15.  Pickled Cauliflower.—­Choose good firm cauliflower, and full size.  Cut away all the leaves and pare the stalks.  Pull away the flowers in bunches.  Steep in brine two days, then drain them, wipe dry and put in hot pickle.

[836 Mothers’ remedies]

16.  Pickled Cabbage.—­The cabbage should be sliced and salted for two or three days, then placed before the fire for twenty-four hours, spread upon a dry cloth, after which they are put into a jar, and covered with spiced vinegar.

17.  Cantelope Sweet Pickle.—­Select melons not quite ripe, weighing about seven pounds in all, put them in a weak brine over night.  Then boil in weak alum water until transparent.  Take them out and place in a jar.  Then take 1 quart cider vinegar, 2 ounces stick cinnamon, 1 ounce cloves, 3 pounds granulated sugar; let this boil, then add the cantelope, cooking it twenty minutes longer.  Pour in a jar and close tight.  Scald it over for two mornings.

18.  Mother’s Pickled Blackberries.—­Take three quarts of blackberries, one quart of sugar, one quart vinegar.  Put all together at the same time into your kettle and boil ten or fifteen minutes.  No spices are required.  After standing a few weeks they are very nice.

19.  Pickled Brocoli.—­Choose the whitest, closest and finest vegetables before they are quite ripe, pare off all green leaves and the outside of the stalks.  Parboil them about five minutes in well-salted water.  Then drain well and pull the branches in convenient sized pieces and put into a jar of pickle, prepared as follows:  Heat vinegar to boiling point, add a little mace and whole red peppers, and pour hot over the brocoli.

20.  Mixed Pickles.—­One quart boiled beets, chopped fine, one quart raw cabbage chopped fine, two cups sugar, tablespoon of salt, one teaspoonful red pepper, one cup grated horse-radish.  Cover with cold vinegar and keep from the air.

21.  Mustard Pickles.—­One quart small cucumbers, one quart large cucumbers, cut in pieces, one quart large tomatoes, two quarts small onions, three heads cauliflower, six red and six green peppers cut in strips.  Put these in separate dishes and let stand over night.  In the morning drain off and cook in separate dishes of clear water until nearly tender.  Then put together and boil a short time in the following paste:  One ounce pulverized tumeric seed, half pound ground mustard, two cups flour, seven cups sugar, one gallon vinegar.  This is an excellent recipe.

22.  Sweet Pickled Peaches.—­Boil together four pounds sugar and one pint vinegar to twelve pounds of fruit.  Add the fruit and let it come to a boil; the next day drain off the liquor and boil again; do this three times and your pickles are delicious; add cinnamon to the liquor and stick two or three cloves in each peach.

23.  Sweet Pickled Prunes.—­Soak four pounds prunes for two or three hours, then steam them ten or fifteen minutes.  While the prunes are soaking, boil together for ten minutes two pounds sugar, one pint vinegar, one ounce each of cloves and cinnamon and one-fourth of an ounce of ginger.  After the prunes have been strained, pour the hot vinegar over them and boil all together until the prunes are soft.  These are delicious.