The Country Housewife's Family Companion - Part 2-A



Of the Nature and Uses of Pork in Harvest and at other Times of the Year.

SWINES flesh, says an eminent physician, nourishes very plentifully, and 
yields firm nourishment; therefore is most profitable to those that are in 
their flourishing age, sound and strong, who are exercised with much 
labour. Now, as such, I would here introduce it, and for its being a most 
pleasant serviceable meat, especially for the diet of harvest-men now and 
then, because a porker, newly killed, admits of many ways of dressing it, 
is cheaper done, is less cloying, and keeps (salted) sweet and sound 
longer than any other meat whatsoever: Witness the approbation it meets 
with in the county of Kent, where pickled pork is in such general esteem, 
that they make very little bacon there, because a dish of pickled pork, 
with apple dumplins, &c. is there deemed an agreeable repast, from the 
peer to the peasant. And as thus, it stands the most ready and cheapest of 
flesh victuals to tradesmen and farmers in particular; for here the common 
plowman thinks himself not rightly provided, if he cannot carry a piece of 
pickled pork and apple-dumplin into the field, to bite on till he comes 
home to dinner; as ours in Hertfordshire take a piece of bread and cheese 
with them; for pickled pork is more profitable to a family than bacon, 
because there is no reason to commit waste in eating it, as too often is 
seen in the case of the latter, when its burnt thick rind or skin, and the 
rusty inside of the fleshy part, tempt many to throw them away. Bacon is 
likewise very apt to have its gammon-part damaged by the breed of very 
minute insects of the vermicular kind, that are first generated in it, and 
when a little aged become winged, for it is then that they skip or fly 
about, and from hence it is that they are called the hopper-fly, that 
will, if not prevented, eat into and spoil the whole gammon; and how to 
prevent it without making a present consumption of the bacon, is above the 
art of most people, as I shall in my second part of the Country Housewife 
further observe. Whereas these damages are intirely avoided in pickling of 
pork, as well as the disagreeable rankness of taste that bacon is very 
subject to have in it, if kept aged.

   Of killing a Barrow-Hog for a pickled Porker in Harvest Time.--This is 
a late practice in Hertfordshire, but takes more and more every year, 
because the fresh meat of a porker lessens the farmer's expence in beef, 
&c. For this sort of meat being of his own feeding, not only stands him in 
less charge than beef, but when it is managed by a good housewife, will go 
further than any other sort of flesh in a family. And why the killing of a 
porker in harvest has not been long practised is, because most people 
imagine that the weather at this season of the year is too hot for making 
the flesh take salt kindly, so as to keep sweet afterwards. But the 
contrary of this erroneous opinion, I and many others every year prove, by 
an artful and careful management; for we, in the first place, take care to 
keep a porker from meat two days and two nights before we kill him, 
because if a porker was killed with a bellyful of meat, the flesh of it 
would not keep so long sweet and sound, as one killed when its belly is 
empty of food. This is so well observed by butchers, that they not only 
follow this rule in killing a porker, but do it also in killing all other 
beasts, whenever their conveniency allows it. So when a porker is killed 
in the summer time, it should be done in the evening, that the flesh may 
be the sooner cold, by the approaching night; and when the hair is scalded 
off, and the guts taken out, my way is to hang the carcase up in the 
cellar, or other cool place, where the great blue blow-fly cannot come. 
This I did by one I scalded in August 1746, about the third day after I 
had began harvest, that weighed five and twenty stone, as I did another in 
August 1748, and is what I generally practise every year, as one of the 
best pieces of husbandry belonging to a farmer's house for lessening the 
total of a butcher's bill.

   Of cutting out the Carcase of a Porker for pickling.--The next morning 
we cut out the carcase into many pieces. First the butcher cuts off the 
head and cleaves the porker asunder, then takes out the spare-ribs, or 
chine, or both; if a chine is saved, the spare-ribs will be the less. Next 
he chops off the four hocks, then cuts out the two blade-bones, and two 
butt or buttock pieces, and last of all the short or broiling ribs. The 
rest, being all flesh is pickled; and for this, the butcher cuts it out 
into square pieces according to the bigness of the family.

