[Canning, pickling and preserving 839]

41.  Green Tomato Pickles.—­One bushel tomatoes, slice and put in salt water over night.  The next morning put tomatoes in kettle after draining them, with five pounds of brown sugar, 1/4 cup cloves, ten cents worth cinnamon stick, two quarts vinegar.  Boil until the tomatoes are tender.

42.  Oyster Catsup.—­Squeeze through a sieve 1 pint of oysters with the juice, then add 1 pint of sherry or white wine and salt to taste.  Flavor with garlic, celery, etc., if desired.  Add two or three ounces of mixed spices.  Simmer fifteen or twenty minutes, strain and bottle when cold.

43.  Pepper Catsup.—­Select about twenty-five red bell peppers without removing the seeds.  Add 1 pint of vinegar and boil until tender, stirring constantly.  Rub it all through a sieve.  Set aside the juice.  Pour over the pulp another pint of vinegar with two tablespoonfuls brown sugar, 2 or 3 ounces mixed spices.  Stir altogether and boil down one-half.  Strain through cheese-cloth and bottle when cold.

44.  Grape Catsup.—­Select grapes that are ripe, but not soft.  Pick them over carefully and add to five pounds of grapes, half as much sugar (by weight), 1 pint vinegar, two or three ounces of mixed spices, and salt to taste.  Boil until it thickens.  Bottle when cold.

45.  Pickled Cherries.—­Select firm and medium ripe cherries.  Fill a wide-mouthed glass bottle or jar with them, then add two tablespoons of salt, and fill the jars with cold vinegar.  Seal and let stand six or eight weeks before using.  These are very good.

46.  Sweet Mixed Pickles.—­For sweet mixed pickles, scrape and wash half a dozen young carrots, and parboil in salted water for three or four minutes, then drain and set aside to cool; meanwhile cut into strips.  Then take six green tomatoes, three large white onions, one large red pepper, (taking out the seeds) three sour apples, one small cupful of tender string beans, and finally the carrots treated in the same manner; place all these ingredients together in the preserving kettle in which they are to be cooked, adding salt and a very little paprika and allow them to stand for twelve hours.  When ready to cook drain off the water that will have formed, adding sufficient vinegar to well moisten, one cupful of sugar, a tablespoon olive oil and two teaspoonfuls of celery seed tied in a piece of muslin, for about five minutes.  Remove from the fire and mix in quickly half a teaspoonful ground English mustard blended with a little vinegar; seal immediately in small well-closed jars.

47.  Corn Relish.—­One dozen ears of corn, one large cabbage, one large red pepper, chop all these up fine together, mix thoroughly and add one pound of brown sugar and one quart of vinegar, salt to suit taste.  Let this all come to a boil.

[840 Mothers’ remedies]