Gather the smallest Cucumbers you can find, for it is the smallest Size,
which is most commonly brought to table among People of the first Rank;
tho' a Cucumber of two Inches long will do very well, or even one of three
Inches. These must be put in Salt and Water, to be shifted every day till
they change to a yellow colour: wipe them dry, and prepare Pickle of
Vinegar, a piece of Allum as big as a Wallnut to a gallon, or in
proportion, Ginger diced, Mace, whole Pepper, a few Bay-leaves, and some
Dill-Seed, which will do better than the Herb it self. Tye the Seeds in a
piece of Muslin, that when the Pickle by boiling is strong enough of the
Dill, you may take it out. This Pickle, when it is of a right flavour, must
be pour'd boiling hot upon the Cucumbers, which must be laid in a Stone Jar
or Gallypot proper for them, and then cover'd with a coarse Linnen Cloth
folded in several Doubles, and let them stand near the fire: Repeat the
boiling of the Pickle every day, pouring it hot upon the Cucumbers, and
covering them as before, till they become of the green colour you desire.
When they are quite cold, stop them up close with a leather'd Cork, as
directed in the former Receipt, if you use a Jar, or else if you make use
of a Gallypot, tye them down with Leather or a wet Bladder. It is to be
understood, that Allum and boiling Vinegar will strike a green colour to
any unripe Fruit; but care must be taken that too much Allum be not used,
left the stomach be offended by it. It is a custom in some places to pickle
the green Pods of _Capsicum Indicum_ with their Cucumbers, which will
contribute to make them much hotter or warmer to the Stomach, and promote
Digestion in cold Constitutions. But the _Capsicums_ should be boiled in
Water gently, and wiped dry, before you put them among the Cucumbers, where
they must be placed before the Pickle is poured upon them.
Kidney-Beans are pickled the same way as the Cucumbers, only leaving out
the Dill; and the Dill also may be left out of the Cucumber-Pickle, if it
is not agreeable to the Palate; and so likewise in other Pickles, Garlick
or Onions, or any particular Spice may be left out which is disagreeable,
for it is not the business here to pin down the Palate of any one to a
certain Relish that I may like my self, but to put it in the power of every
one to preserve or order such things as a Farm or Garden affords, so that
they may be pleased with them. The Receipts which I have here given, are
what I have generally found to be the most approved. We have some who
pickle the green Fruit of the Passion-Tree, the Berougella, and Fig: but
for my part I can find nothing to recommend them, but the relish of the
Pickle, neither are they by any means wholesome.
The Flowers of the _Nasturtium Indicum_ make an excellent Sallad in this
Month, and the Seeds of the Plant, while they are green, may be pickled to
our satisfaction: the Receipt for pickling them is as follows.
To pickle Nasturtium Seeds.
Gather the Seeds when they are full grown and green, in a dry day, and lay
them in Salt and Water for two or three days; then boil Vinegar, with some
Mace, Ginger sliced, and a few Bay-Leaves, for fifteen Minutes, and pour it
boiling hot upon them, covering them with a Cloth, as prescribed in this
Month for the other Pickles, and repeat the boiling of the Pickle, and
scalding them with it for three days successively; and when the last is
poured on, let it be cold before you cork it up. The folded Cloth which
should be put over the Mouth of the Jar, will suffer some of the Steam of
the Pickle to pass thro' it, and by that means the Pickles will not turn
mouldy, so soon as they might otherwise do, and besides will be much
greener than if they were to be close stopped. All these Pickles should be
kept in a dry Place, and look'd into every Month, lest by chance they turn
mouldy; which if you find they incline to, boil the Pickle afresh, and pour
it on them as before.
There is now the Skerret fit to be eaten; it is a very nourishing and
pleasant Root, and is prepared in the following manner for the Table: the
Culture of it is set forth at large in my new _Improvements of Planting and
Gardening_, printed for Mr. _Mears_, near _Temple-Bar_,
The Skerret, tho' it is none of the largest Roots, yet is certainly one of
the best Products of the Garden, if it be rightly dress'd; the way of doing
which, is to wash the Roots very well, and boil them till they are tender,
which need not be very long. Then the Skin of the Roots must be taken off,
and a Sauce of melted Butter and Sack pour'd over them. In this manner are
they serv'd at the Table, and eaten with the Juice of Orange, and some
likewise use Sugar with them, but the Root is very sweet of itself.
Some, after the Root is boil'd, and the Skin is taken off, fry them, and
use the Sauce as above: So likewise the Roots of Salsify and Scorzoncra are
to be prepared for the Table.
