vinegar, 1/2 oz. of ginger well bruised, 1 oz. of whole black pepper,
and, when liked, a little cayenne.
_Mode_.--Take off the outside decayed leaves of a nice red cabbage, cut
it in quarters, remove the stalks, and cut it across in very thin
slices. Lay these on a dish, and strew them plentifully with salt,
covering them with another dish. Let them remain for 24 hours, turn into
a colander to drain, and, if necessary, wipe lightly with a clean soft
cloth. Put them in a jar; boil up the vinegar with spices in the above
proportion, and, when cold, pour it over the cabbage. It will be fit for
use in a week or two, and, if kept for a very long time, the cabbage is
liable get soft and to discolour. To be really nice and crisp, and of a
good red colour, it should be eaten almost immediately after it is made.
A little bruised cochineal boiled with the vinegar adds much to the
appearance of this pickle. Tie down with bladder, and keep in a dry
place.
_Seasonable_ in July and August, but the pickle will be much more crisp
if the frost has just touched the leaves.
RED CABBAGE.--This plant, in its growth, is similar in form to
that of the white, but is of a bluish-purple colour, which,
however, turns red on the application of acid, as is the case
with all vegetable blues. It is principally from the white
vegetable that the Germans make their _sauer kraut_; a dish held
in such high estimation with the inhabitants of Vaderland, but
which requires, generally speaking, with strangers, a long
acquaintance in order to become sufficiently impressed with its
numerous merits. The large red Dutch is the kind generally
recommended for pickling.
PLUM-PUDDING SAUCE.