_The office of the Fruiterrer, or the Gatherer, and keeper, of Fruit._
After you haue planted euery seuerall quarter, allye, and border within
your Orchard, with euery seuerall fruit proper vnto his place, and that
you haue placed them in that orderly and comely equipage which may giue
most delight to the eye, profit to the tree, and commendations to the
workeman, (according to the forme and order prescribed in the first
Chapter) and that now the blessing of the highest, time, and your
indeuours hath brought forth the haruest and recompence of your trauell,
so that you behould the long-expected fruit hang vpon the trees, as it
were in their ripenesse, wooing you to plucke, tast, and to deliuer them
from the wombes of their parents, it is necessary then that you learne
the true office of the Fruiterer, who is in due season and time to
gather those fruits which God hath sent him: for as in the husbanding of
our grayne if the Husbandman be neuer so carefull, or skilfull, in
ploughing, dungging, sowing, weeding and preseruing his crop, yet in the
time of haruest be negligent, neither regarding the strength or ripnesse
thereof, or in the leading and mowing respects not whether it be wet or
dry, doth in that moments space loose the wages of his whole yeeres
trauell, getting but durt from durt, and losse from his negligence: so
in like case houlds it with all other fruits, if a man with neuer so
great care and cost procure, yet if he be inrespectiue in the gathering,
all his former businesse is vaine and to no purpose; and therefore I
hould nothing more necessary then the relation of this office of the
Fruiterer, which is the consummation and onely hope of our cost, and
diligence, teaching vs to gather wisely what wee haue planted wearily,
and to eate with contentment what we haue preserued with care.
{SN: Of gathering and preseruing Cherries.}
Know then, that of all fruits (for the most part) the Cherry is the
soonest ripe, as being one of the oldest children of the summer, and
therefore first of all to be spoken of in this place, yet are not all
Cherries ripe at one instant, but some sooner then other some, according
to the benefit of the Sunne, the warmth of the ayre, and the strength of
sappe in the branch on which the Cherry hangeth: they are a fruit tender
and pleasant, and therefore much subiect to be deuoured and consumed
with Byrds of the smallest kindes, as Sparrowes, Robins, Starlings, and
such like, especially the Iay, and the Bull-finch, who deuoure them
stones and all, euen so fast as they rypen: for preuention whereof; if
you haue great abundance of Cherry trees, as maine holts that be either
one or many akers in compasse, you shall then in diuers places of your
holts, as well in the midst, as out-corners, cause to be errected vp
certaine long poales of Fyrre, or other woode, which may mount somewhat
aboue the toppes of the trees, and one the toppes of those poales you
shall place certaine clappe-milles made of broken trenchers ioyned
together like sayles, which being moued and carryed about with the
smallest ayre, may haue vnderneath the sayles a certaine loose little
board, against which euery sayle may clap and make a great noyse, which
will afright and scare the Byrds from your trees: these milles you shall
commonly see in Husbandmens yards placed on their stackes or houells of
Corne, which doth preserue them from fowle and vermine: but for want of
these clap-milles you must haue some boy or young fellow that must euery
morning from the dawning of the day till the Sunne be more then an houre
high, and euery euening from fiue of the clocke till nine, runne vp and
downe your ground, whooping, showtying, and making of a great noyse, or
now and then shooting of some Harquebush, or other Peece: but by no
meanes to vse slings or throwing of stones, least by the miscarriage of
his hand hee either beate downe the fruit or bruise the trees. In this
sort hauing preserued your Cherries from destruction, you shall then
know there ripenesse by their colours, for euer those which are most
red, are most ripe, and when you see any that are ripe, you shall take a
light ladder, made either of fyrre or sallow, and setting it carefully
against the branches, so as you neither bruise them nor the fruit, you
shall gather those you finde ripe, not taking the fruit from the stalke,
but nipping the stalke and fruit both together from the tree: also you
shall be carefull in gathering to handle or touch the Cherry so little
as may be, but the stalke onely, especially if your hands be hot, or
sweaty, for that will change the colour of your Cherries, and make them
looke blacke: if there be any ripe Cherries which hang out of the reach
