Page:Australian enquiry book of household and general information.djvu/91

and begin by selling a few bottles to friends, or there is always some small shopkeeper who will sell for her, for a small commission, then if the pickles are good she will very soon know it and get known.

Now, the easiest to grow are eschallots. In a loose sandy soil they will require little or no care, but they must be a fair size before pickling, and be sure not to pick them till the bulbs are fully formed. If you gather them too soon you will have to cut off a piece of green top which will spoil the flavor of the bulb. You can always tell when they are ready, by the tops withering down and the roots spreading out. Then gather at once and spread them out on a shelf or floor to dry for a week or so, then sort them out, keeping the small ones for seed and the large ones can be skinned and thrown into salt water.

To Pickle Eschallots.—One way of pickling eschallots is in plain cold vinegar, but they require to be kept a month or two in this before using. Some can be done this way and put by, but the greater part can be done as follows: Put some good vinegar into an enamel pan or saucepan with one tablespoonful of sugar to the pint, one teaspoonful of allspice, some cloves and black pepper. Let this come to the boil, remove from the fire, fill your bottles with eschallots and pour the hot vinegar over them, add a few pepper corns and two or three birds-eye chilies to each bottle and when cold cork down and seal. In one week these are ready for table.

Small Cucumbers or gherkins can be done in the same way, but be careful not to bruise or break any of them, and add a small lump of alum to the brine they are first thrown into. They can also be thrown into the vinegar while it is on the fire, but on no account let them boil or they become too soft. When you have a great quantity of gherkins ripening or becoming ready day after day, a good plan is to have a large jar or tub of strong brine, and each day as the gherkins are gathered, throw them into it, and then can pickle them later on, in a week or fortnight. Do not forget the piece of alum to save the colour, and be careful to examine the jar every morning. If any scum

appears it is a sign the brine is not strong enough, and you will have to boil it up again with more salt. Use plenty of salt, as the stronger the brine the better, and soak them in fresh water for 12 hours before putting them into the vinegar, if they have been very long in the brine.

French Beans can be done the same way, but they must be gathered young for the purpose. I have given directions for pickling green tomatoes elsewhere.

For Mustard Pickle.—Put into a pan about one gallon of vinegar, one cup and a half of good brown sugar, half a cup coarse salt, four ounces whole ginger (bruised), half ounce tumeric, some whole pepper, one tablespoonful of black pepper, one whole cup of made mustard. Boil these together for a few minutes, and pour it over any vegetables you have ready such as cauliflower, pieces of turnip cut fancifully, or carrot, the tender top of bamboo and sugar cane, cut in slices, makes good pickle. Eggs can be put into the mustard pickle with advantage.

Good Pickles.

Ingredients: Four pounds vegetable marrow, two ounces grouud ginger, two ounces mustard, ¾lb sugar, half ounce tumeric, six or seven chilies, two ounces eschallots, a few cloves, and three pints of vinegar.