HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1954-08-19, Page 2TABLE IALKS
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It's pickling time once again and here, ladies, are some hints
that I'm sure you'll find helpful in solving your problems. No
recipes, but just general information well worth reading.
Whys and Wherefores of Pick-
ling Problems:
Hollowed pickles are caused
by using products that are too
old, or allowing produce to stand
too long before pickling or
brining.
Slippery pickles are caused by
letting pickles rise above the
brine or from using too weak a
brine.
Shrivelled pickles are due to
too hot or too strong a brine, or
an excess of alum, if it has been
used. Too much sugar also
causes shrivelling.
Soft pickles may be the result
sof too weak a brine, of vinegar
that is too weak to prevent
growth of micro-organisms, of
products that aren't fresh. If
you overcook pickles they will
be soft. They will soften too,
i they are stored in too warm
a place, or if they have been al-
lowed to rise above the surface
of the brine or vinegar.
Though sunny summer days
may beckon you now, you'll be
glad of the few hours you sacri-
fice to pickling. For when the
winter winds howl, you can
proudly pass the pickles, be it
a budget -blessing meal or a
gourmet's delight. And in your
pickles, you can count on dry
mustard to add zest and liven up
the flavor. For such fine flavor-
ed treats, choose from a number
of pungent products such as
chills, relishes, ketchups, spicy
sauces, and the many favored
variations of wonderful home-
made mustard pickle . . • Mmm!
Pickles, Parcels and Pin Money
When putting pickles and rel-
ishes into their sterilized jars,
why'not "do" a sampling of each
batch in small jars of interesting
shape. These can then be decor-
ated w i t h glaze paints, giving
vent to your artistic urges. The
gay bottles will serve a term in
some decorative and practical
capacity, long after the pickles
themselves are but a gastrono-
mic memory, Distribute y o u r
bright bottles of pungent pickles
as Christmas gifts,. or let them
earn some money at the church
bazaar.
Quality and type of ingredients
determine high standard pickling
results. For novices as well as
experienced picklers who wish to
"brush up," here are the. ABC's
of your pickling primer.
Cucumbers, o t h e r vegetables
and fruits: Use when slightly un-
derripe and still firm. At peak
quality like this, there is less
danger of finished pickles going
soft. Develop your own special-
ties by adding different spices or
vegetables to basic recipes.
Vinegar: Always use high grade
vinegar. Which variety to use?
Darker -coloured cider vinegar,
with its mellow flavour, adds a
certain something to flavour of
most pickles, although you'd best
stick to white vinegar for very
light-coloured favourites such as
tiny white onion pickles.
. Salt: Pure coarse salt is a must
for pickling ... keeps the liquid
from going cloudy. Table salt is
a pickling outcast.
Spices: Palate -pleasing pickles
pick prime flavour from fresh
spices. Be sure you use fresh
spices. Best results in pickles are
achieved by simmering fresh
whole spices, tied loosely in a
cheesecloth or muslin bag, in the
pickling solution, then removing
spice bag before bottling. Though
many prefer ground spices for
pungent chili sauces and relishes,
they do darken the product. Don't
go overboard with spices, bitter
flavour may result from asing
too much spice, or boiling spices
too long with the vinegar.
Sugar: Granulated sugar is the
most popular, though brown su-
gar is beloved by many prize-
winning picklers for mustard
variation, curry pickles and simi-
lar products. A heavy hand with
sugar can have sad results . .
too much sugar causes pickles
to shrivel.
As in the days of our grand-
mothers and great-grandmainas,
home life today is looking more
and more to the kitchen as the
centre of;, activity, as witness the
latest . trend in kitchen . de'sign:
Why not take another leaf from
the old family album -As grand-
mother did, take advantage of
all that good flavour and nutri-
tive value, in surplus fresh gar-
den produce by preserving vege-
tables in coarse salt. It's a safe
and sure method if you follow
the simple steps.
To Preserve Vegetables in
Coarse Pickling Salt:
Beans -1 lb. coarse salt to 4
lbs. beans.
Peas -1 Ib. coarse salt t0 5 lbs.
peas.
Corn -1 lb. coarse salt to 4 lbs.
corn.
Method: Blanch vegetables 3
mins. at simmering temperature
(180 deg. F.) Chill quickly in ice
cOld water. Vegetables must be
cooled to lukewarm (60 deg. F,)
before salting. Drain thoroughly.
Pack with a layer of coarse salt
first on the bottom of the crock,
then a layer of vegetables, and
so on, until full, ending with
layer of salt. A clean wooden
over should then be applied and
weighted down with heavy Ob-
ject. In a few days brine will
form. Make sure brine covers
vegetables. They will keep in
this manner indefinitely. When
ready to use, soak overnight in
fresh water. Cook in usual man-
ner.
