earlier in the morning the better.

Always put cold water in your churn the night before you use it, and

change it in the morning just before you put in the cream. When the

butter is gathering, take off the lid of the churn to let the heated air

escape, and move it gently, have your butter ladle and pan scalded and

cooled, take out the butter and work it till all the milk is out, scrape

some lumps of salt, and work in, cover it up, and set away in a cool

place till the next morning, when work it again.

If you have neither an ice, or spring house, a box by the side of the

pump, with a cover over it, is very convenient to put cream and butter

down the well, put them in tin kettles with covers to fit tight, and

fasten them to strong tarred ropes twenty feet long. The air of a well

will keep butter sweet for several weeks in the hottest weather. It is

best to have one kettle or basket to put the butter in that is used at

the table, it should be deep enough to hold five or six plates, each

covered with a saucer. It can be kept in this way as firm and sweet as

in an ice house. You can have a separate kettle to put a large lump of

butter in for seasoning vegetables. If you print butter for home use, it

is not necessary to weigh it, make it out in little lumps that will

weigh about half a pound, scald the print and ladle, and put them in

cold water, as you print each lump, lay it on a dish.

In winter it is more difficult to have good butter, as much depends on

the food of the cows, the milk should be kept in a cellar, where it will

not freeze, if you have a safe to keep it in, it need not be covered.

Cream takes much longer to rise in winter, after it has stood two days,

to put it on the top of a moderately heated stove will assist it, when

it is hot, set it away to skim the next day, when the cream will be

thick and rich, and churns easier.

If the weather is very cold, and the cream has been chilled, have a

large pot of water over the fire, set in the bucket when it is near

boiling heat, and keep stirring till it is milk warm, have the churn

scalded and put it in, by churning steadily, it will come as quick as in

summer, one good working answers very well for butter in winter, always

scald the churn before you put in the cream in cold weather.

To put up Butter for Winter.

Work it well, and salt it rather more than for table use, and pack it

in stone pans or jars, with a thin cloth on the top, and salt on it

an inch thick, keep it in a cool place, and if it is sweet when made,

it will keep good till spring. It should be tied up with paper to

exclude the air.

To Cure Butter that will keep for a Length of Time.

Reduce separately to a fine powder two pounds of the best fine salt, one

pound of loaf sugar and half a pound of saltpetre. Sift these

ingredients one above another, on a large sized sheet of paper, then mix

them well together, keep this mixture covered up close in a nice jar,

and placed in a dry closet.

When your butter is worked and salted in the usual way, and ready to put

in the jars, use one ounce of this composition to every pound of butter,

work it well into the mass.

Butter cured in this way, (it is said) will keep good for several years.

I have never kept it longer than from the fall until late in the spring,

it was then very sweet and good.

It will not do to use for a month, because earlier, the salts will not

be sufficiently blended with it. It should be kept in wooden vessels, or

nice stone jars. Earthen-ware jars are not suitable for butter, as during

the decomposition of the salts, they corrode the glazing; and the butter

becomes rancid and unhealthy.

A friend of mine, and a lady of much experience, remarked on reading the

above--"This is an admirable receipt, and by attention to its

directions, butter may be packed away with success even in the summer

months. Thus in cities during warm weather butter is often cheap, a

house-keeper may then purchase her winter supply.

"Select that which is sweetest and most firm, begin by putting a layer

of the prints in the bottom of a stone pot, press the butter down

close, so that no cavities for the admission of air may remain, then

strew more of the mixture over it, proceed in this manner until the

vessel is filled, when put on the top a small muslin bag filled with

salt, and tie the jar up close. It is very important to keep the butter

in a cool place."

A great deal depends on the butter being well worked. Persons that have

large dairies should always have a machine to work it. A large churning

may be more effectually cleared of the butter-milk in a few minutes,

than in the old way in an hour. By doing it quickly, it does not get

soft and oily in hot weather.

A Pickle for Butter.

To three gallons of water, add four and a half pounds of good brown

sugar, one and a half ounces of saltpetre, one ounce of salaeratus; put

them into an iron pot, and let them come to a boil; take off the scum;

when cold it is ready for use; the butter should be salted in the usual

way, and well worked; then made into rolls of two or three pounds each;

have little bags of coarse muslin, tie each roll in a bag and put them

in a large stone jar or clean firkin; when the pickle is entirely cold,

pour it over, and put a plate on the top, with a weight on it to keep

the butter under; tie it up close and keep it in a cold place; when a

roll is wanted, take it out of the bag, and slice it off for table use.

It should be put on little plates, and each covered with a saucer, to

exclude the air. If the butter is good when put up in the fall, it will

keep till you can get grass butter, in the spring. The jars for this

purpose should not have been previously used for pickles.

Cheese.

Persons living in the country sometimes have more milk than they can

use, of which cheese may be made. Put four gallons of new milk in a

clean tub that is kept for the purpose; skim your night's milk, and put

two gallons of it over the fire; when it is near boiling, put it in the

tub with the new milk, and the rest of the night's milk; it should be

rather more than milk warm, if it is too warm the cheese will have a

strong taste. The day before you make cheese, put a piece of rennet

three inches square in a tea-cup of water, and stir it in the milk;

cover the tub and let it stand in a warm place; when the curd begins to

form, cut it in squares with a long wooden knife, and spread a thin

towel over it. When the whey comes through the cloth, you can dip it off

with a saucer, then put a thin towel in the cheese vat, put in the curd,

spread the cloth over the top, put on the lid, and press it moderately

about half an hour; then put it back in the tub and salt it to your

taste; mix it well, and if you want it very rich put in a quarter of a

pound of butter; it is always better to skim the night's milk and put in

butter, as the cream is apt to press out.

