Get the clearest Seville oranges you can_The English Housekeeper: Or, Manual of Domestic Management Containing advice on the conduct of household affairs and practical instructions concerning the store-room, the pantry, the larder, the kitchen, the cellar, the dairy; the whole being intended for the use of young ladies who undertake the superintendence of their own housekeeping

pulp and juice into a basin, and pick out the seeds and skins. Boil the

rinds in spring water, changing that two or three times, to take off their

bitterness: if for smooth marmalade, heat the rinds in a marble mortar, if

for thick marmalade cut the rinds in thin pieces, {313}add it to the juice

and pulp, put it all into a preserving-pan, with double the weight of lump

sugar, boil it over a fire, rather more than half an hour. Put it into

pots, cover with brandy papers, and tie down close.--_Or_: put 6 Seville

oranges into a scale, and weigh their weight, and half their weight again,

of lump sugar: to every lb. of fruit measure a wine-pint of cold spring

water. Cut the fruit in quarters, remove the pips, and throw them into the

water; then cut the oranges in slices on plates, so as not to lose any part

of the juice or pulp, then take the pips out of the water, put all the

fruit, juice, and sugar in, and boil it gently an hour, or until it is

sufficiently consistent. Put by in pots. Both these are good receipts.

_Oranges to Preserve._

Cut a hole at the stalk end, and scoop out the pulp, tie each one in

muslin, and lay them in cold spring water, to cover them, for two days,

changing the water twice a day; then boil them in the last water, till

tender. Take the oranges out of the liquor and allow 2 lbs. of the best

lump sugar, and 1 pint of water, to every lb. of fruit, and put it into the

liquor; boil and scum till it is a clear syrup, let it cool, then put in

the oranges, and boil them gently half an hour. Boil the syrup every day,

for a week, or till it looks clear.--_Or_: grate the oranges, put them in

water, change it twice a day, then boil gently, till tender, and put them

in cold water again, for two or three hours. Cut a small piece off the top,

take out the seeds, and to every orange allow ½ lb. of lump sugar, strew it

over them in a preserving-pan, without any water, and set that over a

gentle fire, turning the oranges occasionally: when clear, lift them out,

put them into little pots, boil up the syrup, and pour it hot over the

oranges. If the oranges do not look clear, boil them half an hour, for two

or three days: then boil the syrup by itself, or make a fresh one thus:

pare and core some green apples, and boil them to make the water taste

strong; do not stir the apples, only put them down, with the back of a

spoon; strain the water till quite clear, and to every pint put 1 lb.

double refined sugar, and the juice of a lemon strained, boil it to a

strong jelly, drain the oranges out of the syrup, each one in a {314}jar

the size of an orange, the hole upwards, and pour the jelly over. Cover

with brandy papers, and bladders. Do _lemons_ the same way.--_Or_: pare the

oranges, tie them separately in cloths, boil them in water till tender,

that a straw may pass through them: cut a hole in the stalk end, take out

the seeds, but not the pulp. Make a syrup of sweet oranges, lemons, and

sugar, and when clear, put in the oranges.

_Apricots, Peaches, Magnum Bonum Plums, and Greengages._

Pare and stone the finest fruit, not over ripe, and weigh rather more than

their weight of lump sugar. Spread the fruit in a dish, the split part

upwards, strew the sugar over, and let them stand all night. Break the

stones, blanch the kernels, and simmer the whole gently, till the fruit

looks transparent: scum well, lift the fruit out carefully into pots, pour

the syrup over, and, when quite cold, cover close.

_To Preserve Green Apricots._

Spread vine or apricot leaves at the bottom of the pan, then fruit, then

leaves, till the pan be full, but the upper layer thick of leaves, fill up

with water, and cover quite close, to keep the steam in. Keep the pan at

such a distance from the fire, that in four or five hours, the fruit may be

soft, not cracked. Make a thin syrup of sugar and some of the water, and

drain the fruit; when both are cold, put the fruit and syrup back into the

pan, no leaves, and keep it over the fire till the apricots are green, but

they must not boil or crack; repeat this for two or three days: then pour

off as much of the syrup as you think necessary, and boil it with more

sugar and some sliced ginger to make a rich syrup; when this is cold, drain

the apricots, and pour it over them. What there is left of the _thin_ syrup

will be useful to sweeten fruit tarts.

_Orlean Plums._

An equal quantity of sugar and of plums. The fruit gathered before it is

quite ripe. Put it into a pan with {315}cold water, simmer it till the

skins appear to crack, so that you may peel them off. Have ready, a thin

clear syrup made of 1 lb. sugar, and a gill of water, put in the plums,

give them a gentle boil, and put them by in a basin, till the next day; if

they then appear done enough, drain them from the syrup, if not, boil

again, and remain till the following day; then drain them, add the

remainder of the sugar to the syrup, boil it till rich, and quite clear;

put the plums into jars, pour the syrup over, leave them open till the next

day, then put brandy papers over, and over them run mutton suet.

_Jargonelle Pears._

Pare smoothly and thinly, some large, well shaped pears. Simmer in a thin

syrup, and let them lie two days. Then pour off the syrup, add more sugar:

simmer and scum it; then put the pears in, simmer till they look

transparent, lift them out into pots, pour the syrup over, and tie closely.

Rather more than the weight of fruit in sugar. A grain of pounded cochineal

may be put in the syrup; lemon juice is an improvement.

_Quinces._

Pare the quinces very thin, and put them into a stew-pan; cover with their

parings, and fill the saucepan with hard water, set it over a slow fire,

and keep the lid close that the steam may not escape; when the fruit is

tender take it out, and put to it 1 quart of water, 2½ lbs. lump sugar, to

make a clear syrup: put in the quinces, boil them ten or twelve minutes,

and set them by, for four or five hours; then boil again five or six

minutes, take them off the fire, and set them by two days: boil again, ten

minutes, with the juice of 2 lemons. Let the quinces be quite cold, put

them into broad pans, singly, and pour the syrup over. Cover with brandy

papers, and skins over the whole.--_Or_: cut them in quarters, and to 5

lbs. fruit, put 3 lbs. sugar, and ½ pint water; lay a piece of white paper

over, to keep in the steam, and let them simmer gently, three hours.

Fruit _pastes_ are made by boiling the fruit with clarified sugar to a

thick marmalade; moulded into thin cakes, and dried in a stove.

{316}_To Candy Fruit._

Put fruit, finished in syrup, in a layer, in a new sieve, and dip it

quickly into hot water; spread it on a napkin before the fire to drain, and

do more in the sieve; sift double refined sugar over the fruit, till white

all over. Spread it on the shallow ends of sieves to dry in a _warm_ oven,

turning it two or three times. Do not let it get cold before it is dry.

Watch it carefully.

_Almacks._

1 lb. each of baking pears, apples, apricots, and plums; slice the two

first, and open the others, put them, in alternate layers, in an earthen

jar, in a slow oven. When the fruit is soft, squeeze it through a

cullender, put to it 1 lb. lump sugar, and simmer gently, stirring all the

while, till it leaves the pan clear, then put it in small moulds, or drop

it in little cakes; when cold, put them by.

_Peaches, Apricots, and Plums in Brandy._

Gather peaches before they are quite ripe, prick them with a needle, and

rub off the down with a piece of flannel. Pass a quill carefully round the

stone to loosen it. Put them into a large preserving-pan, with cold water,

rather more than enough to cover them, and let it gradually become scalding

hot. If the water does more than simmer very gently, or the fire be fierce,

the fruit may crack. When tender, lift them carefully out, and fold them in

flannel, or a soft table cloth, in several folds. Have ready a quart, or

more, as the peaches require, of the best brandy, and dissolve in it 10 oz.

of powdered sugar. When cool, put them into a glass jar, and pour the

brandy and sugar over. Cover with leather, or a bladder.

_Cherries in Brandy._

Gather morella cherries on a dry day, when quite ripe; cut off _half_ the

stalk, and put them into wide mouthed bottles, strewing layers of finely

pounded sugar between. Allow to each bottle half the weight of the fruit in

sugar. {317}When the fruit reaches the neck of the bottle, fill up with

brandy; cork and rosin it tight.

_Grapes in Brandy._

Put some close bunches, of any sort, into a jar (having pricked each

grape), strew a good quantity of pounded sugar candy over them, and fill up

the jar with brandy. Tie a bladder over, and keep in a cool place.

_Barberries for Tartlets._

Pick barberries without stones, from their stalks, and put them into a

stone jar, in a kettle of water, or on a hot hearth, and simmer very slowly

till the fruit is soft: then put it into a pan with ¾ lb. lump sugar to 1

lb. barberries, and boil slowly for fifteen minutes. Use no metal but

silver.

_Barberries in Bunches._

Tie the stalks of the fruit on little flat pieces of wood, 3 inches long, a

¼ inch wide. Simmer these in syrup two successive days, and when cold,

cover them with the syrup. On the third day candy them. (See to candy

fruit.)

{318}CHAPTER XXIV.

PICKLES.

THE great art of pickling consists in using good vinegar, and in selecting

the various articles, at the proper seasons.--Pickles are indigestible, but

their liquor is good to give relish to cold meat, therefore the strongest

vinegar should be used, because a less quantity will suffice. They should

be kept in a dry place, and glass jars are best, because then it is easy to

perceive whether the vinegar diminishes, and if it does, more should be

boiled with spice, and poured over the pickles. Fill the jars 3 parts full

with the pickles, but always let there be 3 inches above their surface of

vinegar. If earthenware jars are used, let them be unglazed; and vinegar

should always be boiled in unglazed earthenware; indeed, it ought never to

_boil_ at all, but be just scalding hot, for boiling causes much of the

strength to evaporate. Keep the bottles closely stopped, with bungs, and a

bladder, wetted in the pickle. When you have opened a bottle, cork it

again, put a fresh bladder over, if you wish the pickles to keep. When the

pickles are all used, the vinegar should be boiled up with a little more

spice, and bottled when cold. The colour of pickles is a matter of no small

difficulty, though of the greatest consequence, when used by way of

ornament. A fine colour is sometimes preserved by keeping pickles a long

time in scalding hot vinegar, the vessel being covered. When a bottle of

capers or pickles is opened, it should be kept filled, by fresh boiled

vinegar.

Artichokes are in season in July and August.

Cauliflowers, in July and August.

Capsicum pods, end of July and beginning of August.

Cucumbers, the end of July to the end of August.

French beans, July.

{319}Mushrooms, September.

Nasturtium pods, middle of July.

Onions from the middle to the end of July.

Radish pods, July.

Red cabbage, August.

Samphire, August.

Tomatas, the end of July to the end of August.

_Walnuts._

Make a strong brine of salt and water, about ¼ lb. salt to a quart of

water, and steep the walnuts in it a week, previously pricking them with a

large needle; then put them, with the brine, into a stew-pan, gently simmer

them, pour off the liquor, lay the walnuts on a sieve to drain in the air

two days, to turn them black. Have ready made a pickle of strong vinegar;

add to each quart 1 oz. ginger, 1 oz. strong pepper, 1 oz. eschalots, 1 oz.

salt, ½ oz. allspice, and ½ a drachm of cayenne (some persons add garlic,

brown mustard-seed, bay leaves, cloves, mace, chopped chilies, and

horse-radish); put all into a stone jar, tie over a bladder wetted with

vinegar, and over that a leather; keep it close by the side of the fire two

days and nights; shake it frequently. Put the walnuts into jars, and pour

the pickle hot over them; when cold, put in bungs, and tie wetted bladder

over.

_Walnuts, Green._

The best time is while the shells are still tender, and before they are

quite ripe. Lay them in a strong brine of salt and water for ten days,

changing the brine twice during that time; put in a thin board to float

over, that the air may not get to them and turn them black; then pour the

brine from the walnuts, and run a large needle several times through each

one; lay some vine leaves at the bottom of an earthen pan, put in the

walnuts, and cover with more leaves, fill up the vessel with water, and put

it on the fire till scalding hot; then pour off the water, put fresh in,

let that become hot, pour it off, and repeat this once again; scrape off

the husks, rub the walnuts smooth with flannel, and throw them into a

vessel of hot water. Boil, three minutes, a quart of vinegar for every 50

walnuts, with {320}white pepper, salt, ginger, cloves, and cayenne (in the

proportion of the last receipt), and after rubbing the walnuts, dry them

out of the water, and pour the vinegar over them.

_Gherkins._

The best are about 4 inches long, and 1 inch in diameter. Put them into

unglazed jars, or open pans, and pour salt and water over (¼ lb. salt to a

quart of water), cover, and set them by the side, when not convenient for

them to stand before the fire; in two or three days they will be yellow;

pour off the water, and cover them with scalding hot vinegar: set them

again before the fire, and keep them of an equal heat, if possible, for ten

days, and they will become green; then pour off the vinegar, and have ready

to pour over the gherkins (in jars), the same pickle as that for walnuts,

leaving out the eschalots if you choose. The vinegar poured from the

gherkins should be bottled, for it will be good cucumber vinegar.

_Onions._

Take off the tops and coats of small round silver button onions, the size

of a nutmeg, and put them into a stew-pan three parts full of boiling

water; put no more at once than just enough to cover the top of the water.

As soon as the onions look transparent, take them up in a sieve, lay them

on a folded cloth, whilst you scald the remainder. Make them quite dry with

these cloths, then fill the jars three parts full, and pour over them the

following pickle, quite hot: to a quart of strong vinegar put 1 oz.

allspice, 1 oz. ginger, 1 oz. mace, 1 oz. scraped horse-radish, 1 oz. black

pepper, and 1 oz. salt; infuse it by the fire three or four days; when the

pickle and the onions are cold, bung the jars, and cover them, first with

bladder wetted in vinegar, then with leather.--_Or_: put the onions into

salt and water, change that every day for three days, then put them in a

stew-pan with cold milk and water, let that stand over a fire till _near_

to a boil, take out the onions, dry, and put them into jars, and pour a

pickle over of good vinegar, salt, mace, and pepper, boiled and become

cold.