Ever had your pickles fade out
on you? Too strong a vinegar
tends to bleach the pickles. Con-
versely, if you ever experienced
darkening or blackening of pi-
ckles, could be that water in your
.;z,::f,?:�:t�
Rushing The Seaton ---With temperatures In the mid 90's, the
last thing in the world Marry Noblet wanted was this trailer
loaded with 15 tons of coal which landed In his living room.
The steering device looked on driver Raymond Reifsnyder and
the trailer sideswiped a car, left the road and plunged into the
house, Slight lacerations were Ms only injuries.
locality has too much iron. TO
overcome this, and soften the
water, add a little vinegar.
Here's the solution to a oons•M''
Mon pickling peeve — removing ..
the pesky -clinging skins from
tiny pickling onions. TO ease the
chore, pour baling water Over
the small, silverskin O n i 0 n s;,;
stand until cool; dr a i n; cover
with cold water; drain again,
Snip off root and tip end, then
slip off skins. Now your onions
are ready for brining in pure
coarse pickling salt, to give them
the desirable crisp quality, .
Helps them to keep their pure
white colOur too.
Brining is a basis step in pre-
paration Of many pickles -- basic
and most important, for this
soaking helps k e e p vegetables
firm during succeeding pickling
processes, also reduces bitterness.
It is the preparation cue fOr crisp
cucumber and dill pickles and
their many relatives. A word of
caution: best proportions for
pickling brine — 1 cup coarse
pickling salt to 8 cups water.
Remember -- too strong a brine
causes shrivelling, too weak a
brine results in slippery pickles.
Cantaloupe, Cookie Cutters and.
Cold Cuts: Some of your tiniest
most prettily -shaped cookie cut-
ters will do the shaping jab fOr
delicately spiced pickles that are
wonderful winter menu comple-
ment for cold cuts, second -day
meat dishes, sandwiches and the
like. The sweet, pulpy part of
cantaloupe is a perfect medium
for a variation on your favour-
ite watermelon pickle recipe.
Just substitute the gaily -shaped
cantaloupe pieces for the water-
melon rind in any tried and true
recipe.
Storage Story: Store pickles in
clean, glass jars, sealers or
crocks. You don't need wax. Just
make sure pickles are sealed air-
tight, or if stored in crocks, that
they are kept below surface Of
liquid or vinegar solution to pre-
vent them from going mouldy.
Weigh pickles down by placing
on top a plate or wooden board
which will fit inside the crock—
a clean stone or other weight
may also be used.
Pickle -Making Mechanics: In
this machine age, proper tools are
prime requisites for a job well
done. 'Tis true of pickling pro-
cedure too. The kitchen "me-
chanic" should use glass, pottery,
or enamel vessels f o r soaking
pickles and should cook them in
enamel, aluminum, or stainless
steel pots. The reason — vinegar
and salt will react with ',iron,
copper and brass, causing discol-
oration. Grandmother used a
wooden spoon for stirring and
it's still good today. If you in-
• sist on being "modern," best stick
to stainles steel or, alannitsaan,•
o
QilC .'u e3 -
Picklesual:ty Conc1entrate On One type,
of pickles` at a pickling session.
Don't rush pickles. Small quan-
tities at a time also spell pickle
perfection, particularly for the
novice.
Here is a dependable and de-
licious mustard pickle dressing
to add after vegetables are pre-
pared, brined and drained. Com-
bine 1 cup flour, 6 tbsp. dry mus-
tard, 1 tbsp. turmeric, blend in
enough cold vinegar to make a
sinbot' paste. Blend in 2 cups
sugar and more vinegar (heat-
ed), 2 quarts in all; then boil
until .sickened and smooth.
Pick a peck of pickling pro-
ducts then prepare in the way of
the experts. Select -clean, f'esh
firm_ produce — good quality
fruit, young tender vegetables.
Line up th produce, grade ac-
cording to size and ripeness. The
dividends: Uniform, professional -
quality pickles.
A q' ick trick for crispness in
pickles: A small amount of alum,
either powdered or in crystal
form, will do the trick. Don't be
too generous with it though, or
pickles will shrivel.
If sr skies are sealed airtight,
la. you wish to add a protea
tiv cover and have run out of
lids, use heavy, brown paper and
tie it on with wet string. When
the string dries, it tightens up,
making a more secure, airtight
top.
ldayburners Make A Comeback — This just goes to show that recd horsepower is what counts In
the field of transportation. This barn served for a time as a stable for sleek gas buggies, but
the horses have once more taken over.
STILL A MYSTERY
Two Americans were standing
around in a British pub when
they noticed an elderly, kindly -
looking man sipping at a glass of
stout at a corner table. One of
the Americans nudged the other.
"Say, do you know who that guy
is? That's the Archbishop of
Canterbury."
