The walnuts should be gathered while young and soft, (so that you can
easily run a pin through them,) and when the sun is upon them. Rub them
with a coarse flannel or tow cloth to get off the fur of the outside.
Mix salt and water strong enough to bear an egg, and let them lie in
it a week, (changing it every two days,) and stirring them frequently.
Then take them out, drain them, spread them on large dishes, and expose
them to the air about ten minutes, which will cause them to blacken
the sooner. Scald them in boiling water, (but do not let them lie in
it,) and then rub them with a coarse woollen cloth, and pierce every
one through in several places with a large needle, (that the pickle
may penetrate them thoroughly.) Put them into stone jars, and prepare
the spice and vinegar. To a hundred walnuts allow a gallon of vinegar,
an ounce of cloves, an ounce of allspice, an ounce of black pepper,
half an ounce of mace, and half an ounce of nutmeg. Boil the spice in
the vinegar for fifteen minutes, then strain the vinegar, and pour it
boiling hot over the walnuts. Tie up in a thin muslin rag, a tea-cupful
of mustard seed, and a large table-spoonful of scraped horse-radish,
and put it into the jars with the walnuts. Cover them closely with
corks and leathers.
Another way of pickling walnuts black, is (after preparing them as
above) to put them into jars with the spices pounded and strewed among
them, and then to pour over them strong cold vinegar.
WALNUTS PICKLED WHITE.--Take large young walnuts while their shells are
quite soft so that you can stick the head of a pin into them. Pare them
very thin till the white appears; and as you do them, throw them into
spring or pump water in which some salt has been dissolved. Let them
stand in that water six hours, with a thin board upon them to keep them
down under the water. Fill a porcelain kettle with fresh spring water,
and set it over a clear fire, or on a charcoal furnace. Put the walnuts
into the kettle, cover it, and let them simmer (but not boil) for about
ten minutes. Then have ready a vessel with cold spring water and salt,
and put your nuts into it, taking them out of the kettle with a wooden
ladle. Let them stand in the cold salt and water for a quarter of an
hour, with the board keeping them down as before; for if they rise
above the liquor, or are exposed to the air, they will be discoloured.
Then take them out, and lay them on a cloth covered with another, till
they are quite dry. Afterwards rub them carefully with a soft flannel,
and put them into a stone jar; laying among them blades of mace, and
sliced nutmeg, but no dark-coloured spice. Pour over them the very best
vinegar, and put on the top a table-spoonful of sweet oil.
WALNUTS PICKLED GREEN.--Gather them while the shells are very soft,
and rub them all with a flannel. Then wrap them singly in vine leaves,
lay a few vine leaves on the bottom of a large stone jar, put in the
walnuts, (seeing that each of them is well wrapped up so as not to
touch one another,) and cover them with a thick layer of leaves. Fill
up the jar with strong vinegar, cover it closely, and let it stand
three weeks. Then pour off the vinegar, take out the walnuts, renew
all the vine leaves, fill up with fresh vinegar, and let them stand
three weeks longer. Then again pour off the vinegar, and renew the vine
leaves. This time take the best cider vinegar; put salt in it till
it will bear an egg and add to it mace, sliced nutmeg, and scraped
horse-radish, in the proportion of an ounce of each and a gallon of
vinegar to a hundred walnuts. Boil the spice and vinegar about ten
minutes, and then pour it, hot on the walnuts. Cover the jar closely
with a cork and leather, and set it away, leaving the vine leaves with
the walnuts. When you take any out for use, disturb the others as
little as possible, and do not put back again any that may be left.
You may pickle butternuts green in the same manner.