{321}_Cucumbers and Onions._

Boil in 3 pints of vinegar ¼ lb. flour of mustard, mixed as for table use;

let it get cold; slice 12 large cucumbers, and ½ gallon large onions; put

them into jars with 2 oz. ginger, ½ oz. white pepper, and a small quantity

of mace and cloves, and pour the vinegar, cold, over them.

_Red Cabbage._

Cut out the stalk, and divide a firm, dark coloured middling sized cabbage,

then cut in slices the breadth of straws; sprinkle salt over, and let it

lie two days; then drain the slices very dry; fill the jar, 3 parts full,

and pour a hot pickle over them, of strong vinegar, heated with black

pepper, ginger, and allspice. Cover the jar to keep the steam in, and when

the pickle is cold, put in bungs, and tie bladders over.

_Melon Mangoes._

Cut a small square piece out of one side, and take out the seeds; fill them

with brown mustard seeds, garlic, eschalot, scraped horse-radish, ripe

capsicums, and a little finely pounded ginger: stuff the melons as full as

the space will allow, replace the square piece, and bind them up tightly

with thread. Boil a gallon of white wine vinegar, with ¼ oz. mace, ¼ oz.

cloves, ½ oz. ginger, ½ oz. black and long pepper, and ½ oz. cayenne; as it

is coming to a boil, pour in a wine-glassful of essence of horse-radish,

and of garlic vinegar.

_Beet Root._

Boil them very gently from an hour and a half to two hours, or till 3 parts

done; take them out of the water to cool; peel and cut them in slices about

half an inch thick. Prepare a pickle of good vinegar, and to each quart 1

oz. black pepper, ½ oz. salt, ½ oz. horse-radish, ½ oz. ginger, and a

little cayenne; infuse these by the fire three days, and let the pickle be

cold before you pour it over the beet-root.

{322}_Mushrooms._

Take the red inside out of the large ones, and rub both large and small,

with a piece of flannel and salt; put them into a stew-pan, with a little

mace and pepper, and strew salt over; keep them over a slow fire, till the

liquor which will be drawn, dries up again; shake the stew-pan often; then

pour over as much vinegar as will cover them, let it become hot, but not

boil, and put all into a jar.--_Or_: boil buttons in milk and water till

rather tender, put them into a cullender, and pump cold water on them till

they are cold; put them into salt and water, for twenty-four hours, then

dry them in a cloth. Make a pickle of distilled vinegar, mace, and ginger,

if to be _white_, if not, white wine vinegar. It must be cold before you

pour it over the pickle.

_India Pickle._

Put into a jar a gallon of white wine vinegar, 1 lb. sliced ginger, ½ oz.

turmeric bruised, ½ lb. flour of mustard, ½ lb. salt, 1 oz. long pepper,

bruised; peel ½ lb. garlic, lay it on a sieve, sprinkle it with salt, let

it stand in the sun, or before the fire, three days to dry, then put it

into the vinegar. Place the jar by the side of the fire, cover close, and

let it remain three days, shake it every day, and it will be ready to

receive the vegetables.--_Or_: boil in a gallon of vinegar, ten minutes, 2

oz. black and white peppercorns, 2 oz. flour of mustard, 2 oz. turmeric,

and 2 oz. ginger, 1 oz. of the best cayenne, and a good quantity of young

horse-radish: (you may add ½ oz. more turmeric, and 2 oz. white mustard

seed), add curry powder and eschalots.--_Or_: to a gallon of the strongest

vinegar allow 3 oz. curry powder, the same of flour of mustard, rub these

together with ½ pint of olive oil, 3 oz. ginger bruised, 1 oz. turmeric,

and ½ lb. of eschalots, and 2 oz. garlic (both these sliced and slightly

baked in the Dutch oven), ¼ lb. salt, and 2 drachms cayenne; put it all

into a jar, cover with bladder wetted in the vinegar, and keep it by the

side of the fire three days, shake it several times during each day, and it

will be ready to receive the vegetables. Great care is required, to prepare

the vegetables; they should be gathered, as they come in season, on a dry

day. {323}Parboil in salt and water strong enough to bear an egg, then

drain and spread them in the sun, before the fire, or on a stove, to dry;

this will occupy two days; then put them into the pickle. The vegetables

are, large cucumbers sliced, gherkins, large onions sliced, small onions,

cauliflowers, and brocoli in branches, celery, French beans, nasturtiums,

capsicums, white turnip radishes, coddling apples, siberian crabs, green

peaches, a large carrot in slices, nicked round the edges, and a white

cabbage cut up; neither red cabbage nor walnuts. Small green melons are

good; cut a slit to take out the seeds, parboil the melons in salt and

water, drain and dry, then fill them with mustard seed, and 2 or 3 cloves,

tie round, and put them into the pickle.--Some persons boil it up after the

vegetables are in. These receipts are all good.

_Lemons._

Cut them across, about half way through, and put 1½ tea-spoonful of salt

into each one, let them lie in a deep dish five or six days; to each lemon

add 1½ nutmeg, grated, 1 table-spoonful of black mustard seed, and a little

mace; boil till tender, in vinegar to cover them, then put them by. Keep

the jar filled with vinegar.--_Or_: cut the lemons in 4 parts, but not

through, fill with fine salt, put them in layers in a jar, and sprinkle

fine salt over each layer. Examine and turn them, every five or six days,

and in six weeks they will be ready. If dry, add lemon juice to

them.--_Or_: grate the rind of 8 lemons, rub well with salt, and turn them

every day for a week: put them into a jar with 2 oz. race ginger, a large

stick of horse-radish sliced, 2 tea-spoonsful flour of mustard, 3 of

cayenne, 1 oz. turmeric, and vinegar enough to cover them. Put more vinegar

if required.

_Cauliflower_ and _brocoli_ before they are quite ripe, may be picked in

neat branches, and pickled, the same way as _gherkins_; also _French

beans_, nasturtiums and radish pods, in the same way.

{324}CHAPTER XXV.

VINEGARS.

VINEGAR is seldom made at home, and as the best is made from wine only, it

is scarcely worth the trouble, for, for every purpose, the best vinegar is

the cheapest.

_Gooseberry Vinegar._

To every quart of bruised ripe gooseberries, put 3 quarts of spring water,

stir well, and steep them eight and forty hours; then strain into a barrel,

and to every gallon of liquor, put 2 lbs. white pounded sugar, and a toast

soaked in yeast. Put it in the sun in summer, and by the fire in winter,

for six months, without stopping the bung hole, but keep it always covered

with a plate. White currants, stripped, in the same way.--_Or_: boil 1 lb.

coarse brown sugar in a gallon of water, a quarter of an hour, scumming

well; put it in a pan; when nearly cold put in a thick slice of toasted

bread spread with yeast: let it work twenty-four hours, put it in a cask or

jar, and place that in the sun, or near the fire. You may add some ripe

gooseberries, bruised.

_Good Common Vinegar._

To every gallon of water, put 2 lbs. coarse sugar, boil and skim. Put it in

a pan or tub, and when sufficiently cold add a slice of toast, spread on

both sides with fresh yeast. Let it stand a week, then barrel, and set it

in the sun or by the fire, for six months.

_Cider Vinegar._

To every gallon of cider, put 1 lb. white sugar, shake well, and let it

ferment, four months.

{325}_Vinegar of Wine Lees._

Boil the lees half an hour, during which, skim well. Pour it into a cask,

with a bunch of chervil. Stop the cask close, and in a month it will be

ready.

_Cayenne Vinegar._

Put into a quart of the best vinegar, 10 oz. cayenne, 1 oz. salt, 1 oz.

cloves, 1 oz. garlic broken, and 2 grains cochineal bruised; shake it every

day, for a fortnight.

_Chili Vinegar._

Put 100 fresh gathered red chilies into a quart of the best white wine

vinegar; infuse them, ten days, shaking the bottle every other day. ½ an

ounce of really good cayenne will answer the purpose of the chilies.--A

spoonful or two in melted butter, for fish sauce. _Chili Wine._--The same

way as the last, using sherry, or brandy, instead of vinegar. A fine

flavouring ingredient.

_Eschalot Vinegar or Wine._

Infuse in a pint of vinegar, 1 oz. eschalots, peeled and sliced, a little

scraped horse-radish, and 2 tea-spoonsful cayenne: shake the jar or bottle,

once a day for three weeks, then strain and bottle the liquor.

_Wine._--Very good for flavouring made dishes: peel, mince and pound in a

mortar, 3 oz. eschalots and steep them in a pint of sherry ten days, pour

off the liquor and put in 3 oz. fresh eschalots, and let it stand again ten

days, then pour off and bottle it.

_Tarragon Vinegar._

Pick the leaves on a dry day, about Midsummer, make them perfectly dry

before the fire, then put them into a wide-mouthed bottle or jar, and pour

in vinegar to cover them; steep them fourteen days, then strain through a

flannel jelly bag, into half pint bottles; cork carefully, and keep in a

dry place.

{326}_Vinegar for Salads._

Take of chives, savory, tarragon, and eschalots, each 3 oz., of balm and

mint tops, a handful each. Dry, pound, and put them into a wide mouthed

bottle or jar, with a gallon of the best vinegar, and cork close. Set it in

the sun, for a fortnight, strain it, squeeze the herbs; let it stand a day,

then strain and bottle it.

_Garlic Vinegar._

Peel and bruise 2 oz. garlic, infuse it in a quart of vinegar, three weeks.

Strain and bottle it. A few drops to a pint of gravy; a very slight flavour

is approved of by some, which by others, is considered highly offensive.

_Green Mint Vinegar._

Fill a wide mouthed bottle with the green leaves, cover with vinegar and

steep them a week; pour off the vinegar, put in fresh leaves, let it stand

another week, then bottle it.

_Horse-radish Vinegar._

Prepare this about November. Scrape 3 oz., also 2 oz. eschalots, and 1

drachm of cayenne, pour on them a quart of vinegar, and let it stand a

week, then strain, and it is ready.

_Camp Vinegar._

Put into a pint of the best vinegar, 1 drachm of cayenne, 3 table-spoonsful

soy, 4 table-spoonsful walnut catsup, a small clove of garlic, minced fine,

and 4 anchovies chopped. Steep a month, shake it every other day, strain

it, pour it into pint or ½ pint bottles.

_Cucumber Vinegar._

Pare 8 or 10 large cucumbers, cut in thin slices, and put them into a china

bowl, with 2 onions sliced, a few eschalots, a little salt, white pepper,

and cayenne. Boil a quart of {327}vinegar, let it cool, then pour it into

the bowl; cover close, let it stand three days, and bottle it.

_Basil Wine._

About the end of August fill a wide mouthed bottle with fresh leaves of

basil, cover with sherry and infuse them ten days; strain and put in fresh

leaves, infuse another ten days, then pour off, and bottle it. A

table-spoonful to a tureen of mock turtle, just before it is served.

_Raspberry Vinegar._

This, besides being a nice sauce for batter and other light puddings, is

good with water, as a summer drink, also for colds, sore throat or fever.

It will not be good unless made with fresh fruit; and the finer the sugar,

the clearer the syrup.--To 1 quart of fruit add 1 pint of vinegar (cold);

cover close for twenty-four hours; pour off the liquor, and put to it a

quart of fresh fruit, cover close and let it again stand for twenty-four

hours; repeat this for the third time. Then boil up the vinegar, with a lb.

of lump sugar to each pint, until it becomes a syrup.

{328}CHAPTER XXVI.

ESSENCES.

SOME of the following are useful in culinary, others in medicinal

compounds, and some in both.

_Essence of Ginger._

Put 3 oz. fresh grated ginger, and 1 oz. thinly cut lemon peel into a quart

of brandy, let it stand ten days, and shake it every day.--_Essence of

Allspice_--Oil of pimento, 1 drachm, strong spirits of wine, 2 oz., mix

them by degrees; a few drops will flavour a pint of gravy or

wine.--_Essence of Nutmeg, Clove, or Mace_--Put 1 drachm of either into 2

oz. of the strongest spirit of wine. A few drops will be

sufficient.--_Essence of Cinnamon_--2 oz. spirits of wine, and 1 drachm of

oil of cinnamon.

_Essence of Savoury Spice._

1 oz. black pepper, ½ oz. allspice finely pounded, ¼ oz. grated nutmeg,

infused in a pint of brandy ten days.

_Essence of Cayenne._

Steep 1 oz. good cayenne in 1 pint of brandy, or spirits of wine, a

fortnight, then strain and bottle it, for use.

_Essence of Seville Orange and Lemon Peel._

Rub lump sugar on the lemon or orange, till quite saturated with the rind,

then scrape the sugar so saturated into the jar you keep it in, rub the

rind again, and so on, till you have enough, press the sugar down close,

and keep it for use. This imparts a very nice flavour to custards and

puddings. Tincture of lemon peel is made by paring the peel, and steeping

it in brandy.

{329}CHAPTER XXVII.

CATSUPS.

THESE should be made at home, as well as pickles. A small quantity of

catsup every year is sufficient, and very little time and trouble will

provide it. It should be put into small bottles (filled to the neck), for

when a cork is once drawn, catsups, essences, and pickles begin to decay.

The bottles kept lying on their side, because this tends to preserve the

cork. Keep them in a dry place.