The Apple call'd the Codlin is in good perfection for scalding, the manner
of doing which, that they may be brought to Table, of a fine green Colour,
is as follows.
Gather your Codlins half grown, and without Spots, for if they are spotted,
they are commonly Worm-eaten; scald them in Water till the Skin will come
off easily, then put them again into cold Water, and a small piece of Allum
to green in a Brass Pan over the Fire; which they will soon do if they are
kept close cover'd.
The following Receipt is sent me by a curious Person for pickling of
Codlins, in imitation of Mango.
Gather Codlins green and near full grown, blanch them, that is, scald them
in soft Water till the Skin will peel off, then prepare your Pickle of
Vinegar and Bay Salt, about a large Spoonful of Salt to a Quart of Vinegar,
three or four Cloves of Garlick, a quarter of an Ounce of Ginger sliced,
and as much whole Pepper; boil this in a Brass Pan, with a piece of Allum
as big as a Horse-Bean, for half a quarter of an hour, and pour it hot upon
your Codlins, covering the Mouth of the Jar with a Cloth, and let it stand
by the Fire-side; boil the Pickle again the day following, and apply it as
before, and repeat the same till your Codlins are as green as you desire,
and when they are quite cold, cork them close, and set them by in a dry
place. There is one thing must however be observed in all these Picklings,
which is, that if the Pickles do not come to their fine green Colour
presently, by boiling often of the Pickle at first, yet by standing three
or four Weeks, and then boiling the Pickle afresh, they will come to a good
Colour; and then your Pickles will eat the firmer and keep the longer, when
they are not too soon brought to Colour.
In this Month we have the Morello and Black Cherry ripe, which both are
pleasant in Brandy; to those who would have Drams by them, the way of
making Black-Cherry Brandy, is only to pick the Cherries from the Stalks,
and put them whole into the Brandy, about a Pound of Cherries to a Quart;
this may remain for about a Month before it is fit to drink, and then the
Brandy may be pour'd from the Cherries, and the Cherries put then into a
Vessel of Ale will make it extremely strong, only about the proportion of a
Pound of Cherries to a Gallon of Ale; but some will put fresh Brandy to
them, and the Cherries will turn the Brandy of a deep Colour, and give it a
strong taste of Ratafia; others will distill these Cherries in a cold
Still, with as much Water as will cover them, and draw a fine Cordial from
them.
To make Visney.
This Visney is made of pure Brandy, and as many Morello Cherries as will
fill the Bottles or Casks, with one Ounce of Loaf-Sugar to each full Quart;
these Vessels or Bottles must be gently stopp'd, when the Cherries are put
in, and stand in a cool Cellar for two Months before the Liquor is poured
from them, and then the Liquor may be put in small Bottles for use: It is
not very strong, but very pleasant. The Cherries, when they are taken out,
may be distill'd, and will yield a fine Spirit.
In some places, where there are Laurels grow wild, without Cutting or
pruning, I mean, the _Lauro-Cerasus_, as we find in many old Gardens, that
Plant is apt to bear Berries, which in reality are Cherries, from whence it
has its Name; these Berries, or Cherries, are ripe about this time, and
make a fine Cordial, if we infuse them in Brandy for two or three Months
with a little Sugar; this will have a Flavour of Abricot Kernels, and be of
a rich red Colour. While I am speaking of this, I cannot help taking notice
of a particular Dram which I tasted at a curious Gentleman's House at
_Putney_ in _Surrey_, _W. Curtis _Esq; which he made by infusing of the
Cornelian Cherry in Brandy; that Gentleman is the only one who I think has
yet tried it, and to my Palate it seems to be so like _Tockay_ Wine, that
it must be a very good judge who can discover the difference. I have drank
that Wine in perfection, and this preparation has both the Colour, Taste,
and Proportion of strength equal to it; for the great strength of the
Brandy is lost in the Cornelian Cherry, and tho' the Cornelian Cherry is of
a bright red Colour, yet this Liquor is of the Colour of _Tockay_ Wine.
Those who live near _London_, may, about this Season, buy Geese out of the
Flocks, which are now drove up to that City, at about five and twenty, or
thirty Shillings a score; and till the Season we are to turn them into the
Stubble, we may feed them chiefly with the Offals of the Garden, Lettuce
especially, which will fatten them, if you have enough: but as for their
particular Feed for fatting, I shall speak of that in another place.
About this Season Abricots are ripe, and where there are plenty of them, we
may make a pleasant Wine with them. The following Receipt is a very good
one.