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page 227
perfectly sound and good for any length of time. Lay them in the cask three or
four inches deep, cover with salt, and repeat the operation until all are in;
pour in some water with the first layer--after this the salt will make
sufficient brine. Now spread a cloth over them, then a board with a stone on it.
When a new supply of cucumbers is to be added remove stone, board, and cloth,
wash them very clean, and wipe every particle of scum from the top of the
pickles and the sides of the cask; throw away any soft ones, as they will spoil
the rest; now put in the fresh cucumbers, layer by layer, with salt to cover
each layer. When cask is nearly full, cover with salt, tuck cloth closely around
the edges, placing the board and weight on top; cover cask closely, and the
pickles will be perfect for two or three years. Cucumbers must always be put in
the salt as soon as picked from the vines, for if they lie a day or two they
will not keep. Do not be alarmed at the heavy scum that rises on them, but be
careful to wash all off the board and cloth. When wanted for pickling, take off
weight and board, carefully lift cloth with scum on it, wash stone, board, and
cloth clean, and wipe all scum off the cucumbers and sides of cask, take out as
many as are wanted, return the cloth, board and weight, and cover closely. Place
the cucumbers in a vessel large enough to hold two or three times as much water
as there are pickles, cover with cold water (some use hot), change the water
each day for three days, place the porcelain kettle on the fire, fill half full
of vinegar (if vinegar is very strong add half water), fill nearly full of
cucumbers, the largest first and then the smaller ones, put in a lump of alum
the size of a hulled hickory-nut, let come to a boil, stirring with a wire spoon
so as not to cut the cucumbers; after boiling one minute, take out, place in a
stone jar, and continue until all are scalded, then pour over cold vinegar. In
two or three days, if the pickles are too salt, turn off the vinegar and put on
fresh, adding a pint of brown sugar to each two gallons pickles, a pod or two of
red pepper, a very few cloves, and some pieces of horse-radish. The horse-radish
prevents a white scum from rising.
CHOPPED PICKLES.
Take green tomatoes, wash clean, cut away a small piece from each end, slice and
place in a large wooden bowl, chop fine, place
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