   Observations on killing several Sorts of Sow-Hogs for pickled Pork.--A 
young sow, that has had but one litter of pigs, and is gone near half her 
time with pig again; if such a one is fatted and killed then, her flesh 
will eat almost, if not quite, as well as the flesh of a spay'd sow, if 
pickled for pork. The next observation is, that I killed, on the 
thirteenth day of May, 1745, a sow that had had two litters of pigs; her 
last litter was pig'd on the 11th of March and on the 4th of April I sold 
off her pigs. On the 30th of April she took boar, and thirteen days after 
I killed her, being near the middle of three weeks after her brimming time 
was over; and she eat exceeding sweet and fine, as being fatted with 
barley-meal after a particular method; for though she was fattening but a 
little while, yet by being kept well before, she was thought to weigh 
thirty-five stone, tho' fattened for pickled pork. It is also become a 
late practice to kill an old sow for pickled pork, notwithstanding she be 
seven years old, or more, but then as her skin by such an age is got thick 
and tough, she is better pickled with her skin first taken off. This has 
been done to my knowledge for harvest and other uses, to a good purpose; 
for as such an old sow is fatted on a sudden from a very lean condition, 
with barley-meal or other sweet food, the flesh eats tender and luscious, 
like that of a young barrow-hog. And as to her skin or hide, a profit may 
be made of it, by selling it to the tanner, for that with tanned hog-skins 
many saddles are covered, and sold for a better price.

   How a Farmer in Hertfordshire singed the Hair off his Hogs, to make 
pickled Pork of them.--This farmer rented about a hundred year in Great-
Gaddesden parish, and was of opinion, that singing or burning off the hair 
of hog made the flesh harder and firmer, and better for pickling, as pork. 
Accordingly, after the hog's hair was burnt off with straw, he rubbed the 
skin with a brickbat dipt in hot water, till he got it white and clean. 
But I cannot say I am of his opinion.

   Of pickling Pork in Harvest and at other Times of the Year.--When the 
carcase of a porker is cut out, and the bony pieces separated from the 
fleshy ones, we lay the fleshy pieces on a clean brick cellar-floor, in 
harvest-time, or any other summer weather; but if a porker is killed in 
winter, we lay them on a table or bench, somewhat in a sloping posture, 
close by one another, out of a cellar. The pork so laid, we sprinkle 
common salt over all of it, and let it remain in this condition a day, or 
a day and night, to drain out its bloody gravey or juice; for if this is 
not first carefully done, the pork will stink, notwithstanding it is well 
fatted. Then to a porker that weighs five and twenty stone (which is the 
bigness I commonly kill mine at) we make use of a peck and a pottle of 
common salt, well mixed with two ounces of salt-petre, finely beaten. 
These two salts being well incorporated, our housewife salts every piece 
of pork with it all over; and as she salts them, she lays or packs them 
very close in a glazed earthen pot or powdering tub (but we account the 
first best) and between every layer of pork sprinkles some coarse sugar, 
till a pound of it is thus made use of. When all is potted, she lays over 
it a wooden cover.

   The Practice of an old Hertfordshire Housewife in the pickling of 
Pork.--This old Hertfordshire housewife, who lived many years at Market-
street, and boarded persons who were under the care of the late ---- 
Copping, Esq; for the cure of cancers, &c. often said, that sugar helps to 
preserve pickled pork, and therefore should be always used with salt, to 
make the pork eat sweet, short, and well colour'd; but first of all her 
practice was to rub over every piece of pork as thin as possible with 
powder'd salt-petre, and then to rub the mixture of salt and sugar over 
them; for that the salt-petre hardens the flesh, and the sugar softens it, 
and greatly lessens the fery sharp taste of it. One pound and a half of 
sugar, she says, is enough to mix with a peck of common salt, and four 
ounces of salt-petre is enough for a porker that weighs five and thirty 
stone: She also says, that a board or cloth, or both, should be laid, and 
kept always over the pot or pickling tub, to keep out the air, for that if 
the air gets much to it, it will never recover its first fine taste, do 
what you can: She likewise strictly observes to take out every piece of 
pickled pork with a fork as she wants it, for that if the fingers touch 
it, they are apt to taint and spoil the pork.