of your hands, then you shall haue a fine small gathering hooke of
woode, whose bout shall be made round, and smooth, for nipping the barke
of the branches, and with it you shall gently pull vnto you those
branches you cannot reach: you shall also haue a little round basket of
almost a foote deepe, made with a siue bottome, hauing a handle thwarte
the toppe, to which a small hooke being fastned, you shall with that
hooke hang the basket by you on some conuenient cyon, and as you gather
the Cherries, gently lay them downe into the same, and when you haue
filled your basket you shall descend and empty it into larger great
baskets made of the same fashion, with siue bottomes, and hauing
vnderneath two broad lathes or splinters, at least three fingers broad a
peece, within foure inches one of the other, and going both one way
crosse ouerthwart the basket, that if either man or woman shall carry
them vpon their heads, which is the best manner of cariage, then the
splinters may defend the bottome of the basket from the head of the
party, and keepe the Cherries from hurt or bruising, and if you haue
occasion to carry your Cherries farre, and that the quantitie grow
beyond the support of a man, then you shall packe them in hampers or
panniers made with false bottoms like siues, and finely lyned on the
out side with white straw, and so being closely trust on each side a
Horses-backe, to carry them whether you please. You shall by no meanes
suffer your Cherries to lye in any great or thicke heapes one vpon
another, but vntill you sell them, or vse them, lay them as thinne as
may be, because they are apt of themselues to sweat and catch heate, and
that heate doth soone depriue them of the glory of their colour. When
you gather any Cherries to preserue, you shall gather those which are
the greatest, the ripest, you shall pull them from their stalkes one by
one, and vse them at furthest within xxiiij. howers after the time they
are gotten.
{SN: The gathering of stone Fruit.}
{SN: Of gathering hard Plumbes.}
{SN: Of keeping of Plumbes.}
For the gathering of Plumbes in generall, it is in the same manner as
you did gather your Cherries, both with such a like ladder, such a like
hooke, and such like vessels, onely some more speciall obseruations are
to be obserued in gathering your dainty grafted Plumbes, then of the
others, which are of a more hard and induring nature. You shall know
then that for gathering of Abricots, Peaches, Date-Plumbes, and such
like grafted Plumbes, you shall duely consider when they are perfectly
ripe, which you shall not iudge by their dropping from the tree, which
is a signe of ouer-much ripnesse, tending to rottennesse, but by the
true mixture of their colour, and perfect change from their first
complexion: for when you shall perceiue that there is no greenenesse nor
hardnesse in their out-sides, no, not so much as at the setting on of
the stalke, you may then iudge that they are ready to be gathered, and
for a perfecter tryall thereof you may if you please, take one which you
thinke ripest from the tree, and opening it if you see the stone comes
cleane and dry away and not any of the in-part of the fruit cleauing
vnto it, then you may assure your selfe that the fruit is ready to be
gathered, which you shall with great deligence and care gather, not by
any meanes laying one Plumbe vpon another, but each seuerally by
another, for these dainty Plumbes are naturally so tender that the least
touch, though of themselues, doth bruise them, and occasion
rottennesse. Now when you haue gathered them, if either you haue desire
to send them any iourney, as in gratulation to your friends, or for
other priuate commoditie, you shall take some close, smooth, boxe,
answerable to the store of fruit you are to send, and first line it
within all ouer with white paper, then lay your Plumbes one by one all
ouer the bottome of the boxe, then couering them all ouer with white
paper, lay as many moe vpon the toppe of them, and couer them likewise
with paper, as before, and so lay row vpon row with papers betweene
them, vntill the boxe be sufficiently filled, and then closing it vp
sende it whether you please, and they will take the least hurt, whereas
if you should line the boxe either with hay or straw, the very skinnes
are so tender that the straw would print into them and bruise them
exceedingly, and to lay any other soft thing about them, as either wooll
or bumbast, is exceeding euill, because it heateth the Plumbes, and
maketh them sweat, through which they both loose their colour and rot
speedily. As touching the gathering of Plumbes when they are hard, and
to ripen them afterward by laying them vpon nettles, to which consenteth