_Mushroom Catsup._

Made in September. The large flaps are best. Break off whatever parts are

dirty or decayed, and lay the rest in pieces, in an earthen pan in layers,

with salt between; put a folded cloth over, and let it stand a day and

night, or longer, by the side of the fire; then strain off the liquor into

the saucepan, and to every quart, put ½ oz. black peppercorns, a ¼ oz.

allspice, ½ oz. sliced ginger, a few cloves, and 2 or 3 blades of mace.

Boil the liquor, fifteen minutes, over a quick fire, though it will be

stronger and keep longer, if boiled until the quantity be reduced one half,

and then the spices need not be put in until it has been boiling about

twenty minutes. When you take it off the fire, let it stand to settle, pour

off clear, and bottle it; the sediment may be strained and bottled also,

for it answers for fish sauce and brown soup. Anchovies, bay leaves, and

cayenne, may be added to the spices. Dip the corks in melted rosin. Some

put a table-spoonful of brandy into each pint bottle. A table-spoonful of

mushroom catsup is sufficient to flavour ½ pint of sauce.--_Or_: break them

in a pan, sprinkle salt between and let them stand till the next day, when,

if their liquor be not drawn, add fresh mushrooms and more salt: the next

day pour off {330}the liquor, boil it three hours, let it settle, strain

and add to every 2 quarts, ½ oz. of cloves, ½ oz, nutmegs, ½ oz. mace, 1

oz. race ginger, 1 oz. jamaica, and 1 oz. black pepper, some eschalots and

horse-radish, and 1 pint of Port wine, then boil it again half an hour.

This will keep well.

_Walnut Catsup._

Gather them green, prick them with a large needle, and let them lie three

days, in an earthen pan, sprinkled with a handful of salt, and a very

little water. Mash them well each day, with a rolling pin. On the fourth

day, pour some scalding hot salt and water over, mash again, and let them

stand the whole day; then with a spoon or cup, lift out what liquor there

is, pound the walnuts well, and pour a little good vinegar and water over

them, which will extract all their juice; pour this off, and put to it what

you already have, boil it slowly, and scum well. When there is no longer

any scum, put to every quart 1 oz. bruised ginger, 1 oz. allspice, 1 oz.

black pepper, a ¼ oz. each of cloves, mace, and nutmeg; simmer it three

quarters of an hour, when cold, bottle it.--_Or_: when of a full size, but

tender, pound the walnuts, strain out the juice, let it settle and boil it

up, taking off the scum as it rises: to each 2 quarts allow 3 lbs.

anchovies, and boil gently till they are dissolved, then strain, and boil

again with a small quantity of garlic and eschalots, a stick of cinnamon, ½

an oz. each of black pepper, cloves and mace, the rind of 2 lemons, 3 pints

of vinegar, 4 wine-glassfuls of port wine, and the same of strong beer;

boil it gently three quarters of an hour; scum well. The longer this is

kept the better.

_Oyster Catsup._

Use fresh Melton oysters. Pound them in a marble mortar, and to a pint of

oysters add a pint of sherry. Boil them up, then add 1 oz. salt, 2 drachms

of pounded mace, and 1 drachm of cayenne; boil up again, skim, then strain

it through a sieve, and when cold, bottle it, and seal down the corks.

Brandy will assist to keep it: it is a nice catsup for white

sauces.--Cockles and muscles, the same way, but a pounded anchovy or two

may be added to give {331}flavour.--_Or_: boil 100 oysters in 3 pints of

sherry, with 1 lb. of anchovies, and 1 lemon sliced, for half an hour; then

strain it, add a ¼ oz. cloves, ¼ oz. mace, 2 oz. eschalots, and 1 nutmeg

sliced, boil it a quarter of an hour: when cold, bottle it, with the spice

and eschalots. If the oysters are large they should be cut.

_Tomata Catsup._

Take 6 doz. tomatas, 2 doz. eschalots, 1 doz. cloves of garlic, 2 sticks of

horse-radish, and 6 bay leaves; slice and put them in 1½ pint of vinegar,

with a handful of salt, 2 oz. pepper, 2 oz. allspice, and a little mace.

Boil well together, ten minutes, pour it into a pan, let it stand till the

next day, add a pint of sherry, give it one boil, take it off the fire,

skim it, and after it has stood a few minutes, add a tea-cupful of anchovy

sauce, and a tea-spoonful of cayenne. Strain, and when cold, bottle it. The

pulp may be rubbed through a sieve for sauce.

_Lobster Catsup._

Get a lobster of about 3 lbs. weight, and full of spawn, pick out all the

meat, and pound the coral with 6 anchovies in a marble mortar: when

completely bruised, add the meat, pound and moisten it with ½ a pint of

sherry or Madeira, a tea-spoonful of cayenne, a wine-glassful of chili or

eschalot vinegar, and 1½ pint of eschalot wine; mix well, put it into

wide-mouthed bottles, on the top put a dessert-spoonful of whole black

peppers, to each bottle: cork tightly, rosin them, and tie leather over.

Keep in a cool place. 4 or 5 table-spoonsful to a tureen of thick melted

butter.

{332}CHAPTER XXVIII.

THE CELLAR.

A GOOD cellar, besides its general convenience, in regard to a variety of

household purposes, is indispensable to every one who wishes to have good

beer. However skilful and successful the brewer, no beer, nor, indeed, any

fermented liquors (with few exceptions), can be kept good, any length of

time, especially in the summer months, unless they be secured from being

turned sour by heat, and by sudden variations of the atmosphere. No cellar

can be considered perfect which is not below the surface of the ground.

Houses in the country are frequently without the convenience of underground

cellaring; but every house ought, where it is practicable, to be built over

cellars, which, independently of other advantages, contribute very

materially to the dryness and warmth of the building.

The directions for brewing, given by my father, in his "_Cottage Economy_,"

are so circumstantial, and so simple, clear, and intelligible, that any

person, however inexperienced, who reads them with attention, may, without

further instruction, venture to brew without risk of a failure. It is

certain that many families, who had previously never thought of brewing

their own beer, have been encouraged by the plainness and simplicity of his

directions to attempt it, and have never since been without good home-made

beer. Brewing is not, perhaps, in strictness, a feminine occupation; there

are, nevertheless, many women who are exceedingly skilful in the art. It is

obviously not within the province of the mistress of a house, even to

superintend the brewing department, but, when circumstances may render it

necessary that she should undertake the task, she cannot, when about to

give her directions, do better than consult the "_Cottage Economy_."

{333}The utensils necessary are: a copper, a mash-tub and stand, an

under-back, to stand under the edge of the mash-tub, when the malt is put

in, two buckets, a strainer, a cooler, a tun-tub, and a cask to put the

beer in.

Having these utensils, the next thing is, materials for making the beer.

These are, soft water, malt, and hops. The water should be _soft_, because

hard water does not so well extract the goodness of the malt; but if you

have none but hard water, soften it by letting it stand two days in some

open vessel in the air. The malt should be (or, at least, usually is)

ground or bruised into a very coarse meal. The hops should be fresh, of a

bright yellow, and highly scented. Farnham hops are the cleanest and best.

I give receipts for finings, but do not recommend them, though they

certainly will make beer clear which might not be so without them.

The process is this: if you mean to make about a hogshead of beer, take 120

gallons of water (soft, or softened by exposure to the air), and put it

into the copper. When it has boiled, pour it into the malt. This is rather

a nice matter; if you put in the malt too soon, it cakes and becomes dough.

The old-fashioned rule is, to let the steam keep flying off till you can

see your features in the water; but as the weather frequently renders this

an uncertain criterion, take your thermometer, and plunge it into the water

now and then, and when the quicksilver stands at 170, the heat is about

right. Pour the malt in gently, taking care to stir it about as it goes in,

so as to separate it, and make every particle come in contact with the

water; when it is all in, stir it for twenty minutes or half an hour; then

put your stirring-stick across the mash-tub, and cover cloths all over to

keep in the heat. Let this, which is called _mashing_, go on for four or

five hours. It cannot well be too long about. When the malt has remained

soaking all this time, draw off the liquor by means of your buckets, and

put it into the copper again. This liquor is called the "_sweet wort_."

Light the fire under the copper, and pour into it, for _every bushel_ of

malt that you have mashed, ¾ lb. of _hops_, or, if not very good, 1 lb. for

every bushel. Stir these well into the wort, and keep it on a good hard

boil for an hour, being very particular to make it boil all the while. This

being done, you have now to cool the beer: {334}rake the fire out from

under the copper, and again take out your liquor in your buckets; put the

cooler in some place away from the chances of dirt falling into it, and

where it may stand level; then strain the liquor into it. The next

operation is, the _working_; and the most difficult part of this is, to

ascertain when, precisely, the liquor is cool enough to bear it.

Experienced brewers generally ascertain this by the feel of the liquor, by

merely putting the finger into it; but it is better to use the thermometer

again; plunge it in, and when the quicksilver stands at 70 the heat is

right. Then, with your buckets again, put the whole of the liquor out of

the cooler into the tun-tub; and take a pint, or thereabouts, of fresh

yeast (balm), and mix it in a bowl with some of the liquor; then pour it

into the tun-tub with the liquor that is now cool enough to be set to work;

mix it up a little by dipping the bowl in once or twice, and pouring it

down from a height of two or three feet above the surface of the liquor in

the tun-tub; then cover the tun-tub with cloths, as you did the mash-tub.

In a few hours it will begin to work; that is, a little froth, like that of

bottled porter, will begin to rise upon the surface; when this has risen to

its height, and begins to flatten at the top and sink, it should be skimmed

off, and is good yeast, and the beer is ready to put into the cask in your

cellar. When you put it into the cask, let it stand a day, without being

bunged down, because it may work a little there. When you find that it does

not, then, if you use finings, put them in, and bung down tightly.

The following receipt is given to me by a gentleman who is celebrated for

the excellence of his beer.

Suppose the brewer is about to make a hogshead of beer of good strength.

Eight bushels of malt will be sufficient. Let the water, if not _soft_,

stand two days in some vessel in the open air, which will soften it. One

hundred and twenty gallons will be sufficient; and, if he uses ground malt,

let him remember to attend to the heat of the water in the mash-tub before

he puts it in, and also to the stirring and separating as it goes in. When

it has stood long enough in the mash-tub, he must draw it off, and put it

into the copper, and then throw in ¾ lb. of good hops _for every bushel of

malt_; or, if the hops be not really good and strong, 1 lb. _to the

bushel_. Boil the liquor at least an hour; {335}but be very particular to

make it boil the whole time; for much depends on this. Beer that has not

boiled well is always crude, and soon spoils. It is the great fault of most

brewers, that, to save the evaporation caused by a good boiling, they cool

the liquor before it is sufficiently cooked. When it has boiled the proper

time, pour it immediately, hot as it is, into a clean cask; put the bung

and vent-peg in lightly; watch the cask, and when you find fermentation

going on, which will show itself by a little oozing out of froth round the

bung, take out both bung and vent-peg, and let them remain out till the

working is over, and the froth begins to sink down into the cask; then put

the bung and vent-peg in tightly, and the brewing is over. The cask should

not be filled to running over, yet very little space should be left below

the bung when driven in, as the body of air that would fill this vacancy

would deaden the beer.

This mode deviates from that practised by my father, in two essential

points: namely, the _cooling_ and the _working_ of the beer; for, in the

last receipt it is not cooled at all, and no yeast is required to work it.

If it answers, it is a less troublesome, and, calculating the cost of the

coolers, less expensive mode of brewing than that detailed in the "_Cottage

Economy_."

The "Cottage Economy" speaks of the necessity of keeping the casks in good

order; and this is a matter, though of great importance, often neglected.

New casks should be seasoned before they are used; one way recommended is,

to boil 2 pecks of bran or malt dust in a copper of water, pour it hot into

the cask, stop close, and let it stand two days, then wash it out well, and

drain the cask. Servants are negligent about vent-pegs and bungs. They

should be put in tight, the tap taken out, and a cork put in, as soon as

the last beer is drawn. If the casks were kept in proper order, beer would

not so often be spoiled. Of equal consequence, is the cleanness of the

brewing utensils. They should be scoured well with a brush and scalding

water, after they have been used. Do not use soap or any thing greasy. A

strong ley of wood ashes may be used, if there be any apprehension of

taint. When hops are dear, gentian may be substituted in part for them, in

the proportion of 8¼ oz. gentian, and 2 lbs. hops, to 12 bushels of malt.

{336}_To Fine Beer._

Draw out a gallon of ale, put to it 2 oz. isinglass, cut small and beaten;

stir the beer, and whip it with a whisk, to dissolve the isinglass, then

strain, and pour it back into the cask, stir well, a few minutes, and put

the bung in lightly, because a fresh fermentation will take place. When

that is over stop it close; let the vent-peg be loose. Fermentation is

over, make the vent-peg tight; and in a fortnight the beer will be fine.

Drink 3 parts, and bottle the rest.--A good way to fine new beer, is to run

the wort through a flannel into the tun, before it has worked.

_For Stale Small Beer._

Put 1 lb. chalk, in small pieces, into a half hogshead, and stop it close.

It will be fit to drink on the third day.--_Or_: put half chalk, and the

other half hops.

_To Bottle Beer._

Stone bottles are best. The best corks the cheapest, put them in cold water

half an hour before you use them. The bottles perfectly clean and sweet,

fill them with beer, put in each bottle a small tea-spoonful of powdered

sugar, and let them stand uncorked, till the next day: then cork, and lay

the bottles on their sides; or, better still, stand them with the necks

downwards.--When a bottle is emptied, the cork should be returned into it

directly, or it will become musty.