   The Practice of a second Hertfordshire Housewife, in the pickling of 
her Pork.--This woman's way is to mix common salt, bay-salt, and salt-
petre, beat very fine with sugar in a bowl; then with this mixture she 
rubs over every piece of her pork, and thus salts it all down in a pot or 
tub, saying, that this is a better way than to strew sugar between the 
layers of pork.

   The Practice of a third Hertfordshire Housewife, in the pickling of her 
Pork.--To a porker, weighing twenty stone, she made use of a quarter of a 
pound of salt-petre mixt in powder with common salt to the quantity of a 
peck, and after the pieces of pork were sprinkled with salt, to extract 
the bloody part that remained in them, she rubbed them well all over with 
the salt mixture; and if, after the pork had been potted down about a 
week, the briny dissolution of the salt did not appear to her liking, she 
drained off what was liquid, and boiled and scum'd it, and in the boiling 
added more salt and water, which when cold, she poured on her pickled 
pork. But there are some that in such a case will take out every piece of 
the pork, and salt it over again with common salt, and then pour over it 
this refined brine, as thinking all such preparation but little enough to 
preserve pork a year together sweet and sound, especially if the hog is 
killed in harvest, or at any time in the summer, because they are sensible 
it is the heat of the weather that chiefly endangers pickled pork to eat 
rank, wherefore if the fresh pieces of pork, as I said, are laid on a 
cellar-brick-floor, or in some other cool place, to draw out the heat that 
remains in the flesh, it will be in no danger of eating rank or being 
otherwise damaged: A trouble that ought not to be grudged, since one 
night's time is sufficient for this, if the cellar is of a very cool sort.

   How a young Maid-Servant spoiled the Flesh of a Porker for want of 
knowing how to pickle it.--This happened to my certain knowledge, for I 
was an eye-witness of it, by seeing the spoiled pork when it lay abroad on 
the dunghill, occasioned merely by the ignorance of a young maid-servant, 
who having no mistress to look over her, pretended herself capable of 
pickling a porker. But it happened otherwise, for after the pork had been 
a little time in the pickling pot, it began to smell rank, and as it 
continued longer, it became worse; insomuch, that she was obliged to throw 
most of a fine fat porker to the dunghill, for that none of the farmer's 
servants would eat it. Now this damage was occasioned by her not first 
sprinkling the pieces of pork with salt the night before they were 
pickled, for the bloody juice to drain out of them; for had she so done, 
and the pork lain thus but twelve hours before it was pickled down, this 
loss had been prevented.

   A famous Receit for pickling of Pork.--Is this: Put as much salt into 
water, as will cause an egg to swim; boil and scum it well; when cold, put 
it into a pickling pot or tub, or earthen jar, and put your pieces of pork 
into it; here they are to remain a whole week, for the bloody gravey to be 
extracted; then take out all the brine, and boil and scum it again, with 
an addition of salt and water, if you find it necessary; when cold, put in 
the pork to stand a week longer, do the same a third time a week after, 
then stop it up close for keeping: In this manner, pork may be made to 
keep sweet and sound a long time; and by this method you may preserve your 
offald-pieces for a great while, as hocks, tongues, chines, spare-ribs, 
butt-pieces, &c. And if you approve of the pork being of a reddish colour, 
boil an ounce, two, or three, of salt-petre in the brine, and it will not 
only bring it under this colour, but secure your meat the better from 
tainting.--A second receit is, When the pork is cut from the bones, rub 
every piece well with salt-petre; this done, take one part bay-salt, and 
two parts common salt, and with this rub every piece thoroughly well; then 
strew common salt over all the bottom of the pickling pot or tub, and lay 
in and cover every piece of pork with salt; pack them as close as you can, 
and fill the hollow places with salt; likewise when you perceive that the 
top salt melts down, strew over more salt, and you need not fear the pork 
keeping sound a good while.--A third receit. Some make use of half petre-
salt, and half salt-petre, to mix with common salt, as having a notion, 
that petre-salt mix'd makes the flesh red and soft, when salt-petre alone 
makes it red and hard: However, they allow, that all these three mixed 
with sugar, shortens the flesh, gives it a pleasant relish, and makes it 
eat somewhat like ham, and keeps it from sliming. And for the better 
preventing any corruption breeding among the pork, some will, after it has 
lain a month salted down, take out every piece, and lay them in a fresh 
pot; and as they are laid in, will sprinkle a little salt over every one 
of them; and after the old pickle is boiled, and scum'd, when cold, will 
pour it over the pork; for though pork is potted with only salt, yet it 
will all turn to brine in less than a fortnight: Now all this cost, care, 
and pains in pickling pork, is no more than what is necessary, since 
(according to the opinion of some) it does not come to its full perfection 
of goodness under one year's time.

