ttle it well. Useful for flavoring
salad and other dishes.

PICKLES.

Pickles should never be put into vessels of brass, copper or tin, as
the action of the acid on such metals often results in poisoning the
pickles. Porcelain or granite-ware is the best for such purposes.

Vinegar that is used for pickling should be the best cider or
white-wine, and should never be boiled more than five or six minutes,
as it reduces its strength. In putting away pickles, use stone or
glass jars; the glazing on common earthenware is rendered injurious by
the action of the vinegar. When the jar is nearly filled with the
pickles, the vinegar should completely cover them, and if there is any
appearance of their not doing well, turn off the vinegar, cover with
fresh vinegar and spices. Alum in small quantities is useful in
making them firm and crisp. In using ground spices, tie them up in
muslin bags.

To green pickles, put green grape-vine leaves or green cabbage leaves
between them when heating. Another way is to heat them in strong
ginger tea. Pickles should be kept closely covered, put into glass
jars and sealed tightly.

"Turmeric" is India saffron, and is used very much in pickling as a
coloring.

A piece of horse-radish put into a jar of pickles will keep the
vinegar from losing its strength, and the pickles will keep sound much
longer, especially tomato pickles.

CUCUMBER PICKLES.

Select the medium, small-sized cucumbers. For one bushel make a brine
that will bear up an egg; heat it boiling hot and pour it over the
cucumbers; let them stand twenty-four hours, then wipe them dry; heat
some vinegar boiling hot and pour over them, standing again
twenty-four hours. Now change the vinegar, putting on fresh vinegar,
adding one quart of brown sugar, a pint of white mustard seed, a small
handful of whole cloves, the same of cinnamon sticks, a piece of alum
the size of an egg, half a cup of celery seed; heat it all boiling hot
and pour over the cucumbers.

SLICED CUCUMBER PICKLE.

Take one gallon of medium-sized cucumbers, put them into a jar or
pail. Put into enough _boiling_ water to cover them a small handful of
salt, turn it over them and cover closely; repeat this three mornings,
and the fourth morning scald enough cider vinegar to cover them,
putting into it a piece of alum as large as a walnut, a teacup of
horse-radish root cut up fine; then tie up in a small muslin bag, one
teaspoonful of mustard, one of g