The "Queen" cookery books: Pickles and Preserves

Raspberry Vinegar. — Put three gallons of ripe and well coloured raspberries into a large unglazed earthenware jar, and pour over them a gallon of white wine vinegar. Let it all stand for three or four days, lightly covered with paper to keep out the dust, then strain it off into a clean basin through a jelly bag or a fine and well scalded horsehair sieve. The juice should run clear and bright. Now measure it, and for each pint allow lib. of cane loaf sugar, and stir it over the fire with a clean wooden, or a silver spoon, till the sugar is quite dissolved, and skim it very carefully. Let it boil for about half an hour, then stir it till cool, when you add from half to a pint of spirit for each quart of liquid, then bottle off and cork down closely, Mind not to use anything iron or tin in making this as its beauty depends upon its perfect colour. Another simpler way (but one that does not keep so well) is to fill a large 71b. or 81b. jam jar with raspberries, and pour over them sufficient vinegar to cover them well and fill the jar, and let it all stand for nine days, stirring it daily ; then strain it off, add 12oz. of cane loaf sugar to each pint of juice, and boil together till no more scum will rise, and then bottle off carefully. Strawberry Vinegar. — Gather the fruit when at the point of perfection, and use at once. Remove the stalks, weigh the fruit and put it into wide-moutlied glass bottles, pouring on to it a quart of best white wine vinegar to every pound of fruit. Cover the jars closely and let it stand for three days, then drain off k 2 the liquid and pour it upon some more fresh fruit Again let this stand for three days, and again strain off, adding fresh fruit yet a third time. After this has stood for three days drain off the juice through a jelly bag wrung out of warm vinegar, measure it all, and stir it till the broken-up loaf sugar (added in the proportion of lib. to each pint of liquid) is almost dissolved, then put it all on the fire (which must be very clear for this), and let it boil gently for five minutes. Now pour it off, let it stand for ten or twelve minutes, then skim thoroughly and bottle off. (A simpler form is made by following the second reoipe for raspberry vinegar). Garlic Vinegar. — Bruise loz. of garlic lightly with twelve cloves and a roughly broken-up nutmeg, and pour on to it a gallon of white wine vinegar, or at all events good colourless vinegar. Let it all steep for a month, then pour off and bottle for use. You can pour fresh vinegar on to the garlic, and let it steep for three months when you will get a good but coarser vinegar, though it is very useful in cookery; while the more delicate kind made with the white vinegar can be kept for salads, &c. Honey Vinegar. — Dissolve 41b. of really good pure honey in a gallon of water, then pour it all into a small cask, leaving the bunghole open though covered with a piece of muslin to keep out dust, &c. Set it in a warm place, or in the hottest sunshine, for five or six weeks, by which time it should be ready for use. Horseradish Vinegar. — Put into an unglazed jar 3oz. freshly grated horseradish, loz. minced shallot,