7. A stool standing on five legs, for tying on the corks. (_Fig. 4._)

8. A sufficient quantity of linen bags, for covering the bottles and

other vessels.

9. Two stools covered with leather and stuffed with hay, in order to

shake the bottles upon them, and in that way force a greater number of

peas and other small substances into the bottles.

10. A press for the juice of plants, fruits, and herbs; with pans,

vessels, sieves, and every thing else that belongs to it.

Besides my laboratory, consisting of these articles, I have fitted up

three apartments.

The first, for preparing vegetables: it is furnished with dressers all

round.

The second, for storing up and preparing all kinds of fruit.

The third is a cellar, furnished with bottle racks, for rinsing and

setting by the bottles and other vessels, as in a store-house.

I have the precaution to keep the bottles and other vessels I may want,

ready rinsed at hand. I am also supplied with an assortment of corks,

compressed and bit in the instrument already described. When every

preparation is thus made, the process is half done.

The principle by which all alimentary substances are preserved and

kept fresh, is invariable in its effects. The result in particular

experiments, depends upon the fitness of each individual application

of the principle to the substance which is to be preserved, according

to its peculiar qualities; but in every case, the exclusion of air is

a precaution of the utmost importance to the success of the operation:

and in order to deprive alimentary substances of contact with the air,

a perfect knowledge of bottles and the vessels to be used, of corks

and corking, is requisite.

§ III.

_Of Bottles and Vessels._

I chose glass, as being the matter most impenetrable by air, and have

not ventured to make any experiment with a vessel made of any other

substance. The ordinary bottles have generally necks too small and ill

made; they are also too weak to resist the blows from the bat and the

action of the fire: I, therefore, caused bottles to be made for my

especial use, with wider necks, and those necks made with a projecting

rim, or ring, on the interior surface, placed below, and resembling, in

form, the rim which is at the top of the exterior surface of the necks

of bottles. My object was, that when the cork had been forced into the

neck of the bottle, three-fourths of its length, in the manner already

described, it should be compressed in the middle. In this manner the

bottle is perfectly corked on the outside as well as within. It thus

opposes an obstacle to the swelling, or expansion, which arises from

the operation of heat upon the substance enclosed within the bottle.

This mode of forming the neck of the bottle is so much the more

indispensable, as I have repeatedly known the swelling to be so strong,

as to push out corks of three or four lines in length, though confined

by two iron wires crossed. The bottles and vessels should be made of a

tough substance [_de matière liante_], the former having the weight of

twenty-five or twenty-six ounces for each _litre_[G] that the bottle

contains. The glass ought to be of equal thickness in every part, or it

is liable to break in the water-bath. The form of the Champagne bottle

is most convenient; it is the handsomest as well as the strongest, and

is of the best shape for packing up.

[G] The French _litre_, consists of nearly two wine pints and a half,

English measure.

§ IV.

_Of Corks._

Economy in corks is generally very unwise, as in order to save a very

trifle in the price of cork, a risk is incurred of losing the valuable

commodity it is intended to preserve. As corking is made use of in

order to preserve and meliorate certain articles, by depriving them of

all contact with the air, too much attention cannot be given to the

good quality of the cork, which should be of eighteen or twenty lines

in length and of the finest quality. Experience has so fully satisfied

me on this point, that I never make use of any but superfine corks:

these are, in the end, the cheapest. I further take the precaution

of compressing, and, as it were, biting the cork, three-fourths of

its length, by means of the instrument already described (_fig. 3_),

beginning at the small end. The cork is rendered more supple; the pores

of the cork are brought closer; it is somewhat lengthened, and its

thickness is so much diminished at the extremity which is put into the

mouth of the bottle, that a large cork may be made to enter a very

moderate opening. The action of the heat within the vessel is such,

that the cork swells within, and the corking is thus rendered perfect.

§ V.

_Of Corking._

After what has been just said, the absolute necessity will be apparent

of having good bottles, with a projecting rim of equal thickness

all round within the neck. Excellent superfine corks are also

indispensable, which have been compressed in the instrument three

quarters of their length.

Before I cork, I take care that the bottles containing liquor are

filled only up to within three inches of the outer rim, lest they

should burst from the bubbling and swelling occasioned by the

application of heat to the water. When the bottles contain vegetables,

fruit, &c. they may be filled up to within two inches of the rim.

I place the full bottle upon the bottle-boot already mentioned, before

which I seat myself. This apparatus is to be supplied with a strong

wooden bat, a small pot full of water, and a sharp knife, greased with

a little suet or soap, for cutting off the tops of the corks, which

ought never to be raised much above the head of the bottles. These

arrangements being made, I place the bottle-boot between my legs, and

taking a cork of fit size, I dip one half of it into the little pot

of water, in order to facilitate its entrance; and having wiped the

end, I then put it to the mouth of the bottle, at the same time turning

it round. I hold it in this position with my left hand, which I keep

steady, that the bottle may stand upright. I take the bat in my right

hand, in order to drive in the cork by force of blows.

When I find, at the first or second blow of the bat, that the cork has

somewhat entered, I take my hand from the cork in order to hold with

it the neck of the bottle, which I fix firmly and upright upon the

bottle-boot; and by dint of repeated blows, I continue to drive in my

cork three-fourths of its length. The quarter of the cork which remains

above the bottle, after having refused to yield any further to the

redoubled blows of the bat, assures me, in the first place, that the

bottle is completely corked, and this same residue serves also to hold

the double crossed iron wire which is necessary to bind fast the cork,

that it may be able to resist the action of heat on the water-bath.

I must repeat again, that too much attention cannot be given to the

corking: no circumstance however minute ought to be neglected, in order

to effect the rigorous exclusion of the air from the substance to be

preserved; air being a most destructive agent, and the one which is

most sedulously to be counteracted in the course of the process.[H]

[H] Many persons believe they have corked well, when they have forced

the cork even with the mouth of the bottle; but this is a great

mistake. On the contrary, whenever the whole of the cork, instead of

withstanding the blows of the bat, is forced into the bottle, it is

adviseable to draw it out and substitute another in its place. Thus

the believing that a bottle corked very low is well corked, because

no liquor escapes when the bottle is turned with its neck downwards,

is an error, which, joined to the use of bad corks, causes a number

of losses. He who corks with care and judgment is satisfied that the

operation has been performed well by the resistance of the cork to the

blows of the bat, and never thinks of turning the neck of the bottle

downwards. It is besides sufficient to reflect on the punctures met

with in cork, and on all the hidden defects which may subsist in the

interior even of the finest cork, by means of which, the air may be

introduced; in order to be convinced of the propriety of making use of

none but the very best corks, and that, after having well compressed

them in the machine for that purpose; and also of corking them so

closely that they become very much compressed in the middle.

It is in this way only, that losses can be prevented from frequently

taking place, which have often no other cause than bad corking; for,

if a bottle does not instantly run when carelessly corked, it proceeds

from this circumstance, that the air has not had time to penetrate

through the apertures which may be in the interior of the cork: and, in

fact, how different is the quality of wine, drawn from the same cask!

and how many bottles do we meet with, which have lost more or less of

their contents!

The bottles being well stopped up, I then fasten the cork down with a

couple of iron wires crossed: this is an easy operation, and any one

can do it, who has once seen it done.

I then put each bottle in a bag of canvass or coarse linen cloth, made

for the purpose, sufficiently large to wrap up the whole of the bottle

up to the very cork. These bags are made in the shape of a muff, open

alike at both ends: one of these ends is drawn with a string running in

a gutter, leaving an opening of about the width of a crown piece; the

other end is provided with a couple of small strings, in order to tye

the bag round the neck of the bottle.

By means of these bags, I can dispense with the use of hay or straw in

packing up the bottles in the water-bath; and, whenever any one of them

breaks, the fragments are preserved in the bag. I am spared a great

deal of trouble and a number of inconveniences which I had formerly to

sustain, in picking up the pieces of the bottle out of the straw or hay

I then made use of.

After having spoken of bottles, their form and quality; of stoppers,

and the length of the fine cork of which they ought to be composed; of

the corking and tying; of bags, their form and utility; I proceed to

give an idea of vessels with large necks, that is, glass jars, which I

make use of for preserving solid and bulky substances, such as poultry,

game, meat, fish, &c.

These jars have necks of two, three, or four inches diameter, and are

of a larger or smaller size; like bottles, they are furnished with a

projecting rim, not only in order to strengthen the neck, but also

for receiving the iron wire destined to bind the corks. I have not

yet been able to procure from the glass-houses a similar projecting

rim in the interior of the neck of these jars, as I have in that of

the bottles. The completely corking up these vessels, is, from this

circumstance, rendered more difficult, and demands especial care.

I met with another obstacle in the cork itself, from its thinness (more

especially when the cork was very fine), and also from its ascending

pores being against the grain. I was therefore obliged to form stoppers

of three or four pieces of cork, from twenty to twenty-four lines in

length, placed together the way of the grain, the pores of the cork

being placed horizontally, by means of isinglass prepared in the

following manner.

I melted over the fire four drams of well beaten isinglass, in eight

ounces of water: when melted, I caused it to run through fine linen;

and then put it again over the fire in order to reduce it to one third

of its volume. After which I added an ounce of good full-proof brandy.

I then left the whole on the fire till it became reduced to about three

ounces. I then put the glue thus prepared in a little pot over live

coals, and took care to warm my pieces of cork. I then slightly smeared

over the pieces of cork with a brush, in order to glue them together.

