The "Queen" cookery books: Pickles and Preserves

oft' into jars and pour on to them good malt vinegar boiled for two or three minutes with a little mace, some shallots, and a little sliced ginger. Cover well with this vinegar, then tie down closely and store. Elder Flowers, to pickle. — Gather the elder flowers before they are actually open, pack them into jars, and pour over them enough scalded white wine vinegar to cover them, then cork down. This is an old-fashioned but most excellent accompaniment to cold meat, especially boiled mutton. Elder Shoots, to pickle (also called English Bamboo). — Cut the young shoots of the elder about the middle of May, choosing the middle shoots, which are the tenderest ; peel off the outside peel, and lay the shoots in strong brine for one night. Dry them very carefully, and separately, in a clean cloth, then put them into a stone jar and cover with the following spiced vinegar when boiling hot ; cork closely, and set it by the fire for two hours to keep hot, turning the jar pretty often. If the shoots are not green when cold, strain off the vinegar, re-heat it, and again pour it on the elder, and let it stand by the fire as before. Elder shoots are a great addition to the so-called “India pickle,” and can be prepared in May by simply pouring boiling vinegar and mustard seed over them, and keeping them well covered till you want them for the pickle. For the vinegar for this pickle, boil up a quart of good vinegar with loz. each of white pepper and sliced ginger, with a little mace and pimento to taste. French Beans, to pickle. — Choose young even-sized beans, wipe them in a clean cloth and lay them in strong brine for three days, stirring them daily; now put them into a pan covered with vine leaves, and till up with weak salt and water, and let them cook over a gentle fire till they turn green; then drain them, put them into jars, and pour boiling spiced vinegar over them. Mind it should cover them by quite two inches. Gherkins are excellent preserved in this way. Fruit, to pickle. — When the fruit trees require thinning in the spring, collect all the green fruit thus thinned out, such as apricots, apples (green and young), nectarines, peaches, plums, «fec., and throw them as gathered into a pan of cold vinegar ; then collect every sortof vegetable, such as gherkins, cucumbers (cut in jin. rings, and the seeds removed), nasturtiums, young carrots, turnip radishes, cauliflower broken into sprays, little onions, French beans, &c., and put these also into the cold vinegar. Let these all stand till September or October, when to a gallon of vinegar you. add 4oz. each of black and white pepper, ginger, and mixed spice (mace, allspice, cloves), |lb. yellow mustard seed, one nutmeg grated, two sticks of horseradish, 2oz. of salt, 5oz. of chillies, and 4oz. mustard flour, mixed to a smooth paste with a little of the vinegar. Boil this all up together, put it into jars and cover down when cold. Mind there is enough liquid to cover it all well. This is often called Piccalilli. Grapes, to pickle. — Choose the grapes when full grown but still unripe, and cut them into little bunches ; now put them into a stone jar with vine