446 THE FARMER'S AND 



very cool place, an ice-house if possible ; but if that can- 

 not be had, they should be laid upon a stone floor or shelf, 

 and dipped in cold salt and water every night and morn- 

 ing. If it is necessary to keep them a few days longer, 

 this may be done by immersing them in a pickle composed 

 of equal quantities of vinegar, small-beer, and water. 



TO PRESERVE MEAT. 



The Moors of Africa preserve meat in the following 

 manner : They cut into thin slices, beef, mutton, or 

 camel's flesh, and after salting them well, suffer them to 

 lie in the pickle twenty-four hours. The meat is then 

 removed from the tubs or jars, and then put into others 

 filled with fresh water; and when it has remained there 

 a night, it is taken out, and hung upon ropes to dry in 

 the sun and air. When thoroughly dried and hard, it is 

 cut into pieces two or three inches long, and thrown into 

 a pan, or cauldron, which is kept ready, with boiled oil 

 and suet sufficient to cover it ; thus it is boiled, till it be 

 very clear and red on cutting it, when it is again taken 

 out and set to drain. After having undergone this pro- 

 cess, it stands to cool, while the jars are getting ready for 

 storing it ; at the same time, the liquor in which it was 

 fried is poured upon it, and as soon as it is thoroughly 

 cold, the vessels are closely stopped. Preserved in this 

 manner, it will remain hard, and keep two years ; indeed, 

 the hardest is considered the best and most palatable. It 

 is brought to table, sometimes fried with eggs and garlic, 

 or stewed with a little lemon-juice poured on it. 



When meat is to be preserved a long time, the brine 

 should consist of a saturated solution of salt. A common 

 direction in books is, that the brine should be so strong 

 that an egg will float in it ; but this is a very imperfect 

 test of its strength, for an egg will not only float in a sat 

 uraled solution, but in one that has double its measure ol 



