134 FARM HOMES, Itf-DOORS AND OUT-DOORS. 



of good cider vinegar, half a cupful of salt, one cupful of 

 sugar, a teaspoonful of Cayenne pepper, a teaspoonful of 

 cloves, two of allspice, and three of celery-salt. Boil for 

 twenty minutes and then strain and bottle it. The corks 

 should be pressed in tightly and the tops covered with 

 melted rosin or sealing-wax. The catsup is improved to 

 many tastes by the addition of two or three onions boiled 

 with the tomatoes. 



Salted Cucumbers. If salt is added to water until an 

 egg will float in it, a brine is formed that will keep 

 cucumbers for almost any length of time. They can be 

 picked from the vines when of nice size, washed, and 

 thrown in the brine until the keg or barrel is filled 

 always keeping them well under the brine with some 

 suitable weight. 



Cucumber Pickles. If salted cucumbers are used, 

 soak them in frequently changed water for two days. 

 Boil together for fifteen minutes two quarts of good vine- 

 gar, one ounce of whole pepper, one cupful of brown sugar, 

 and a piece of alum as large as a bean. Pour it over the 

 cucumbers while hot. When cool, dram off the vinegar, 

 scald it and pour it over the pickles once more. In 

 twenty-four hours they will be ready for use. 



Chow-chow Pickle. Chop one peck of green tomatoes 

 with four solid little cabbages, six onions, and six green 

 bell-peppers. Sprinkle over a cupful of salt and let the 

 mixture stand over night in a large earthen pan or por- 

 celain kettle. In the morning dram off the juice and 

 add to the chop two pounds of brown sugar, one cupful 

 of English mustard-seed, and a gallon of vinegar. Boil 

 until it is tender and clear, and then put it away in jars 

 or wide-mouthed bottles. 



Mixed Pickles. Cauliflower, string-beans, .and tiny 

 onions and cucumbers, with a sprinkle of red cherry- 

 peppers, can be scalded together, first in salted water and 



