PICKLES (from Ger. piihel, bokel, pickle, brine). Although the term pickled is applied to animal substamps, such as beef, pork, and fish preserved in salt, yet pickles are generally under stood to be the various kinds of fruits or vege tables preserved in vinegar. The process em ployed is first to wash the articles intended for pickles in clean cold water, and afterwards to soak them for a few days in a strong solution of salt in water. They are next taken out, and, if fruits or roots, dried in a clean cloth; but if vegetables, such as cauliflower, etc., they must be well drained and then placed in the vessels intended to hold them, a few peppercorns, or any other spice which is suitable, being sprinkled in from time to time. When the vessel is so far filled that it will hold no more, boiling vinegar is poured in until it is full. and it is then tightly covered. Many persons prefer to boil the spices, of whatever kind used, in the vinegar; and some add the vinegar cold to such vegetables or fruits as are of a naturally soft substance, because, ex cept in the case of green walnuts, and one or two other fruits, extreme softness is objectionable in pickles. When the materials to be pickled are naturally green, as in the case of gherkins or small cucumbers, French beans, etc., it is con
sidered very desirable to preserve their color as much as possible; and it is sometimes very suc cessfully accomplished by steeping vine, cabbage, spinach, or parsley leaves in the vinegar, by which their color is imparted through the vine gar to the pickles. But this requires great care and patience, more• indeed, than is generally thought worth applying to it, and dealers conse quently resort to very reprehensible methods of coloring their pickles, such as boiling the vine gar in copper vessels, and thereby forming an acetate of copper, which is green; or even di rectly adding that salt to the pickles. Many serious accidents have resulted from the presence of this poison. Many fruits are preserved by pickling, in which ease no salt is used and sugar is added to the vinegar. Pears, plums, and black herries are particularly palatable when prepared in this way. The principle vegetables commonly preserved by pickling are cauliflowers, cucum bers, gherkins, onions, mushrooms, and nastur tiums. Picealilly, or Indian pickle. is a mixture of various vegetables, as cucumbers, onions, cauli flowers, and of spices, pickled together. Choir chow is a mixed pickle to which mustard is added. See FOOD, PRESERVATION OF.