397. To pickle MUSCLES.

Wash your muscles, put them into a pan as you do your cockles, pick them out of the shells, and wash them in the liquor; be sure you take off the beards, so boil them in the liquor with spices, as you do your cockles, only put to them a little more vinegar than you do to cockles.

398. To pickle WALNUTS green.

Gather walnuts when they are as you can run a pin through them, pare them and put them in water, and let them lie four or five days, stirring it twice a day to take out the bitter, then put them in strong salt and water, let them lie a week or ten days, stirring it once or twice a day, then put them in fresh salt and water, and hang them over a fire, put to them a little allum, and cover them up close with vine leaves, let them hang over a slow fire whilst they be green, but be sure don’t let them boil, when they are green pat them into a sieve to drain the water from them.

399. To make PICKLE for them.

Take a little good alegar, put to it a little long pepper and Jamaica pepper, a few bay leaves, a little horse-radish, a handful or two of mustard-seed, a little salt and a little rockambol if you have any, if not a few shalots; boil them altogether in the alegar, which put to your walnuts and let it stand three or four days, giving them a scald once a day, then tie them up for use.

A spoonful of this pickle is good for fish-sauce, or a calf’s head ash.

400. To pickle WALNUTS black.

Gather walnuts when they are so tender that you can run a pin thro’ them, prick them all with a pin very well, lie them in fresh water, and let them lie for a week, shifting them once a day; make for them a strong salt and water, and let them lie whilst they be yellow, stirring them once a day, then take ’em out of the salt and water, and boil it, put it on the top of your walnuts, and let your pot stand in the corner end, scald them once or twice a day whilst they be black.

You may make the same pickle for those, as you did for the green ones.

401. To pickle OYSTERS.

Take the largest oysters you can get, pick them whole out of the shell, and take off the beards, wash them very well in their own pickle, so let the pickle settle, and clear it off, put it into a stew-pan, put to it two or three spoonfuls of white wine, and a little white wine vinegar; don’t put in any water, for if there be not pickle enough of their own get a little cockle-pickle and put to it, a little Jamaica pepper, white pepper and mace, boil and skim them very well; you must skim it before you put in your spices, then put in your oysters, and boil them in the pickle, when they are cold put them into a large bottle with a little oil on the top, set them in a cool place and keep them for use.

402. To pickle large CUCUMBERS.

Take cucumbers and put them in a strong salt and water, let them lie whilst they be throughly yellow, then scald them in the same salt and water they lie in, set them on the fire, and scald them once a day whilst they are green; take the best alegar you can get, put to it a little Jamaica pepper and black pepper, some horse-radish in slices, a few bay leaves, and a little dill and salt, so scald your cucumbers twice or thrice in this pickle; then put them up for use.