FoodNetArchive

The new practical housekeeping

1890

Page 554 · 1 recipe record on this page

Presented as published in 1890. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
After the meal is over, fill the teapot with hot water, set on stove to steep ; when sufficiently steeped pour into ^e vinegar. The excellence of the vine- gar is that you know all the ingredients in it, and of every apple that is eaten the peeling can be used. Teach the help to save all the peelings when she makes apple or peach sauce, and even when one or two apples are pared save the peeling. A young housekeeper once had half a barrel of excellent vinegar, which her husbana had brought from the store. As it was old and had many set- tlings in it, she thought she would cleans it, so pouring it out, she rinsed her barrel thoroughly with hot water, then strained the vinegar through a flan- nel cloth, anareplaced it in the barrel. Some time afterward she drew out some of the vinegar, but it had lost all its good taste and was covered with a white scum. She was sorely vexed, but an old friend coming in at the time, told her she had thrown away the life of the vinegar. Had sne kept some of / the settlings (which is the veast of the vinegar) and the mother , putting them in the barrel when she replaced the vinegar, all would have been right. Hap- pily her friend had plenty of old vinegar and gave her a pail of settlings and mother to add to the vinegar. In years mother will accumulate, so that it is necessary to throw some away. In such cases always keep some of the large pieces of mother and some of the floating particles (a funny writer has called this the fcUher), and some settling^ to put in the vinegar, after it is returned to the barrel. While the vinegar is making it should never be more than half full ; after it is good vinegar small (quantities of luide, either hot or cold, can be added until the barrel is two-thirds full. A better way is to have a second keg into which pour the fresh juices with a little molasses, (but no alcohol) » and as the gooa vinegar is used out of the barrel it can be replenished from keg. Or, having no keg, draw off one or two gallons or good vinegar into a jug for immediate use, then add the fresh juices, as you may have it, to bar- rel. By the time vinegar in j'ug is used all will have become good in barrel and readv for use. These things remembered and practiced will always in- sure gooa vinegar. Sometimes vinegar barrel will leak around the chine, when it is inconvenient to change barrel. To stop the leak, take equal parts of tallow (beef or mutton) and wood ashes. Mix well (in cold weather yon may have to warm the tallow), then with a narrow bladed knife spread it around the chine, pressing it firmly into the crack a&d making it smooth on lsunaca.^This.haa. kept ^vinegar, from ^leaking for months and years. If 638 FRUIT. « wanted extra nice clarify molasses by heating it over the fire and poor in one pint of sweet milk to each gallon of molassesClarified Molasses. The impnrities rise in scum to the top,, which must be skimmed off before the boiling breaks it. Add the milk as soon as molasses is placed over the fire, mixing thoroughly with it.