When the pieces composing the stopper were well fixed and glued

together, I then fixed a tight thread to the two extremities of the

stopper, in order to keep the pieces together, and let them dry, either

in the sun or in a gentle heat for about a fortnight. At the end of

this time I took a cork-maker’s knife and cut my stoppers of a proper

shape; and having always fitted them to the mouth of the jar, they have

never proved defective.

Having corked my jars, and driven in the stopper by means of the bat,

the bottles being always placed upright in the bottle-boot, I made use

of a compound luting. This luting (communicated to me by Mr. Bardel)

is made of quick lime, which is slaked in the air by being sprinkled

with water, till it becomes reduced to a powder. The powder to be kept

in this state in corked bottles ready for use. This lime mixed with a

cheese made of skimmed milk (_fromage à la pie_), and formed to the

thickness of paste, produces a luting which hardens rapidly, and which

withstands the heat of boiling water.

I besmear the whole of the outside of the stopper with this luting, and

I cover the edge of the jar with hemp and strips of linen placed above

and close to the stopper, and hanging down to the rim.

Farther, that the iron wire may have force enough to keep down the

stopper, I put a piece of cork seven or eight lines high, and sixteen

or eighteen lines in diameter, in the middle of the large stopper which

is itself too big to allow the wire to have any effect upon it. By

means of this second cork, placed in the middle of the large stopper,

I am able to make the wire take a proper hold of the cork and give due

strength and solidity to the stopper.

When every thing has thus been foreseen and prepared, and, above all

things, well corked, tied, and wrapped up in bags, there remains

nothing to be done, but to apply the preserving principle, that is,

_heat_, to the substances duly arranged, and this is the most easy part

of the operation.

I place all the vessels, bottles or jars, upright in a boiler, which

I then fill with cold water up to the necks of the vessels; I then

cover the boiler with its lid, which is made to rest upon the vessels.

I cover the upper part of the lid with a piece of wet linen, in order

that the sides of the lid may exactly fit, and all evaporation from the

water-bath be impeded as much as possible.

When the boiler has been thus filled and adjusted, I light the fire

beneath. When the water-bath begins to boil, I take care to maintain

the same degree of heat for the greater or less quantity of time

required by the substances exposed to its influence. When this time

has elapsed, I then instantly put out the fire by means of a coal

extinguisher (_étouffoir_).

After the fire has been put out a quarter of an hour, I let out the

water of the bath by means of the cock; after the water has been

withdrawn half an hour, I uncover the boiler, and I do not take out the

bottles till one or two hours after the uncovering; and this terminates

the operation.

The next day, or a fortnight afterwards, for that is immaterial, I

place my bottles on shelves, as I do wine, in a cool and shady place.

If I purpose sending them a great distance, I think it worth while

to pitch them before I place them on the shelves; otherwise this last

operation is not absolutely necessary. I have now by me, bottles

which have been three years lying under a stair-case, the substances

contained in which retain as much flavour as if they were just

prepared, and yet they were never pitched.

We have just seen, from all that has been said, that alimentary

substances, in order to be preserved, should be, without exception,

subjected to the application of heat in a water-bath; after being

rigorously excluded from all contact with the air, in the manner, and

with the precautions already indicated.

The preserving principle is, as I have already observed, invariable in

its effects. Thus every loss I have sustained from any of the articles

being spoiled, had no other cause than an erroneous application of the

principle, or some negligence or omission in the preparatory process

already pointed out. It sometimes happens to me even now, that my

operations do not perfectly succeed; but no man makes experiments in

any of the arts, or in any branch of natural philosophy, without being

liable to disappointment. Nor can any one, therefore, who is employed

in such a process as mine, flatter himself that he may not sometimes

find his commodities spoiled from some defect in a vessel, or in the

interior of a cork. But in fact, when due attention is given, these

losses seldom take place.

§ VI.

_The means of distinguishing among the Bottles or Jars, as they are

taken from the Boiler, such of them as, from some neglect in the

preparatory process, some accident, or the action of the fire, are in

danger of occasioning a loss, or spoiling the substances enclosed in

them._

When the operation is completed, of whatever kind it may be, I take the

greatest care in my power to examine all the bottles and jars one by

one, as I take them from the boiler.

I have remarked in some, defects in the glass, as stars and cracks

occasioned by the action of the heat in the water-bath; or by the

tying, when the mouth of the vessel has been too weak.

I have observed in others, a moisture round the stopper, or little

spots near the mouth, from which I inferred that part of the substance

enclosed had oozed out during the dilation or expansion produced by the

heat of the water-bath: these are the two principal observations that

usually occur to me: and whenever I observe either of these appearances

on any bottle, I always set it aside, and make use of the substance

immediately, that nothing may be lost.

The first of the flaws pointed out, arises from the quality, and

originally bad structure of the bottle; but the second may arise from

any one of four causes:--1. From a bad cork; 2. from bad corking; 3.

from the bottle having been filled too near the brim; and 4. from bad

tying. A single one of these faults is sufficient to spoil a bottle;

more easily, therefore, a complication of them.

In the applying of heat to the water-bath, I have had various obstacles

to encounter, more particularly when peas were to be preserved; for

peas are of all substances the most difficult to preserve completely.

This vegetable, when gathered while it is too young or too tender,

dissolves in water, and in consequence the bottle is found half

empty, and even this half is not fit to be kept; hence, whenever this

circumstance occurs, I set aside the bottle and make use of the article

immediately. If the peas have been gathered two or three days, the

heat occasions them to lose all their flavour; they become hard; they

ferment before the operation; the bottles break in the water-bath with

an explosion; those which resist the first heat break afterwards, or

are faulty: and this is easily recognised by the liquor in the bottle,

which becomes turbid; while peas which are well preserved, leave the

liquid pellucid.

It is not necessary to recommend dispatch and the utmost cleanliness

in the preparation of alimentary substances. This is absolutely

indispensable; more especially in what respects the substances

themselves, which are to be preserved.

I take care to have all my preparatory arrangements made before I begin

the process; that there may be no waiting, and that the best use may be

made of the time employed in carrying it on.

DESCRIPTION OF MY PROCESS, AS APPLIED TO THE VARIOUS ARTICLES

INTENDED TO BE PRESERVED.

§ VII.

_Boiled Meat._

(_Pot-au-Feu de Ménage._)

I put a quantity of meat into the pot to be boiled in the ordinary

way. When it was three-fourths boiled, I took out one half of it, the

bones of which I had already taken off, as I purposed to preserve it.

When the meat was completely boiled, I strained the broth, and after

it had become cool, I put it in bottles which I corked well, tied and

wrapped up in their several bags. The beef which I had taken out when

three-fourths done, I put into jars which I filled up with a part of

the same broth. Having corked, luted, and tied up these, and wrapped

them in bags, I placed them, and the bottles containing the broth,

upright in a cauldron or boiler. I filled this boiler with cold water

up to the rim of the bottles and jars. I put the lid upon the boiler,

causing it to rest on the vessels within, and took care to surround it

with a wet linen cloth, in order to impede as much as possible, any

evaporation from the water-bath. I heated the boiler, and when the

water-bath had been made to boil, I kept up the same degree of heat

for an hour, and precisely at the end of the hour, let the fire pass

into an extinguisher. Half an hour afterwards, I let off the water from

the bath, by means of the cock at the bottom of the boiler. At the end

of another half hour I took off the lid. An hour or two afterwards, I

took out the bottles and jars. (The time of doing this is, however,

immaterial, and the operator will consult his own convenience.) The

next day I besmeared the corks with rosin, in order to forward the

bottles and jars to different sea-ports.

At the end of a year, and a year and half, the broth and boiled meat

were found as good as if made the day they were eaten.

§ VIII.

_Gravy._

In the year 12, having reason to hope that I should be employed to

provide some nourishing provisions for the sick on board his majesty’s

vessels, in consequence of some experiments which had already been made

in the sea-ports, by order of _his Excellency the Minister of the

Marine and Colonies_, on alimentary productions preserved according

to my method; I made the necessary arrangement for fulfilling the

orders I had reason to expect. In consequence, that I might not want

too many bottles and jars, and that I might be able to condense the

substance of eight messes in a bottle of the size of one _litre_, I

made the following experiment. As, in general, evaporation cannot take

place, but at the expence of the object to be condensed,[I] I made some

gravy, in the proportion of two pounds of good meat and poultry to one

_litre_. My gravy being made, and strained and suffered to become

cool, I put it in bottles. After having well corked, and tied the

bottles and wrapped them in bags, I placed them in the boiler. I had

taken out, when one quarter dressed, the best pieces of the beef and

poultry. When these were grown cold, I put them in jars, and filled the

jars with the same gravy. Having well corked, luted, tied and wrapped

up these jars, I set them upright in the same boiler with the bottles

of gravy. Having filled the boiler with cold water up to the rim of the

bottles and jars, and having covered the lid of the boiler with a wet

linen cloth, I heated the water-bath. When it was made to boil I kept

up the same degree of heat for two hours, and completed this operation

as I did the preceding.

[I] Jellies, essences of meat, the substance of ice and portable soups,

which are prepared from the soft and white parts of animals, preserved

at a great expence by means of evaporation, and drying in stoves with

the aid of hartshorn and isinglass, furnish merely factitious aliments,

without flavour or any other than a burnt or mouldy taste.

The beef and fowls were found well dressed, and were kept, as well as

the gravy, for more than two years.

§ IX.

