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Pickled Cucumbers

Mrs. Packard.

Wash with care your cucumbers, and place in jars.

Make a weak brine (a handful of salt to a gallon and a half of water). When scalding hot, turn over the cucumbers and cover; repeat this process three mornings in succession, taking care to skim thoroughly. On the fourth day have ready a porcelain kettle of vinegar, to which has been added a piece of alum the size of a walnut. When scalding hot, put in as many cucumbers as may be covered with the vinegar; do not let them boil, but skim off as soon as scalded through, and replace with others, adding each time a small piece of alum. When this process is through, throw out the vinegar and replace with good cider or white wine vinegar; add spices, mustard seed, and red peppers. Sort the pickles and place in stone or glass jars, turn over the hot spiced vinegar; seal and put away the jars not needed for immediate use. Pickles thus prepared are fine and crisp at the expiration of a year. Those that are kept in openmouth jars may be covered with a cloth, which will need to be taken off and rinsed occasionally. I prefer green peppers, and prepare them with cucumbers in brine.

They are not as apt to become soft.