"Don't be silly," the other
said. "The Archbishop of Can-
terbury wouldn't be in a pub like
this."
"I'll bet that's the Archbishop,"
the first American said. "I've
seen his picture. I can't be
wron g."
"Well," the second guy said,
"I'll bet you five bucks. Let's
go over and ask him."
So they went over to . the elder-
ly man. "Excuse me, sir," the
first one began timidly, "but we
were wandering if you might
"Go to blank and mind your own
blank business!" the old man
roared. The two Americans
staggered back to the bar,. Then
the first One turned to his friend.
"Too bad," he said. "Now we'll
never know."
(First of Two Dispatches)
By LEON DENNEN
NEA Staff C.orrespondent
Paris (NEA) Pierre Mendes -
France is one Frenchman in a
very great hurry.
The dynamic 47 - year - old
Premier i s convinced—now more
than ever—that only one man
can save unhappy and battle-
scarred France from disaster.
That man is, of course, Mendes -
France.
The real miracle is that a grow-
ing number of people agree with
him. Fatalistic France, which
saw governments rise and fall
without even lifting an eyebrow,
s':willing, it seems, to give the
young Premier at least a fight-
ing chance.
There is no doubt about it. The
disgruntled French found in the
little squat man with the sleek
dark hair, broken nose and win-
ning smile something long denied
them—leadership.
To the unemployed but hope-
-`ful intellectual, : Mendes -France
is the Franklin D. RoOsevelt of
France.
To the man -in -the -street, he is
,the only French politician who
ever kept his promise.
Said a Renault machinist who,
like most Europeans, lives in
mortal fear of an atomic war:
"At least Mendes -France brought
an end to la sale guerra (dirty
war) in Indo-China.
A member of the pro -Catholic
M.R.P:, a strong political oppon-
et t Of the Premier, told me:
he,•
in14.Ch n • u flt; 'whigh
"`:ranee''swnte' ig'ears
wil not heal soon. But at least
itis now being cauterized and
bound up."
The M.R.P. Deputy added
sadly:' "France will always back
the man who does not want to
fight.".
Since the last war France has
lived in a state of moral para-
lysis—which is • not entirely liv-
ing. The people grumbled and
waited. Someone had to decide
not to wait any longer. Someone
had to arouse France from her
stagnation and inertia—the two
devouring .diseases from which
the country suffers.
It was thus that Mendes -
France, almost unknown six
months ago, became practically
MEND.ES-FRANCE: Take a step
backward so as to jump better.
overnight a living symbol in
France—symbol of a change in a
country desperately in need of a
change.
He was the impatient man who
would no longer wait,
Once France's youngest law-
yer, youngest mayor, youngest
deputy and now youngest Pre-
mier, Mendes -France has two
important assets which not many
Fr e n c h politicians possess:
character and ability.
He is a realist, if anything. Un-
like General Charles de Gaulle,
whom young Mendes -France
served devotedly during the war,
The Premier's Arch of Tri
CE
he has no illusions about France's.
"grandeur."
A nation must earn the right to
be great, Mendes -France be-
lieves. Thus, before assuming
the role of a great power, France
must first create, build and ad-
vance.
'An austere man himself -Men-
des -France does not smoke,
drink, dance or gorge—he now
seeks to inject a dose of austerity
into the lives of the fun -loving
French.
Reculer pour mieux sautes, say
the French. (Take a step back-
ward so as to jump better.) This
in effect is what Mendes -France
is now proposing to the people.
In his view, there is something
mad about a countfy where the
government gives millions to
subsidize the . production of al- ,
cohol while children die of cold
in shacks exposed to the four
winds.
There is something profoundly
wrong when 7,000,000 citizens—
one-sixth Of France's population
—are housed in miserable cir-
cumstances. And while France
has proportionately .one-fifth • of
the automobiles that there are
in the U.S., she has hardly one-
fiftieth Of the bathrooms, wash-
ing machines or television sets.
The country is living in an eco-
nomic dream -world, Mendes -
France warns. With one eye on
Franklin D. Roosevelt, the man
the young Premier admires most,
he. wants the French to take a
step backward so as to be able
to live allthe better in the end.
One thing is certain. Some-
thing profound has happened -1n
France in, recent weeks. One
man set it off — an unorthodox
politician and economist who
believes that the country must
be modernized and has the
courage to say it.
"The age of political giants is
past," Gen. de Gaulle is said to
have remarked recently.
Disgruntled and frustrated, he
retired to his secluded estate at
Colombey - le - Deux - Eglises to
dream about France's grandeur
and past glory.
Pierre Mendes - France, the
General's wartime comrade -in -
arms, stayed to tackle the cliffit-
'cult job.
(Next week: Another Kerensky?)
•