English Housewifery Part 29

50. CURRAN JELLY.

Take eight pounds of ripe, pick'd fruit, put these into three pounds of sugar boil'd candy height, and so let these simmer till the jelly will set; then run it off clear thro' a flannel bag, and gla.s.s it up for use. This never looks blue, nor skims half so much, as the other way.

51. _To preserve red or white_ CURRANS _whole_.

Pick two pounds of currans from the stalks, then take a pound and a half of loaf sugar, and wet it in half a pint of curran juice, put in the berries, and boil them over a slow fire till they are clear; when cold put them in small berry bottles, with a little mutton suet over them.

52. SYRRUP OF POPPIES.

Take two pounds of poppy flowers, two ounces of raisins, shred them, and to every pound of poppies put a quart of boiling water, half an ounce of sliced liquorice, and a quarter of an ounce of anniseeds; let these stand twelve hours to infuse, then strain off the liquor, and put it upon the same quant.i.ty of poppies, raisins, liquorice, and anniseeds as before, and let this stand twelve hours to infuse, which must be in a pitcher, set within a pot or pan of hot water; then strain it, and take the weight in sugar, and boil it to a syrrup: when it is cold, bottle it.

53. _To make_ BLACK PAPER _for drawing Patterns_.

Take a quarter of a pound of mutton suet, and one ounce of bees wax, melt both together and put in as much lamp black as will colour it dark enough, then spread it over your paper with a rag, and hold it to the fire to make it smooth.

54. GOOSEBERRY VINEGAR _another Way_.

To every gallon of water, put six pounds of ripe gooseberries; boil the water and let it be cold, squeeze the berries, and then pour on the water; let it stand cover'd three days pretty warm to work, stirring it once a day; then strain it off, and to every six gallons put three pounds of coa.r.s.e sugar, let it stand till it has done working, then bung it up, and keep it moderately warm, in nine months it will be ready for use.

55. _To make bad Ale into good strong Beer_.

Draw off the ale into a clean vessel, (supposing half a hogshead) only leave out eight or ten quarts, to which put four pounds of good hops, boil this near an hour; when quite cold, put the ale and hops into the hogshead, with eight pounds of treacle, mix'd well with four or five quarts of boil'd ale; stir it well together, and bung it up close: Let it stand six months, then bottle it for use.

56. _Green_ GOOSEBERRY WINE.

To every quart of gooseberries, take a quart of spring water, bruise them in a mortar, put the water to them and let them stand two or three days, then strain it off, and to every gallon of liquor put three pounds and a half of sugar, then put it into the barrel, and it will of itself rise to a froth, which take off, and keep the barrel full; when the froth is all work'd off, bung it up for six weeks, then rack it off, and when the lees are clean taken out, put the wine into the same barrel; and to every gallon put half a pound of sugar, made in syrrup, and when cold mix with wine; to every five gallons, have an ounce of isingla.s.s, dissolv'd in a little of the wine, and put in with the syrrup, so bung it up; when fine, you may either bottle it or draw it out of the vessel. Lisbon sugar is thought the best. This wine drinks like sack.

57. GINGER WINE.

Take fourteen quarts of water, three pounds of loaf sugar, and one ounce of ginger sliced thin, boil these together half an hour, fine it with the whites of two eggs; when new milk warm put in three lemons, a quart of brandy, and a white bread toast, covered on both sides with yeast; put all these together into a stand, and work it in one day; then tun it: It will be ready to bottle in five days, and be ready to drink in a week after it is bottled.

58. COWSLIP WINE _another Way_.

To five gallons of water, put two pecks of cowslip peeps, and thirteen pounds of loaf sugar; boil the sugar and water with the rinds of two lemons, half an hour, and fine it with the whites of two eggs; when it is near cold put in the cowslips, and set on six spoonfuls of new yeast, work it two days, stirring it twice a day; when you squeeze out the peeps to tun it, put in the juice of six lemons, and when it has done working in the vessel, put in the quarter of an ounce of isingla.s.s, dissolv'd in the little of the wine till it is a jelly; add a pint of brandy, bung it close up two months, then bottle it. This is right good.

59. STRONG MEAD _another Way_.

To thirty quarts of water, put ten quarts of honey, let the water be pretty warm, then break in the honey, stirring it till it be all dissolv'd, boil it a full half hour, when clean sc.u.m'd that no more will rise, put in half an ounce of hops, pick'd clean from the stalks; a quarter of an ounce of ginger sliced (only put in half the ginger) and boil it a quarter of an hour longer; then lade it out into the stand thro' a hair-tems, and put the remainder of the ginger in, when it is cold tun it into the vessel, which must be full; but not clay'd up till near a month: make it the latter end of _September_, and keep it a year in the vessel after it is clay'd up.

60. FRENCH BREAD.

To half a peck of flour, put a full jill of new yeast, and a little salt, make it with new milk (warmer than from the cow) first put the flour and barm together, then pour in the milk, make it a little stiffer than a seed-cake, dust it and your hands well with flour, pull it in little pieces, and mould it with flour very quick; put it in the dishes, and cover them with a warm cloth (if the weather requires it) and let them rise till they are half up, then set them in the oven, (not in the dishes, but turn them with tops down upon the peel;) when baked rasp them.

61. _The fine_ RUSH CHEESE.

Take one quart of cream, and put to it a gallon of new milk, pretty warm, adding a good spoonful of earning; stir in a little salt, and set it before the fire till it be c.u.m'd; then put it into a vat in a cloth; after a day and night turn it out of the vat into a rush box nine inches in length and five in breadth. The rushes must be wash'd every time the cheese is turn'd.

FINIS.