_Broth, or Jelly._

I composed this jelly, according to the prescription of a physician,

of calves feet and lights, red cabbage, carrots, turnips, onions, and

leeks, taking a sufficient quantity of each. A quarter of an hour

before I took this jelly from the fire, I added some sugar-candy with

some Senegal gum. I strained it as soon as it was made. After it was

cold it was put in bottles, which were corked, tied, wrapped up in

bags, and put in the water-bath, which was kept boiling one quarter of

an hour, and this jelly was preserved and remained as good as it was

the day on which it was made.

§ X.

_Round of Beef, Fillet of Mutton, Fowls and young Partridges._

I prepared all these articles as if for common use, but only

three-fourths dressed, the young partridges being roasted. When they

were grown cold, I put these articles separately into jars of a

sufficient size. Having well corked, luted, tied and wrapped them up,

I put them all into the water-bath which was kept on the boil for half

an hour. They were forwarded to Brest, and from thence were sent to Sea

for four months and ten days, together with some vegetables, gravy, and

preserved milk, all well packed up in a chest.

When opened, eighteen different kinds of preserved food were tasted,

every one of which had retained its freshness; and not a single

substance had undergone the least change at Sea.

To the experiments made with these four kinds of provisions, I can add

two others made by myself; the one, a fricasee of fowls; and the other,

a matelot of eels, carp, and pike, with an addition of sweet-bread,

mushrooms, onions, butter, and anchovies, all dressed in white wine.

The fricasee and the matelot were perfectly preserved.

These results prove sufficiently that the same principle, applied with

the same preparatory process, and with the same care and precautions,

in general preserves all animal productions. But it is to be observed

that in the previous cooking of each articles, it is to be only

three-fourths dressed at the utmost, in order that the remainder of the

requisite cooking may be communicated by means of the water-bath.

There are a number of articles which can bear an additional hour of

boiling in the water-bath without any danger, as broth, gravy, jellies

and the essences of meat, poultry and ham, the juice of the grape and

of plants, &c. But there are also others which will sustain a great

injury from a quarter of an hour’s or even a minute’s too much boiling.

Thus the result will always depend upon the dexterity, intelligence and

judgment of the operator.[J]

[J] The celebrated CHAPTAL says, in his _Elémens de Chimie, discours

préliminaire_, p. cxxxi. “We hear in manufactories of nothing but the

_caprice of experiment_, but this vague phrase has its origin only in

the ignorance in which the workmen are of the true principles of their

art; for nature does not act according to any principle of discernment,

but obeys constant laws. The dead matter which we employ in our

manufactories, exhibits necessary effects in which the will can have no

share, and consequently can have no caprice. Make yourself acquainted,

we should say to the manual operator, with the substance on which you

are to operate, study better the principles of your art, and you will

be able to foresee, predict and calculate every thing. It is your

ignorance alone which renders your operations a constant groping in the

dark, and a discouraging alternation of success and disappointment.”

In fact, the operator who proceeds with a perfect knowledge of the

principles of his art, and of the results of its application, will

never ascribe the failure of his process to caprice, but will impute it

to the neglect of some indispensable precaution in the application of

his principle; and his disappointment will serve as a guide for him to

calculate better and improve his preparatory process. Convinced that

the effects that flow from his principle are invariable, he knows that

every kind of loss and damage can proceed only from an error in the

application of his principle.

§ XI.

_New-laid Eggs._

The more fresh the egg is, the longer it withstands the heat of the

water-bath. I consequently took eggs the day they had been laid,

placed them in a jar, with raspings of bread, to fill up the vacuities,

and secure them against breaking when removed to a distance. Having

well corked, tied and luted the jars, &c. I placed them in a boiler of

a proper size[K] to give them seventy-five degrees of heat.[L] Having

taken the water-bath from the fire, I took out the eggs as soon as

the water was so cool that I could put my finger in it. I then took

out the eggs and kept them six months. At the end of that period I

took the eggs out of the jar, put them into cold water which I set on

the fire, and heated it to seventy-five degrees: I found them fit to

dip a toast of bread into, and as fresh as when I prepared them. As to

hard eggs, which are to be cut into slices and fricaseed, I heat the

water-bath eighty degrees, and as soon as it begins to boil, I remove

the water-bath from the fire.

[K] This operation performed on a great scale, that is in a larger

boiler, would require too much exactness, as it would be more difficult

to command just the due degree of heat in such a boiler than in a small

water-bath which may be set on and taken off at pleasure.

[L] That is, of _Reamur_, or 200 of _Fahrenheit_, in like manner, the

80 of Reamur, or boiling point mentioned below, is 212 of Fahrenheit. T.

§ XII.

_Milk._

I took twelve _litres_ of milk fresh from the cow; I condensed it in

the water-bath and reduced it to two-thirds of its volume, frequently

skimming it. Then I strained it through a boulting cloth. When cold I

took from it the skim which had risen while it was cooling, and bottled

it, with the usual process, and afterwards put it in the water-bath

which I let boil for two hours; and at the end of several months, I

perceived that the cream had separated itself and was swimming in the

bottle in the form of flakes. To obviate this inconvenience, I made

a second experiment on a like quantity of milk which I condensed in

the water-bath, reducing it to one half, instead of one third, as I

had done the former. I then added to the milk, so reduced, the yolks

of eight new laid eggs well beaten. Having left the whole thus well

mingled half an hour on the fire, I completed the experiment as

before. This expedient perfectly succeeded.

The yolk of egg had so completely combined all the particles, that at

the end of a year, and even of eighteen months, the milk remained as

fresh as when I put it in the bottles. The first also was preserved

more than two years. The cream which was in flakes disappeared when

put on the fire. Both sustained the boiling alike. From both, butter

and whey were afterwards obtained. In the different experiments and

chymical analyses to which they were exposed, it was found that the

last, being much the better, was equal to the best cream sold at Paris

to drink with coffee.

§ XIII.

_Cream._

I took five _litres_ of cream taken with care from milk of the

preceding evening. I condensed it in the water-bath to four _litres_,

without skimming it. I took off the skim which was formed above, in

order to strain it through a boulting cloth afterwards, and let it

cool. After having taken off the skim which had risen while cooling,

I put it in half bottles, observing the usual process, and let the

water-bath boil for one hour.

At the end of two years this cream was found as fresh as if prepared

the same day. I made some good fresh butter with it; making from four

to five ounces of butter from half a _litre_ of cream.

§ XIV.

_Whey._

I prepared some whey by the ordinary process. When clarified, and grown

cold, I put it in bottles, &c. and let it remain in the water-bath

which was boiling one hour. However well the whey may be clarified,

when put into the water-bath, the application of the heat always

detaches some particles of cheese which are deposited. I preserved

some in this way two and three years, and before I made use of it,

I strained it that it might be very clear. On an emergency you may

content yourself with carefully decantering the whey for this purpose.

§ XV.

_Of Vegetables._

As the difference of climates renders the productions of different

countries more or less early, and varies their qualities, kinds and

denominations,[M] attention will be given by the operator to the

circumstances of the spot in which he resides.

[M] For this reason the translator adds the original names of the

vegetables spoken of. It may happen that some of the kinds of fruits

and roots mentioned by the author, do not exactly correspond with

those which are considered as the same in this country. Whatever

peculiarities there may be in the articles themselves, these will

hardly affect the treatment they have to undergo in the process of

preserving them. T.

At Paris and its environs, June and July are the best months for

preserving green peas (_petits pois verts_), small windsor beans

(_petites fèves de marais_), and asparagus (_asperge_). At a later

period, these vegetables suffer greatly from heat and dryness. In

August and September I preserve artichokes (_artichauts_), French beans

(_haricots verts et blancs_), and cauliflowers (_choux-fleurs_).

In general, all vegetables intended to be preserved should be used as

recently gathered as possible, and prepared with the utmost rapidity,

so that there should be as it were, but one step from the garden-bed to

the water-bath.

§ XVI.

_Green Peas._

(_Petits pois verts._)

The _clamart_ and the _crochu_ are the two kinds of peas which I

prefer, especially the latter, which is the most juicy and sweet of

all, as well as the earliest, except the _michaux_ (hastings), which

is the first pea, but this kind is not fit to be preserved. I gather

the peas when they are not too young and tender, for they are apt to

dissolve in water during the operation. I take them when they are

of a middling size. They are then in a more perfect state, and have

an infinitely finer taste and flavour. I shell them as soon as they

are gathered. I separate the large ones, and they are then put in

bottles, the bottles being for that purpose placed on the stool before

mentioned, in order that as many peas as possible may, by shaking the

bottle, be made to go into them; I then cork the bottles, &c. and put

them in the water-bath, which is made to boil for an hour and half, if

the season be cool and moist; and two hours in a dry and hot season;

and I terminate the operation as before.

I also put in bottles the larger peas which I had separated from those

which were more delicate. These, also, I put into the water-bath, which

I let boil according to the season, two hours, or two hours and an half.

§ XVII.

_Asparagus._

(_Asperge._)

I clean the asparagus as if for ordinary use, either with the stalk,

or the buds only. Before I put them in bottles or jars, I plunge them

into boiling water, and afterwards into cold water, in order to take

away the peculiar sharpness of this vegetable. The stalks are placed

in the jars with great care, the heads being downwards: the buds are

put in bottles. After both are well drained, I cork the bottles, &c.

and I put them in the water-bath, where they remain only till the water

thoroughly boils.

§ XVIII.

