ider_ vinegar, four pounds of
sugar, two tablespoonfuls of broken cinnamon bark, half as much of
whole cloves and the same of broken nutmeg; place these in a muslin
bag and simmer them in a little vinegar and water for half an hour;
then add it all to the vinegar and sugar, and bring to a boil; add the
plums and boil carefully until they are cooked tender. Before cooking
the plums they should be pierced with a darning needle several times;
this will prevent the skins bursting while cooking.

SPICED GRAPES.

Take the pulp from the grapes, preserving the skins. Boil the pulp and
rub through a colander to get out the seeds; then add the skins to the
strained pulp and boil with the sugar, vinegar and spices. To every
seven pounds of grapes use four and one-half pounds of sugar, one pint
of good vinegar. Spice quite highly with ground cloves and allspice,
with a little cinnamon.

PICKLED CHERRIES.

Select sound, large cherries, as large as you can get them; to every
quart of cherries allow a large cupful of vinegar, two tablespoonfuls
of sugar, a dozen whole cloves, and half a dozen blades of mace; put
the vinegar and sugar on to heat with the spices; boil five minutes,
turn out into a covered stoneware vessel; cover and let it get
perfectly cold; pack the cherries into jars, and pour the vinegar over
them when cold; cork tightly and set away; they are fit for use almost
immediately.

VEGETABLES.

Vegetables of all kinds should be thoroughly picked over, throwing out
all decayed or unripe parts, then well washed in several waters. Most
vegetables, when peeled, are better when laid in cold water a short
time before cooking. When partly cooked a little salt should be thrown
into the water in which they are boiled, and they should cook steadily
after they are put on, not allowed to stop boiling or simmering until
they are thoroughly done. Every sort of culinary vegetable is much
better when freshly gathered and cooked as soon as possible, and, when
done, thoroughly drained, and served immediately while hot.

Onions, cabbage, carrots and turnips should be cooked in a great deal
of water, boiled only long enough to sufficiently cook them, and
immediately drained. Longer boiling makes them insipid in taste, and
with _too little_ water they turn a dark color.

Potatoes rank first in importance in the vegetable line, and
consequently should be properly served. It requires some little
intelligence to cook even