_Ingredients._—2 pecks of crystal gooseberries, 6 gallons of water,
12 lbs. of foots sugar of the coarsest brown quality. _Mode._—Mash
the gooseberries (which should be quite ripe) in a tub with a mallet;
put to them the water nearly milk-warm; let this stand 24 hours; then
strain it through a sieve, and put the sugar to it; mix it well, and
tun it. These proportions are for a 9-gallon cask; and if it be not
quite full, more water must be added. Let the mixture be stirred from
the bottom of the cask two or three times daily for three or four
days, to assist the melting of the sugar; then paste a piece of linen
cloth over the bunghole, and set the cask in a warm place, _but not
in the sun_; any corner of a warm kitchen is the best situation for
it. The following spring it should be drawn off into stone bottles,
and the vinegar will be fit for use twelve months after it is made.
This will be found a most excellent preparation, greatly superior to
much that is sold under the name of the best white wine vinegar. Many
years’ experience has proved that pickle made with this vinegar will
keep, when bought vinegar will not preserve the ingredients. The cost
per gallon is merely nominal, especially to those who reside in the
country and grow their own gooseberries; the coarse sugar is then
the only ingredient to be purchased. _Time._—To remain in the cask 9
months. _Average cost_, when the gooseberries have to be purchased,
1_s._ per gallon; when they are grown at home, 6_d._ per gallon.
_Seasonable._—This should be made the end of June or the beginning of
July, when gooseberries are ripe and plentiful.
GOOSEBERRY WINE, Effervescing.
_Ingredients._—To every gallon of water allow 6 lbs. of green
gooseberries, 3 lbs. of lump sugar. _Mode._—This wine should be
prepared from unripe gooseberries, in order to avoid the flavour which
the fruit would give to the wine when in a mature state. Its briskness
depends more upon the time of bottling than upon the unripe state of
the fruit, for effervescing wine can be made from fruit that is ripe as
well as that which is unripe. The fruit should be selected when it has
nearly attained its full growth, and consequently before it shows any
tendency to ripen. Any bruised or decayed berries, and those that are
very small, should be rejected. The blossom and stalk ends should be
removed, and the fruit well bruised in a tub or pan, in such quantities
as to insure each berry being broken without crushing the seeds. Pour
the water (which should be warm) on the fruit, squeeze and stir it with
the hand until all the pulp is removed from the skin and seeds, and
cover the whole closely for 24 hours; after which, strain it through
a coarse bag, and press it with as much force as can be conveniently
applied, to extract the whole of the juice and liquor the fruit may
contain. To every 40 or 50 lbs. of fruit one gallon more of hot water
may be passed through the _marc_, or husks, in order to obtain any
soluble matter that may remain, and be again pressed. The juice should
be put into a tub or pan of sufficient size to contain all of it,
and the sugar added to it. Let it be well stirred until the sugar is
dissolved, and place the pan in a warm situation; keep it closely
covered, and let it ferment for a day or two. It must then be drawn off
into clean casks, placed a little on one side for the scum that arises
to be thrown out, and the casks kept filled with the remaining “must,”
that should be reserved for that purpose. When the active fermentation
has ceased, the casks should be plugged upright, again filled, if
necessary, the bungs be put in loosely, and, after a few days, when
the fermentation is a little more languid (which may be known by the
hissing noise ceasing), the bungs should be driven in tight, and a
spile-hole made, to give vent if necessary. About November or December,
on a clear fine day, the wine should be racked from its lees into clean
casks, which may be rinsed with brandy. After a month, it should be
examined to see if it is sufficiently clear for bottling; if not, it
must be fined with isinglass, which may be dissolved in some of the
wine: 1 oz. will be sufficient for 9 gallons. In bottling the wine,
it will be necessary to wire the corks down, or to tie them down with
string. Old champagne bottles are the best for this wine. In March or
April, or when the gooseberry bushes begin to blossom, the wine must be
bottled, in order to insure its being effervescing. _Seasonable._—Make
this the end of May or beginning of June, before the berries ripen.