_Windsor Beans._

(_Petites fèves de marais._)

Neither the _feverole_ (the small dried bean) nor the _julienne_,

which resembles it, are fit to be preserved. I make use of the genuine

Windsor, or broad bean, which is of the thickness and breadth of the

thumb, when ripe. I gather it very small, about the size of the end of

the little finger, in order to preserve it with its skin. As the skin

becomes brown when in contact with the air, I take the precaution of

putting the beans in bottles as soon as shelled. When the bottles are

full, the beans having been shaken down gently on the stool, and in

that way the vacancies in the bottle having been filled up, I add to

each bottle a little bunch of savory; I cork them quickly in order to

give them one hour’s boiling in the water-bath. When this vegetable has

been quickly gathered, prepared and preserved, it has a white, greenish

colour; on the contrary, when the operation has been tardy, it becomes

brown and hard.

§ XIX.

_Peeled Windsor Beans._

(_Fèves de marais dérobées._)

In order to preserve Windsor beans stripped of their skins, I gather

them larger, about half an inch long at the utmost. I take off the

skin, bottle them with a small bunch of savory, &c. and I put them in

the water-bath, which is made to boil an hour and half.

§ XX.

_French Beans._

(_Haricots verts et blancs._)

The bean known by the name of _bayolet_, which resembles the Swiss

bean, is the kind fittest to be preserved green, with the pod. It

combines uniformity with the best taste. I cause the beans to be

gathered as for ordinary use. I string them, and put them in bottles,

taking care to shake them on the stool, to fill the vacancies in the

bottles. I then cork the bottles and put them in the water-bath, which

is to boil an hour and half. When the beans are rather large, I cut

them lengthways into two or three pieces: and then they do not require

being in the water bath longer than one hour.

Of the kinds of haricot, of which the seeds or beans themselves are

to be preserved, the _Soissons_ haricot is justly entitled to the

preference. For want of that, I take the best of any other species of

the _haricot blanc_ that I can meet with. I gather it when the shell

begins to turn yellow. I then shell it immediately, and bottle it, &c.

I put it in the water-bath, to give it a two hours’ boiling.

§ XXI.

_Artichokes._

(_Artichauts._)

To preserve artichokes whole, I gather them of a middling size; after

having taken off all the useless leaves and pared them, I plunge them

into boiling water, and immediately afterwards into cold water. Having

drained them, I put them into jars which are corked, &c. and they

receive an hour’s boiling.

To preserve cut artichokes (_en quartiers_), I divide them (taking fine

specimens) into eight pieces. I take out the choke and leave very

few of the leaves. I plunge them into boiling water, and afterwards

into fresh water. Having been drained, they are then placed over the

fire in a saucepan, with a piece of fresh butter, seasoning, and fine

herbs. When half dressed, they are taken from the fire and set by to

cool. They then are put in jars, which are corked, tied, luted, &c. and

placed in the water-bath, in which they receive half an hour’s boiling.

§ XXII.

_Cauliflowers._

(_Choux-fleurs._)

I plunge the cauliflower, like the artichoke, in boiling water, and

then in cold water, after having first plucked it. When well drained,

I put it in jars, which are corked, &c. I place it in the water-bath,

in order to give it half an hour’s boiling, &c.

As the seasons vary, and are sometimes dry and sometimes moist, it will

be soon obvious, that it is necessary to study and adapt the various

degrees of heat required according to the season. Attention to this

circumstance must never be disregarded. For instance, in a cool and

damp year, vegetables are more tender and consequently more sensible to

the action of fire. In this case, the water-bath should be made to boil

seven or eight minutes less; and in dry seasons, when vegetables are

firmer, and better support the action of fire, seven or eight minutes

boiling should be added.

§ XXIII.

_Sorrel._

(_Oseille._)

I gather _oseille_ (sorrel), _belle-dame_[N] _noirée_ (beet), _laitue_

(lettice), _cerfeuil_ (chervil), _ciboule_ (green onion), &c. in fit

proportions. When they have all been well plucked, washed, drained,

and minced, I cause the whole to be stewed together in a copper vessel

well tinned. These vegetables ought to be well stewed, as if for daily

use, and not dried up and burned as is often done in families, when

it is intended to preserve them. This quantity of stewing is the most

fit. When my herbs are thus prepared, I set them to cool in earthen or

stone vessels. Afterwards I put them in bottles with a wide mouth. I

cork them, &c. and I put my sorrel in the water-bath, which is allowed

a quarter of an hour’s boiling merely. This time is sufficient for

preserving it ten years untouched, and as fresh as if it was just taken

from the garden. This mode is, without dispute, the best and most

economical for families and hospitals, civil and military. It is, above

all, most advantageous to the Navy: for sorrel thus prepared may be

brought from the Indies, as fresh and savoury as if dressed the same

day.

[N] A species of the _Bella-donna_ very generally made use of as an

ingredient in French soups. T.

§ XXIV.

_Spinage, Succory, and other Herbs._

(_Epinards et chicorées._)

Sorrel and succory are prepared as if for daily use. When fresh

gathered, plucked, scalded, cooled, squeezed and minced, I put them

in bottles, &c. to give them a quarter of an hour’s boiling in the

water-bath, &c.

Carrots, cabbages, turnips, parsnips, onions, potatoes, celery,

chardoons, (_cardons d’Espagne_), red beet, and, generally, all

vegetables, may be preserved alike, either simply scalded, or prepared

with soup, in order to be used when taken out of the vessel. In the

first case, I cause the vegetables to be scalded and half boiled in

water with a little salt. I then take them from the water in order to

strain them and let them cool; and afterwards put them into bottles,

and into the water-bath. I let the carrots, cabbages, turnips,

parsnips, and red beet, remain in the water-bath while it boils one

hour: and the onions, potatoes, and celery, &c. half an hour. In the

other case I prepare my vegetables with soup, either with or without

meat, as for ordinary use. When three-fourths boiled and well prepared

and seasoned, I take them from the fire to let them cool. Then I put

them in bottles, &c. and give them a good quarter of an hour’s boiling

in the water-bath.

§ XXV.

_A Soup called Julienne._

I compose a _Julienne_ of carrots, leeks, turnips, sorrel, French

beans, celery, green peas, &c. These I prepare in the ordinary way,

which consists in cutting the carrots, turnips, leeks, French beans and

celery into small pieces, either round or long. Having well plucked

and washed them, I put these vegetables into a saucepan over the fire,

with a largish piece of fresh butter. When these are half-done, I

add the sorrel and green peas. After the whole has been stewed down,

I moisten the vegetables with good gravy, prepared for the purpose,

with good meat and poultry. I let the whole boil half an hour. Then I

withdraw the fire to let it grow cool; and having put the Julienne into

bottles, &c. I let it boil half an hour in the water-bath. Julienne

prepared in this way, has been kept by me more than two years.

The Julienne _au maigre_ is prepared in the same manner, except that,

instead of gravy, I moisten my vegetables, when well dressed, with a

clear vegetable soup, either of French beans, lentils, or large green

peas, which I have preserved; and I give it in like manner half an

hour’s boiling in the water-bath.

§ XXVI.

_Vegetable Soup._

(_Coulis de Racines._)

I compose and prepare a vegetable soup in the usual way; I make the

soup so rich, that a bottle of the size of a _litre_ can supply a dish

for twelve persons, by adding two _litres_ of water to it, before it is

made use of. When it has grown cool, I put it in bottles, to give it

half an hour’s boiling in the water-bath.

§ XXVII.

_Love-Apples._

(_Tomates, ou Pommes d’Amour._)

I gather love-apples very ripe, when they have acquired their beautiful

colour. Having washed and drained them, I cut them into pieces, and

dissolve them over the fire in a copper vessel well tinned. When they

are well dissolved and reduced one third in compass, I strain them

through a sieve sufficiently fine to hold the kernels. When the whole

has passed through, I replace the decoction on the fire, and I condense

it till there remains only one third of the first quantity. Then I let

them become cool in stone pans, and put them in bottles, &c., in order

to give them one good boiling only, in the water-bath.

I have not yet tried any experiments with the flower of the love-apple,

but there is no doubt that this new method will furnish means of

deriving, at a slight expence, a great value from them also.

§ XXVIII.

_Herbs and Medicinal Plants._

(_Plantes Potagères et Médicinales._)

I filled a bottle with mint (_menthe poivrée_) in branches and full of

flowers. I stirred it with a stick to make the bottle hold a greater

quantity of it. I corked it well, &c. and gave it a slight boiling in

the water-bath. It was perfectly preserved.

The same may be done with all plants to be preserved in bunches. The

operator will calculate the degree of heat which it will be necessary

to give to the several subjects of his experiment.[O]

[O] The mode of extracting the juice of plants by means of water has

more or less inconvenience. All those juices which have a principle

that is very volatile and easy to evaporate, lose infinitely, even

in warm water; much more so therefore, when the heat of the water is

raised to a higher degree, and when the plants have been left for a

long time in digestion.

Aromatic vegetables are infused, when the object is to preserve the

aroma, and not impart to the water the extractive principle which the

plant contains. Therefore, tea and coffee are made by infusion. But all

the theories ancient and modern, and all the new apparatus employed to

seize and hold fast the aroma of the coffee are still very deficient.

Ebullition which is often times resorted to in order to extract the

aroma of plants by means of distillation, in spite of all the apparatus

made use of for keeping the same closed up, most frequently destroys

the nature of the productions.

Not only are the principles extracted by the water injured by this

first operation, but they scarcely retain any strength after the

evaporation which it is usual to make them undergo, in order to form

essences of them. The extract therefore, exhibits nothing but the

appearance of the soluble and nutritive principles of vegetable and

animal substances; since fire, which is necessary to form an essence by

means of evaporation, destroys the aroma and almost all the properties

of the substance which contains it.

