In this Month there are many Delicacies about a Country Seat; all kinds of
Pond-Fish are good, there is plenty of Poultry of all kinds, wild and tame,
except the Water-Fowl, which should yet remain untouch'd. Turkey Poults,
Pheasant Poults, Partridges, and some sort of Pigeons, are good; but for
the most part the Dove-cote Pigeons are distemper'd, and are now full of
Knots in their Skins, and unwholesome. The Eggs of Fowls likewise at this
Season, as well as in the former Month, are unhealthful. Towards the end,
Pork comes again in Season, and young Pigs also are pretty plentiful; 'tis
a good time likewise to save young Pigs to grow up for now you may turn
them with their Dams into the Stubbles, and soon after into the Woods.
About the end of this Month, you have Rabbets full grown in common Warrens,
and young wild Ducks; and those who live near the Sea, have plenty of
Oysters, and in great perfection, much better, in my opinion, than in the
Winter. Hares are also now good, and Buck Venison is still good. Turnips,
Carrots, Cabbages, Caulyflowers, Artichokes, Melons, Cucumbers, and such
like, are in prime; Sallary and Endive, _Nasturtium Indicum_ Flowers,
Cabbage Lettice, and blanch'd sweet Fennel is now good for Sallads. Peas
and Beans, and Kidney-beans, are likewise to be met with, so that a Country
Gentleman and Farmer may have every thing at home, and let out a Table fit
for a Prince, without being beholden to the Markets; and the great variety
of Fruits which this Season produces, renders it still more delightful and
profitable.
Now Elder-berries are ripe and fit for making of Wine, as well the white as
the red sort: these are both very good, if they are rightly managed. The
following drinks very much like the _French_ Wine call'd _Hermitage_, and
is full as strong.
To make red Elder Wine.
Take twenty Pounds of _Malaga_ Raisins pick'd and rubb'd clean, but not
wash'd; shred them small, and steep them in five Gallons of Spring Water,
putting the Water cold to them, and stirring them every day; then pass the
Liquor thro' a Hair Sieve, pressing the Raisins with your Hands, and have
in readiness six Pints of the Juice of Elder-Berries that have been first
pick'd from the Stalks, and then drawn by boiling the Berries in a glaz'd
Earthen Pot, set in a Pan of Water over the Fire. Put this Juice cold into
the Liquor, stirring it well together, and then tunning it in a Vessel that
will just hold it, and let it stand six Weeks or two Months in a warm
place; then bottle it, and it will keep a Year if the Bottles are well
stopp'd. Note, that the Elder-Berries must be full ripe, and gather'd in a
dry day; and when you have tunn'd your Wine, let the place where you set it
be warm and dry, where no external Air is admitted, that it may ferment or
work duly, for that is a material point. If it be otherwise disposed, so
that it stands in a place which is subject to Heats and Cold, the Ferment
will stop upon Cold, or be too violent upon Heats; but in cold Weather put
some Straw about it. See more of the working of Liquors in _March_, in the
Article of Brewing, and likewise take care that your Bottles are dry when
you bottle your Wine, and that you have good Corks; take care likewise that
your Wine be clear before you bottle it, or it will be good for nothing. If
this Wine be rightly managed according to the above Directions, it will be
fit for drinking after it has been bottled a Month.
In the making of white Elder-Wine, there is no difference if you make it
with Raisins; but it is much the best, in my Opinion, if you make it with
Sugar after the following manner: only it is to be consider'd, that white
Elder-Berries are yet very scarce, and there must be more of them used in
the Sugar Wine than in the Raisin Wine.
To make white Elder-Wine, or red Elder-Wine, with Sugar.
Gather the Elder-Berries ripe and dry, pick them, bruise them with your
Hands, and strain them; then set the Liquor by in glaz'd earthen Vessels
for twelve hours to settle, then put to every pint of Juice a pint and half
of Water, and to every Gallon of this Liquor put three Pounds of _Lisbon_
Sugar: set this in a Kettle over the Fire, and when it is ready to boil,
clarify it with the Whites of four or five Eggs; let it boil an hour, and
when it is almost cold, work it with some strong Ale-Yeast, and then tun
it, filling up the Vessel from time to time with the same Liquor saved on
purpose, as it sinks by working. In a Month's time, if the Vessel holds
about eight Gallons, it will be fine and fit to bottle, and after bottling,
will be fit to drink in two Months: but remember, that all Liquors must be
fine before they are bottled, or else they will grow sharp and ferment in
the Bottles, and never be good for any thing.
_N.B._ Add to every Gallon of this Liquor a Pint of strong Mountain Wine,
but not such as has the Borachio or Hogskin flavour. This Wine will be very
strong and pleasant, and will keep several Years.
We must prepare our Red Elder-Wine in the same manner that we make with
Sugar, and if our Vessel hold about eight or ten Gallons, it will be fit
for Bottling in about a Month; but if the Vessel be larger, it must stand
longer in proportion, three or four Months at least for a Hogshead.
This Month Barberries are ripe and fit for pickling; they make a pretty
Garnish, and are prepared as follows.
To pickle Barberries, or Pipperages, as call'd in some places.
Gather your Barberries in dry Weather, and lay them in their Bunches into
an earthen glazed Pot, then boil a quantity of Water made strong with Salt,
scumming it as it rises, and let it stand to be quite cold; then pour it
upon the Barberries, so as to cover them an Inch, and cover it close. Some
use half Vinegar and half Water for this Pickle, but it is at every one's
pleasure, I think one is as good as the other.