the most of our London-Fruiterrers, I am vtterly against the opinion,
because I both know Nature to be the perfectest worke-Mistris, and where
she is abridged of her power there euer to follow disorders and
imperfections, as also that when such things are done, as it were
through an ouer-hasty constraint, there cannot proceede any thing but
abortiuenesse, and a distastfull rellish: from whence I thinke it comes
to passe that in London a man shall very seldome tast a delicate or well
rellisht Plumbe, vnlesse it be from such as hauing fruit of their owne,
make no commoditie thereof more then their owne pleasures: yet thus much
I would perswade euery one, that if they haue moe Plumbes ripe at once
then they can vse, or spend, that then after they are gathered, to
spread them thinnely vpon Nettles or Vine-tree leaues, and it will
preserue them sound and well coloured a long time together, but if your
store be so superabundant that in no reasonable time you can spend
them, then what you doe not preserue, or make Godiniake, or Maruulade
of, the rest you shall take and sprinkling them ouer with sweet-worte,
or growt, and then laying them one by one (yet so as they may not touch
one another) vpon hurdles or fleakes made of wands, or twigges, and put
them into an Ouen after bread or Pyes haue beene taine thereout, and so
leasurely dry them, and they will not onely last, but tast pleasantly
all the yeere after: and in this sort you may vse all kindes of Plumbes,
or Peares, whatsoeuer. Now for the gathering of the other ordinary sorts
of vngrafted Plumbes, which haue both much stronger rindes, and are
lesse subiect to rotting, you shall gather them, carry, or transport
them, in the same manner that you did your Cherries, onely in these, as
in all other sorts of fruit whatsoeuer, you shall not omit neuer to
gather, or pull them from the tree, till the dewe be dryed cleane both
from the grasse and from the trees, and that the day be dry, faire, and
full of sunne-shine: for the least wet or moisture doth canker and rot
the fruit.
{SN: Of the gathering of Peares.}
As touching the gathering of Peares, though sundry Fruiterrers obserue
sundry wayes in gathering them, as some making more hast then
good-speed, as either to haue the first tast, or the first profit, some
vsing more negligence, thincking their store so great it will neuer be
consumed, and some so curious that they will not gather till the Peares
fall into their bosomes, all which are dispraiseable fashions, yet I for
my part would euer aduise all diligent husbands to obserue a
mediocritie, and take the fittest season for the gathering of his fruit:
as thus for example. If because you are vnexperienced or vnacquainted
with the fruit you doe not know the due time of his ripening, you shall
obserue the colour of the Peare, and if you see it doe alter, either in
part, or in all, you shall be assured the fruit is neare ripening, for
Peares doe neuer change their colours, but when they doe desire to be
taken from the tree: and of all fruit the Peare may be gathered the
hardest, because both his owne naturall heate and peculiar quallittie
will ripen him best with lying: yet to be more strongly fortefied in the
knowledge of the ripenesse of your fruit, and because it is better to
get a day too late, then an hower to earely, you shall before you gather
your Peares, whether they be Summer fruit or Winter fruit, or whether
you meane to spend them soone or preserue them long, take one of them
from the tree, which is neither the ripest nor the greenest, but betwixt
both, and cut it through the midst with your knife, not longwise, but
ouerthwart, and then looke into the coare where the kirnells lye, and if
it be hollow so as the kirnells lye as it were hollow therein, the
neather ends thereof being turned either blacke, or blackish, albeit the
complexion of the Peare be little, or not at all altered, yet the Peares
haue their full growth, and may very well be gathered: then laying them
either vpon a bedde of ferne, or straw, one vpon another, in great
thicknesse, their owne naturall heate will in short space ripen them,
which you shall perceiue both by the speedy changing of their colour, &
the strength of their smell, which will be exceeding suffocating, which
as soone as you perceiue, you shall then spread them thinner and
thinner, vntill they be all ripe, and then lay them one by one, in such
sort as they may not touch one another, and then they will last much the
longer, you shall also after they be ripe, neither suffer them to haue
straw nor ferne vnder them, but lay them either vpon some smooth table,
boards or fleakes of wands, and they will last the longer.