Have a clean cloth in the vat, put in the curd, close it over and put on

the cover; if you have no cheese press, a heavy stone will answer the

purpose; press it very gently at first, to keep the richness from

running out. The next morning draw it out by the cloth, wash and wipe

the vat, put in a clean cloth, and turn in the cheese upside down; do

this morning and evening for two days; when you take out the cheese, and

put it on a clean board; set it where the mice and flies will not get at

it; rub it every morning with a little butter, and turn it three times a

day; dust it over with cayenne pepper if you cannot keep it from the

flies, and if it should crack, plaster on a piece of white paper with

butter; it is fit for use in two weeks.

Cheese made in this way has a rich, mild taste, and most persons are

fond of it. If you get eight gallons of milk a day, you may make cheese

twice a week, and still have butter for the family. You should keep four

thin cloths on purpose for cheese.

Pennsylvania Cream Cheese.

The cheese called by this name is not in reality made of cream. Take

three gallons of milk, warm from the cow, and strain it into a tub, have

a piece of rennet two inches square, soaked in half a pint of water for

several hours, drain off the water, and stir it in; when it is

sufficiently turned, cut the curd, spread a thin linen cloth over the

top, and as the whey rises, dip it off with a saucer, put the curd as

whole as possible into a cheese-hoop about the size of a dinner plate,

first spreading a wet cloth inside, then fold the cloth smoothly over

the top, put a weight on the top heavy enough to make the whey drain out

gradually. In six or seven hours it will be ready to take out of the

press, when rub it over with fine salt, set it in a dry dark place,

change it from one plate to another twice a day, and it will be fit for

use in less than a week.

To Prepare Rennet for making Whey or Cheese.

When the rennet is taken from the calf, wash it, lay it on a plate well

covered with salt, put more on in two days, keep it in a cold place, in

three or four days it will do to stretch on sticks, hang it up in a dry

cool place, with as much salt as will stick to it, when quite dry, put

it in a paper bag and hang it up, a piece two inches square soaked in

two table-spoonsful of water will make a cold custard, the same piece

salted and dried will do several times.

Cottage Cheese or Smearcase.

The best plan of making this dish, is to set the tin pan of clabber on

a hot stove, or in a pot of water that is boiling over the fire. When

the whey has risen sufficiently, pour it through a colander, and put

the curd or cheese away in a cold place, and just before going to

table, season it with salt and pepper to your taste, and pour some

sweet cream over it.

Roasting Coffee.

Pick out the stones and black grains from the coffee, and if it is

green, let it dry in an oven, or on a stove, then roast it till it is a

light-brown, be careful that it does not burn, as a few burnt grains

will spoil the flavor of the whole.

White coffee need not be dried before roasting, and will do in less

time. Two pounds is a good quantity to roast for a small family. The

whites of one or two eggs, well beaten, and stirred in the coffee when

half cold, and well mixed through it, are sufficient to clear two

pounds, and is the most economical way of using eggs. It will answer

either for summer or winter. Some persons save egg shells for clearing

coffee. Many persons use coffee roasters,--but some old experienced

housekeepers think that the fine flavor flies off more than when done in

a dutch-oven, and constantly stirred.

If you are careful, it can be done very well in the dripping-pan of a

stove. Let the coffee get quite cold, and put it away either in a

canister or tight box, and keep it in a dry place. Coffee may be roasted

in a dripping-pan in a brick oven. After the bread is taken out, there

will be heat sufficient, put about two pounds in a pan, stir it a few

times--it will roast gradually, and if not sufficiently brown, finish in

a stove or before the fire. If you have a large family, by using several

pans, six pounds of coffee can thus be roasted, and but little time

spent on it.

Boiling Coffee.

A large tea-cupful of unground coffee will be sufficient for six

persons, unless they take it very strong, (which is injurious to

health,) grind it, and put it in the tin pot, with half a tea-cup of

cold water, and the white of half an egg; shake it till it is mixed,

then pour boiling water on it, and let it stand close to the fire, and

just come to a boil, stir it, and do not let it boil over, let it keep

at boiling heat five or ten minutes; then take it from the fire, and put

in half a tea-cup of water to settle it, let it stand five minutes, and

pour it off,--if you wish it particularly nice, strain it through a thin

linen cloth, kept for the purpose, keep it by the fire till it goes to

table. If you boil coffee too long, the aromatic flavor flies off.

Tea, &c.

Always be sure that the kettle is boiling when you make tea, or the

flavor will not be so good, scald the pot, and allow a tea-spoonful for

each person. Let green tea draw by the fire from two to five minutes.

Black tea should draw ten minutes, and is much more suitable for

delicate persons than green. Persons with weak nerves should never drink

strong tea and coffee. I have known instances of persons being afflicted

with violent attacks of nervous head-ache, that were cured by giving up

the use of tea and coffee altogether, and their general health was also

improved by it. Before pouring out tea, it should be stirred with a

spoon that the strength of each cup may be alike.

Milk is the best drink for children, but if that cannot be had,

sweetened water, with a little milk, will do.

A New Mode of Preparing Chocolate.

Have a pound of chocolate pulverized, and put in a jar, with the same

quantity of rice flour, and an ounce of arrow-root, put on coals a

quart of milk, when it boils, stir in a heaped table-spoonful of the

above preparation, (dissolved in a tea-cup of water,) keep stirring it

until it boils again, when pour it out, drink it with sugar and cream

to your taste.

This is called by some "Rac-a-haut" chocolate, and is very nice for

delicate persons, as well as those in health.