ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND FACTS FOR THE PEOPLE. 297 



fruit again, and you will have a delightful 

 pickle. 



For peach mangoes, these are excellent. 

 Take sound, ripe, free-stone peaches; 

 wipe off the fur ; split them open ; take 

 out the pits ; have ready some fine chopped 

 tomatoes, cabbage, horse-radish, and mus- 

 tard-seed ; fill the vacancy in the peach ; 

 then place them together, and tie them 

 with a string ; fill your jars with prepared 

 vinegar. 



TOMATOES, Pickled.— Always use those 

 which are thoroughly ripe. The small, 

 round ones are decidedly the best. Do 

 not prick them, as most recipe-books di- 

 rect. Let them lie in strong brine three 

 or four days, then put them down in layers 

 in your jars, mixing with them small onions 

 and pieces of horse-radish ; then pour on 

 l:he vinegar (cold),.which should be first 

 spiced as for peppers ; let there be a spice 

 'bag to throw into every pot. Cover 

 vthem carefully, and set them by in the 

 cellar for a full month before using. 



TOMATOES, Green, Pickled.— To one 

 peck of tomatoes add a handful of salt, 

 and enough water to cover them. Let 

 them remain in this twenty-four hours. 

 Put them in a kettle (porcelain lined is 

 the best), fill up with vinegar, and set 

 upon the stove until the vinegar begins 

 to boil, and then set away to cool. When 

 cold, set the kettle again upon the stove, 

 and bring it to the boiling point. Then 

 skim the tomatoes, and put them into a 

 jar; fill up with some new, cold vinegar, 

 and flavor with mustard-seed, allspice, 

 cloves, etc. 



The same vinegar first used will do to 

 scald more tomatoes in. 



PRESERVING, Hints on.— A very 

 common discovery made by those who 

 preserve fruits, etc., is, that the preserve 

 either ferments, grows mouldy or becomes 

 candied. 



These three effects arise from three sep- 

 arate causes. The first from insufficient 

 boiling; the second from being kept in a 

 damp place, assisted in some degree by 

 the first cause ; and the third from being 

 too quick and too long boiling. 



Preserves of all kinds should be kept 

 entirely secluded from the air, and in a 

 dry place. In ranging them on the 

 shelves of a store-closet, they should not 

 be suffered to come in contacc with the 

 wall. Moisture in winter and spring ex- 



udes from some of the driest walls, and 

 preserves invariably imbibe it, both in 

 dampness and taste. It is necessary oc- 

 casionally to look at them, and if they 

 have have been attacked by mould boil 

 them up gently again. To prevent all 

 risks it is always as well to lay a brandy 

 paper over the fruit before tying down. 

 This may be renewed in the spring. 



Fruit jellies are made in the ratio of a 

 quart of fruit to two pounds of sugar. 

 They must not be boiled quick, nor very 

 long. Practice, and a general discretion, 

 will be found the best guide to regulate 

 the exact time, which must necessarily 

 be affected, more or less by local causes. 



PRESERVE FRUITS, without Self- 

 Sealing Cans. — Prepare a cement of one 

 ounce resin, one ounce gum shellac, and 

 a cubic inch of beeswax ; put them in a 

 tin cup and melt slowly; too high or too 

 quick heat may cause it to scorch. 



Place the jars where they will become 

 warm while the fruit is cooking. If they 

 are gradually heated there is no danger ot 

 breaking. 



As soon as the fruit is thoroughly heat- 

 ed, and while boiling hot, fill the jars full, 

 letting the juice cover the fruit entirely. 

 Have ready some circular pieces of stout, 

 thick cotton or linen cloth, and spread 

 over with cement a piece sufficient to 

 cover the mouth and rim of the jar. 

 Wipe the rim perfectly dry, and apply the 

 cloth while warm, putting the cement side 

 down, bring the cover over the rim, and 

 secure it firmly with a string ; then spread 

 a coating of cement over the upper sur- 

 face. As the contents of the jar cool, the 

 pressure of the air will depress the cover, 

 and give positive proof that all is safe. 



PRESERVE, Small Fruits without 

 Cooking.— Strawberries, raspberries, black- 

 berries, cherries and peaches can be pre- 

 served in this manner: Lay the ripe fruit 

 in broad dishes, and sprinkle over it the 

 same quantity of sugar used in cooking 

 it. Set it in the sun, or a moderately 

 heated oven, until the juice forms a thick 

 syrup with the sugar. Pack the fruit in 

 tumblers, and pour the syrup over it. 

 Paste writing paper over the glasses, and 

 set them in a cool, dry place. Peaches 

 must be pared and split, and cherries 

 stoned. Preserved in this manner, the 

 fruit retains much more of its natural fla- 

 vor and healthfulness than when cooked. 