{SN: Of transporting, or carrying of Peares farre.}
If you be to carry or transport Peares farre, you shall then gather them
so much the sooner, and not suffer any ripe one to be amongst them, and
then lyning great wicker baskets (such as will hould at least quarters a
peece) finely within with white-straw, fill them vp with Peares, and
then couer them with straw, and corde them aboue, and you may either
transport them by land or Sea, whether you please, for they will ripen
in their cariage: but when you come to your place of residence, then you
must needs vnpacke them and spread them thinner, or else they will rot
and consume in a sodaine.
{SN: Of gathering diuersly.}
There be sundry wayes of gathering Peares, or other fruit, as namely, to
climbe into the tree and to haue a basket with a line fastned thereto,
and so when it is filled to let it downe, and cause it to be emptied,
which labour though some of our southerne Fruiterers doe not much
commend, yet for mine owne part I doe not see much errour therein, but
that it is both allowable and conuenient, both because it neither
bruiseth the fruit, nor putteth the gatherer to any extraordinary
labour, onely the imaginary euill is, that by climbing vp into the tree,
hee that gathereth the fruit may indanger the breaking, slipping, and
disbranching of many of the young cyons, which breedeth much hurt and
damage to the tree, but iudgement, and care, which ought to be
apropriate to men of this quallitie, is a certaine preuenter of all such
mischeifes. Now for such as in gathering of their fruit doe euery time
that the basket is full bring it downe themselues from the tree, and
empty it by powring the fruit rudely, and boystrously forth, or for
beating of fruit downe with long poales, loggets, or such like, they are
both most vilde and preposterous courses, the first being full of too
much foolish and carelesse trouble, the latter of too much disorder, &
cruelty, ruyning in a moment what hath beene many yeeres in building: as
for the climbing the tree with a ladder, albeit it be a very good way
for the gathering of fruit, yet if it be neuer so little indiscreetly
handled, it as much hazardeth the breaking and bruising both of the
fruit and the small cyons, as either climbing the tree, or any other way
whatsoeuer.
{SN: The gathering of Apples.}
Now for the gathering of your Apples: you shall vnderstand that your
summer fruit, as your Ieniting, Wibourne, and such like, are first to be
gathered, whose ripenesse, you may partly know by the change of colour,
partly by the pecking of Birds, but cheifely by the course formerly
discribed for your knowledge of the ripenesse of the Peare, which is the
hollownesse of coare, and liberty of the kirnell onely, and when you
doe perceiue they are ripe, you shall gather them in such wise as hath
beene declared for the gathering of your Peares, without respecting the
state of the Moone, or any such like obseruation, but when you come to
gather your Winter-fruit, which is the Pippin, Peare-maine, Russetting,
Blacke-annat, and such like, you shall in any wise gather them in the
wane of the Moone, and, as before I said, in the dryest season that may
be, and if it be so that your store be so great that you cannot gather
all in that season, yet you shall get so much of your principall fruit,
the youngest and fairest, as is possible to be gotten, and preserue it
for the last which you intend either to spend, or vtter. Now for the
manner of gathering your Apples I doe not thinke you can amend or
approue a better way then that which hath beene discribed for the
gathering of Peares, yet some of our late practitioners (who thinke
themselues not cunning if they be not curious) dislike that way, and
will onely haue a gathering apron, into which hauing gathered their
fruit, they doe empty it into larger vessells: this gathering apron is a
strong peece of Canuas at least an ell euery way, which hauing the vpper
end made fast about a mans necke, & the neather end with three loopes,
that is, one at each corner, & one in the midst, through which you shall
put a string, and binde it about your waste, in so much that both the
sides of your apron being open you may put your fruit therein with which
hand you please: this manner of gathering Apples is not amisse, yet in
my conceit the apron is so small a defence for the Apples, that if it
doe but knocke against the boughes as you doe moue your selfe, it cannot
chuse but bruise the fruit very much, which ought euer to be auoyded:
therefore still I am of this opinion, there is no better way, safer, nor
more easie, then gathering them into a small basket, with a long line
thereat, as hath beene before declared in the gathering of Peares. Now
you shall carefully obserue in empting one basket into another, that you
doe it so gently as may be, least in powring them out too rudely the
stalkes of the fruit doe pricke one another, which although it doe
appeare little or nothing at the first, yet it is the first ground,
cause, and beginning of rottennesse, and therefore you shall to your
vttermost power gather your Apples with as small stalkes as may be, so
they haue any at all, which they must needes haue, because that as too
bigge stalkes doth pricke and bruise the fruit, so to haue none at all
makes the fruit rot first in the place where the stalke should be: you
shall also keepe your fruit cleane from leaues, for they being greene
and full of moisture, when by reason of their lying close together they
beginne to wither they strike such an heate into the Apples, that they
mil-dew and rot instantly.
