The new practical housekeeping

Pickled Grapes. — Clip the grapes from main stem with scissors and pack snugly in stone jar ; make a Single Syrup and add tablespoon whole cloves and two of cinnamon bark, and pour over grapes in jar ; set away three or four days ; then drain off vinegar, boil and pour over again ; repeat for a third time, and any time afterwards should the grapes be inclined to sour. They may be pickled in bunches if preferred, taking care to remove all imperfect fruit. Pears, Peaches and Figs are nice pickled same. Ripe Cucumber Pickles. — Cut large, ripe, solid cucumbers in rings, pare, divide into smaller pieces and remove seeds, cook pieces very slightly in weak vinegar, with salt enough to season well ; drain, and put in stone jar in layers with a few slices of onions, some cayenne pepper, whole allspice, whole cloves, bits of cinnamon bark, and celery seed (according to taste) between each layer of cucumber. Then cover with syrup made of one pound sugar to one quart cider vinegar, boiled for about five minutes. Put in stone jars and cover closely or can as directed. Sprinkling the onion slices with a little salt and sugar, covering with vinegar and letting stand two or three hours greatly improves the pickles, which are made very nice as follows: After cooking in the weak vinegar, make the syrup and pour it hot over them, repeat this four or five mornings, cooking both syrup and cucumbers the last time; then place the latter in cans with alternate layers of onions and spices, covering with the syrup and canning as above. Some first soak cucumber pieces overnight in weak vinegar and water, then parboil in same. Pear Pickles* — Make a syrup of one pint vinegar and four pints sugar ; cook five or ten minutes, skimming if necessary ; add ten or twelve Bartlett pears, peeled and whole, and three or four pieces cinnamon and a dozen cloves tied loosely in a square of cheesecloth. Cook fruit as above; then place in a glass quart can, prepared as in Canning Fruit ; fill with syrup, seal and finish as directed. Add more fruit to kettle, and as needed, more syrup prepared as above. • It is better to can only one or two quarts at a time, as fruit darkens so easily. The putting of enough not syrup in a bowl, as directed in preface, with which to fill up cans, expedites matters greatly. Peaches and any fruit except water-melon may be pickled thus and will greatly resemble brandied fruit. Sliced Tomato Pickles. — Wash and cut ofi* ends of peck green tomatoes, slice, sprinkle with salt as in Chopped Pickles and let stand overnight; drain, and cover with cold weak vinegar for twenty-four hours, then pour all in kettle, boil ten minutes and drain. Make a Single Syrup, as directed, when hot add tomatoes, boil three minutes and pack in jar in layers with spices. * Spiced Currants. — Put an punce cinnamon, half ounce cloves and tablespoon each ground mace and allspice in a bag and boil with four pounds currants and two of sugar to a thick syrup. When nearly done add pint vinegar and put away in jelly tuniblers or glass cans. Some aad three pounds raisins, and one pint more Ndnegar.