_To Make Cider._

The apples quite ripe, but not rotten. If the weather be frosty, gather the

apples, and spread them from 1 to 2 feet thick, on the ground, and cover

with straw; if mild, let them hang on the trees, or remain under, if

fallen, until you are ready to make the cider. It should not be made in

warm weather, unless they are beginning to rot, in which case you must not

delay. Unripe fruit should be made by itself, as the cider never

keeps.--Large cider mills will make from 100 to 150 gallons in a day,

according to the difference in the quality of fruit, some sorts of apples

being {337}more tough and less juicy than others, consequently requiring

more grinding. Not more than 7 or 8 bushels should be put into the mill at

once. They should be ground, till the kernels and rinds are all well

mashed, to give the flavour to cider. Pour the cider from the mill into a

press; press the juice well, then pour it into hogsheads. When it has done

fermenting, and the time for this is very uncertain, rack it off into other

hogsheads, let it settle, and then bung it down.

----

ENGLISH WINES AND CORDIALS.

Fruit of every kind should be gathered in dry sunny weather, quite ripe.

All home made wines are the better for a little brandy; though some persons

never use any.

_To Clear Wine._

Dissolve ½ lb. hartshorn shavings in cider or rhenish wine; this is

sufficient for a hogshead.--_Or_: to 2 table-spoonsful boiled rice, add ½

oz. burnt alum in powder: mix with a pint, or more, of the wine, stir it

into the cask, with a stout stick, but do not agitate the lees.--_Or_:

dissolve ½ oz. isinglass, in a pint or more of the wine, mix with it ½ oz.

of chalk in powder, and put it into the cask: stir the wine, but not the

lees.

_British Sherry, or Malt Wine._

Take 12 quarts of the best sweet wort, from pale malt, let it cool and put

it into a 10 gallon cask. Take as much water as will be required to fill up

the cask, put it on the fire, with 22 lbs. of the best lump sugar, stir

from time to time, and let it boil gently about a quarter of an hour,

taking off the scum as it rises. Take it off the fire, let it cool, pour it

into the cask, and put in a little good yeast. It may, perhaps, continue to

ferment two or three weeks; when this has ceased, put in 3 lbs. raisins,

chopped fine; these may cause fresh fermentation, which must be allowed to

subside; then put in the rinds of 4 Seville oranges, and their juice, also

a quart of good brandy; at the end of three {338}or four days, if a fresh

fermentation have not taken place, put the bung in tight. Keep it a year in

the cask, then bottle it; the longer it is kept the better.--_Or_: stir 42

lbs. good moist sugar into 14 gallons of water, till it is dissolved, then

boil it twenty minutes; let it cool in a tub, then put in 16 lbs. good

Malaga raisins, picked and chopped; when it is quite cold pour in 2 gallons

of strong beer ready to be tunned, and let it stand eight days; then taking

out the raisins, put it into a 16 gallon cask, with 2 quarts of the best

brandy, 1 lb. bitter almonds blanched, and 2 oz. isinglass. Bottle it in a

year.

_British Madeira._

Boil 30 lbs. moist sugar in 10 gallons of water, half an hour, and scum

well. Let it cool, and to every gallon put 1 quart of ale, out of the vat;

let this work, in a tub, a day or two; then put it in the cask, with 1 lb.

sugar candy, 6 lbs. raisins, 1 quart of brandy, and 2 oz. isinglass. When

it has ceased to ferment, bung it tight, for a year.

_English Frontiniac._

Boil 11 lbs. lump sugar in 4 gallons of water, half an hour; when only milk

warm, put it to nearly a peck of elder flowers, picked clear from the

stalks, the juice and peel of 4 large lemons, cut very thin, 3 lbs. stoned

raisins, and 2 or 3 spoonsful yeast: stir often, for four or five days.

When quite done working, bung it tight, and bottle it in a week.

_Red Currant Wine._

To 28 lbs. of moist sugar, allow 4 gallons of water, pour it over the

sugar, and stir it well. Have a sieve of currants (which usually produces

between 10 and 11 quarts of juice), squeeze the fruit with the hand, to

break the currants, and as you do so, put the crushed fruit into a

horse-hair sieve, press it, and when no more will run through the sieve,

wring the fruit in a coarse cloth. Pour the juice on the sugar and water,

mix it, and then pour it all into a 9 gallon cask, and fill it with water,

if the barrel should not be full.--The cask should be filled up {339}with

water every day, while the wine ferments, and be bunged up tight, when it

ceases. This is a cheap and simple method of making currant wine.--_Or_:

put a bushel of red, and a peck of white currants, into a tub or pan,

squeeze well; strain them through a sieve upon 28 lbs. of powdered sugar;

when the sugar is dissolved put in some water in the proportion of 1½

gallon to 1 gallon of juice, pour it all into the barrel, add 3 or 4 pints

of raspberries, and a little brandy.

_Raisin Wine._

Put the raisins in at the bung-hole of a close cask (which will be the

better for having recently had wine in it), then pour in spring water, in

the proportion of a gallon to 8 lbs. raisins; the cask should stand in a

good cellar, not affected by external air. When the fermentation begins to

subside, pour in a bottle of brandy, and put the bung in loosely; when the

fermentation has wholly subsided, add a second bottle of brandy, and stop

the cask close. In a year it will be fit to bottle, immediately from the

cask, without refining. Malaga raisins make the finest wine: Smyrna, rich

and full, and more resembling foreign wine.

_Gooseberry Wine._

To every pound of green gooseberries, picked and bruised, add 1 quart of

water, steep them four days, stirring twice a day. Strain the liquor

through a sieve, and to every gallon add 3 lbs. loaf sugar; also to every

20 gallons, a quart of brandy, and a little isinglass. When the sugar is

dissolved, tun the wine, and let it work, which it will do in a week, or

little more, keeping back some of the wine to fill up the cask, before you

stop it close. Let it stand in the barrel six months, bottle it, in six

more begin to drink it.

_To make 4 gallons of Elder Wine._

Boil 1 peck of berries in 4 gallons of water, half an hour; strain and add

2½ lbs. moist sugar. To every gallon of water add ½ oz. cloves, and 2 oz.

ginger, tied in a linen {340}bag, boil it again five minutes, and pour it

into a pan. When cold, toast a piece of bread on both sides, spread it with

good yeast, and put it in the wine. When worked sufficiently, put it into a

spirit cask, and cork it down; take the spice out of the cloth, and put it

into the cask, with a tumbler of brandy. Leave the vent peg out a few days;

in three weeks or a month bottle it. _Elder Wine to drink cold._--Boil 1

gallon of berries in 2 gallons of water, two hours and a half. Add 3 lbs.

moist sugar to every gallon of wine; boil it twenty minutes. Next day work

it with a yeast toast. When worked enough, cask it, with ½ a bottle of

brandy, and 7 lbs. raisins.

_Ginger Wine._

Boil in 9 gallons of water 12 lbs. loaf sugar, 12 lbs. of moist, 12 oz.

good ginger sliced, and the rind of 8 lemons, half an hour, scumming all

the time; let it stand till lukewarm, put it into a clean cask with the

juice of the lemons, 6 lbs. chopped raisins, and a tea-cupful of yeast,

stir every day for ten days, add ¾ oz. of isinglass and 2 quarts of brandy.

Stop close, and in four months bottle it.--_Or_: in 12 gallons of water

boil 12 lbs. loaf sugar, 12 oz. ginger, and the rind of 24 lemons, half an

hour, scumming all the time; then put it in the cask with the lemon juice,

12 lbs. raisins, and the yeast, stir every day for a fortnight, add 2 oz.

isinglass and 1 quart of brandy.

_Mountain Wine._

To 5 lbs. of large Malaga raisins, chopped very small, put a gallon of

spring water; steep them a fortnight; squeeze out the liquor, and put it in

a barrel: do not stop close until the hissing is over.

_Primrose Wine._

Boil 18 lbs. lump sugar in 6 gallons of water, with the juice of 8 lemons,

6 Seville oranges, and the whites of 8 eggs; boil half an hour, taking off

the scum as it rises; when cool put in a crust of toasted bread, soaked in

yeast, let it ferment thirty-six hours: put into the cask the peel of 12

lemons, and of 10 Seville oranges, with 6 gallons of {341}primrose pips,

then pour in the liquor. Stir every day for a week, add 3 pints of brandy;

stop the cask close, and in six weeks bottle the wine.

_Cowslip Wine._

Boil 3½ lbs. lump sugar in 4 quarts of water an hour, skim and let it stand

until lukewarm, pour it into a pan, upon 4 quarts of cowslip flowers; add a

piece of toasted bread spread with yeast, and let it stand four days: put

in as many lemons, sliced, as you have gallons of wine, mix and put it into

a cask, and stop close.

_Grape Wine._

To 1 gallon of bruised grapes (not over ripe), put 1 gallon of water. Let

it stand six days, without stirring, strain it off fine, and to each gallon

put 3 lbs. moist sugar; barrel, but do not stop it, till it has done

hissing.--_Or_: the fruit barely half ripe, pick from the stalks, and

bruise it, then put it in hair cloths, add an equal weight of water, and

let it stand eighteen hours, stirring occasionally: dissolve in it from 3

lbs. to 3½ lbs. lump sugar, to each gallon, as you wish the wine to be more

or less strong. Put it in a cask, fill it to the brim, and have 2 or 3

quarts in reserve to fill up with, as it diminishes by fermenting. Let it

ferment ten days, when that is over, and there is no danger of the cask

bursting, fasten it tight, leaving a small vent to open once a week, for a

month. Fine and rack the wine in March, and bottle it in October; for a

_brisk_ wine, it must ferment eight days longer, and be bottled the

following March, in cold weather.

_Parsnip Wine._

Boil 1 bushel of sliced parsnips in 60 quarts of water, one hour, then

strain it, add 45 lbs. lump sugar, boil one hour more, and when cold

ferment with yeast; add a quart of brandy, then bottle it.--_Or_: to each

gallon of water add 4 lbs. of parsnips, washed and peeled, which boil till

tender; drain, but do not bruise them, for no remedy will make the wine

clear: to each gallon of the liquor add 3 lbs. loaf sugar, and ½ oz. crude

tartar, and when cooled to the {342}temperature of 75, put in a little new

yeast; let it stand four days, in a tub, in a warm room; tun it, and bung

up when the fermentation has ceased. March and October are the best

seasons. It should remain twelve months in cask before it is bottled.

_Almond Wine._

Warm a gallon of water, add 3 lbs. loaf sugar, stir well from the bottom,

and put in the white of an egg well beaten. When the water boils, stir,

skim, and boil it an hour, put it in a pan to cool, and add ½ pint of

yeast. Tun it next day, work it ten days, stirring once a day, then add to

every gallon 1 lb. of sun raisins chopped, and rather less than ¼ lb. of

almonds (pounded), more of bitter than sweet, and a little isinglass. Stop

the cask close, for twelve months.

_Cherry Bounce._

To 4 quarts of brandy, 4 lbs. of red cherries, 2 lbs. of black cherries,

and 1 quart of raspberries, a few cloves, a stick of cinnamon, and a bit of

orange peel: let it stand a month, close stopped, then bottle it; a lump of

sugar in each bottle.

_Orange Wine._

To 10 gallons of spring water put 30 lbs. of lump sugar: mix well, and put

it on the fire with the whites of 7 eggs well beaten; do not stir before it

boils: when it has boiled half an hour, skim well, put it into a tub, and

let it stand till cold. Then put to it a pint of good ale yeast, and the

peels of 10 Seville oranges very thin, let it stand two days, stirring

night and morning. Then barrel it, adding the juice of 40 Seville oranges,

and their peels. When it has done working, stop it close for six months

before it is bottled.--_Or_: to 10 gallons of water, put 32 lbs. loaf

sugar, and the whites of 4 eggs, beaten, boil as long as any scum rises,

take that off, pour it through a sieve, and boil again, until quite clear;

then pour it into a pan. Peel 100 Seville oranges, very thin; when the

steam is a little gone off the water, put the peel into it, keeping back

about a double handful. When the liquor is quite cold, squeeze in the

{343}juice; let it stand two days, stirring occasionally; then strain it,

through a hair sieve, into the cask, with the peel in reserve. If the

fermentation has ceased, it may be bunged down in a week or ten days.

_Orange Brandy._

Steep the rinds of 8 Seville oranges and 3 lemons with 3 lbs. lump sugar,

in 1 gallon of brandy, four days and nights. Stir often, and run it through

blotting paper.

_A Liqueur._

Fill one third of a quart bottle with black currants and a quarter part as

much of black cherries, fill up with brandy, put in a cork, and let it

stand a month; strain it through linen, put in sugar to taste, let it stand

again a month, then strain and bottle it.--_Quince_ may he used the same

way, but in _Rum_.

_Shrub._

To 1 quart of strained orange juice, put 2 lbs. loaf sugar, and 9 pints of

rum or brandy; also the peels of half the oranges. Let it stand one night,

then strain, pour into a cask, and shake it four times a day for four days.

Let it stand till fine, then bottle it.--_Lemon Shrub_: to 1 gallon of rum

or whiskey, put 1½ pint of strained lemon juice, 4 lbs. of lump sugar, the

peel of 9 lemons, and 5 bitter almonds. Mix the lemon juice and sugar

first, let it stand a week, take off all the scum, then pour it from one

jug carefully to another, and bottle it.

_Currant Rum._

To every pint of currant juice 1 lb. lump sugar, and to every 2 quarts of

juice, 1 pint of water, set it over the fire, in a preserving pan, boil it,

take off the scum, as it rises, and pour it into a pan to cool, stir till

nearly cold, add to every 3 pints of liquor, 1 quart of rum, and bottle it.