   How a Hertfordshire Housewife damaged best pickled Pork.--In pickling 
her pork, by mistake she put too much salt-petre amongst it, and thereby 
gave it such a disagreeable rank taste that it could hardly be eaten, 
especially when it was hot, for when the pork was eaten cold it did not 
taste so bad; therefore this housewife said, that two ounces of salt-petre 
was full enough to mix with common salt, for salting a porker of twenty 
stone weight; and although this woman tried, by washing some pieces of the 
pickled pork with hot water, to take off the ill taste, yet it proved past 
her skill, for that the flesh retained its disagreeable twang to the last.

   Why Pork, that is to be pickled, should be first sprinkled with Salt, 
to soak and draw out its bloody Part.--The reason is, because there are 
veins in the flesh, that contain some blood in them, which, if not first 
extracted and discharged by the salt, will corrupt and taint the pure 
flesh. On this very account, some are so careful, that they will not 
pickle down their pork till it has lain under a sprinkling of salt a night 
and a day; others refuse to let it lie more than six or eight hours, as 
believing, that if it lies longer, the gravey part will be also drawn out: 
However, this is certain, that if the bloody water is not first got out, 
it will mix with the brine, and corrupt and spoil all the pork.

   A new and safer Way to pickle a Porker in Summer-Time.--This is in case 
you have not the conveniency of a close cold cellar; then kill your porker 
in the evening, and as soon as his guts and appurtenances are taken out, 
sift some black pepper through a fine sieve, and strew it all over the 
inside of the carcase; then hang it up till morning, when you are to lay 
the two sides of it in a strong pickle for five or six hours; for in this 
time the brine will extract and draw the bloody juices and jelly out of 
the flesh; this being done, cut the whole into convenient pieces, and salt 
and pickle it as before. By this means the flesh is delivered from the 
damage of its great enemy the blow-fly, that are very apt to get to it 
through the small holes and crannies; but if they do, they cannot meddle 
with the inside of the porker, because the pepper dust defends it. And as 
the pork is pickled, the pepper taste will be entirely overcome and lost 
by the greater power of the salt.--Or kill a porker in the summer evening, 
and hang him in a cellar with a wet cloth round it, if there be danger of 
the fly, for cutting it out next evening.

   A particular Way of salting down a Porker for pickled Pork.--I will 
here suppose the porker to be scalded, (which is what I always do) for 
then the flesh will take salt better than when it is singed, because the 
fire locks up the pores of the skin, when scalding opens them; after the 
porker has been killed about ffteen hours in cool weather, cut it out, and 
sprinkle some common salt over the pieces, as before directed: This done, 
if the porker weighs thirty stone, take a peck and a half of salt, a 
quarter of a pound of salt-petre powder'd, a quart of petre-salt, and a 
pound and a half of coarse sugar; put these ingredients well mixed into an 
iron-pan, and heat them very hot, and with it salt every piece of pork 
thoroughly well, and pack the pieces very close in an earthen glazed 
vessel; then put a round board over the mouth of a round pot, and a weight 
on that, and a thick cloth tied fast over all: The weight presses down the 
pork into the brine, and the cloth keeps out the air; for it is the air 
that corrupts and breeds a nasty flm on the top of the pickled pork. N.B. 
In salting down a porker to pickle, there must be salt enough made use of 
to raise a brine, as the Kentish housewives do, or else the porker will be 
in danger of corrupting.