{SN: Of Fallings.}
{SN: Of carriage and keeping Fruit.}
As touching your Fallings, which are those Apples which fall from your
trees, either through too much ripenesse, or else through the violence
of winde, or tempests, you shall by no meanes match them, or mixe them,
with your gathered fruit, for they can by no meanes last or indure so
long, for the latter which falleth by force of winde, wanting the true
nourishment of the earth and the kindly ripening vpon the tree, must
necessarily shrinke wither, and grow riuelled, so that your best course
is to spend them presently, with all speede possible: for the other
which hath too much ripenesse from the earth, and the tree, though it be
much better then the other, yet it cannot be long lasting, both because
it is in the falling bruised, and also hath too much ripenesse, which is
the first steppe to rottennesse, so that they must likewise be spent
with all expedition. For the carriage of your Apples, if the place be
not farre whether you should carry them, you shall then in those large
baskets into which you last emptied them, carry them vpon cole-staues,
or stangs, betwixt two men, and hauing brought them carefully into your
Apple-loft, power them downe gently vpon bedds of ferne or straw, and
lay them in reasonable large heapes, euery sort of Apples seuerall by
themselues, without mixture, or any confusion: and for such Apples as
you would haue to ripen soone, you shall couer them all ouer with ferne
also, but for such as you would haue take all possible leasure in
ripening, those you shall lay neither vpon ferne, nor straw, but vpon
the bare boards, nay, if you lay them vpon a plaster floare (which is of
all floares the coldest) till Saint Andrewes tide, it is not amisse, but
very profitable, and the thinner you lay them so much the better. Now if
you haue any farre iourney to carry your Apples, either by land, or by
water, then trimming and lyning the insides of your baskets with ferne,
or wheat-straw wouen as it were cleane through the basket, you shall
packe, couer, and cord vp your Apples, in such sort as you did your
Peares, and there is no danger in the transportation of them, be it by
shippe, cart, waggon, or horse-backe. If you be inforced to packe sundry
sorts of Apples in one basket, see that betwixt euery sort you lay a
diuision of straw, or ferne, that when they are vnpackt, you may lay
them againe seuerally: but if when they are vnpackt, for want of roome
you are compeld to lay some sorts together, in any wise obserue to mixe
those sorts together which are nearest of taste, likest of colour, and
all of one continuance in lasting: as for the packing vp of fruit in
hogsheads, or shooting them vnder hatches when you transport them by
Sea, I like neither of the courses, for the first is too close, and
nothing more then the want of ayre doth rot fruit, the other is subiect
to much wet, when the breach of euery Sea indangereth the washing of the
Apples, and nothing doth more certainely spoyle them. The times most
vnseasonable for the transporting of fruit, is either in the month of
March, or generally in any frosty weather, for if the sharpe coldenesse
of those ayres doe touch the fruit, it presently makes them looke
blacke, and riuelled, so that there is no hope of their continuance.