§ XXIX.

_The Juices of Herbs._

I have succeeded in preserving very well the juices of such plants

as lettuce, chervil, borage (_bourache_), wild succory (_chicorée

sauvage_), water-cresses (_cresson de fontaine_), &c. I prepared and

purified them by the usual process, I corked them, &c. in order to give

them one boiling in the water-bath.

§ XXX.

_Fruits and their Juices._

Fruits and their juices require the utmost celerity in the preparatory

process, and particularly in the application of heat to the water-bath.

The fruit which is to be preserved either whole or in quarters, ought

not to be completely ripe, because it dissolves in the water-bath. In

like manner it should not be gathered either at the commencement or

the end of the season. The first and the last of the crop have neither

the fine flavour, nor the perfume of those which are gathered in the

heighth of the season, that is, when the greater part of the crop of

each species is ripe at the same period.

§ XXXI.

_White and Red Currants in Bunches._

(_Groseilles rouges et blanches en Grappes._)

I gather the white and red currants apart, and not too ripe. I collect

the finest, and in the finest bunches; and I bottle them, taking care

to shake them down on the stool, in order to fill up the vacancies

in the bottle. Then I cork them, &c. in order to put them in the

water-bath which I am careful to watch closely; and as soon as I

perceive it boils, I withdraw the fire rapidly, and a quarter of an

hour afterwards draw off the water from the bath by means of the cock,

&c.

§ XXXII.

_White and Red Currants, stripped._

(_Groseilles rouges et blanches égrenées._)

I strip the white and red currants apart. They are immediately put

into bottles, and I conclude the operation with the same attention as

in preserving the currants in bunches. I preserve a greater quantity

of currants stripped, than in bunches; as the stalks always give a

harshness to the currant juice.

§ XXXIII.

_Cherries, Raspberries, Mulberries._

(_Cerises, Framboises, Mures et Cassis._)

I gather these fruits before they are too ripe, that they may be less

squeezed in the operation. I put them in separate bottles, and shake

the bottles gently on the stool. I cork them, &c. and I complete them

in the same manner, and with the same care as the currants.

§ XXXIV.

_Juice of Red Currants._

I gather red currants quite ripe, and squeeze them upon fine sieves. I

put into a press the skins which remain upon the sieves, in order to

extract all the juice which may be in them, and this I mix with the

former juice. I perfume the whole with a little raspberry juice, and I

strain this decoction through a sieve finer than those used before. I

put the juice in bottles, &c. and expose them to the water-bath, with

the same attention as the stripped currants, &c.

I proceed in the same manner with the juice of white currants and

barberries (_épines-vinettes_), as well as with that of pomegranates,

oranges, and lemons.

§ XXXV.

_Strawberries._

(_Fraises._)

I made a number of experiments on the strawberry, and in various ways,

without being able to obtain its perfume. I was forced to have recourse

to sugar: in consequence, I squeezed some strawberries, and strained

them through a sieve, as if I were about to make ice. I added half

a pound of powder sugar, with the juice of half a lemon, to a pound

of strawberries. I mixed the whole together, and put the decoction in

bottles which I corked, &c. I exposed it to a water-bath till it began

to boil, &c. This mode succeeded very well, in every respect, except

the colour, which was considerably faded; but that may be supplied.

§ XXXVI.

_Apricots._

(_Abricots._)

For the table, the wild and garden apricot (_l’abricot commun, et

l’abricot péche_) both taken from trees standing free in the open air,

are the best kinds for preservation: I commonly mingle these two kinds

together, because the former supports the latter, which has more sugar

in it, and which dissolves more from the action of heat. They may

nevertheless be prepared apart, provided the precaution be taken, of

letting the garden peach remain a few minutes less in the water-bath

than the wild peach. That is, as soon as the water-bath begins to boil,

the fire is to be taken away from the garden peach, while the fire

may be allowed to remain under the wild peach until the water-bath

completely boils.

I gather the apricots when they are ripe, but somewhat firm; when,

on being squeezed gently between the fingers, the stone is perceived

to detach itself from the fruit. As soon as gathered, I cut them in

halves, take out the stone, and peel off the skin with a knife as

delicately as possible. I put them into bottles, either in halves

or quarters, according to the size of the mouth, and shake them on

the stool to fill up the vacancies. I add to each bottle from twelve

to fifteen almonds; I cork them and put them into the water-bath to

receive one boiling only; and I instantly withdraw the fire with the

same precaution as made use of in the preparation of the currants, &c.

§ XXXVII.

_Peaches and Nectarines._

(_Pêches, Brugnons._)

The _grosse mignonne_ and the _calande_ are the two kinds of peach

which unite the most flavour and perfume. For want of these, I take

the best I can meet with.

I gather the nectarine (_brugnon_) more ripe than the peach, because it

supports the heat better: and on the other hand, I leave the skin on it

in order to preserve it. Moreover, the same process is observed as in

preserving the nectarine, the peach, and the apricot; in every instance

watching the water-bath closely, as I do in preserving the bunches of

currants.

§ XXXVIII.

_Prunes from Green Gages, and Plumbs._

(_Prunes de Reine-Claude et Mirabelles._)

I have made prunes of whole green-gages, including the stone and the

stalk, as well as of other great plums; and even of _perdrigons_

and _alberges_, which succeeded very well. But there are these

inconveniences in preserving the largest fruits whole, that few of

these large plums can be put into even a large jar, since the vacancies

cannot be filled up by shaking the fruit, without altogether crushing

them; and that when the heat of the water-bath is applied to them, they

shrink, and the jars are found half empty.

In consequence, I have abandoned this too expensive mode, and am

accustomed to preserve all these large plums, cut in halves, after

having taken out the stone. This is the easiest and most economical

manner, corks of a sufficiently large size for large objects being

very dear, and also rare, when the cork is very fine; the vessels too

which have a narrow or middling neck are more easy to be well corked,

and the operation is in consequence more certain. As to the _mirabelle_

[a small white plum] and all other small plums, I prepare them with

the stone in them, after having taken off the stalk; for they are in

this way easier to shake close, and they leave but few vacancies in

the bottles. In general, I observe, in the preservation of all these

prunes, either whole or cut in halves, the same process, care and

attention, which I have pointed out under the head of apricots and

peaches.

§ XXXIX.

_Pears of every kind._

When the pears are peeled, and cut into quarters, and the pips with

their husks are taken out, I put them into bottles, &c. in order to

place them in the water-bath. I carefully attend to the degree of heat

they have to receive, which, if they are of a kind usually eaten raw,

should not be more than sufficient to make the water-bath boil. When

the preserve consists of pears usually stewed or boiled, then I let

them remain boiling in the water-bath, five or six minutes. Pears which

have fallen from the tree require a quarter of an hour’s boiling, &c.

§ XL.

_Chesnuts, Truffles, and Mushrooms._

(_Marrons, Truffes, et Champignons._)

I pierce _chesnuts_ at the point with the point of a knife, as if I

meant to roast them. I put them in bottles, and give them one boiling

in the water-bath.

Having well washed and brushed the _truffles_ in order to take away all

the soil, I cut off the upper part gently with a knife. Then I put them

into bottles either whole or in pieces, according to the diameter of

the neck. The remainder I put in bottles apart. The whole being well

corked, &c. I put them in the water-bath to receive an hour’s boiling,

&c. It is not necessary to recommend that the truffles should be sound,

and recently gathered.

I take _Mushrooms_ fresh from the bed, well formed and firm. Having

peeled and washed them, I put them in a saucepan on the fire, with a

piece of butter or some good olive oil, in order to make them eject

their liquor. I leave them on the fire till this liquor is reduced one

half. I withdraw them in order to let them grow cool in a pan; after

which, I bottle them and give them one good boiling in the water-bath.

§ XLI.

_The Juice of the Grape or Must._

During the vintage of 1808, I took black grapes, carefully gathered

from the vine; after having taken away the rotten and green grapes,

and stripped the others from the stalks, I squeezed them upon a fine

sieve, and afterwards put into a press the husks which remained on the

sieve, in order to extract the remainder of the juice; and then put

the produce both of the sieve and the press into one cask. Having

let it stand in this state twenty-four hours, I put it in bottles,

&c. to give it one good boiling in the water bath. When the operation

was completed, I withdrew the bottles from the boiler. The action of

the fire had precipitated the little colour which the grape-juice had

assumed during the preparation, and it was become very white. I then

placed it in my laboratory in a rack as if it had been wine.

I repeated all these experiments on the 10th of September 1809, in the

presence of the special commission nominated by his Excellency the

Minister of the Interior, composed of the most distinguished persons of

the profession.

New experiments which I have begun, as well as others which I purpose

to make on various objects, will be detailed in a memoir which I shall

publish as soon as I shall be able to speak of their result.

OF THE MODE OF MAKING USE OF THE SUBSTANCES WHICH HAVE BEEN

PRESERVED.

§ XLII.

_Meat, Game, Poultry, Fish._

Meat which has in the preparatory dressing, as well as the boiling it

received in the water-bath, received its due quantity of cooking, will,

when it is taken to be used, require only to be properly warmed in

order to produce both soup and meat (_potage et bouilli_).

For the sake of greater economy, and to lessen the number of bottles

and jars wanted, it is better to make in the first instance a good

gravy as already pointed out by me. For both the beef and the gravy

need only to be warmed, and by adding one half or two-thirds of water

to the gravy a good soup is provided.