_Ratafia._

Infuse 1 oz. each of anise, dill, carraway, coriander, {344}carrot, fennel,

and angelica seeds, in 2 quarts of brandy, a fortnight in summer, and three

weeks in winter: in the sun in summer, and in a chimney corner in winter.

Shake it every day; strain through a jelly bag, and to every pint put 6 oz.

of sugar, dissolved in water. Strain again, that it may be quite

fine.--_Or_: _for Pudding Sauces_: blanch an equal quantity of peach,

apricot, and nectarine kernels, slit and put them into a wide-mouthed

bottle, with 1 oz. white sugar candy; fill it with brandy.

_Noyeau._

Put ¼ lb. sweet and ¼ lb. bitter almonds with 2 lbs. sugar and the rinds of

3 lemons into a quart of brandy (white is best), with ½ pint new milk:

shake and mix well together, every day for a fortnight; then strain and

bottle it.

_Real Drogheda Usquebaugh._

1 oz. anise seeds, ½ oz. fennel, 1 oz. green liquorice, 1 drachm coriander

seeds, of cloves and mace, each 1 drachm, 1 lb. raisins of the sun, and ½

lb. figs. Slice the liquorice, bruise the other ingredients, and infuse all

in a gallon of brandy eight days. Shake it 2 or 3 times a day; strain it,

add 1 oz. of saffron in a bag: in two days bottle it.

_Milk Punch._

Take 2 quarts of water, 1 quart of milk, ½ pint of lemon juice, 1 quart of

brandy, and sugar to your taste: put the milk and water together a little

warm, then the sugar, then the lemon juice, stir well, then add the brandy;

stir again, run it through a flannel bag, till very fine; then bottle it.

It will keep a fortnight or more.--_Or_: steep the rinds of 6 lemons in a

bottle of rum three days; add 1 quart of lemon juice, 3 quarts of cold soft

water, 3 quarts of rum, 3 lbs. lump sugar, and 2 nutmegs grated; mix well,

add 2 quarts boiling milk, let it stand five hours; strain through a jelly

bag, and bottle it.

_Excellent Punch._

Put a piece of lemon peel into 3 pints of barley water, let {345}it cool,

add the juice of 6 lemons, and ½ pint of brandy; sweeten to taste, and put

it in the cool, for four hours. Add a little fine old rum.

_Norfolk Punch._

Steep the pulp of 12 lemons and 12 oranges, in 4 gallons of rum or brandy,

twenty-four hours. Boil 12 lbs. of double refined sugar in 6 gallons of

water, with the whites of 6 eggs, beaten to a froth; scum well; when cold,

put it into the vessel with the rum, 6 quarts of orange juice, the juice of

12 lemons, also 2 quarts of new milk. Shake the vessel, to mix it; stop

close, and let it stand in the cask two months, before you bottle it.

_Roman Punch._

To the juice of 12 lemons and 2 oranges, add the peel of 1 orange cut thin,

and 2 lbs. pounded loaf sugar, mix well, pass through a sieve, and mix it,

gradually, with the whites of 10 eggs, beaten to a froth. Ice it a little,

then add champagne or rum to your taste.

_Regent's Punch._

A bottle of champagne, a ¼ pint of brandy, a wine glass of good old rum,

and a pint of very strong green tea, with capillaire or any other syrup, to

sweeten.

_A cool Tankard._

Mix 2 wine-glassfuls of sherry, and 1 of brandy, in a tankard, with a hot

toast, and sugar to taste; pour in a bottle of clear nice tasted ale, and

stir it with a sprig of balm: then let it settle and serve it.

_Porter Cup._

Put a bottle of porter, the same of table ale, a wine-glass of brandy, a

dessert-spoonful of syrup of ginger, 3 lumps of sugar, and half a nutmeg

grated into a covered jug, and set it in a cold place half an hour; just

before you serve it stir in a table-spoonful of carbonate of soda.

{346}_Cider Cup._

Begin with whatever quantity of brandy you choose, and go on, doubling the

other ingredients, namely: sherry, cider, soda water, a little lemon peel

and cinnamon, sugar to your taste, and a bush of borage. Some persons put

in a very little piece of the peel of cucumber, but this must be used

sparingly, as the flavour is strong.

_Ginger Beer._

Boil 14 lbs. lump sugar in 1½ gallon of water, with 2 oz. ginger, bruised,

one hour; then add the whites of 8 eggs, well beaten; boil a little longer,

and take off the scum as it rises; strain into a tub, and let it stand till

cold; put it into a cask with the peel of 14 lemons cut thin, also the

juice, a pint of brandy, and half a spoonful of ale-yeast at the top. Stop

the cask close for a fortnight: then bottle, and in another fortnight it

will be ready. Stone bottles are best.--_Or_: 1 oz. powdered ginger, ½ oz.

cream of tartar, 1 large lemon sliced, 2 lbs. lump sugar, to 1 gallon of

water, simmered half an hour: finish as above. _Ginger Imperial._--Boil 2

oz. cream of tartar, the rind and juice of 2 lemons, 4 pieces of ginger

bruised, and 1 lb. of sugar, in 6 quarts of water, half an hour. When cool,

add 2 or 3 spoonsful yeast, and let it stand twenty-four hours, then bottle

in ½ pint bottles, and tie down the corks. In three days it will be ready.

An improvement to this is ¾ lb. sugar, ¼ lb. honey, and 1 tea-spoonful of

essence of lemon.

_Spruce Beer._

Mix a pint of spruce with 12 lbs. of treacle, stir in 3 gallons of water,

let it stand half an hour, put in 3 more gallons of water, and a pint of

yeast, stir well, and pour it into a 10 gallon cask, fill that with water,

and let it work till fine; bottle it; let the bottles lie on their sides

three days, then stand them up, in three more days it will be ready.

_Crême d'Orange._

Slice 16 oranges, pour over them 1 gallon of rectified {347}spirits, and 1¼

pint of orange flower water; in ten days, add 7 lbs. of clarified syrup, a

quart of water, and ½ oz. of tincture of saffron: keep it closed, and in a

fortnight strain the liquor through a jelly bag, let it settle, then pour

from the sediment, and bottle it.

_Raspberry or Mulberry Brandy or Wine._

Bruise fine ripe fruit with the back of a wooden spoon, and strain into a

jar through a flannel bag, with 1 lb. of fine powdered loaf sugar to every

quart of juice; stir well, let it stand three days, covered close; stir

each day: pour it off clear, and put 1 quart of brandy, or 2 of sherry, to

each quart of juice; bottle it, and it will be ready in a fortnight.

_Spring Sherbet._

Scrape 10 sticks of rhubarb and boil them, ten minutes, in a quart of

water; strain the liquor through a tammis cloth into a jug, add the peel of

1 lemon, very thin, and 2 table-spoonsful of clarified sugar; in six hours

it is ready.

----

FLIP.

While a quart of ale is warming on the fire, beat 3 eggs with 4 oz. moist

sugar, a tea-spoonful of grated ginger or nutmeg, and a quart of rum or

brandy. When the ale is near boiling, pour it into one pitcher, the eggs

and rum into another, and turn it from one to the other, until smooth as

cream.

_Egg Wine._

To 1 quart of Lisbon white wine, put 1 quart of water, sweeten to taste,

and add a little nutmeg. Have ready the yolks of 3 eggs well beaten; boil

the mixed wine and water, and pour it quickly on the beaten eggs, and pour

from one bason to another, until it froths high. Serve in cups.

_To Mull Wine._

Boil the quantity you choose, of cinnamon, nutmeg {348}grated, cloves or

mace, in a ¼ pint of water; add a pint of Port, and sugar to taste, boil it

up, and serve it hot.

_The Pope's Posset._

Blanch, pound, then boil in a little water, ½ lb. sweet, and a very few

bitter almonds, strain, and put the liquid into a quart of heated white

wine, with sugar to sweeten; beat well, and serve hot.

CHAPTER XXIX.

THE DAIRY.

THIS, of all the departments of country house-keeping, is the one which

most quickly suffers from neglect; and of all the appendages to a country

dwelling, there is nothing which so successfully rivals the flower garden,

in exciting admiration, as a nice dairy. From the show-dairy, with its

painted glass windows, marble fountains and china bowls, to that of the

common farm house, with its red brick floor, deal shelves, and brown

milk-pans, the dairy is always an object of interest, and is associated

with every idea of real comfort, as well as of imaginary enjoyment,

attendant upon a country life.

The management of this important department in a country establishment,

from the milking of the cows, to the making of the butter and the cheese,

must necessarily be almost wholly intrusted to a dairy maid, who ought to

be _experienced_ in the various duties of her office, or she cannot be

skilful in the performance of them. Those persons who have excelled in

dairy work, have generally learnt their business when quite young, as a

knowledge of it is not to be hastily acquired. The great art of butter and

cheese-making, consists in extreme care and scrupulous cleanliness; and an

experienced dairy maid knows, that when her butter has a bad taste, some of

the dairy utensils, the churn, the pail, or the pans, have been neglected

in the scalding, _or_, the butter {349}itself not well made: unless,

indeed, as is sometimes the case, the fault lies in the food provided for

the cows.

_Note._--COBBETT'S "Cottage Economy" contains directions for the keeping

and feeding of cows.

The utmost care and diligence, on the part of the dairy maid, may, however,

prove ineffectual, if the dairy itself be not convenient, and provided with

the proper utensils. The principal requisites of a dairy are, coolness in

summer, and a temperature warmer than the external air, in very cold

weather. The building should, therefore, be so constructed, as to exclude

the sun in summer, and the cold in winter. The windows should never front

the South, South East, or South West. They should be latticed, or, which is

preferable, wired, to admit a free circulation of air, with glazed frames,

to be shut and opened, at pleasure. The room should be lofty, and the walls

thick, as nothing more effectually preserves an even temperature, or

excludes extremes of cold and heat. It should be paved with brick or stone,

and laid with a proper descent, so that all water may be drained off. The

floor should be washed every day in summer, and three or four times a week

in the winter.

The utensils should not be scalded in the dairy, as the steam from hot

water is injurious to milk. Neither rennet, cheese, or cheese-press, should

be kept in it, as they diffuse an acidity. The dairy should not be used as

a larder; it cannot be too scrupulously devoted to its own proper purposes.

The cows should be milked twice a day, and as nearly at the same hour as

possible; and they should be milked _quite clean_: this is a matter of

great consequence, not only as being conducive to the health of the

animals, but if neglected, very much diminishes the value of their produce;

for that which is milked last, is much richer than that which is first

milked.

Some persons when they strain the milk into pans, for creaming, pour into

each one, a little boiling hot water (in the proportion of 1 quart of water

to 3 pails of milk); this was never done in our dairy in Hampshire, but I

believe the effect is, to destroy the taste of turnip. It is very good, for

this purpose, to keep a piece of saltpetre in the cream pot. This latter

should have a stick in it, and be well {350}stirred up twice a day, or,

every time the dairy maid goes into the dairy. The cream should not be kept

longer than four days, before it is made into butter. If twice a week be

too often to churn, it ought not to be less frequent than three times in a

fortnight. In private families the milk is generally skimmed only once, and

this leaves the milk very good; but where butter is made for sale, and

quantity rather than quality, is the object, a second skimming is generally

resorted to. Some dairy maids object to the second skimming, on account of

the bitter taste, which they say the cream so skimmed is sure to give the

butter.

_To Make Butter._

In summer the churn should be filled with cold spring water, and in winter

scalded with hot water, preparatory to churning; then pour the cream in,

through a straining cloth. In warm weather the churning should be performed

in a cool place; and, in a general way, the butter will come in an hour;

but it often does come in half the time, though it is not the better for

coming so quickly. In very cold weather the churning must be done in a warm

place; indeed, it is sometimes necessary to bring the churn near the fire,

but this should never be allowed but in extreme cold weather, when the

butter will sometimes be five or six hours in coming: when this is the

case, it is almost always of a white colour and a poor taste. The butter

being come, pour off the buttermilk, leaving the butter in the churn, pour

in a pailful of cold water, wash the butter about, pour off the water, and

pour in a fresh pailful; let the butter stand in this ten minutes. Scald a

milk-pan, and stand it half an hour or more in cold water, lift the butter

out of the churn into it, pour fresh water over, and wash the butter about

well, drain the water off as dry as possible, and then proceed to work the

buttermilk out of the butter. Some persons do this with the hands (which

should first be dipped in hot water), others with a straining-cloth: if the

latter, scald and wring it dry; then work the butter by squeezing it, by

degrees, from one side of the pan to the other, pour cold water over to

rinse, and pour that off; then work the butter back again, and rinse again;

repeat this till the rinsing water is no longer coloured with milk,

{351}and then you may be sure that the buttermilk is all worked out; for,

if there be any of it left, the butter will have streaks of white when cut,

and will not be sweet. Having worked out the milk, the next thing is, to

put in the salt. The quantity must depend, in some measure, on taste; some

persons like their butter very much salted, while others think that the

flavour of salt should not be distinguishable in fresh butter. Roll it

quite fine, and you may allow ½ lb. to 5 lbs. butter: press the butter out

thin, sprinkle over it some salt, fold up the butter, press it out again,

strew over more salt, fold it up again, and so on, till all the salt is in,

work the butter about well, to mix the salt with it, and pour off whatever

liquid there may be in the pan. Take the butter out, a piece at a time (if

the quantity be great), on a square wooden trencher (previously scalded and

dipped into cold water), and, either with the hand, a fresh cloth, or a

flat, thin piece of wood (made for the purpose), beat the butter out thin,

fold it up, beat it out again, and repeat this several times, till the

water is all beaten out. By the time it has arrived at this latter stage,

it ought to be quite firm, except in extreme hot weather, when no pains are

sufficient to make it so. When the water is all out, make up the butter, in

what form and size you choose; place it on a board, or a marble slab, in a

cool place, but not before a window, as too much air will not benefit it;

spread over it a cheese-cloth, first scalded, then dipped in cold water,

and it will harden in a few hours.

