Woman's Institute Library of Cookery Volume V Part 20

87. The procedure in pickling is simple. After the fruit or vegetable is cleaned and prepared in the way desired, it is merely a matter of placing the food in sterilized jars or crocks, pouring the hot preserving liquid over it, allowing it to cool, and then storing it. In some cases the food is cooked, and in others it is not. As a rule, spices of some kind or other are added, both to aid in preserving and to impart flavor.

88. Practically all large fruits and many vegetables are pickled, as is shown in the recipes that follow. Foods preserved by pickling are known as either _pickles_ or _relishes_. While both products are similar in many respects, relishes are distinguished from pickles in that, as a rule, they are made up from more than one kind of fruit or vegetable and usually the pieces are cut or chopped and not put up whole. Often the foods in relishes are chopped or cut so fine as to make it almost impossible to tell what the fruit or vegetable was originally.

The food value of both these products is not extremely high, unless a great quant.i.ty of sugar is used in the pickling. This is sometimes the case with pickled peaches or pears, but seldom if ever with pickled vegetables.

RECIPES FOR PICKLING

PICKLES

89. SMALL CUc.u.mBER PICKLES.--Perhaps the most common pickles are small cuc.u.mbers pickled according to the accompanying recipe. Such pickles meet with favor and serve very well as appetizers. The cuc.u.mbers selected should be small, so that they will be solid all the way through.

SMALL CUc.u.mBER PICKLES

1 gal. water 4 c. coa.r.s.e salt 200 small cuc.u.mbers 1/2 gal. vinegar 1-1/2 tsp. celery seed 1 lb. light-brown sugar 1/2 tsp. mustard seed 1 tsp. salt 1 oz. stick cinnamon 1 tsp. whole cloves

Make a brine of the water and the coa.r.s.e salt, pour it over the cuc.u.mbers, and allow them to stand for 24 hours. At the end of this time, pour off the brine, wash the pickles in cold water, and place them into crocks. Heat the vinegar, add the celery seed, sugar, mustard seed, salt, cinnamon, and cloves, and bring the mixture to the boiling point.

Pour this over the pickles in the crocks, cover closely while hot, and place in storage. If the pickles are desired sweet, add more brown sugar to the mixture.

90. SLICED-CUc.u.mBER PICKLES.--Large cuc.u.mbers cut into slices may be pickled in practically the same way as small cuc.u.mbers. At times, when small cuc.u.mbers are hard to get, large cuc.u.mbers will take their place very well. In fact, some housewives prefer sliced cuc.u.mber pickles to the small ones.

SLICED-CUc.u.mBER PICKLES

1 gal. sliced cuc.u.mbers 1 c. coa.r.s.e salt 1-1/2 qt. vinegar 1 pt. water 1 tsp. pepper 3 tsp. mustard 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. cloves 4 onions, chopped 1 c. brown sugar 1 Tb. salt

Select rather large cuc.u.mbers. Wash and peel them and cut into 1/4-inch slices. Sprinkle well with salt, and mix the salt among the layers of cuc.u.mbers. Allow this to stand for 24 hours; then drain and wash in clear cold water. To the vinegar and water add the spices, onion, sugar, and salt. Heat this to the boiling point, pour over the sliced cuc.u.mbers, and pack them into jars or crocks. Seal while hot and store.

91. CUc.u.mBERS IN BRINE.--Cuc.u.mbers may also be preserved in brine, stored, and pickled in vinegar later in any quant.i.ty, as desired.

Pour 1 gallon of boiling water over 4 cupfuls of coa.r.s.e salt. This should make brine that is heavy enough to support an egg. Wash cuc.u.mbers of any desired size, put them into a sterilized crock, in layers, and pour the brine, which has been allowed to cool, over the cuc.u.mbers until they are entirely covered. Cover the top of the crock well and store.

Cuc.u.mbers preserved in this way may be taken from the brine at any time and pickled. To do this, soak them in fresh water to remove the salty taste. The fresh water may have to be poured off and replaced several times. After they have been freshened sufficiently, pickle them in vinegar and season them in any desirable way.

92. PICKLED BEANS.--String beans that are pickled make a good relish to serve with meals. Unlike cuc.u.mbers that are pickled, the beans are cooked before the preserving liquid is added. The accompanying recipe is for either wax or green beans.

PICKLED BEANS

4 qt. beans 1-1/2 qt. vinegar 1 c. brown sugar 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. pepper 1 tsp. allspice 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. cloves

Select large, firm, tender wax or green beans. Cover them with water to which has been added 1 level teaspoonful of salt to each quart and put them over the fire to cook. Boil the beans until they can be pierced with a fork, remove from the fire, drain, and pack into jars or crocks.

To the vinegar add the sugar, salt, and spices. Bring this mixture to the boiling point, and pour it over the beans in the jars or crocks, filling them completely or covering the beans well. Close tight and store.

93. PICKLED BEETS.--Pickled beets meet with much favor as a relish. Like pickled beans, they must be cooked before they can be pickled; also, unless they are very small, they should be sliced before pickling as the recipe points out.

PICKLED BEETS

4 qt. red beets 2 qt. vinegar 2 c. brown sugar 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. pepper 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. cloves 1 tsp. allspice

Cut the tops from the red beets, leaving 1 inch of the stems and the roots attached. Scrub well with a vegetable brush, and put to cook in boiling water. Cook until the beets are tender enough to be pierced with a fork. Pour off the hot water and run cold water over them. Remove the roots and stems, and cut into slices of any desired thickness or into dice, if preferred. Pack into jars or crocks. Then bring the vinegar to a boil, and to it add the sugar, salt, and spices. Pour this hot mixture over the beets. Seal the beets while hot, cool, and store.