In this manner, a bottle containing a _litre_ of gravy may, by adding

two _litres_ of boiling water to it at the moment that it is to be

used, and adding a little salt, furnish a dozen good messes. Thus it

is easy at a very slight expence to keep a little stock of provisions

against an emergency and hot weather, when it is so difficult to

procure them, more especially in the country.

All meat, poultry, game, and fish, which have received three-fourths

of their dressing in the preparatory process, and the remainder in the

water-bath, as already pointed out, may, when taken out of the vessels,

be heated to the proper degree in order to be instantly served at

table. If, for instance, the substance taken from the bottle or jar,

had not received either enough previous dressing, or enough heat from

the water-bath; it is immediately put on the fire in order to supply

what is deficient. Consequently, when the operator has taken due care

in making his preparations, having properly seasoned and dressed them,

the use to be made of them afterwards, will at all events be easy and

convenient; for on the one hand they will need only to be warmed, and

on the other hand, they may, if necessary, be eaten cold.

Substances thus prepared and preserved, do not, as might be imagined,

require to be consumed as soon as they are opened. Provisions may be

used from a vessel eight or ten days after it has been uncorked,[P]

care being taken only to replace the cork as soon as the necessary part

of the provision has been taken out. Besides, it is easy to regulate

the size of the vessels from one to twenty-five _litres_ or more,

according to the rapidity of the expected consumption.

[P] See the report made to the _Société d’Encouragement pour

l’Industrie nationale_, by Mr. Bouriat, in the name of the Committee.

Two half-bottles, one of milk, the other of whey, after remaining

uncorked from twenty to thirty days, had been re-corked with little

cork; nevertheless the two substances retained all their properties.

§ XLIII.

_Jellies made of Meat and Poultry._

A well prepared and preserved jelly, carefully taken in pieces out of

the jar may be used to garnish cold dishes, or it may be even dissolved

in the water-bath, the vessel containing it being first uncorked;

afterwards it may be poured in a dish to congeal again before it is

made use of.

Under an infinity of circumstances, a cook may be in want of the

substances necessary to make a sauce with. But with the essences of

meat, poultry, ham, &c. as well as with a provision of jelly well

preserved and prepared, they may be furnished in an instant.

The broth or jelly prepared and preserved as pointed out in page 46 is

eaten either cold as it is found in the bottles, or diluted with more

or less boiling water, in the proportions which persons of experience

may judge suitable in the several instances.

§ XLIV.

_Milk and Cream._

Cream, Milk and Whey, prepared and preserved in the manner already

pointed out, are used in the same way, and for the same daily purposes,

as the same articles when fresh.

Since cream and milk are perfectly preserved in this manner, there is

no doubt that desert-creams might be preserved by a similar process, as

well as those which are used for ices. These, having been well prepared

and completed before they are put into bottles, will only require to

be gently warmed in the water-bath, the bottles being uncorked, in

order to facilitate its coming out of the vessel. In this manner creams

and ices may be furnished instantly.

§ XLV.

_Vegetables._

Vegetables put into bottles without being dressed, and entirely

submitted to the action of heat in the water-bath, as before described,

require to be prepared for use on being taken out of the bottles. This

preparation will be made according to the season, and every one’s

taste and inclination. Attention must be given to the washing of the

vegetables when taken from the bottle; and to facilitate the taking

them out, I fill the bottle with luke-warm water, and after having

drained it of the first water, I wash the vegetables in a second water

somewhat hotter, and having drained them, I then prepare them for a

meat or vegetable soup.

§ XLVI.

_French Beans._

(_Haricots._)

I scald French beans (_haricots verts_,) as if they were fresh

in water, with a little salt when not sufficiently dressed by

the preserving process. This often happens to them as well as to

artichokes, asparagus and cauliflowers. If sufficiently boiled, on

being taken out of the bottles, I have only to wash them in hot water

in order to prepare them afterwards for vegetable or meat soup.

I scald in the same way the beans of the _haricot blanc_; when

sufficiently dressed, I take them from the fire and leave them in the

boiling water, half an hour, and even an hour, in order to render them

more tender: I then prepare them for soup.

§ XLVII.

_Peas, Beans, &c._

Green peas are dressed in various ways. If they are ill cooked in the

season, it is the cook who is blamed; but if they are not found good

in winter, the fault is thrown on the person who has preserved them,

though the fault most frequently arises from some of the substances

employed; either from the bad butter, or the oil or rancid fat which

is made use of through negligence or economy. At another time they

are prepared two hours too soon. They are suffered to stick to the

bottom of the saucepan when on the fire, and they are served smelling

of the butter which is turned into oil with a burnt taste; or they are

prepared without care and with too much precipitation. It is thus we

see green peas brought to the table swimming in water; but every one

has his way. The following is mine.

As soon as the peas have been washed and immediately afterwards drained

(for neither this vegetable nor the windsor-bean must be suffered to

remain in water, for that would take away their flavour), I put them

on the fire in a saucepan with a morsel of good fresh butter. I add to

them a bunch of parsley and chives. After having tossed them several

times in butter, I dredge them with a little flour, and moisten them

immediately afterwards with boiling water up to the level of the peas.

I leave them thus to be boiled a good quarter of an hour, until very

little sauce remains. Then I season them with salt and a little pepper,

and leave them on the fire until they are stewed down; I then take them

off the fire immediately, in order to add a piece of fresh butter as

large as a nut, with a table spoonful of powder sugar for each bottle

of peas. I toss them well without replacing them on the fire, until the

butter is melted, and I serve them up in the shape of a pyramid upon a

dish, which I take care to warm thoroughly. I have observed several

times, that by adding sugar to the peas when upon the fire, and giving

them only one boiling, the peas became hard and the sauce ran so that

it could no longer bind the peas together. Thus great attention should

be given to the not putting in the sugar and the last piece of butter

until the moment of serving them up. This is the only way of dressing

them well, for neither in summer nor winter ought any sauce to appear

among the peas.

There is another mode of eating green peas and which may suit many

persons; this consists in simply boiling the peas in water. When done,

the water is drained off and the peas are tossed with a piece of good

fresh butter, salt, pepper and sugar, all together over a very gentle

fire, they are then served up directly upon a very hot dish. Care must

be taken that the peas do not boil with the seasoning, otherwise the

butter turns into oil, and the green peas are dissolved in the water.

I cook the small windsor-beans, as well with as without their skin,

by the same process and with the same attentions which I observe in

dressing green peas.

I make an excellent soup-maigre, with large preserved peas which

are equally good for a meat soup. As to asparagus, artichokes,

cauliflowers, &c. they are dressed in the usual way after having

been washed, &c. Green peas, beans, French beans, and all kinds of

vegetables may be three-fourths boiled, seasoned at the same time, as

is done when intended for immediate use, put into bottles or other

vessels when cool, corked, &c. and allowed one half hour’s boiling in

the water-bath. By these means vegetables will be preserved and quite

ready, which may be made use of in an instant, without any other care

than to warm them; and there are also many instances in which these

vegetables may be eaten cold. In this way all difficulties may be

removed in travelling by land or water.

§ XLVIII.

_Spinage and Succory._

I dress spinage and succory as usual, in either vegetable or meat soup.

Each bottle of a _litre_, contains two or three dishes, either of

spinage, or succory according to their strength. When I want to make

use of a part only I re-cork the bottle which I keep for another day.

§ XLIX.

_Vegetable Soups._

Having emptied a bottle containing a _litre_ of preserved _Julienne_, I

add two _litres_ of boiling water with a little salt, and I have a dish

for twelve or fifteen persons.

As well as a Julienne, a _coulis de racines_, a soup of lentils,

carrots, onions, &c. being well prepared, furnishes with the greatest

economy, excellent dishes in an instant.

All farinaceous substances, such as oatmeal, rice, spelt, semoulia,

vermicelli, and in general every thing that may be formed into a paste,

nutritive and easy of digestion, may be prepared and seasoned with

either vegetable or meat soup, and even with milk, before they are made

to undergo the preserving process, in order to facilitate the use of

them at sea and in armies at a moment of necessity.

§ L.

_Tomates and Herbs._

I use preserved Tomates or _love-apples_ in the same manner as those

taken fresh in the season. They need only to be properly warmed and

seasoned when taken out of the bottle.

A _Sorrel_ preserved in the manner pointed out, does not, when taken

out of the bottle, in the least differ from fresh sorrel in June. I

make use of it in the same way.

As to mint (_menthe poivrée_) and all other plants which may be

preserved in bunches; cooks will know how to make the proper use of

them, as well as of the juices of herbs.

§ LI.

_Preserved Fruits, Marmelades, &c._

The manner of making use of fruits, preserved by the process I have

pointed out, consists, 1st. in putting such fruit into a fruit jar, in

the same state in which it is in the bottle, without adding any sugar,

because many persons, more especially ladies, prefer fruits with their

natural juice. At the same time I prepare another jar with a preserve

of grape-syrup or powder sugar, for those who prefer it. I have from

experience learnt that grape-syrup preserves the aroma and agreeable

acidity of fruits, much better than sugar. This is a very simple and

economical mode of preparing an excellent dish of preserved fruits,

which is the more convenient, as every one can satisfy his own taste as

to the mixture of sugar with his fruits.