Different parts of England vary so much in the butter they produce, that

what is considered very good in one county would be regarded as inferior in

another. This is caused by difference in the pasturage, and not by

variation in the mode of preparing the cream or making the butter; except,

indeed, in some parts of the West of England. In Devonshire the cream is

always, I believe, prepared according to the following directions, which

were written for me by a Devonshire lady.

_To make Butter without a Churn._

Spread a linen cloth in a large bason, pour in the cream, tie it up like a

pudding, fold another cloth over it, and bury it in a hole two feet deep,

in light earth, put all the earth {352}lightly in, lay a turf on the top,

and leave it twenty-four hours; take it up, and it will be found in the

state that butter is when it is just come. The buttermilk is lost, but this

method answers very well in hot weather. We tried it in America.

_Clouted Cream._

Strain the milk, from the cow, into glazed earthenware vessels, and let it

stand twelve hours in summer, and twenty-four, or thirty-six, in winter,

before you scald it. Then place the vessels over a very small fire or

hearth, for half or three-quarters of an hour, until the surface begins to

swell, and the shape of the bottom of the pan appears on it (but if made

hot enough to simmer, it will be spoiled); then set it to cool, and in

twelve hours' time in summer, and eighteen or twenty-four in winter, the

cream may be taken off with a skimmer which has holes.

_Butter from Clouted Cream._

Scald well a large wooden bowl, then rinse it with cold water, but do not

wipe it dry. Put in the cream, work it well with the hand (in one direction

only), until the milk comes from it, which should be drained off, and will

serve for making cakes and puddings; when the milk is all beaten out, wash

the butter with cold water to cleanse it from the milk, then salt it, thus:

spread it out on the bottom of the bowl, sprinkle salt over, roll it up,

wash it again with cold water, beat out again, then shape and print it, as

you please. The hands should be well washed in hot water, before you begin

to work the butter. In winter and in weather of a moderate temperature the

butter is speedily made, but in very hot weather it will take nearly or

quite an hour of stirring round, and working with the hand, before it will

come into butter.

_To Pot Butter for Winter use._

In the summer, when there is plenty of butter, care should be taken to

preserve enough for winter use. But observe, that none but good butter,

well made, and quite free from buttermilk, will pot well. Have potting

pans, to hold from 6 to 10 lbs. of butter. Put a thick layer of butter

{353}in the pan, press it down hard, then a layer of salt, press that down,

then more butter, and so on: allowing 1 oz. of salt to every lb. of butter.

If too salt, it can be freshened by being washed in cold water, before it

is sent to table. Always keep the top well covered with salt, and as that

turns to brine, more salt may be required. Tie paper over, and keep the pan

in the dairy, or cellar. Some persons use one quarter part of lump sugar,

and the same of saltpetre, to two parts of common salt.

_To Make Cheese._

The milk should be just lukewarm, whether skimmed or not. To a pailful put

2 table-spoonsful of rennet, cover the milk, and let it stand, to turn:

strike down the curd with the skimming dish, or break it with the hand,

pour off the whey, put the curd into a cheese-cloth, and let two persons

hold the four corners, and move it about, from side to side, to extract the

whey: lay it into the vat, fold the cloth smoothly over the cheese, cover

it with the lid of the vat, and put a weight of 10 or 12 lbs. on the top.

Let it stand twelve hours; then take it carefully out, put it on a wooden

trencher, or a clean hanging shelf, and sprinkle salt thickly over the top.

The next day, wipe it dry all over, turn it the other side upwards,

sprinkle salt on the top, and repeat this every day, for a week: after

that, turn it every day, and occasionally wipe it.--_Another_: to 6 quarts

new milk, add 2 quarts lukewarm water, and sufficient rennet to turn it:

when the curd is settled put it into a small vat, about a foot square, and

1½ inch deep, with holes in the bottom; place a lid on it, and put on that

a lb. weight, for a day.--_Another_: put 5 quarts of the last of the

milking into a pan, with 2 table-spoonsful of rennet; when the curd is

come, strike it down with the skimming dish two or three times, to break

it: let it stand two hours. Spread a cheese-cloth on a sieve, put the curd

on it, and let the whey drain; break the curd with the hand, put it into a

vat, and a 2 lbs. weight on the top. When it has stood twelve hours, take

it out and bind a cloth round it. Turn it every day, from one board to

another. Cover the cheese with nettle leaves, and put it between 2 pewter

plates, to ripen. It will be ready in three weeks.

{354}CHAPTER XXX.

COOKERY FOR THE SICK.

OFTEN when the Doctor's skill has saved the life of his patient, and it

remains for the diligent nurse to prepare the cooling drinks and

restorative foods, the taste and the appetite of sick persons are so

capricious that they will reject the very thing which they had just before

chosen: and frequently, if consulted upon the subject, will object to

something which, if it had appeared unexpectedly before them, they would,

perhaps, have cheerfully partaken of. Everything which is prepared for a

sick person should be delicately clean, served quickly, in the nicest

order; and in a small quantity at a time.

_See, in the Index_, _Mutton_ and _Chicken_ broths.

_Mutton Chops to Stew._

Chops for an invalid may be stewed till tender, in cold water to cover

them, over a _slow fire_; scum carefully, add 1 onion, and if approved, 3

turnips. The broth will be very delicate.

_A Nourishing Broth._

Put 1 lb. lean beef, 1 lb. scrag of veal, and 1 lb. scrag of mutton, into a

saucepan with water enough to cover, and a little salt, let it boil to

throw up the scum, take that off, pour off the water, and take off all the

scum hanging about the meat: pour in 2½ quarts of warm (not hot) water, let

it boil, and simmer gently till very much reduced, and the meat in rags. A

faggot of herbs may be added, and a few peppercorns: also an onion, if

desired. When the broth is cold remove the fat. If to serve at once, the

fat may be taken off, by laying a piece of blotting paper over the

top.--_Tapioca_ is very nice in broths for invalids.--_Or_: put {355}a

knuckle of veal, with very little meat, and 2 shanks of mutton, into an

earthen jar or pan, with 3 blades of mace, 2 peppercorns, an onion, a thick

slice of bread, 3 quarts of water, and salt: tie a paper over, and bake it,

four hours: then strain, and take off the fat.

_Calf's-feet Broth._

Boil 3 feet in 4 quarts of water, with a little salt: it should boil up

first, then simmer, till the liquor is wasted half: strain, and put it by.

This may be warmed (the fat taken off), a tea-cupful at a time, with either

white or Port wine, and is very nourishing.--_Or_: boil the feet with 2 oz.

lean veal, the same of beef, half a penny roll, a blade of mace, salt, and

nutmeg, in 4 quarts of water: when well boiled, strain it, and take off the

fat.

_Eel Broth._

This is very strengthening, ½ lb. small eels will make 1 pint of broth.

Clean, and put them into a saucepan with 3 quarts of water, parsley, a

slice of onion, a few peppercorns, and salt; simmer, till the broth tastes

well, then strain it.

_Beef Tea._

Notch 1½ lb. of beef (the veiny piece), put it into a saucepan with a quart

of water, let it boil, take off the scum, and let it continue to simmer two

hours. Beef tea should be free from fat and scum, and not burned.

_Beef Jelly._

Let a shin of beef be in water an hour, take it out, and drain it; cut it

in small pieces, break the bones, and put all in a stew-pan or jar, with 6

quarts of milk. Put it in the oven, and stew it till reduced to 3 quarts;

skim off the fat, take out the bones, strain through a jelly bag, and add 1

oz. hartshorn shavings and a stick of cinnamon. Boil again gently over a

slow fire, but be careful not to burn. Take every morning fasting, and at

noon, a tea-cupful, warmed with a glass of wine.

{356}_Shank Jelly_ (_very strengthening_).

Soak 12 shanks of mutton, then brush and scour them very clean. Lay them in

a saucepan with 3 blades of mace, an onion, 20 Jamaica and 40 black

peppers, a bunch of sweet herbs, a crust of bread, browned by toasting, and

3 quarts of water; set the saucepan over a slow fire or hearth, keep it

covered, let it simmer, as gently as possible, five hours. Strain, and keep

it in a cold place. You may add 1 lb. of lean beef.

_For a Weak Stomach._

Cut 2 lbs. of lean veal and some turnips into thin slices. Put a layer of

veal and a layer of turnips into a stone jar, cover close and set it in a

kettle of water. Boil two hours, then strain it. You may not have more than

a tea-cupful of liquor, which is to be taken, a spoonful at a time, as

often as agreeable. This has been known to stay on a weak stomach, when

nothing else would.--_Or_: put a cow heel into a covered earthen jar or

pan, with 3 pints of milk, 3 pints of water, 1 oz. hartshorn shavings, and

a little fine sugar. Let it stand six hours in a moderate oven, then strain

it.--_Or_: bake a neat's foot, in 2 quarts of water and 2 quarts of new

milk, with ½ lb. sun raisins, stoned. When the foot is in pieces, set it by

to get cold, and take off the fat. A tea-cupful, dissolved in warm milk or

wine.

_Bread Jelly, for a Sick Person._

Pare all the crust off a penny roll, cut the crumb in slices, toast these

on both sides, of a light brown. Have ready a quart of water, boiled, and

cold, put the slices of bread into it, and boil gently until the liquor is

a jelly, which you will ascertain, by putting some in a spoon, to cool.

Strain through a thin cloth, and put it by for use. Warm a tea-cupful, add

sugar, grated lemon peel, and wine or milk as you choose; for children the

latter. This jelly is said to be so strengthening that one spoonful

contains more nourishment than a tea-cupful of any other jelly.--_Or_:

grate some crumbs very fine; put a large tea-cupful of water into a

saucepan, with a glass of white wine, sugar and nutmeg to taste, make this

boil, stir in the crumbs, by degrees, {357}boil very fast, stirring all the

time, till it is as thick as you like.

_Jelly for a Sick Person._

Boil 1 oz. of isinglass, in a quart of water, with 40 Jamaica peppers, and

a crust of bread; let the water reduce one half. A large spoonful of this

may be taken in wine and water, milk, or tea.--_Or_: boil ¼ oz. of

isinglass shavings in a pint of new milk, till reduced half; sweeten to

taste, and take it lukewarm.

_Panada._

Boil a chicken, till 3 parts cooked, in a quart of water, let it get cold,

take off the skin, cut the white meat into pieces, and pound it in a marble

mortar, with a little of the water it was boiled in, salt and nutmeg. Boil

it in more of the liquid, till of the proper consistency.

_Strengthening Jelly._

Boil ¾ lb. hartshorn shavings, 1½ oz. of isinglass and candied eringo root,

in 5 quarts of water, to a strong jelly, strain it, add ¼ lb. brown sugar

candy, the juice of a Seville orange, and ½ pint of white wine. A

wine-glassful three times a day.--_Or_: put 2 oz. of the best isinglass, 1

oz. gum arabic, 2 oz. white sugar candy, and a little nutmeg, in a white

jar with a pint of Port or sherry, and simmer it twenty-four hours in a

vessel of water; then strain it. Take the size of a walnut three times a

day.

_Gloucester Jelly._

Boil 2 oz. hartshorn shavings, 2 oz. pearl barley, 1 oz. sago, ½ oz.

candied eringo root, and 3 pints of water, till reduced to a quart. A

tea-cupful, warmed, morning and evening, in wine, milk, broth, or water.

_Port Wine Jelly._

Boil 1 pint of Port wine, 1 oz. isinglass, 1 oz. sugar candy, ¼ oz. gum

arabic, and ½ a nutmeg, grated, five {358}minutes, and strain it through

muslin. Some add lemon peel and juice, cloves, and nutmeg. For table,

colour it with cochineal.

_Arrow-root Jelly._

If genuine, this is very nourishing. Put ½ pint of water into a saucepan,

with a wine-glass of sherry, or a table-spoonful of brandy, sugar, and

grated nutmeg; let it come quickly to a boil; rub smooth a dessert-spoonful

of arrow-root in two table-spoonsful of cold water; stir this by degrees

into the wine and water, put it all into the same saucepan, and boil it

three minutes.--_Or_: pour _boiling_ (not merely _hot_) water over the

arrow-root, and keep stirring; it will soon thicken. Add brandy, lump

sugar, and, if approved, lemon juice.

_Tapioca Jelly._

Wash well, and soak it five or six hours, changing the water two or three

times; simmer it in the last water, with a piece of lemon peel, until

clear; add lemon juice, wine, and sugar to taste.

_Sago to Boil._

Put a large table-spoonful into ¾ of a pint of water. Stir and boil very

gently, till it is as thick as you require. Add wine, sugar, and nutmeg to

taste.--_Tapioca_ in the same way. Soak both these two or three hours

before they are boiled. They may be boiled in milk, like rice.

_Gruel._

Put 2 table-spoonsful of the best grits into ½ pint cold water; let it boil

gently, and stir often, till it is as thick as you require. When done,

strain, and serve it directly; or if to be put by, stir till quite cold.

Boil in it a piece of ginger, and, if for caudle, lemon peel also. _Barley

Gruel_--Wash 5 oz. of pearl barley, boil it in two quarts of water, with a

stick of cinnamon, till reduced half; strain, then warm it with 2

wine-glassfuls of wine.