94. PICKLED CAULIFLOWER.--Cauliflower is another vegetable that lends itself well to pickling. This food must be cooked, too, before pickling; and to have it just right for packing into the containers, it requires particular attention in cooking.

PICKLED CAULIFLOWER

4 qt. cauliflower broken into pieces 2 c. brown sugar 1 Tb. salt 1/2 tsp. pepper 1 qt. vinegar 1 pt. water

Select firm heads of cauliflower and break them into sections or flowerets. Immerse these in cold water to which has been added 1 teaspoonful of salt to the quart. Allow the cauliflower to stand for 1 hour in the salt water. Remove from the water, and put over the fire to cook in salt water of the same proportion as that used for soaking. Cook until the cauliflower is quite tender, but not so tender as it would be cooked to serve at the table. If this is done, the cauliflower will darken and break into pieces. It should be firm enough not to crush or break easily when it is packed into the jars. When properly cooked, pack closely into jars, add the sugar, salt, and pepper to the vinegar and water, heat to the boiling point, and pour this liquid over the cauliflower, completely covering it. Seal while hot, allow to cool, and store.

95. PICKLED ONIONS.--Pickled onions are well liked by many. For pickling purposes, medium small onions of uniform size are most suitable. Owing to their nature, onions cannot be pickled so quickly as some of the vegetables mentioned, but, otherwise, the work is done in practically the same way.

PICKLED ONIONS

4 qt. onions 2 qt. spiced vinegar

Select onions that are as nearly the same size as possible. Peel them and let them stand in fresh water for 24 hours. Pour off this water, and over the onions pour a brine made by adding 2 cupfuls of salt to each gallon of water. Allow them to stand in this brine for 3 days, changing the brine once during this time. Remove the onions from the brine, and freshen in cold water for 2 hours. Drain the onions and cook them in the spiced vinegar for 1/2 hour. Any of the spiced vinegars given for the other vegetables may be used. After cooking, pack the onions with the liquid into jars, seal, cool, and store.

96. PICKLED PEACHES.--Among the fruits that may be pickled, peaches seem to meet with great favor. They, as well as pickled pears and pickled crab apples, make a relish that adds variety to the foods that are served in the home from day to day. The pickling process does not differ materially from that applied to vegetables, as the accompanying recipe shows.

PICKLED PEACHES

2 lb. brown sugar 1 qt. vinegar 1 oz. stick cinnamon 4 qt. peaches 2 Tb. cloves

Boil the sugar, vinegar, and cinnamon together until they begin to look sirupy. Wash the peaches and rub off the fuzz. Stick one or two cloves into each peach, and drop the peaches into the sirup. Cook them until they may be easily pierced with a fork. Put them into jars, pour the sirup over them, filling each jar, and seal while hot. Allow the jars to cool and store. The peaches may be peeled if desired. It may also be more convenient to cook only part of the peaches in the sirup at one time, cooking the remainder after these have been taken out and put into jars.

97. PICKLED PEARS.--Pears also lend themselves readily to pickling.

Specific directions are not given here, because they are pickled in exactly the same way as peaches. The pears may be peeled or not, as desired.

98. PICKLED CRAB APPLES.--Crab apples that are to be pickled should preferably be of a large variety. The directions given for pickling peaches apply also to this fruit. The crab apples should be examined carefully to make certain that they contain no worms. Also, the stems should be left on, and they should be washed thoroughly with the blossom ends cut out.

RELISHES

99. MUSTARD PICKLES.--Among the relishes, mustard pickles are very popular. This relish is made up of a large number of vegetables, namely, cuc.u.mbers, string beans, green peppers, red sweet peppers, onions, green tomatoes, cauliflower, and green Lima beans.

MUSTARD PICKLES

1 pt. small cuc.u.mbers 1 qt. string beans 4 green peppers 4 red sweet peppers 1 pt. small onions 1 pt. green tomatoes 1 pt. cauliflower 1 c. green Lima beans 3/4 c. flour 2 c. sugar 4 Tb. powdered mustard 2 tsp. tumeric 1 Tb. celery seed 1 Tb. salt 1/2 tsp. pepper 1 qt. vinegar 1 pt. water

Wash all the vegetables and prepare them by cutting them into the desired sizes. The onions and cuc.u.mbers should be of a size that will not require cutting. Put all the vegetables together, cover them with salt water made by adding 1 cupful of salt to each 2 quarts of water, and allow them to stand in this for 24 hours. At the end of this time, drain off the brine and freshen the vegetables in clear water for about 2 hours. Mix the dry ingredients together, heat the vinegar and water, and pour it over all. Bring this mixture to the boiling point, and pour it over the vegetables. Fill the jars with the hot mixture, seal, cool, and store.

100. SPANISH RELISH.--Another satisfactory relish made up of a large number of vegetables and spices is Spanish relish. In its preparation, however, the vegetables are not chopped very fine.

SPANISH RELISH

12 green sweet peppers 12 red sweet peppers 12 medium-sized onions 12 green tomatoes 2 medium-sized heads of cabbage 1 tsp. salt 1 lb. brown sugar 1/2 tsp. black pepper 1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper 1 Tb. mustard seed 1 tsp. celery seed 1-1/2 qt. vinegar

Wash the vegetables and chop them into coa.r.s.e pieces. Cover them with salt water made by adding 1 cupful of salt to a gallon of water and allow them to stand in this brine for 6 to 8 hours. At the end of this time, drain off the salt water and wash with clear water. Add the salt, sugar, and spices to the vinegar, and bring this mixture to the boiling point. Then pour it over the mixture of vegetables, pack all into sterilized crocks or jars, seal, cool, and store.