Or to pickle whole lemons, select small fruit and slit the rinds as if to take off the peel in quarters, but do not cut through the pulp. Cover the lemons vvith salt, and pack it down hard to fill these slits. Pack them on end in a dripping pan three or four days, or until the salt melts, and let them stand, turning them end for end in the liquor two or three times a day until the rinds are tender. To this liquor add sufficient spiced vine gar to cover the lemons. Pack them in jars with mustard seed and garlic. Cover with any prepared pickling liquid and seal.
Or pare a dozen lemons very thin, taking off so little of the outer por tion of the rind that the white will not be seen. Cut a gash in each end and rub them thoroughly with salt, rubbing it into the gashes. Cover with salt and let stand for three or four days. As the salt dissolves rub more into them and especially fill the gashes at the end. Now cover with dry salt, place them in a very slow oven with a dozen cloves of garlic and half a teacupful •of scraped horse radish, and let them dry, taking care that they are not burned, or even browned. They should be thoroughly dried out—as dry as paper. Now pour over them a gallon of spiced pickling liquid cold. Place the whole in a suitable jar, and let stand in a warm place for two or three weeks, stirring or shaking frequently. Shake well and strain off a little of the liquid from time to time for table use in soups and sauces. Shred the lem ons fine when required for made dishes, soups, sauces, etc.
Pickled Peaches.— Look over the peaches carefully, selecting the ripe fruit and discarding all that are soft or specked. Rub clean with a soft, dry cloth and stick into each large peach 4 or 5 cloves without the heads, and into each small one 2 or 3 cloves. Place in a preserving kettle 1 gallon of vinegar. Stir in 6 pounds of brown sugar and bring to a boil, removing the scum as fast as it appears. Pack the peaches in suitable bottles or jars. Pour the boiling sirup over them scalding hot and cover tightly. Let stand overnight, pour off the sirup once more, bring to a boil and again pour over the peaches. Do this for three or four days. Finally, pack in cans or bottles and seal while hot.
Or for sweet-pickled peaches, allow pound of sugar by weigbt to each pound of fruit. Put the sugar and
peaches in layers In a preserving ket tle and bring to a boil. Add for each 6 pounds of fruit a pint of vinegar and in the vinegar place a thin mus lin bag containing a tablespoonful each of cinnamon, cloves, and mace. Pour the spiced vinegar into the peaches and sirup with the bag of spices, and boil for not more than five minutes. Take out the peaches with a skimmer, lay them on blotters to cool and continue boiling the sirup until it thickens. Pack the peaches in jars, fill to overflowing with boil ing sirup, and seal at once.
Or for sour pickled peaches, select full-grown peaches before they are ripe. Salt them in strong brine for a week or two, change the brine every two or three days, dry them on a cloth strainer, vvipe them with a cloth and cover with hot, spiced, pickling liquid containing garlic, mustard, gin ger, cloves, and the like. Seal and store for four or five months before bringing them to the table.
Pickled Pears.—The above recipes for pickled peaches may also be ap plied to pickled pears.
Or pack in a preserving kettle in alternate layers 10 pounds of ripe pears and 3 pounds of coffee sugar. Pour over them 1 quart of vinegar containing, in a thin muslin bag, 1 ounce of cinnamon, 1 ounce of cloves, ounce of mace. Slice and stir in 4 ounces, of citron and boil until the pears are tender. Take out the pears with a skimmer, boil the sirup half an hour or more until it is thick. Fill the jars or cans to overflowing and seal at once.
Or prepare a sirup of 1 pints of vinegar and 3 pounds of fine sugar. Bring this to a boil. Place in a pre serving kettle a peck of ripe fruit, peeled and cored, pour the sirup over it and boil until the fruit is tender, but not soft. Remove the fruit with the skimpier and pack it in j ars. Preserve the sirup, which may be used again, and prepare a fresh sirup of pints of vinegar and 2 pounds of coffee sugar. Place in this sirup a thin muslin bag containing an ounce each of any kind of mixed spices preferred. Bring to a boil, fill the jars to overflowing, and seal.
Pickled Cherries.— Fill a wide mouthed glass bottle or j ar with nice firm and medium ripe cherries. Add 2 tablespoonfuls of salt, and fill the jars with cold vinegar. Seal and let stand six or eight weeks before using.