The place where you shall lay your fruit must neither be too open, nor
too close, yet rather close then open, it must by no meanes be low vpon
the ground, nor in any place of moistnesse: for moisture breedes
fustinesse, and such naughty smells easily enter into the fruit, and
taint the rellish thereof, yet if you haue no other place but some low
cellar to lay your fruit in, then you shall raise shelues round about,
the nearest not within two foote of the ground, and lay your Apples
thereupon, hauing them first lyned, either with sweet Rye-straw,
Wheate-straw, or dry ferne: as these vndermost roomes are not the best,
so are the vppermost, if they be vnseeld, the worst of all other,
because both the sunne, winde, and weather, peircing through the tiles,
doth annoy and hurt the fruit: the best roome then is a well seeld
chamber, whose windowes may be shut and made close at pleasure, euer
obseruing with straw to defend the fruit from any moist stone wall, or
dusty mudde wall, both which are dangerous annoyances.
{SN: The seperating of Fruit.}
Now for the seperating of your fruit, you shall lay those nearest hand,
which are first to be spent, as those which will last but till
Alhallontide, as the Cisling, Wibourne, and such like, by themselues:
those which will last till Christmas, as the Costard, Pome-water,
Queene-Apple, and such like: those which will last till Candlemas, as
the Pome-de-roy, Goose-Apple, and such like, and those which will last
all the yeere, as the Pippin, Duzin, Russetting, Peare-maine, and such
like, euery one in his seuerall place, & in such order that you may
passe from bed to bed to clense or cast forth those which be rotten or
putrefied at your pleasure, which with all diligence you must doe,
because those which are tainted will soone poyson the other, and
therefore it is necessary as soone as you see any of them tainted, not
onely to cull them out, but also to looke vpon all the rest, and deuide
them into three parts, laying the soundest by themselues, those which
are least tainted by themselues, and those which are most tainted by
themselues, and so to vse them all to your best benefit.
Now for the turning of your longest lasting fruit, you shall know that
about the latter end of December is the best time to beginne, if you
haue both got and kept them in such sort as is before sayd, and not mixt
fruit of more earely ripening amongst them: the second time you shall
turne them, shall be about the end of February, and so consequently once
euery month, till Penticost, for as the yeere time increaseth in heate
so fruit growes more apt to rot: after Whitsontide you shall turne them
once euery fortnight, alwayes in your turning making your heapes thinner
and thinner; but if the weather be frosty then stirre not your fruit at
all, neither when the thaw is, for then the fruit being moist may by no
meanes be touched: also in wet weather fruit will be a little dankish,
so that then it must be forborne also, and therefore when any such
moistnesse hapneth, it is good to open your windowes and let the ayre
dry your fruit before it be turned: you may open your windowe any time
of the yeere in open weather, as long as the sunne is vpon the skye, but
not after, except in March onely, at what time the ayre and winde is so
sharpe that it tainteth and riuelleth all sorts of fruits whatsoeuer.
{SN: To keepe Fruit in frost.}
If the frost be very extreame, and you feare the indangering your fruit,
it is good to couer them somewhat thicke with fine hay, or else to lay
them couered all ouer either in Barley-chaffe, or dry Salte: as for the
laying them in chests of Iuniper, or Cipresse, it is but a toy, and not
worth the practise: if you hang Apples in nettes within the ayre of the
fire it will keepe them long, but they will be dry and withered, and
will loose their best rellish.
{SN: Of Wardens.}
Now for the gathering, keeping, ordering, and preseruing of Wardens,
they are in all sorts and in all respects to be vsed as you doe vse your
Peares, onely you are to consider that they are a fruit of a much
stronger constitution, haue a much thicker skinne, and will endure much
harder season: neither ought you to seeke to ripen them in hast, or
before the ordinary time of their owne nature, and therefore to them you
shall vse neither straw, ferne, nor hay, but onely dry boards to lay
them vpon, and no otherwise.
