Soak the cuc.u.mbers in strong brine over night; in the morning scald a few at a time in a little vinegar, covering tight and stirring often. As they are done, put in bottles, with one or two peppers in each one, and pour over the following scalding vinegar and seal: To 3 quarts of vinegar add 4 cups of sugar, 1 handful of white mustard seed, 1 of stick cinnamon, half the quant.i.ty of whole cloves, and a small piece of alum.

=Sweet Pickled Figs.=

To 7 pounds of ripe figs make a syrup of 3 pounds sugar, 1 quart vinegar, a small handful of whole cloves, and boil five minutes. Remove and set away to cool. The second day the syrup must be drained off and poured over figs boiling hot; let them stand two days more, drain off syrup and heat again. Just before it boils put figs in and let all boil up together. Put in air-tight jars. Sugar for sweet pickles should always be rich brown sugar.

=Sweet Pickled Peaches.=

7 pounds peaches, 3 pounds brown sugar, 1 quart vinegar, 1 ounce cinnamon; 3 cloves in each peach. Make the syrup and cook peaches till tender; boil down syrup and pour over the peaches.

=Sweet Tomato Pickle.=

To 8 pounds of tomatoes, when skinned and cut in pieces, add 4 pounds sugar. Boil slowly until thick, then add a scant quart of vinegar, 1 teaspoon each of ground mace, cloves and cinnamon, and boil slowly again until thick.

=Watermelon Pickle (Sweet).=

Pare the melon, cutting away all of red portion; cut in fancy shapes.

Salt in weak salt and water over night. In the morning rinse in cold water; add lump of alum as big as a small egg to 1 gallon cold water.

Put the melon in the cold water and after it comes to a boil, boil ten minutes. To 7 pounds melon, 1 quart cider vinegar, 2 ounces ca.s.sia buds or stick cinnamon, 1 ounce cloves, 3 pounds granulated sugar. Let this boil, then add fruit, cook until clear and you think it is done; seal up in jars and keep at least two weeks before using.

=Oil Pickles.=

100 small cuc.u.mbers, 3 pints small white onions. Slice all together and put layers of cuc.u.mbers and onions, with salt between. Let stand two hours, and drain off the brine; then add 1/4 cup each of white mustard seed, white pepper and celery seed, 2 cups olive oil, and alum size of a walnut, dissolved in vinegar. Cool with vinegar and put in jars.

=Vermont Pickles (Cuc.u.mbers).=

The first day make a brine strong enough to bear an egg, and pour boiling hot on the pickles; cover and let them stand twenty-four hours.

The second day drain from the brine and make alum water boiling hot to cover them well, allowing a piece of alum the size of an egg to every hundred pickles. Cover tightly again for twenty-four hours. The third day drain from the alum water and cover with boiling hot vinegar, in which let them stand for one week. Then heat your vinegar boiling hot again, and add the following spices, etc., to every hundred: 1 tablespoonful cloves, 1 of coriander seed, 1 of ginger root, 2 of cinnamon, 2 of celery seed, 2 of mustard seed, 2 of whole pepper seed, 1 cup sugar, 1 of horse radish root, sliced fine. Put a layer of oak leaves in the bottom of your firkin, or jar, then a layer of pickles and spices, then leaves again, and so on until full, covering the top with the leaves, and pouring the boiling vinegar over all. They will be ready to use in two weeks, and will keep two years. The oak leaves are very essential for their astringent qualities.

=Tomato Soy.=

Cut green tomatoes in slices, and to every 16 pounds add 4 quarts vinegar, 5 pounds sugar, 1/2 pound white mustard seed, a teacup of flour of mustard, mixed with a little vinegar, 1-1/2 pound onions, cut very fine, 1/2 ounce of mace, 2 of cinnamon, 1 of allspice, 1/2 ounce of cloves, 5 of salt, 1/4 pound of black pepper, 1/4 pound of celery seed.

Grind up all the spices except the celery and white mustard. Put all in a kettle and boil for one hour and a half.

=Peach Chutney.=

6 pounds peaches, 2 of sugar, 1 of raisins, 1/2 of salt, 1/2 of green ginger, 1/4 of mustard seed, 1/4 of red chilies, 2 quarts vinegar. Pare and slice peaches; stew until soft in 1 quart vinegar. Boil sugar and the other quart of vinegar into a syrup; add the seedless raisins chopped fine; mustard seed washed, dried and crushed; when dry, chopped chilies without the seeds, chopped ginger, salt and a little garlic.

Boil all together twenty minutes. A very fine sauce.

=Cuc.u.mber Sauce.=

Wash 3 medium-sized cuc.u.mbers; grate peel and all and pour off some of the extra liquid. Add 1 tablespoon each of white pepper, salt and horse radish; lastly add 1/2 pint of vinegar. This is very nice, and will keep any length of time.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

GENTLEMEN'S CORNER.

=Champagne Punch.=

To the juice of 20 lemons add 1 pound powdered sugar. To every quart of this solution add 1 quart rum, 1 of brandy, 1 of champagne. Dilute with ice to suit the taste. This is extra fine.

=A Delicious Punch.=

1 bottle x.x.x brandy, 1 bottle port wine, 1 bottle Jamaica rum, 1 bottle tea (oolong the best), juice of 8 lemons, rinds of 2, 1/2 bottle curacao, 3 cups fine sugar, put lemons, rinds, sugar and tea together, and strain; add to the liquor; bottle. The above is called the stock. To each bottle of the stock add 3 bottles of soda and about 5 pounds of ice. Imported liquors should be used. This is enough for twenty people.

=Fort McDowell Egg Nog.=

1 egg and about 1/2 pint of milk to each person. A teacup of sugar to every quart of milk, and 1/2 pint of best brandy. Beat the yolk, add the sugar, and beat till it is a froth like cake; then add the brandy, then the beaten whites, then the milk. Whipped cream in place of the milk is very nice, or half in half. The whites of the eggs should be well beaten.

=Loyal Legion Punch.=

3 gallons whiskey, 1 pint Santa Croix rum, 1 pint cordial, 100 limes, 1 dozen oranges, sliced, 1 dozen lemons, sliced, 3 cans pine apples, 10 pounds sugar, 3 bottles champagne (added when served).

The above is for 100 persons. Smaller quant.i.ties in same proportion.

=State of Schuylkill Punch.=

(_A Punch of Colonial Days._)

1 quart of lemon or lime juice, 1 quart of brandy, 2 quarts of Jamaica rum, 9 quarts of water and ice, 1/4 pint of peach brandy, 3-1/2 pounds of sugar. Dissolve the sugar in a little water, add the lemon juice, then the liquor and also 2 quarts of water and a large piece of ice. Let this brew two hours or more.

This will make about 13 to 15 quarts. Smaller quant.i.ties in same proportion.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

CANDIES AND NUTS.

=Almond Creams, Walnut Creams, Chocolate Creams.=