Pickles and Preserves

The Queen Cookery Books. No.3. Pickle... · S. Beaty-Pownall · 1902
Source
The Queen Cookery Books. No.3. Pickles and Preservatives
Status
success · extracted 12 days ago
Not a recipe
No
Ingredients (12)
for pickling
for home-made wines
for preserving
for pickling
for preserving
for liqueurs
for essences, and, indeed, many liqueurs
for first-class liqueurs for table use
Instructions (12)
  1. For pickling have a good supply of stoneware jars (carefully avoid all glazed ones, which are affected by the vinegar used in pickling); also small kegs, for preserving French beans, &c., which must be scrupulously clean, and should be well scalded out, thoroughly rinsed, dried, and then aired for a day or two before use.
  2. If you go in for home-made wines you will need two or more tubs, one of which used for fermenting, should be finished with a tap at the bottom to let off the clear liquid, and a rim round the top, on the inside, to keep back the skins, stalks, &c. of the material used.
  3. Be especially careful of your sugar, which for preserving, must be pure cane, if decent results are to be obtained.
  4. If much preserving be done, it will be found most economical to buy the sugar in large quantities, as in this way naturally the prime cost is much reduced, the only question being its storage, and here comes in the difficulty of that “cool, dry place” always recommended for the storage of preserves of any kind.
  5. Again, for pickling the best vinegar should always be used.
  6. There are several inexpensive little labour-savers that should find a place in the still-room, such as an apple corer, a fruit stoner and seeder, paring knives, for peeling fruit, &c. These cost but little, though they save a good deal of labour and time.
  7. All spices, &c., likely to be required in pickling and preserving should be at hand in tins, neatly labelled, so that their contents can be identified without opening the tin, for the more air-tight such things are kept the better do they preserve their flavour.
  8. As not every gum or glue will stick paper on tin, the following formula may be found useful: dissolve 1oz. of powdered alum in a pint of boiling water, then add to it 2oz. of gum shellac, and boil together till this also is dissolved; bottle and keep tightly corked.
  9. For liqueurs you will find it convenient to have a jar (say a two-gallon one) full of stock syrup, which can be used plain or diluted as necessary, and so saves time when it may be of importance.
  10. For essences, and, indeed, many liqueurs, thoroughly good, over-proof, plain spirit may be obtained from the wine merchant, infinitely better than the ordinary so-called “kitchen” or “cooking” spirits, though, if anything, cheaper than these.
  11. The great advantage of this plain spirit is that it does not detract from the flavour of the material to be preserved, as would very likely be the case with the more or less doctored cheap spirit.
  12. Of course, where first-class liqueurs for table use are in question, real good brandy, gin, &c., should be employed as required, for, naturally, the better the quality of this foundation spirit, the more mellow and perfect will be the liqueur.
Original Text
PICKLES AND PRESERVES. an immensity of trouble in the covering, and being glass afford every opportunity of observing the condition of the preserves. These jars are equally available for pickles, pre- served fruit or vegetables, jam, &c. For pickling have a good supply of stoneware jars (carefully avoid all glazed ones, which are affected by the vinegar used in pickling); also small kegs, for preserving French beans, &c., which must be scrupulously clean, and should be well scalded out, thoroughly rinsed, dried, and then aired for a day or two before use. If you go in for home-made wines you will need two or more tubs, one of which used for fermenting, should be finished with a tap at the bottom to let off the clear liquid, and a rim round the top, on the inside, to keep back the skins, stalks, &c. of the material used. Be especially careful of your sugar, which for preserving, must be pure cane, if decent results are to be obtained. Inferior sugar is no economy, for though the first cost be less, the frequent failure it causes, more than makes up for the trifling extra outlay involved by the purchase of the better class of sugar. As a matter of fact no better object lesson on the (de) merit of the craze for cheapness at all cost, can be found than the result of so-called economical (we beg pardon, cheap) preserve-making! If much preserving be done, it will be found most economical to buy the sugar in large quantities, as in this way naturally the prime cost is much reduced, the only question being its storage, and here comes in the difficulty of that “cool, dry place” always recommended for the storage of preserves of any kind. This is by no means easy to obtain; the cellar being only suitable for such preserved vege- tables as are stored in kegs or tubs, whilst the fluctuations of the kitchen temperature render a kitchen cupboard, or the ordinary store cupboard, fixed in most cases as near the kitchen range as the builder can anyway contrive to get it, far from a wholesome abode for delicate jams, compotes, or, in- deed, stores of any kind. This is one thing that renders preserving of any sort somewhat of a trial to the town housewife; but in the country the expense of fitting up some small, unused, but dry room, in which a current of air is attainable, with shelves, &c., will not be great, and will save its cost in a very short time. In this there should be a small cupboard in which the utensils used in pre- serving, &c., can be religiously kept apart. Again, for pickling the best vinegar should always be used. Of this there are two kinds, the best malt for ordinary pickles, piccalilli, &c., and the best white wine vinegar for delicate preparations, such as fruits in vinegar, &c. There are several inexpensive little labour-savers that should find a place in the still-room, such as an apple corer, a fruit stoner and seeder, paring knives, for peeling fruit, &c. These cost but little, though they save a good deal of labour and time. All spices, &c., likely to be required in pickling and preserving should be at hand in tins, neatly labelled, so that their contents can be identified with- out opening the tin, for the more air-tight such things are kept the better do they preserve their flavour. As not every gum or glue will stick paper on tin, the following formula may be found useful: dissolve 1oz. of powdered alum in a pint of boiling water, then add to it 2oz. of gum shellac, and boil to- gether till this also is dissolved; bottle and keep tightly corked. For liqueurs you will find it con- venient to have a jar (say a two-gallon one) full of stock syrup, which can be used plain or diluted as necessary, and so saves time when it may be of im- portance. For essences, and, indeed, many liqueurs, thoroughly good, over-proof, plain spirit may be ob- tained from the wine merchant, infinitely better than the ordinary so-called “kitchen” or “cooking” spirits, though, if anything, cheaper than these. The great advantage of this plain spirit is that it does not detract from the flavour of the material to be preserved, as would very likely be the case with the more or less doctored cheap spirit. Of course, where first-class liqueurs for table use are in question, real good brandy, gin, &c., should be employed as required, for, naturally, the better the quality of this foundation spirit, the more mellow and perfect will be the liqueur. This is a fact, by the way, only too often ignored by amateur liqueur makers, who consequently bring home-made liqueurs, &c., into contempt.
Notes
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