2. In order to make preserves with sugar (_compotes sucrées_), I take a

pound of preserved fruits, it matters not which; this, on being taken

out of the bottle, I put, with its juice, over the fire in a skimming

pan, mixing with it four ounces of grape syrup. As soon as it begins

to boil, I withdraw it from the fire, and take off the froth by means

of a piece of brown paper, which I apply to the surface. As soon as I

have skimmed it, I take the fruit gently off the syrup, in order to

put it into a fruit-jar. After having reduced the syrup one half over

the fire, I put it upon the fruit in the jar. Fruits thus preserved are

sufficiently sweet, and have as fine a flavour as a preserve made in

the season with fresh fruits.

3d. In order to preserve in brandy either cherries, apricots,

green-gages, pears, peaches, mirabelles, &c. (_compotes à l’eau de

vie_), I take a pound of preserved fruit, together with its juice,

which I put in a saucepan, on the fire, together with a quarter of a

pound of grape syrup. When ready to boil, I skim it; after which, I

gently take the fruit from off the syrup, and put it in a jar. I leave

the syrup on the fire, till it is reduced to one-fourth of its bulk.

Then I take it from the fire in order to add to it a glass of good

brandy; and having mixed the whole, I pour the hot syrup upon the fruit

in the jar, which I take care to close well that the fruit may be

better penetrated by the syrup, &c.

The preserved pear and peach may be alike made use of to make a

Burgundy wine conserve with cinnamon, as well as _compotes grillées_.

4th. I make a _marmelade_, either of apricots, peaches, green-gages, or

mirabelles, by the following process. I take for one pound of preserved

fruit, half a pound of grape syrup. I boil the whole together over a

quick fire, taking care to stir it well with a spoon to prevent its

boiling. When the marmelade is boiled to a slight consistency, I take

it off, because the confectionary which is the least boiled is the

best. As preserved fruits afford a facility of making confectionary

just when it is wanted, they may, by a little boiling only, be had at

any time, fresh and of excellent quality.

§ LII.

_Currant Jam._

The mode of making currant jam with the juice of this preserved fruit,

is quite simple. I put half a pound of sugar to one pound of currant

juice, which ought to be perfumed with a little raspberry. Having

clarified and dissolved my sugar, I put the currant juice to it, and

give it three or four boilings; and when it falls from the skimmer in

small lumps not larger than a lentil, I take it from the fire to put

it in jars, &c.

§ LIII.

_Syrup of Currants._

In order to make syrup of currants, I warm the juice of this fruit till

it is ready to boil. I then strain it through a cloth. By these means I

obtain the juice, limpid, and freed from its mucillage. When strained,

I add half a pound of grape syrup to a pound of fruit, and put the

whole on the fire together; when boiled to the consistence of a slight

syrup, I take it from the fire to put it in bottles when it is cold.

There is a very simple and economical mode of making use, not only of

currant juice, but that of all fruits which are employed to compose an

acid beverage.

This mode consists merely in putting into a glass of water slightly

sweetened with grape syrup, a table spoonful of the juice of preserved

currant, or of any other fruit that may be at hand, which is poured

into another glass and then drank off. This mode is the more

convenient, because it will be always easy to have these preserved

juices at hand, or to procure them at a small expence. In this way my

family has been, for the space of fifteen years, in the habit of making

use of currant juice; and most frequently we prepare this substitute

for lemonade, without either sugar or syrup.

§ LIV.

_Ices._

I have prepared and made, in the mode usually employed in the fruit

season, ices of currants, raspberries, apricots, and peaches, as well

as strawberries, preserved in the manner pointed out by me.

I made these experiments before the late improvement in the art of

making grape syrup, but now that this production has been brought

nearly to perfection, the syrup of the acid grape manufactured by Mr.

Privat of Meze, will soon advantageously supply the place of the juice

of the sugar cane, in the preparation of the ices of fruit. As I have

already observed, the grape syrup preserves the aroma of all fruits

better than sugar. Sugar overpowers to so great a degree the taste of

the fruits, that it is necessary to add some lemons to the ices of

fruits, in order, as it were, to bring out the aroma. When therefore

the juice of an acid grape shall be made use of, the lemons will become

unnecessary, and the ices of fruit will be the richer. The sweet syrups

of the grape will be successfully made use of with all ice-creams.

§ LV.

_Cordials._

(_Liqueurs._)

I have composed liqueurs and ratafies with the juice of preserved

fruits and sweetened with grape syrup. These preparations yielded in

nothing to the best home-made liqueurs.

The simple and easy modes which I have pointed out, of preparing every

kind of preserved fruit for daily use, prove sufficiently that this

method, as sure as it is useful, will introduce the greatest economy

in the consumption of the produce of the sugar-cane. The consumer,

and more especially the manufacturer, who is obliged to lay in during

summer, a considerable stock of this foreign commodity for syrups,

liqueurs and confectionary, as well as all the objects of pharmacy, may

dispense with it; for it will be sufficient if they lay in an adequate

stock of fruit in the season, and prepare it in the manner pointed out,

to be exempt from the necessity of preparing it with sugar, except on

an emergency, and in the quantities actually wanted. It will follow

that the greater part of all these fruits will be preserved, altogether

without, or at least with a small quantity of sugar; that many of them

will be prepared with grape syrup, and that the sugar from the cane

will be made use of only for indispensable objects, or to comply with

the old habits, and gratify the luxury of a few.

It will follow, that in a plentiful year, sugar will not be necessary

in order to provide against a scanty season; and that, with a slight

expence, the same enjoyment will be derived from the preserved produce

of two, three, and four years, as from a year of plenty.

§ LVI.

_Chesnuts, Truffles, Mushrooms._

On taking the chesnuts out of the vessel in which they have been

preserved, I plunge them in cold water, sprinkle them with a little

fine salt, and roast them in a pan over a quick fire. In this manner

they are excellent. The moistening them and the putting salt upon them

may be dispensed with, but they must always be roasted over a quick

fire.

I make the same use of preserved truffles and mushrooms, as of those

recently gathered.

§ LVII.

_Grape Juice, or Must._

When I made my first experiments of preserving grape juice in its

fresh state, I was unacquainted with Mr. Parmentier’s “_Information

concerning the means of furnishing a substitute for sugar, in the

principal uses made of it in medicine and domestic economy_.”[Q] It is

this valuable information which supplied me with the means of availing

myself of fresh experiments, and making use of two hundred bottles of

grape-juice preserved by me six months before.

[Q] “_L’instruction sur les moyens de suppléer le sucre dans les

principaux usages qu’on en fait pour la médecine et l’économie

domestique_; _par_ M. PARMENTIER.”

1st. I made very good grape syrup, following the process of Mr.

Parmentier, which is literally as follows.

_Preparation of Grape Syrup._

“You take twenty-four [French] pints of grape juice and put one half

of it in a boiler placed on the fire, with the precaution of not

suffering it to boil with too much force. You add fresh juice as that

in the boiler evaporates; you skim it and stir the surface, to add to

the evaporation. When the whole of the juice has been put into the

boiler, you skim it, you take the boiler off the fire, and add some

lye-ashes tied up in a cloth, or whiting (_blanc d’Espagne_, Spanish,

or Troy-white), or chalk reduced to a powder, and first diluted in a

little grape juice, until it no longer effervesces, or, as it were,

boils in the liquor which was shaken.

“By these means, the acid contained in the grape, is separated and

neutralized. In order to try the liquor, put blue paper into it, and

when it does not turn red, then you may be satisfied that the liquor

is no longer acid. Replace the boiler on the fire, after having let

it settle an instant, and put in two whites of beaten eggs. Strain

the liquor through a woollen cloth, fixed on a wooden frame of twelve

or fifteen square inches, so that it occupies little room; then boil

again, and continue the evaporation.

“In order to know whether the syrup be sufficiently condensed, let some

drop from a spoon upon a plate: if the drop falls without spirting or

spreading, or if when divided, the halves run into each other again but

slowly, then you may infer that it has acquired the proper consistency.

“Pour it into an earthen vessel which is not varnished; and when

completely cold, transfer it to vessels of a moderate size, neat, dry,

and well corked; and placed it in the cellar. A bottle once opened,

should not remain long only half filled; and when you make use of it,

take care to hold the neck downwards.

“It is hardly possible to determine precisely, the quantity of chalk or

ashes necessary to be used. Less is required in the South than in the

North, but at all events, more than is necessary will do no harm, since

it remains upon the straining cloth with the other insoluble salts and

the skim.

“If in order to preserve these syrups for a longer time, you were to

carry on the boiling too long, you would find yourself mistaken; for

the syrup would not fail to chrystalize at the bottom of the vessel,

while the body would become thin: on the other hand, if the syrup were

not sufficiently evaporated, it would soon ferment. A housekeeper who

has made these syrups twice, will have learnt the degree of boiling

which ought to be given to the syrup, better than can be taught her by

rule.”

_Syrups and Ratafies._

With this same syrup, I have prepared preserves, confectionary, syrups

and beverages, as well as liqueurs and ratafies of all the kinds of

fruit I have spoken of.

2d. I made syrup of the same grape juice and by the same process,

except that I boiled the latter but slightly, that is, one quarter

less than the former; as I wished to satisfy myself whether it would

be preserved by the application of heat to the water-bath, in the way

before pointed out. Having prepared my syrup, I put it when cold, into

three half bottles; one full, and the other a quarter empty. I corked

and sealed the bottles, and let them remain in the water-bath only

till it boiled, &c. I remarked no difference in the full and half full

bottles, and all three were completely preserved.