{359}_Barley Cream._

Boil 1 lb. of veal, free from skin and fat, with 1 oz. pearl barley, in a

quart of water, till reduced to a pint, then rub it through a sieve till it

is of the consistency of cream, perfectly smooth; add salt and spice to

taste.

_Water Gruel._

Put a large spoonful of oatmeal into a pint of water, mix well, and let it

boil up three or four times, stirring constantly; then strain, add salt to

taste, and a piece of butter. Stir till the butter is melted, and the gruel

will be fine and smooth.

_Caudle._

Make some smooth gruel, well boiled, strain, and stir it. Some like half

brandy and half white wine; others, wine, sugar, lemon peel, and

nutmeg.--_Or_: add to ¼ pint gruel a large table-spoonful of brandy, the

same of white wine, capillaire, a little nutmeg and lemon peel. Some use

_ale_; no wine or brandy. _Rice Caudle_--Soak 2 table-spoonsful of rice in

water, an hour, then simmer it gently in 1¼ pint of milk till it will pulp

through a sieve; put the pulp and milk back into the saucepan, with a

bruised clove and a bit of sugar. Simmer ten minutes; if too thick, add

warm milk.--_Or_: rub smooth some ground rice with cold water, then mix

with boiling water; simmer it a few minutes, add lemon peel, nutmeg

pounded, cinnamon, and sugar, a little brandy, and boil it for a minute.

_Rice Milk._

Wash, pick, then soak the rice in water, boil it in milk, with lemon peel

and nutmeg: stir often, or it may burn.--_Ground Rice Milk_: rub a

table-spoonful quite smooth, with a little cold water; stir in, by degrees,

1½ pint of milk, with cinnamon, lemon peel, and nutmeg; boil till thick

enough, and sweeten to taste.

_A Mutton Custard for a Cough._

Into a pint of good skim milk, shred 1 oz. of fresh {360}mutton suet, and

let it boil; then simmer gently an hour, stirring it from time to time.

Strain, and take it at bed-time. Old fashioned, but good for tightness of

the chest.--_Another remedy for the same_: heat the yolk of a fresh egg,

and mix with a dessert-spoonful of honey, and the same of oatmeal; beat

well, put it into a tumbler, and stir in by degrees, boiling water

sufficient to fill it.--_Or_: mix a fresh laid egg, well beaten, with ¼

pint of new milk _warmed_, a table-spoonful of capillaire, the same of rose

water, and a little grated nutmeg. Do not warm the milk after the egg is

added to it.

_Artificial Asses Milk._

To ½ oz. candied eringo root, add ½ oz. hartshorn shavings, and ½ oz. pearl

barley; boil them in a pint of water over a slow fire till the water is

reduced half. Mix a tea-cupful, with the same quantity of warmed milk, and

take it half an hour before rising.

_Onion Porridge._

Put 12 small, and 6 large onions, cut small, into a saucepan with a large

piece of butter, shake over the fire, but do not let them burn: when half

cooked, pour in a pint of boiling water, and simmer it till they are

cooked. Some thicken with flour.

_French Milk Porridge._

Stir some oatmeal and water together, and let it stand to settle; pour off

the liquid, add fresh water to the oatmeal, and let it stand: the next day

pass it through a sieve, boil the water, and while boiling, stir in some

milk, in the proportion of 3 parts to 1 of water.

_White Wine Whey._

Let ½ pint new milk come to a boil, pour in as much white wine as will turn

it; let it boil up, and set the saucepan aside till the curd forms: then

pour the whey off, or strain it, if required. Some add ½ pint of boiling

water, and a bit of sugar; lemon juice may be added.

{361}_Rennet Whey._

Steep a piece of rennet, about an inch square, in a small tea-cupful of

water, boiled and become a little cool. Then warm a quart of new milk, to

the same temperature as from the cow, and when in this state, add a

table-spoonful of the rennet. Let it stand before the fire until it

thickens, then in a vessel of boiling water, on the fire, to separate the

curds from the milk.

_Vinegar or Lemon Whey._

Pour into boiling milk as much vinegar or lemon juice as will make a small

quantity clear, dilute with warm water till it be of an agreeable acid;

sweeten it to taste.

_Mustard Whey._

Strew into a pint of milk, just coming to a boil, flour of mustard to turn

it; let it stand a few minutes, then strain it.

_Treacle Posset._

Into a pint of boiling milk pour 2 table-spoonsful of treacle, stir briskly

till it curdles, then strain it.

_Orgeat._

Beat 2 oz. of sweet, and 2 or 3 bitter almonds, with a tea-spoonful of

orange-flower water, to a paste: mix them with a quart of milk and water,

and sweeten with sugar or capillaire. Some add a little brandy.

_Lemonade._

Pare 6 lemons very thin, and put the rinds into 3 pints of boiling water,

and keep covered till cold. Boil 1 lb. of lump sugar in water to make a

thin syrup, with the white of an egg to clear it. Squeeze 8 lemons in a

separate bason, mix all together, add a quart of boiling milk, and pass it

through a jelly bag till clear. Keep it till the next day.--_Or_: pour

boiling water on a little of the peel, and cover close. Boil water and

sugar together to a thin {362}syrup, skim, and let it cool; then mix the

juice, the syrup and water, in which the peel has infused, all together,

and strain through a jelly bag. Some add capillaire.

_Barley Water._

Wash 1 oz. of pearl barley, boil it in very little water, pour the latter

off, then pour a quart of fresh water over, and boil it till reduced to

half the quantity. Some boil lemon peel in it, others add lemon juice or

cream of tartar, and sugar. A small quantity of gum arabic is good boiled

in it.--_Another_, and by some doctors considered the best, is merely to

pour boiling water on the barley, let it stand a quarter of an hour, and

then pour it off clear.

_Capillaire._

Put 14 lbs. of loaf sugar, 3 lbs. coarse sugar, and 6 eggs well beaten,

into 3 quarts of water; boil it up twice, skim well, and add ¼ pint of

orange-flower water. Strain through a jelly bag, and bottle it. A spoonful

or two in a tumbler of either warm or cold water is a pleasant drink.

_Linseed Tea._

Boil 1 quart of water, and as it boils put in a table-spoonful of linseed;

add two onions, boil a few minutes, then strain it, put in the juice of a

lemon, and sugar to your taste. If it gets thick by standing, add a little

boiling water.--_Or_: put the linseed in a piece of muslin, then in a quart

jug, pour boiling water over and cover it close, an hour.

_Lemon and Orange Water._

Put 3 slices lemon peel into a tea-pot, with a dessert-spoonful of

capillaire, and pour ½ pint of boiling water over.--_Or_: pour boiling

water over preserved orange or lemon.--_Or_: boil lemon or orange juice in

some thin syrup of sugar and water.

_Apple Water._

Pour boiling water over slices of apple in a covered jug.

{363}_Toast and Water._

Toast a piece of bread quite brown, without burning, put it in a covered

jug, and pour boiling water on it; before the water is quite cold strain it

off.

_A Drink for Sick Persons._

Boil 1 oz. of pearl barley in 2 pints of water, with 1 oz. sweet almonds

beaten fine, and a bit of lemon peel; when boiled to a smooth liquor, add

syrup of lemons and capillaire.--_Or_: _to take in a fever_: boil 1½ oz.

tamarinds with ¾ oz. raisins and 2 oz. currants stoned, in 3 pints of

water, till reduced half; add a little grated lemon peel.

_Saline Draughts._

Pour ½ pint spring water on 2 drachms salt of wormwood, and 4

table-spoonsful lemon juice; 2 table-spoonsful lump sugar may be added, if

approved.--_Or_: pour 4 table-spoonsful lemon juice on 80 grains of salt of

wormwood, add a small piece of sugar, finely pounded. When the salt is

killed, add 4 table-spoonsful of plain mint water, and the same of spring

water; strain, and divide it into 4 draughts, 1 to be taken every six

hours. If the patient be bilious, add 10 grains of rhubarb, and 4 of jalap,

to the morning and evening draught.--_Or_: pour into one glass a

table-spoonful of lemon juice, and dissolve in it a lump of sugar; dissolve

½ a tea-spoonful of carbonate of soda in 2 table-spoonsful of water, in

another glass: pour the two together, and drink in a state of

effervescence. For delicate persons, a wine-glassful of sherry takes away

the debilitating effect.

_Coffee._

To be good must be made of a good kind, for poor, cheap coffee, though ever

so strong, is not good. A breakfast-cup, quite full, before it is ground,

makes a quart of good coffee. When the water boils in the coffee-pot, pour

in the coffee, set it over the fire; the coffee will rise to the top, in

boiling, and will then fall; boil it slowly three minutes longer, pour out

a cupful, pour it back, then another, and let it stand five minutes by the

side of the fire. A small {364}piece of dried sole skin will fine it, or 2

lumps of sugar.--Coffee requires cream or boiled milk.

_Chocolate._

Some prefer milk alone, others milk, and half its quantity in water; let it

boil (be careful it do not burn), and put in the chocolate, scraped; in

quantity according to the strength desired; mill it quickly, and let it

boil up, then mill it again.--For sick persons, use thin gruel, not milk.

_Tea._

For invalids who do not take tea for breakfast, its flavour may be given,

by boiling a dessert-spoonful of green tea in a pint of milk, five minutes,

then strain it. This renders it comparatively harmless.

_Barley Sugar._

Put the beaten whites of 2 eggs in an earthen pipkin with a pint of water,

and 2 lbs. clarified lump sugar, flavoured with essence or oil of lemons;

boil quickly, skimming all the time, till stiff enough. Pour into a shallow

brown dish, and form it as you please.

_Everton Toffy._

To ¼ lb. treacle, put ½ lb. sugar, and 2 oz. butter, boil them together

until they become hard when dropped in cold water. Then take the pan off

the fire, and pour the toffy immediately into a tin dish.

{365}CHAPTER XXXI.

MEDICAL RECIPES.

IN almost every family little illnesses are likely to occur, which may

require medicine, though not, perhaps, the aid of a Doctor; it is,

therefore, convenient to keep a small supply of common medicines in the

house, especially in the country. The list I give was written by a medical

gentleman; but while I am induced to insert it in this work, from a belief

that it may, in some cases, be found of use, I cannot refrain from

observing that it is far from my desire to lead any young housekeeper to

adopt the fatal error that _Doctors_ may be dispensed with, when anything

approaching to serious illness betrays itself. Too many instances have

occurred wherein life has been lost, for the want of timely medical skill,

which might, perhaps, have arrested the progress of disease at its feeble

commencement, and before it had acquired sufficient strength to baffle

opposition.

The following receipts have all been tried by the persons who gave them to

me; many of them may be old fashioned, but some I can assert to be good.

That for the _croup_ has been resorted to, several times in our own family,

and always with success. The complaint is a violent one, its attacks are

sudden and the progress of the disease is so rapid that there ought not to

be an _instant_ of delay in administering the remedies. The _croup_ is of

common occurrence in America, and the following receipt came from that

country.

_For the Croup._

The healthiest children are the most liable to this complaint, which is

caused by sudden changings in the atmosphere, draughts of cold air, and

checking of the perspiration, {366}It betrays itself by a hoarse croaking

cough, something like the hooping cough.--Put the child into a warm bath

placed opposite the fire; cover it all over with flannel, or a blanket; in

the meantime chop an onion or two, squeeze the juice through a piece of

muslin, mix it in the proportion of 1 tea-spoonful with 2 table-spoonsful

treacle; get the child to swallow as much of this, from time to time, as

you can: when it has been in the bath ten or twelve minutes, take it out in

a blanket, and as quickly as you can, rub the stomach and chest with a

mixture of rum and oil, or goose grease, wrap the child in a flannel and

put it to bed, or keep it in the lap by the fire; if the child go to sleep,

it will be almost sure to awake free from the disorder. These remedies may

not succeed if there be delay in applying them.

_For Weakness of Stomach._

1 drachm of prepared Columba root, and ½ drachm of rhubarb root, infused in

½ pint of boiling water, one day: add 1 oz. tincture of Columba, and a

little sugar. 2 table-spoonsful, twice a day.--_Or_: put about 25 camomile

flowers into ½ a pint boiling water, with 3 cloves, and 2 hops, cover close

and let it stand all night: a tea-cupful first in the morning, and again an

hour before dinner. If giddiness ensues, the camomile does not agree with

the patient, and must not be continued. Where it does agree, this will be

found to restore the appetite.

_Camphor Julep._

Rub ¼ oz. of camphor in a mortar, with a few drops of spirits of wine, and

a few lumps of sugar; add, by degrees, a quart of water, boiled, and cold.

Let it stand twenty-four hours, then strain through muslin, and bottle it.

_For Bilious Complaints and Indigestion._

Pour over twenty grains each of rhubarb and ginger, and a handful of

camomile flowers, a pint of boiling water. A wine-glassful the first in the

morning, and an hour before dinner.

{367}_A Mild Aperient._ (_To take in the spring._)

Put 1 oz. of senna into a jar, and pour 1 quart of boiling water over it;

fill up the vessel, with prunes and figs; cover with paper, and set it in

the oven, with household bread. Take every morning, one or two prunes, and

a wine-glass of the liquor.--_Or_: dissolve 3 oz. of Spanish liquorice in

one pint boiling water, add 1 oz. socotrine aloes in powder, and 1 pint

brandy. Take 1 tea-spoonful in a wine-glassful of water, either in the

morning, at night, or both.--_Or_: a large tea-spoonful of magnesia, a lump

of sugar, a dessert-spoonful of lemon juice, in ½ pint of spring water.

