Virginia Cookery-book

Half a peck of onions, half a peck of green tomatoes, three dozen large cucumbers, four large green pepper-pods, one pint of small red and green peppers. Sprinkle one pint of salt upon them, and let them drain all night ; then add one ounce of mace, one ounce of white pepper, one ounce of white mustard-seed, one ounce of turmeric, half an ounce of cloves, half an ounce of celery - seed, three table-spoonfuls of made mustard, two pounds of brown sugar. The cucumbers are not peeled, but sliced an inch thick. The onions and peppers are also sliced. Cover all with vinegar, and boil half an hour. Chow-Chow, No. 3. One large head of bleached cabbage, two dozen cucumbers (medium size), one dozen green peppers, one gallon green tomatoes, half a dozen onions (silver - skinned). Chop the onions, and pour hot water over them, letting them stand ten minutes ; chop the ingredients fine, and sprinkle salt over them, adding the onions. Let them stand all night, and then drain two hours in the morning ; pour weakened vinegar over them, and let them stand twenty-four hours ; pour off that vinegar, and to every gallon of the mixture put one pound and a half of sugar ; put two table-spoonfuls of turmeric in a Swiss muslin bag and drop it into the pot for coloring matter. For seasoning put one ounce of cloves, half an ounce of mace, two ounces of white mustard - seed, and one nutmeg to each gallon of vegetables. Two quarts of vinegar for the same quantity of pickling matter. Pickled Mushrooms. ' Wash the buttons well from the dirt, without peeling, and let them drain. Peel the large ones. To nine quarts of mushrooms put two table - spoonfuls of mace, one of cloves finely pulverized ; Cayenne pepper to the taste ; two or three pieces of garlic and a teaspoonful of salt. Place the mushrooms in the pot in which you intend to keep them, sprinkling the seasoning through as you fill it up; pour boiling vinegar over them; tie them up so as to exclude the air, and in a few weeks they will be mature enough to use. As a condiment for almost any impromptu stew, a dash of this pickle would commend itself to the taste of an epicure. Pickled Peppers. These are useful, not only for seasoning but in cases of sore throat or cold. Let them stand in salt and water a fortnight, changing it every third day ; cut them open at the sides and extract the seed. When taken out of the brine boil weak vinegar to pour over them every day until green ; then boil the vinegar with two handfuls of salt ; let it get perfectly cold, and pour over them. The unripe ball-nosed peppers of all sizes are the best ones to use for this pickle. Sweet Pickle. (So-called German.) Seven pounds of fruit, three pounds of brown sugar, one quart of sharp vinegar, one ounce of cinnamon, half an ounce of cloves, six blades of mace. Boil the sugar, spices, and vinegar together, and pour over the fruit boiling hot ; cover up tight, and let it stand so for twenty - four hours ; then pour off the vinegar, boil it, and return it hot to the fruit ; the third morning scald the fruit with the vinegar, and the process is complete. Keep in a dry and cool place. This recipe answers equally well for cherries, peaches, damascenes, plums, etc., etc. The peaches commonly chosen for sweet pickle are the Georgia Cling-stone or Heath ; but if you cannot procure these, any cling-stone peach will do. Pears are prettier when small in size and firm in flesh. The only preparation these fruits need is paring. Damsons and plums must be pierced with a coarse needle to prevent their skins from bursting. Cherries are prettier with their stems left on. To Green Pickles. To a piece of alum the size of an ordinary walnut add one gallon of water. Put the cucumbers in, and let them stand half a day ; then take them and throw them into cold water.