Cucumbers and Melons for Summer Use— By E. L. Fullerton & 



HOW TO HAVE TENDER, DIGESTIBLE CUCUMBERS, AND SWEET, JUICY MELONS INSTEAD OF THE TOUGH, 

 FLAVORLESS THINGS COMMONLY MET— VARIOUS WAYS OF SERVING AND OF PRESERVING FOR FUTURE USE 



Photographs by H. B. Fullerton 



IN the full heat of the midsummer the 

 watery, cool cucumber or the sugary 

 melon is the most welcome "fruit" of our 

 garden. It seems odd that the fleshy cucum- 

 ber should be called a vegetable, when we 

 always think of the same formation in the 

 melon, its true cousin, as "fruit." The dis- 

 tinction after all is purely in flavor, and 

 judging from some experiences wc have had, 

 the melons of some people do not deserve 

 to be thus distinguished. 



Both these groups are raised in exactly 

 the same way, either in hills or around a 

 sunken barrel. They may also be started 

 in pots, cans, berry boxes, etc., or in a piece 

 of sod in the coldframe, and transferred to 

 the garden about the middle of May, by 

 which means we cheat the season. 



There are several distinct types of cucum- 

 ber — long, short, smooth, spiny; trailing and 

 climbing; white skinned and green skinned. 

 Some varieties are raised for pickling; others 

 to be sliced for table use. The pickling 

 cucumbers or gherkins are gathered when 

 quite young. For brine pickles a larger size 

 is gathered. For ordinary pickling gather 

 the young cucumbers when about one and 

 one-half or two inches long, place them in a 

 stone jar and cover with boiling hot brine 

 strong enough to float an egg. Let them 

 stand for twenty-four hours; then drain, 

 wipe dry, place in a clean jar and cover with 

 one quart of boiling vinegar, to which has 

 been added one onion, twelve whole cloves, 

 one ounce of mustard seed, and three blades 



of mace. In two weeks' time they are 

 ready to use. 



I know you will say just the same thing 

 that I said when the cucumbers for pickling 

 came in at the rate of three, four, or perhaps 

 a dozen a day. "What, stop my work and 



than the crock, and a good-sized stone to 

 hold it down snugly. The next pickles that 

 came to the house were added to the jar. 

 By the time the crock was full a little water 

 was poured in if the brine did not cover the 

 cucumbers. A cloth was laid over the top, 



65. The fascination of the cucumber is its youth; when old the flesh gets tough and bitter and the seeds get 

 hard. Remove the bitter sKin, slice and drain in a cool place before serving 



pickle those few paltry things each day? 

 Never! The game is not worth the candle." 

 But try it and see. It is done a little at a 

 time; thus it is hardly appreciated. Take 

 a stone crock, cover the bottom with cucum- 

 bers and cover these with one-quarter of an 

 inch of coarse salt; then put in another layer 

 of cucumbers, another of salt, and so on 

 until the cucumbers are used up. On top 

 place a round board, just a trifle smaller 



66. Summer 



.quash." tender and delicate in flavor, 

 of the most esteemed. The Hubbard 



are really pumpkins. This variety is the pattypan, one 

 and Turban are types of the true squash 



61 



the board replaced with its weight and the 

 outfit stored away until a convenient time 

 for pickling came. A few horseradish leaves 

 placed under the cloth prevented molding, 

 and the pickles would keep thus for months, 

 even for years. 



When the psychological moment arrives 

 you may pickle all of your hoard of cucum- 

 bers, or only part of them, as you wish, 

 proceeding thus: Remove the stone, the 

 board and the cloth, wipe the scum from 

 the surface of the brine and around the 

 edges of the crock and wash the cloth 

 and board. Remove such cucumbers as 

 you wish to pickle, replace the coverings, 

 and the rest will keep for another pickling 

 bee. 



Cover the subjects for execution with cold 

 water; soak them three days, changing the 

 water every day, and carefully wipe each one 

 before dropping them into the preserving 

 kettle, which contains enough vinegar to 

 cover the cucumbers. Heat to the boiling 

 point and turn occasionally. Do not cook 

 the pickles, just heat them through, then 

 remove from the vinegar, place in bottles 

 and cover with fresh, cold vinegar, vhich 

 may be spiced or not. Table cucumbers 

 are usually served raw, although they may 

 be cooked in divers ways. Always pick 

 them in the early morning, and keep them 

 in a cool, dark place. An hour before serv- 

 ing pare off the skin, slice as thin as pos- 

 sible and place in ice-cold water. Drain 

 thoroughly when ready to carry to the 

 table. 



Fried cucumber can scarcely be dis- 

 tinguished from fried eggplant, and it is 

 prepared in the same way, by paring the 