3d. I took six pints of preserved grape juice, to which I added two

pints of good old proof brandy, and also two pounds of grape syrup,

which I had prepared. This preparation which I mixed well, I made

use of to compose four kinds of liqueur, by means of infusions of

apricot-kernels, mint, orange flower, badian, which I had prepared

before: these liqueurs having been well strained, were found very good,

and sufficiently sweet.

4th. I took two bottles of preserved grape juice, which I poured into

two other fit bottles. I corked and tied these bottles, and left them

standing upright ten days. During this interval, the liquor caused its

cork to burst, like the best Champagne wine, and mantled in the same

way.

5th. I repeated this last experiment in the same manner. At the end

of twelve or fifteen days, observing no appearance of fermentation in

the bottles, I uncorked them in order to let in the air, and I then

put into them a table spoonful of preserved raspberry juice. Having

re-corked and sealed them, I let them remain eight days longer upright.

At the end of that time, both the white and the red juice (_le blanc et

le rosé_) caused the cork to spring out. They mantled completely, and

were very agreeable to the taste, particularly the red, perfumed with

raspberry.

After these experiments made of the _Massy_ grape [in the department of

_Seine and Oise_], it is more than probable that in the fine vineyards

of the South, infinitely more precious results will be drawn from the

making use of this method. Grape juice will be preserved there, in

order, by congelation, to reduce it at will, to the consistence of

syrup, after having taken away its acid for the sweet syrup; or if

the juice be condensed over the fire, the quantity of boiling made

use of for condensing the syrup, will, by the operation of heat in the

water-bath in any preparatory process, be rendered immaterial for the

preservation of the syrup for several years.[R]

[R] The original is more precise, and refers to an instrument made use

of in France for ascertaining the density of liquors, an Aræometer,

which, at least in its application to grape syrup, is unknown in this

country: the words are, “_les degrés de cuisson de 25, 30, ou 33 à

l’aréométre, devient indifférent pour conserver ces sirups_,” _&c. T._

By means of this process, which is easy to be put in practice, and of

little expence in the execution, syrups may be obtained clear and white

(even when produced from black grapes), and of a pure sweetness, free

from a certain flavour of molasses and burnt sugar, from which it has

not hitherto been found possible to exempt grape syrup, when boiled in

the ordinary mode, sufficient for its preservation.

Thus this precious production, preserved in bottles and vessels of

every size, may be transported to a great distance and in all seasons,

coming from Bergerac, Mèze, and all the manufactories of the South, to

improve the produce of our small vineyards, and make all classes of

society share in the enjoyment of this useful resource.

§ LVIII.

_General Observations._

From this detail of experiments, it is obvious that this new method of

preserving animal and vegetable substance, proceeds from the simple

principle of applying heat in a due degree to the several substances,

after having deprived them as much as possible of all contact with the

external air.

It might on the first view of the subject be thought that a substance,

either raw or previously acted upon by fire, and afterwards put into

bottles, might, if a vacuum were made in those bottles and they were

completely corked, be preserved equally well with the application of

heat in the water-bath. This would be an error, for all the trials

I have made have convinced me that the absolute privation of the

contact of external air (the internal air being rendered of no effect

by the action of heat), and the application of heat by means of the

water-bath, are both indispensable to the complete preservation of

alimentary substances.

My object is not like that of the Bourdeaux chymists, to disunite the

component parts of the animal substance, and obtain the animal jelly

in a separate state, as well as the animal fibre, free from its juice,

and so made to resemble tanned leather. Neither is it my endeavour to

furnish at a great expence, as in the preparation of portable soup, a

tenacious paste or glue, better adapted to derange the stomach than to

provide it with a salutary nourishment.

My problem is, to preserve all nutritive substances with all their

peculiar and constituent qualities. My experiments prove that I have

resolved this problem.[S]

[S] Some persons of enlightened understandings, but who have, perhaps,

delivered themselves over to the spirit of system and prejudice,

have declared themselves against my method, alleging a pretended

impossibility. But is it then difficult on the principles of a

sound, natural philosophy, to assign a reason for the preservation

of alimentary substance by my process? May we not infer, that the

application of _caloric_, or heat, to the water-bath, operates in

producing a gentle fusion of the constituent fermenting principles, so

as to destroy the predominating agency of fermentation? This agency is

an essential condition of fermentation, at least of its taking place

with a certain promptitude. Further, there is no fermentation without

air; this being also excluded by my method, we have two assignable

causes for its success; the theory of which appears to flow naturally

from the means practically employed.

Indeed, if we refer to any of the methods made use of and any of the

experiments and observations of ancient and modern times, upon the

preservation of alimentary substances, with which we are acquainted, we

shall find that _fire_ is every where the principal agent, either in

the natural duration, or in the artificial preservation of vegetable

and animal substances.

_Fabroni_ has proved that heat applied to grape juice or must, destroys

the fermentation of this _vegeto-animal_, which is pre-eminently

_leaven_. _Thenard_ has made like experiments on cherries,

gooseberries, and other fruits. The experiments of the late _Vilaris_,

and of Mr. _Cazalès_, learned chymists at Bourdeaux, who have dried

meat by means of stoves, equally prove that the application of heat

destroys the agents of putrefaction.

Drying, boiling, evaporating, as well as the caustic and savoury

substances which are employed in the preservation of alimentary

productions, all serve to shew that caloric in its various modes of

application, produces the same effects.

It is to the solution of this problem that I have devoted my fortune

and twenty years of labour and meditation. Happy that I have already

been able to render service to my fellow citizens and humanity, I rely

on the justice, generosity and intelligence of a wise government, which

never fails to encourage useful discoveries. That government will

perceive that the inventor of this method of preservation could not

obtain from the invention itself an indemnification for his labour and

expence. The chief importance of this process lies in its subservience

to the wants of civil and military hospitals, and particularly of the

Navy. It is in these departments of the public service that my process

may be employed in a manner advantageous to the state, and it is from

them that I may receive the just reward of my labours. I expect every

thing from the beneficent views of the minister, and my expectations

will not be disappointed.

§ LIX.

_Practical Remarks._

The bottles and other vessels of every kind fit for the preservation of

alimentary substances will occasion but a very slight expence at one

time. They may be always used again, if care be taken to rince them as

soon as they are empty; good corks, string and wire are not expensive.

As soon as the method is known, proper bottles and jars will be met

with at the manufacturers, corks of every size and properly prepared

for use will be furnished by the cork-cutters, as well as iron-wire fit

for use.

It will be always adviseable to procure corks before bottles, and in

that case no other bottles need be purchased than such as may have

necks suited to the size of the corks, for I have been often unable to

procure corks of such a size as I could wish.

The glass-houses of _la Garre_, _Sèves_, and _des Prémontrés_ near

_Courcy-le-Château_, are already accustomed to the manufactory of corks

and jars necessary for the preserving process. I am most satisfied with

the latter, which has served me for the last four years.

Good corking depends only on a little practice. It will suffice to

cork a dozen bottles with care and exactness, in order to familiarize

a person with the method. Every day, wine and liquors are bottled

and transported by land and water to the remotest places. Even glass

vessels containing from forty to eighty _litres_ in measure have been

sent to a great distance full of oil of vitriol and other liquids. It

will be the same with animal and vegetable productions, preserved in

glass bottles or jars, when sufficient care and attention shall be

given them. This is the principal thing required. How many rich liquors

and other substances would be better preserved which are either lost or

spoiled for want of being well corked!

No one will doubt, after all the experiments I have detailed, that the

adoption of this new method, which, as may be seen, unites the greatest

economy to a perfection unlooked for till the present time, will secure

the following advantages.

1. That of considerably diminishing the consumption of sugar, the

produce of the cane, and of giving the greatest extension to the

manufactories of grape syrup.

2. That of preserving for use in all countries and all seasons, a

number of alimentary and medicinal productions, which being very

abundant in some places at certain seasons, are therefore wasted, being

considered as of no value; while the same substances, under other

circumstances, being much wanted, become of double and even four-fold

value; and sometimes cannot be procured at any price, such as butter

and eggs.

3. That of procuring for civil and military hospitals, and even for

the armies the most valuable assistance, the details of which would

be superfluous here. But the great advantage of this method consists

principally in its application to the service of the Navy. It will

supply fresh and wholesome provisions for his majesty’s vessels on

long voyages with a saving of more than fifty per cent. Mariners

will in case of illness be furnished with broth, various and cooling

beverages, vegetables and fruits; in a word, they will be able to

partake of a number of alimentary and medicinal substances, which will

alone be sufficient to prevent or cure the diseases contracted at Sea,

more especially the worst of them all, the scurvy. These advantages

eminently merit the public attention when we reflect that salted

provisions, and, above all, their bad qualities, have caused the loss

of more lives at Sea than shipwrecks and naval engagements.

4. Medicine will find in this method the means of relieving humanity,

by the facility of meeting every where, and in all seasons, animal

substances, and all kinds of vegetables, as well as their juices,

preserved with all their natural qualities and virtues: by the same

means it will obtain resources infinitely precious in the production of

distant regions, preserved in their fresh state.

5. From this method will arise a new branch of industry, relative to

the productions of France, by their circulation through the interior,

and the exportation abroad, of the produce with which nature has

blessed the different countries.

6. This method will facilitate the exportation of the wine of many

vineyards: wine which can scarcely be kept a year, even when not

removed from the spot, may hereafter be preserved many years though

sent abroad.

Finally, this invention cannot fail to enlarge the domain of Chymistry,

and become the common benefit of all countries, which will derive the

most precious fruits from it.

So many advantages, and an infinity of others which the imagination of

the reader will easily conceive, produced by one and the same cause,

are a source of astonishment.