The household cook book

PICKLED LEMONS— (1) Select 12 small lemons with thick skins; cut into them nearly to the center, but not quite enough so that they fall apart; fill the openings with salt, and pack them in an earthen dish on end; set away, and in about 4 days there will be brine enough to partly cover them; turn them over, repeating each day for 4 days, so that all parts may soak in the brine; then drain them out and put in glass jars. Add enough cider vinegar to cover the fruit, a little crushed ginger root and a Jamaica pepper if desired, or other spice; bring it slowly to a boil, skim, and pour it on the fruit when cold. (2) Another way is to wash 2 doz. lemons, cut across or through the ends of each about 2 inches and pack with the cut end down in a stone jar; add 4 quarts vinegar, ^ lb. mustard=^seed, f lb. salt, ^ oz. each of cayenne pepper, cloves, and nutmeg, and 1 small onion; cover the jar, and set it in a kettle of boiling water and boil all day. They should be tender enough to pierce with a fork easily. PICKLED LIMES.— (1) Take 12 limes, make incisions into the rinds into which rub salt, put them on end in an earthen dish, and set in a warm place 4 or 5 days, or until soft, turning them over 1 or 2 times, and put them in glass jars, pouring in the brine. Take enough vinegar to cover them, add -J oz. whole pepper, and 2 oz. each of bruised ginger and mustard=seed, bring to a boil, and pour on them while hot. When cold, seal the jars. (2) Pick limes when full grown, sound and fresh, and put them at once into brine about as strong as sea=water; in 2 or 3 days it will become bitter; pour it off, cover with fresh brine, and repeat about 3 times, or until the bitterness is extracted. Cover with fresh brine, and they will keep indefinitely and can be shipped, being always saleable barreled thus. The lime is a native of India and China. In the West Indies it is grown for hedges. The fruit is similar to the lemon, but smaller. It has a thin, smooth rind and a very acid juice which some prefer to that of the lemon. PICKLED MARTYNI AS.— Choose the small, tender martynias; wash and brush them carefully; soak them in a strong brine for 5 days, then soak them in fresh water until the salty taste is nearly gone; next wipe them dry; put them in a jar, and pour over them well spiced hot vinegar, flavored with onions if liked. MANGO PICKLES — Pick green cantelope melons when half grown (about the size of a pint bowl); cut out 1 lobe, carefully scrape out all the seeds, return the lobe and tie it in place; put 15 of the melons in a brine strong enough to float an egg, and leave 6 weeks, keeping them well under; then take out, soak in fresh water 24 hours, then remove, wipe dry, and fill with the following stuffing: Take ^ lb. scraped horseradish, ^ lb. race ginger, scalded, scraped and chopped fine, 2 nutmegs, ^ oz. mace, 1 oz. whole black peppers; 1 small box good mustard, 1 oz. turmeric, 12 large onions minced very fine. Pound the mace, nutmegs and black pepper together, and mix all the ingredients together with enough salad oil to make it into a paste. Stuff each melon perfectly full; return and tie the lobe in place with thread, and put each mango when stuffed into a jar large enough to hold them all.