The Rural cook book

Half fill a large porcelain- lined preserving kettle with good cider vinegar, Put in as many cucumbers as the vinegar will cover, with a piece of alum the size of a hazelnut ; heat to boiling point, stirring with a wooden spoon so that they do not soften at bottom of kettle, and then drain, throwing away the vinegar. Cover with fresh cold vinegar, spice if desired. A little chopped horseradish at top will prevent molding. They will be ready for use in about a week. A great many cucumber pickles are sold direct from the brine. Brine for Cucumbers. — To six parts of water use one part salt, and one part of cider vinegar. Keep the pickles well under the brine, and they will keep longer and be more brittle than when laid down in salt, in the old way. Pickle for Cucumbers.— One-half ounce of black pepper, one and one-half ounce of ginger, one ounce of allspice, one ounce of cloves, one ounce of mustard seed, three-fourths of a pound of salt, half a teaspoon cayenne pepper, one ounce ground mustard, one ounce turmeric, and six quarts of vinegar. The spices are to be scalded in the vinegar, except the mustard and turmeric which should be added when ■ the vinegar is cold. For a good pickle without mustard: Put a teacupful of salt and a tablespoonful of powdered alum into a gallon of vinegar. Pick small cucumbers and pour a weak brine over them, boiling hot. Let stand over night ; drain, and put into prepared vinegar. Add cucumbers as convenient, and when as many have been put into the vinegar as it will cover scald them up, and put into fresh vinegar, to which has been added a little red pepper and horseradish. Canned Cucumbers. — Cucumbers canned as follows will keep until the following June, and are excellent to serve with meat or salad: Peel and slice thin medium-sized cucumbers, sprinkle with salt and a little alum; let stand two hours; drain and put in jars, adding vinegar enough to cover, pepper and a few whole mustard seeds, the quantity ol pepper to be governed by the taste, and the whole pepper to be used in preference to the ground. On top of the jar, when ready for sealing, add a dessertspoonful of olive oil. Chopped Cucumber Relish, — This is simple and very excellent. Pare and chop fine half a peck of medium-sized cucumbers ; chop two mediumsized onions. Salt eadi separately over night, using one-third of a cup of salt in all. Drain thoroughly the next morning and mix. If the mixture seems too salty cover with cold water and drain a second time. Then put into a granite kettle, add a rounding tablespoonful each of celery seed and mustard seed, a level tablespoonful of ground mustard, one-eighth of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper, half a cup of brown sugar and a pint of best vinegar. Boil 10 minutes, then bottle and seal Dill Pickles, — Make a brine strong enough to bear an egg, then add half as much more water as you have brine. Wash cucumbers in cold water, and into a stone jar put first a layer of cucumbers, then a layer of grape leaves and a layer of dill, using leaves and stems. Continue in this way until the jar is full. Pour the brine over all and cover, first with a cloth, then with a plate, and put a weight on top of the plate. The cloth must be washed frequently as in making sauerkraut.