Cucumber Pickles

Cover the bottom of the cask with common salt.

Gather the cucumbers every other day early in the morning or late in the evening.

Cut the cucumbers with a short piece of stem on, carefully laying them in a basket or pail so as not to bruise.

Pour cold water over and rinse, being careful not to rub off the little black briers or bruise them.

Lay the cucumbers in the cask three or four inches in depth, cover with salt, and repeat until all are in.

When the first cucumbers are put in the barrel, pour in some water; after this the salt will make sufficient brine.

Spread a cloth over them, then a board with stones on it.

Each additional pickling must be treated in the same manner, except that water must not be added.

When ready to barrel the new supply of cucumbers, remove the stone, board and cloth, wash them very clean, and wipe every particle of scum from the top of the pickles and sides of the cask.

Throw away any soft ones, as they will spoil the rest.

Put the fresh cucumbers layer by layer, with salt to cover between them.

When the cask is nearly full, cover with salt, tuck the cloth closely around the edges, placing the board and weight on top.

Cover the cask closely; the pickles will be perfect for two or three years.

Cucumbers must always be put in salt as soon as picked from the vines; if they lie a day or two they will not keep.

Do not be alarmed at the heavy scum that rises on them, but wash all off the board and cloth.

When wanted for pickling, take off the weight and board, carefully lift the cloth with scum on it, wash the stone, board and cloth clean, wipe all scum off the cucumbers and sides of the cask, take out as many as are wanted, return the cloth, board and weight, and cover closely.

Place the cucumbers in a vessel large enough to hold two or three times as much water as there are pickles, cover with cold water (some use hot), and change the water each day for three days.

Place the porcelain kettle on the fire, fill it half full of vinegar (if the vinegar is very strong add half water), fill it nearly full of cucumbers, the largest first and then the smaller ones, put in a lump of alum the size of a hulled hickory-nut, let it come to a boil, stirring with a wire spoon so as not to cut the cucumbers.

After boiling one minute, take out, place in a stone jar, and continue until all are boiled, then pour over cold vinegar.

In two or three days, if the pickles are too salty, turn off the vinegar and put on fresh, adding a pint of brown sugar to two gallons pickles, a pod or two red pepper, a very few cloves, and some pieces of horseradish; the horseradish prevents a white scum rising.