Page:Art of Cookery 1774 edition.djvu/299

Rh Let them stand in that water six hours, lay on them a thin board to keep them under the water, then set a stew-pan on a charcoal fire, with clean spring-rater, take your nuts out of the other water, and put them into the stew-pan. Let them simmer four or five minutes, but not boil: then have ready by your a pan of spring-water, with a handful of white salt in it, stir it with your hand till the salt is melted, then take your nuts out of the stew-pan with a wooden ladle, and put them into the cold water and salt. Let them stand a quarter of an hour, lay the board on them as before; if they are not kept under the liquor they will turn black, then lay them on a cloth, and cover them with another to dry; then carefully wipe them with a soft cloth, put them into your jar or glass, with some blades of mace and nutmeg sliced thin. Mix your spice between your nuts, and pour distilled vinegar over them; first let your glass be full of nuts, pour mutton fat over them, and tie a bladder, and then a leather.

YOU must take large full-grown nuts, at their full growth before they are hard, lay them in salt and water; let them lie two days, then shift them into fresh water; let them lie two days longer, then shift them again, and let them lie three days; then take them out of the water, and put them into your pickling-pot. When the pot is half full, put in a large onion stuck with cloves. To a hundred of walnuts put in half a pint of mustard-seed, a quarter of an ounce of mace, half an ounce of black pepper, half an ounce of all-spice, six bay-leaves, and a stick of horse-raddish; then fill your pot, and pour boiling vinegar over them. Cover them with a plate, and when they are cold tie them down with a bladder and leather, and they will be fit to eat in two or three months. The next year, if any remains, boil up your vinegar again, and skim it; when cold, pour it over your walnuts. This is by much the best pickle to use; therefore you may add more vinegar to it, what quantity you please. If you pickle a great many walnuts, and eat them fast, make your pickle for a hundred or two, the rest keep in a strong brine of salt and water, boiled till it will bear an egg, and as your pot empties, fill them up with those in the salt and water. Take care they are covered with pickle.

In the same manner you may do a smaller quantity; but if you can get rape vinegar, use that instead of salt and water. Do them thus: put your nuts into the pot you intend to pickle them in, throw in a good handful of salt, and fill the pot with rape.