_Gout Cordial._

Rhubarb 1 oz., senna, coriander seeds, sweet fennel seeds, cochineal,

saffron, and liquorice root, of each, a ¼ oz., and of jar raisins 4 oz. Let

the raisins be stoned, and all the ingredients be bruised. Put them into a

quart of French brandy. Shake well every day for a fortnight. Take 1

table-spoonful, with peppermint, or plain water.

_Hallett's Gout and Bilious Cordial._

Infuse in a gallon of distilled aniseed water, 3 oz. Turkey rhubarb, 4 oz.

senna leaves, 4 oz. guaiacum shavings, 3 oz. elecampagne root, 1 oz. fennel

seed, 14 oz. saffron, 14 oz. cochineal, 1 lb. sun raisins, 1 oz. aniseed;

shake it every day for a fortnight; strain and bottle it.--A table-spoonful

(or two) an hour after dinner.

_For Nervous Affections._

Take a small wine-glassful of the following mixture: a tea-spoonful of sal

volatile, of tincture of hops, and an equal portion of infusion of orange

peel and of gentian.

_Mustard Whey, for Dropsy and for Rheumatism._

Boil 1½ oz. bruised mustard seed, in a quart of milk and water, till the

curd which forms is separated. Strain it and take a tea-cupful three times

a day. _Another for Rheumatism._--A handful of scraped horse-radish, and a

{368}table-spoonful of whole mustard seed, infused in a bottle of Madeira;

the longer the better. A wine-glassful in bed at night, and another before

the patient rises.

_An Embrocation for Rheumatism._

Dissolve 1 oz. of gum camphor in 6 oz. of rectified spirits of wine; add by

degrees, shaking the phial frequently, 2 oz. spirits of sal ammoniac and 2

drachms oil of lavender. This has been used with success.--_Another_:

(known to mitigate the tic douloureux), is the _caja peeta oil_, but it

_must_ be genuine. It is also good for strains, bruises, and

chilblains.--_Or_: a mixture of 6 drachms French soap, 6 drachms ether, and

1 oz. spirits of wine.

_For a Sore Throat._

At the beginning of a sore throat, get fresh ivy leaves, tack them

together, warm them, and put the shady side to the throat.--_Or_: wet

bread-crumbs with brandy, and tie them round the throat. Make a gargle of 2

carrots, sliced and boiled, and use it often.--_Or_: dissolve 4 oz. camphor

in a pint of rectified spirits of wine. Dip a piece of new Welsh flannel

into this, and apply it to the throat. Be careful to wet frequently.

_A remedy for a Common Cold._

3 grains compound extract of colocynth, and 3 grains of soap, in 2 pills,

taken at going to bed. The following night, take 16 or 18 grains of

compound powder of contrayerva, and ½ a pint vinegar whey.--Breakfast in

bed the next morning.

_Syrup for a Cough._

Boil 1 oz. balsam of tolu, very gently, two hours, in a quart of water; add

1 lb. white sugar candy, finely beaten, and boil it half an hour longer.

Strain through a flannel bag twice; when cold, bottle it. You may add 2 oz.

syrup of red poppies, and the same of raspberry vinegar. A spoonful when

the cough is troublesome.--_Or_: 2 oz. honey, 4 table-spoonsful vinegar, 2

oz. syrup white poppies, and 2 oz. gum arabic: boil gently to the

consistency of treacle; {369}a tea-spoonful when the cough is

troublesome.--_Or_: 1 table-spoonful treacle, 1 of honey, 1 of vinegar, 15

drops laudanum, and 15 drops peppermint. Simmer together a quarter of an

hour. A dessert-spoonful to be taken at going to bed.--_Or_: mix together

in a phial, 2 drachms of compound tincture of benjamin, 6 drachms ethereal

spirits of nitre, 3 drachms of compound tincture of camphor, and 5 drachms

of oxymel; a tea-spoonful in a wine-glass of warm water, when the cough is

troublesome.--_Or_: mix 1 oz. gum arabic, 1 oz. sugar candy, and the juice

of a lemon; pour on it a pint of boiling water; a little when the cough is

troublesome.

_Extract of Malt, for a Cough._

Over ½ a bushel of pale ground malt, pour hot (not boiling) water to cover

it, let it stand eight and forty hours; drain off the liquor, without

squeezing the grains, into a stew-pan large enough to boil quickly, without

boiling over. When it begins to thicken, stir, till it is as thick as

treacle. A dessert-spoonful three times a day.

_For a Cold and Cough._

To 3 quarts of water, put ¼ lb. linseed, two pennyworth stick liquorice,

and ¼ lb. sun raisins. Boil it, until the water be reduced half; add a

spoonful of rum and of lemon juice. A ¼ pint at bed time, and in smaller

quantities, during the night, if the cough be troublesome.

_For the Hooping Cough._

Dissolve 1 scruple of salt of tartar in 1¼ pint of cold water: add 10

grains of pounded cochineal, and sweeten with lump sugar.--The dose

increased in proportion to the age of the patient; for a child five years

old, a table-spoonful is sufficient; for adults 2 table-spoonsful 3 times a

day.--Abstain from all acids.

_Garlic Syrup, for Hooping, or any other Cough._

Put 3 roots of garlic, sliced thinly and transversely, with 4 oz. honey,

and 4 oz. vinegar, into a ½ pint bason, {370}and set that into a large

wash-hand bason; let it infuse half an hour, then strain it. Take the first

in the morning, and the last at night, a tea-spoonful of the syrup, in an

equal quantity of brandy and water; put the water in the glass first.

_Almond Emulsion for a Cough._

Beat well in a marble mortar, 6 drachms of sweet almonds blanched, and 2

drachms of white sugar, add 1 pint cold water, by degrees; strain, then add

2 table-spoonsful of sweet spirits of nitre. Cork, and keep it in a cool

place, or in cold water. A tea-spoonful three times a day.

_For a Hoarseness._

Sweeten a ¼ pint of hyssop water with sugar candy, and set it over the

fire; when quite hot, stir in the yolk of an egg well beaten, and drink it

off; this may be taken night and morning.--_Or_: put a new laid egg in as

much lemon juice as will cover it: let it stand twenty-four hours, and the

shell will be dissolved. Break the egg, then take away the skin. Beat it

well together, add 2 oz. of brown sugar candy pounded, ¼ pint of rum, a

wine-glassful of salad oil, and beat all well together. A table-spoonful

the first in the morning, and the last at night.

_Plaster for a Cough._

Beat together 1 oz. each, of bees-wax, white Burgundy pitch, and rosin, ¼

oz. coarse turpentine, ½ oz. oil of mace; spread it on white leather, the

shape of a heart; when it flies off, renew it, two or three times.

_Bark Gargle._

Boil 1 oz. powdered bark and 1 drachm myrrh, in 1½ pint of water, over a

slow fire, till one third is wasted; strain, then add a table-spoonful of

honey, and a tea-spoonful of spirits of lavender.

_An excellent Gargle for a Sore Throat._

Half fill a teapot with _dark_ red rose leaves, pour boiling {371}water

over; when cold strain it into a 6 oz. bottle, add a tea-spoonful of

tincture of myrrh, and 25 drops of elixir of vitriol: if the throat be

ulcerated, a tea-spoonful of tincture of cayenne.

_Chilblains._

Make a liniment, of 1 oz. of palma oil, 1 oz. of expressed oil of mace, and

2 drachms of camphor.

_For Burns or Scalds._

Keep in a bottle, tightly corked, ½ oz. of trefoil, and the same of sweet

oil; apply with a feather, immediately that the accident has occurred.

_Linseed_ or olive oil, applied instantly, will draw out the fire;

_treacle_ will have the same effect, and is recommended by some persons, in

preference to anything else. Others say that _fine flour_, applied

_instantly_, is the best thing; as soon as it becomes warm, replace it with

fresh. _Wadding_ also laid on the part instantly is good to draw out the

fire.

_For Bruises, Cuts, or Wounds._

Keep in the house a bottle containing a mixture of ¾ oz. of scented

trefoil, of rum, and of sweet oil.--_Or_: have a bottle three parts full of

brandy, fill it quite full with the white leaves of the flowers of the

garden lily, and cork it close. Lay some of the leaves on the wound, and

keep it wet with the liquor. The root of the same lily is used to make

_strong_ poultices.

_For a Sprain._

Stir the white of an egg with alum, until it curdles; rub the part affected

often.

_Vegetable Ointment._

A small handful of smallage, red pimple, feverfew, rue, and pittory of the

wall; simmer them in 1 lb. of unsalted butter, over a slow fire, half an

hour: stir and press well, then strain it.

{372}_Opodeldoc._

Put a pint of rectified spirits of wine in a bottle, with 1 oz. camphor,

and 6 oz. soft soap; shake it three times a day for three days, and it is

ready.

_Elder Ointment._

Melt 3 lbs. of mutton suet in 1 pint of olive oil, and boil in it 4 lbs.

weight of elder flowers, full blown, till nearly crisp; then strain, and

press out the ointment.--_Another_: take 4 oz. each, of the inner bark of

the elder tree, and the leaves, boil them in 2 pints of linseed oil, and 6

oz. of white wax. Press it through a strainer.

_A Carrot Poultice._

Boil washed carrots, and pound them to a pulp with a wooden pestle; add an

equal quantity of wheaten meal, and 2 table-spoonsful yeast, and wet it

with beer or porter. Let it stand before the fire to ferment. The _soft_

part to be made into a poultice with lard.

_An Excellent Bitter._

Cut ½ oz. of gentian in thin slices into a stone jar, with the same

quantity of fresh orange peel and sliced ginger. Pour over them 1 quart of

boiling water, and let it stand ten hours. Strain it, add a gill of sherry,

and bottle it. For a weak stomach, a wine-glassful the first thing in the

morning will create an appetite.

_For Weak Eyes._

(Dr. Bailey's.)

Boil 2 quarts of water, and stir into it ¼ oz. camphor, pounded in a mortar

with a bitter almond, 1 oz. bolalmanack, and ½ oz. copperas; when cold,

bottle it. Bathe the eyes often.--_Or_: dissolve in spring water, 10 grains

of white vitriol, and 10 grains of sugar of lead. Wash the eyes four or

five times a day.--_Or_: boil in spring water five minutes, ¼ oz. white

copperas and ¼ oz. of common {373}salt. Put a drop in the eye with a

feather the last thing at night. The bottle to be marked

_poison_.--_Another_, and very good: put 10 drops of laudanum and 6 drops

of goulard into a ¼ pint of elderflower water: bathe the eyes with it.

_For the Tooth-ache._

Each of the following remedies _have_ been known to alleviate suffering.

Turn up a wine-glass, put a little powdered alum on the round part, rub it

to a paste with sweet spirits of nitre, and apply it directly to the cavity

of the tooth, if there be one, if not, on the gum round it. Repeat this

often.--_Or_: mix 2 drachms of alum, in impalpable powder, and 2 drachms of

nitrous spirits of ether.--_Or_: 2 drachms of alum powdered very fine, with

7 drachms of nitrous spirits of ether.--_Or_: a drop of ether and of

laudanum on cotton: this will also relieve the _ear-ache_.--_Or_: 1 oz.

tincture of myrrh, 1 oz. tincture of gumlac, ½ oz. tincture of bark: mix

the two last, shake well, add the myrrh by degrees, and shake well

together. 1 table-spoonful to 2 of hot water; wash the mouth frequently,

holding it in for some time.--_For an intermitting pain in the Teeth_: boil

½ oz. bark, grossly powdered, in a pint of cold water, till it wastes to a

pint; then strain through muslin and bottle it. When the teeth are free

from pain, put 2 table-spoonsful of laudanum, then gargle and wash the

mouth well with it. Repeat it several times in the day.

_Peppermint Water._

Pour 5 drops of oil of peppermint on a lump of sugar. Put the sugar into a

½ pint phial, with a tea-spoonful of brandy, and fill up with water.

_Soda Water._

To 40 grains of carbonate of soda, add 30 grains of tartaric acid in small

crystals. Fill a soda bottle with spring water, put the mixture in, and

cork it instantly, with a well fitting cork.

{374}_Medicinal Imperial._

Useful in the Spring, or in slight Fevers, or Colds.

Pour 3 quarts of boiling water over 1½ oz. of cream of tartar, 1 oz. Epsom

salts, ¾ lb. lump sugar, the peel of 3 lemons, and the juice of 1; cover

close half an hour, then boil up, skim and strain it through thin muslin,

into decanters.--A wine-glassful before breakfast.

_Lime Water._

Mix 4 oz. quick lime in 6 pints of soft water, and let it stand covered an

hour; then pour off the liquid.

_Seidlitz Powders._

Put into one tumbler, 2 drachms of Rochelle salts, and 2 scruples of

carbonate of soda; into another tumbler put 2 scruples of tartaric acid,

fill each tumbler rather more than a quarter part, then pour the two

together.--_Or_: mix carefully 2 drachms of sulphate of magnesia in fine

powder, with 2 scruples of bicarbonate of soda, and mark the packet No. 1;

in another packet, marked No. 2, put 40 grains of tartaric acid in fine

powder. Mix in two different tumblers, each a quarter part filled with

water, and drink in a state of effervescence.

_Medicines to keep in the House._

The English Housekeeper: Or, Manual of Domestic Management Containing advice on the conduct of household affairs and practical instructions concerning the store-room, the pantry, the larder, the kitchen, the cellar, the dairy; the whole being intended for the use of young ladies who undertake the superintendence of their own housekeeping · 第 38 / 39 章

Get the clearest Seville oranges you can; cut them in 2, scoop out all the