Spons' Household Manual: A treasury of domestic receipts and a guide for home management
General
Spons' Household Manual: A treasury of domestic receipts and a guide for home management
Home economics
Grapes.--The grapes must be carefully cut from the stalk before they
are ripe, and care must be taken not to bruise the skin, or they
will become soft instead of crisp. Boil 4 pints vinegar, 2 oz. whole
ginger, 1 oz. peppercorns, 2 doz. cloves, and a very small piece
of mace. When cold pour it over the grapes, and let them be well
covered, and remain 3 days; then boil the vinegar again, and pour it
cold on the grapes. Bottle and cork securely.
Grape Leaves.--A writer in the _Country Gentleman_ recommends the
use of fresh green grape-leaves to place on top of pickles in jars
in place of flannel or other cloth usually employed. He claims the
leaves will preserve the vinegar sharp and clear and impart a nice
flavour. The leaves should be rinsed in pure water and left to
drain before use, and occasionally changed. They exclude the air,
and besides imparting a delightful flavour to the pickle cause less
trouble to the housewife.
Ketchup.--(_a_) Elder.--Put into a jar 3 pints elderberries, picked
from the stalks, 2 large blades of mace, 2 oz. ginger, 6 oz.
anchovies, ½ oz. whole pepper, 1½ pint vinegar; set it in a rather
cool oven, and let it remain there all night. Next morning strain
the liquor from the berries, and put into an enamelled stewpan, with
the ginger, mace, anchovies, pepper and salt; let it boil till the
anchovies are dissolved. Strain off, and, when cold, put into small
bottles, cork and seal. This is a nice ketchup for broiled fish. The
berries will make a chutney.
(_b_) Mushroom.--The mushrooms should be gathered in the morning
before the sun is on them. Break them in small bits, put them in a
large dish, and sprinkle a good deal of salt upon them; let them
lie for 4 days, turning them daily, and adding a little salt. Lay
the pieces upon a sieve, or put them in a thin bag. Let them run
all night until the juice is all run from them; put the juice in a
stewpan, beat up the whites of 2 eggs, add them to the ketchup, with
plenty of mixed spices. Let it boil for one minute, run it through a
piece of muslin into a basin, and when cold bottle it up, cork, and
seal it; keep it in a dry place.
(_c_) Ditto.--Break up the mushrooms, and add ¼ lb. salt to every 3½
lb. mushrooms; let them stand for 2 days, and drain all the juice you
can procure from them by pressure; then boil it slowly for an hour,
with 2 oz. of salt, a few cloves, and ¼ oz. peppercorns and whole
ginger, to each qt.; then strain, and when cold bottle, using new
corks, and sealing them down.
(_d_) Ditto.--Take for this full-grown flap mushrooms, crush them
with the hands, and put a handful of salt to every peck; let them
stand all night, then put into broad-mouthed jars, and set them for
12 hours in a quick oven, then strain through a hair sieve. To every
qt. of liquor put ¼ oz. cloves, black pepper, and ginger; boil till
half is wasted; when cold bottle for use.
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