Household Hints

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 262, 25 May 1910, Page 3

Household Hints

PICCALILLI OR MUSTARD PICKLE. You may use almost any kind of vegetable for this pickle—shallots, green tomatoes, tiny cucumbers, small branches of cauliflower, hearts of celery, hearts of capsicums, and nasturtium seeds. Cover the whole with a brine, consisting oc salt and water, in which has been thrown a piece of soda as big as a bean, about a handful of salt to every quart of water. Let the whole lie for two days, then drain. Make the brine just come to the boil, and pour it over the drained vegetables, and leave it in the mixture until cold. Now make this pickle. Put into a saucepan as much vinegar as will cover the whole of your vegetables, into which has been added enough mixed (whole) spice (say a tablespoonful to every quart of vinegar.) Take from this enough vinegar to make into a thick liquid, mustard and flour, say, a tablespoonful of mustard and a teaspoonful of flour. Mix as for table. Then allow it to come nearly to a boil, sweeten with brown sugar. Put the drained vegetables into earthen jars and pour over the vinegar, etc., at boiling point. When cold, cover with bladder. This pickle must be watched, or the vegetables will absorb the vinegar, and they must be covered with the spiced vinegar if to keep long. The housewife may, if she requires to use the pickle early, scald the onions or shallots, or cauliflowers, and allow all to get cold before pouring over the spiced vinegar. But remember after using sugar care must be taken; though the sugar greatly improves the taste, it often causes the vinegar to ferment. Pickles and jams require to be examined often. ' DAMSON WINE. To four gallons of damsons pour four gallons of boiling water, in a tub or other convenient vessel; let this stand four or five days, and stir it every day with the hand. Then strain, and to every gallon of liquor add 3jlb of lump sugar. When this is dissolved, put the whole into the cask. It may be bottled in twelve months. When cooking fruit, add a pinch of carbonate of soda with it, and then less sugar will be required. The flavour of salad dressing is greatly improved by the addition of finely chopped capers or pickles. Salt for table purpose! will be improved by the addition of a very little arrowroot. This will prevent lumps. Peach leaves make a delicious flavouring for custards and milk puddings. Use them in summer when possible. Before turning out a pudding let it stand for three minutes to allow the steam to escape. Stains on flannels may be removed by applying yolk of an egg and glycerine in equal quantities. Leave it for half an hour and then wash out. When baking potatoes in their "jackets" it is a good plan in taking them from the oven to make a small incision in each. The steam will then escape, and the potatoes be beautifully floury.