Twentieth century home cook book

One of the most useful ami harmless of all leaves for flavoring is that of the common syringa. When cucumbers are scarce these are a perfect substitute in salads or anything in which that flavor is desired. The taste is not only like that of cucumbers, but identical — a curious instance of the correlation of flavors in widely different families. Again, the young leaves of cucumbers have a striking likeness, in the way of flavor, to that of fruit. The same may be affirmed of carrot tops, which are as like carrots in taste as may be. In most gardens there is a waste of celery flavor in the sacrifice of the outside leaves and their partially blanched footstalks. Blanched celery is cut up into soup, when the outside leaves would flavor it equally well or better. The young leaves of gooseberries added to bottled fruit give a fresher flavor and greener color to pies and tarts. The leaves of the flowering currant give a sort of intermediate flavor between that of black currants and red. Orange, citron and lemon leaves impart a flavoring equal to that of the fruit and rind combined, and somewhat different from both. A few leaves added to pies, or boiled in the milk used to bake with rice, or formed into crusts or paste, impart an excellent flavor. In fact, leaves are not half so much used for seasoning purposes as they might be. VI. Sour Pickles— Cucumbers. As the cucumbers are gathered, pack them down in any suitable vessel with salt enough to make a strong brine, for which the cucumbers will usually furnish moisture enough; keep them under by placing over them a follower, fitting the inside of the barrel and weighted sufliciently to press firmly upon them. They may remain thus until wanted for the table. Then soak them in water until fresh, changing it as often as necessary. Pack them in jars, and pour over them scalding vinegar, seasoned to suit the taste with cloves and other spices, but if it is desired to have them of the fashionable and deleterious green color, they should be just scalded in a brass kettle, with water and a little alum to harden then]. The verdigris which is formed during the act of scalding imparts the fashionable tint and the process is continued until the desired green color is reached; after which, pack as before directed, with hot vinegar. If this greening process is carried too far, the pickles become absolutely poisonous — sometimes fatally so. Sensible persons generally take their pickled cucumbers without this poison, and if not exposed to the light, ungreened pickles do not fade much. Cucumbers for pickles should never exceed over three inches in length. The smaller they are the better. Quick Pickles. — Take small cucumbers of a uniform size, wash, put in a porcelain kettle, cover with cold water, add a little salt; set it on the stove, let it heat gradually and boil five minutes; then drain off all the water; add good vinegar; to one gallon of vinegar add one cup molasses, one tablespoonful cloves, and the same of cinnamon ; let boil five minutes ; remove to an earthen or stone dish ; pour over them the hot vinegar ; cover tight ; when cold, they are ready for use. Indian Pickle. — To each gallon of vinegar ( cold) add half a pound of mustard, six ounces of turmeric, a handful of salt, and a little grated ginger; boil the vinegar and spices together, and let the mixture cool. Boil or scald the vegetables with vinegar, taking care to have among them a little garlic and onions; put them in your jar, and pour on the pickle. Afterward put in the jar a bag containing a quarter of a pound of ginger, one ounce of long red pepper pods, one of black pepper, one of cloves, and half an ounce of cayenne. If this is too hot for the taste, omit the cayenne to suit.