{SN: Of Medlars and Seruices.}
For your Medlars, you shall gather them about the midst of October,
after such time as the frost hath nipt and bitten them, for before they
will not be ready, or loosen from the stalke, and then they will be
nothing ripe, but as hard as stones, for they neuer ripen vpon the tree,
therefore as soone as you haue gathered them, you shall packe them into
some close vessell, and couer them all ouer, and round about, with
thicke woollen cloathes, and about the cloathes good store of hay, and
some other waight of boards, or such like vpon them, all which must
bring them into an extreame heate, without which they will neuer ripen
kindely, because their ripenesse is indeed perfect rottennesse: and
after they haue layne thus, at least a fornight, you shall then looke
vpon them, and turning them ouer, such as you finde ripe you shall take
away, the rest you shall let remaine still, for they will not ripen all
at once, and those which are halfe ripe you shall also remoue into a
third place, least if you should keepe them together, they should
beginne to grow mouldy before the other were ready; and in the selfe
same manner as you vse your Medlars, so you shall vse your Seruices, and
they will ripen most kindely: or if you please to sticke them betwixt
large clouen stickes, and to sprinckle a little olde beare vpon them,
and so set them in a close roome, they will ripen as kindely as any
other way whatsoeuer.
{SN: Of Quinces.}
Now for Quinces, they are a fruit which by no meanes you may place neare
any other kinde of fruit, because their sent is so strong and peircing,
that it will enter into any fruit, and cleane take way his naturall
rellish: the time of their gathering is euer in October, and the meetest
place to lay them in is where they may haue most ayre, so they may lye
dry (for wet they can by no meanes indure,) also they must not lye
close, because the smell of them is both strong & vnwholsome: the beds
whereon they must lye must be of sweet straw, and you must both turne
them and shift them very often, or else they will rot speedily: for the
transporting or carying them any long iourney, you must vse them in all
things as you vse your Peares, & the carriage will be safe.
{SN: Of Nuts.}
For Nuts, of what sort soeuer they be, you shall know they are ripe as
soone as you perceiue them a little browne within the huske, or as it
were ready to fall out of the same, the skill therefore in preseruing of
them long from drynesse, is all that can be desired at the Fruiterers
hands: for as touching the gathering of them, there is no scruple to be
obserued, more then to gather them cleane from the tree, with the helpe
of hookes and such like, for as touching the bruising of them, the shell
is defence sufficient. After they be gathered, you shall shale them, and
take them cleane out of their huskes, and then for preseruing them from
either Wormes or drynesse, it shall be good to lay them in some low
cellar, where you may couer them with sand, being first put into great
bagges or bladders: some french-men are of opinion that if you put them
into vessels made of Wal-nut-tree, and mixe Iuy-berries amongst them, it
will preserue them moist a long time: others thinke, but I haue found it
vncertaine, that to preserue Nuts in Honey will keepe them all the yeere
as greene, moist, and pleasant, as when they hung vpon the tree: The
Dutch-men vse (and it is an excellent practise) to take the crusht
Crabbes (after your verdiuyce is strained out of them) and to mixe it
with their Nuts, and so to lay them in heapes, and it will preserue them
long: or otherwise if they be to be transported, to put them into
barrells and to lay one layre of crusht Crabbes, and another of Nuts,
vntill the barrell be filled, and then to close them vp, and set them
where they may stand coole. But aboue all these foresayd experiments,
the best way for the preseruing of Nuts is to put them into cleane
earthen pots, and to mixe with them good store of salt and then closing
the pots close, to set them in some coole cellar, and couer them all
ouer with sand, and there is no doubt but they will keepe coole,
pleasant, and moist, vntill new come againe, which is a time fully
conuenient.
{SN: Of Grapes.}
Now to conclude, for the keeping of Grapes, you shall first vnderstand
that the best time for their gathering is in the wane of the Moone, and
about the midst of October, as for the knowledge of his ripenesse it is
euer at such time as his first colour is cleane altered, for all Grapes
before they be ripe are of a deepe, thicke, greene, colour, but after
they be ripe, they are either of a blewish redde, or of a bright shining
pale greene. Now for the preseruing them for our english vse, which is
but onely for a fruit-dish at our Tables, for neither our store, nor our
soyle, affords vs any for the wine-presse, some thinke it good, after
they are gotten, to lay them in fine dry sand, or to glasse them vp in
close glasses, where the ayre cannot peirce, will keepe them long, both
full, plumpe, and sweet, but in my conceit the best course is after they
are gotten to hang them vpon strings bunch by bunch, in such places of
your house as they may take the ayre of the fire, and they will last
longest, and keepe the sweetest.