Partridges are now in Season, and are prepared after several manners; some
of the principal are the following.
Boil'd Partridges with stew'd Sallary, from Lady W------.
The Partridges being clean'd and trussed, boil them tender, and make the
following Sauce for them. Take half a score large Sallary Plants that are
well whiten'd or blanched, boil them first in Water and Salt, and then stew
them tender with Gravey, Salt, some Pepper, and a Spoonful or two of White
wine; and when they are enough, thicken and brown the Sauce they are stew'd
in with burnt Butter, lay your Sallary at the bottom of the Dish, and your
Partridges upon that, then pour your Sauce over all, and garnish with
Lemmon or Orange slic'd. This is the method of stewing Sallary, which is an
agreeable Plate of itself.
From the same Lady I had the following Directions for roasted Partridges:
Partridges which are designed for roasting may be larded with fine Bacon
Fat on the Breast, or roasted without larding; but in a Dish of these
Fowls, there should be some of one and some of the other. The Sauce for
them should be of two sorts, one of Gravey in the Dish with them, and the
other of Bread in Saucers on the sides of the Dish. The Gravey is made of
Beef, an Onion, a Bunch of sweet Herbs, some Salt and Pepper, stew'd half
an hour together, in a little more Water than will cover them, then strain
off the Liquor into the Dish.
The Pap-Sauce, or Bread-Sauce, is made of grated Crumb of Bread, boiled
with as much Water as will cover it, a little Butter, an Onion, and some
whole Pepper; this must be kept stirring often, and when it is very thick,
withdraw the Onion, and serve it in a Saucer with your Partridges. These
Sauces may likewise be served with Pheasants, or Quails. These may also be
stew'd, farced, baked, or put in Soups, or used in Fricassees. Thus far the
Lady.
Hares begin now to be in Season, and are well dress'd by the following
Receipt, which I purchased a few Years ago, at a noted Tavern in _London_.
A Hare and its Sauces.
If you kill a Hare by Coursing, you may keep it if the Weather be cool
three days before you roast it; or if it has been run hard by the Hounds,
then it will not keep so long. When the Skin is taken off, it is the
fashion to leave the Ears on, but that is at pleasure; then truss it for
Roasting, and take the Liver and boil it, and mince it very small; add to
this grated Bread, a little All-Spice, but fine, some butter'd Eggs, a
little dry'd sweet Marjoram, with a Seasoning of Pepper and Salt at
discretion, and some Parsley shred small: Mix this well together, and add
the Yolk of an Egg to it to bind it; then fill the Body of the Hare
moderately with this Farce, and sew up the Belly. When the Hare is first
laid down to the fire, put about three pints of Water with an Onion, some
Salt and whole Pepper, in the Dripping-pan, and baste the Hare with this
till it is near roasted enough, and baste it with a piece of fat burning
Bacon, or in the place of that, common Butter; but the Bacon is best, if
the Person knows how to use it. When it is enough, pour the following Sauce
into the Dish with it: Take the Liquor, with the Onion and Pepper in the
Dripping-pan, out before you baste the Hare with Butter or Bacon, and boil
it with a glass of Claret; it will be very rich when it comes to be mixt
with the Farce out of the Belly of the Hare, and is little trouble. You may
thicken this with a little Butter and Flower, if you please.
The following is also a very good one: Take a pound of lean Beef, boil it
in about three pints of Water with an Onion, a Bunch of sweet Herbs, some
All-spice, Pepper and Salt, till the Beef is boil'd half enough; then cut
the Beef in several places to let out the Gravey, and continue to boil all
those till the Liquor has lost a third part; then add a little Claret to
it, and strain the Liquor through a Sieve, pouring the Gravey hot into the
Dish before you put the Hare in it; and when you lay in the Hare, cut away
the part that was sew'd up, or take away the thread that sew'd it. Some
chuse to skewer up the Belly of the Hare, rather than sew it. You may serve
this with Lemmon sliced, and in a plate by it have the following Sauce.
Sweet Venison Sauce.
Take half a pint of Claret, a little Stick of Cinnamon, and boil them
together till the Flavour of the Cinnamon is in the Claret; then sweeten it
to your mind with double-refined Loaf-sugar. Or else,
Grate some Crumb of Bread, and put to it as much Claret as will make it
like thin Pap; add to this a small piece of Cinnamon, and boil it well,
then sweeten it with double-refined Loaf-sugar grated small. These are the
sweet Sauces used for Hare, and all other Venison.
To dress a Hare with White or Brown Sauce, from the late curious Mr.
_Harrison_ of _Henley_ upon _Thames._
Cut your Hare in four or eight pieces, and slit the Head; fry it a little
in Hog's Lard, and then put it to stew in an earthen glazed Vessel, with
Gravey, half a pint of White-wine, Pepper, Nutmeg, Salt, a bunch of sweet
Herbs, and a slice or two of Lemmon-Peel; keep this close covered, and stew
it gently till 'tis tender, then strain off the Sauce, and brown it with
fry'd Flower, or burnt Butter: pour the Sauce hot over the Hare, and serve
it With a Garnish of Lemmon in Slices; but if you would have your Sauce of
brighter Colour, instead of the burnt Butter, or fry'd Flower, thicken it
with the Yolks of three or four Eggs. This is an excellent way of dressing
a Hare, and more generally admired than any other.
This being the Season for taking Honey, I shall here set down the Method of
making of Mead, after two ways, which are both extraordinary.