   A Country Woman's Way to manage a Porker that is too small, for 
pickling a long Time.--Of a porer [sic: porker] about eight or ten stone 
weight, that is to be eaten quickly, she has the spare-ribs cut likewise, 
then salts the pieces but very little, even only to a sprinkling, for 
drawing out the bloody juices; twelve hours, she says, will do this in 
calm weather, four and twenty in frosty; then she salts them for good: Of 
such a small porker she makes two haslets, one with only the heart, 
lights, and sticking-piece, stuck on a great skewer, with sage mix'd with 
salt, and baked as it lies over an earthen pan in the oven.--Another 
haslet may be made with the short bony pieces spitted, roasted, and eaten 
with apple-sauce and mustard.

   The Kentish and Suffolk Ways of pickling Pork.--The pickling of pork, I 
believe I may say it for truth, was first practised to the greatest 
perfection in the county of Kent, as is well known to me, that have lived 
in three several parts of this famous country; since which the Suffolk 
farmer has fell into such an approbation of it, that he refuses to make 
bacon, for giving the preference to pickled pork: Here their general way 
is to kill porkers at two several times of the year; the first sort are 
those smaller porkers that have run in the stubble, and got some flesh on 
their backs, which comes in for a first and present supply of meat, after 
their old pickled pork is expended; and as small porkers are to become a 
family subsistence for about three months, they salt the pieces 
accordingly, without salting them so much as to create a deep brine; and 
as the weather at this time of the year comes in colder and colder, such 
salting will prove sufficient to keep the flesh sweet till Christmas 
following, when they begin to kill their large hogs, to pickle for the 
ensuing part of the year. And when at this time they kill their large 
pickling hogs, after they are scalded, and the fleshy pieces have been 
sprinkled with salt, for drawing out the bloody gravey, they cut almost 
all the lean from off the fat, and leave the pieces as fat as they well 
can to be pickled down; and for putting the lean part so cut off to the 
best use, they think it so done, when they make sausages of it; then when 
they salt down the pieces of pork, a man is there on purpose to press down 
every one as tight as he can possibly; and this he does to prevent ther 
[sic: their] swiming [sic: swimming] in the brine, for if they swim, they 
will rust and spoil: The pork being thus salted and pressed down in a 
pickling tub (for here they refuse the earthen glazed pot) they have a 
wooden cover in a hoop, that shuts or covers the tub so close, that it 
prevents the air getting to the pork. And when they want to take out a 
piece, they do it with a fork as it lies on the top, for they never meddle 
with an under piece, to the displacing of an upper one; and to prevent the 
necessity of using such a tub of pickled pork too soon, some of their best 
housewives keep a stock of old pickled pork by them; for, as they manage 
it, it will keep years together sound and good; and therefore they bestow 
a second security on it, by boiling a very strong brine about Lady-Day, 
which when cold, they put over the pickled pork, and then begin to make 
use of it. And so opinionated are these Suffolk housewives of their 
pickling pork in the best manner of all others, that they say, it will eat 
almost like marrow when it is rightly boiled; and thus their pickled pork 
becomes the chief, and almost the only meat the Suffolk farmer's-family 
feeds on: Accordingly, it is said, that when one of these farmers rents 
two hundred a year, by this, and other frugal managements, his butcher's 
bill amounts but to a trifle in a twelvemonth's time.

   To bake the Ears, Feet, the Nose-part, Mugget, or gristly lean Parts of 
a Hock of Pork.--These, or any part of them, may be made a good family 
pleasant dish, thus:--Lay them in a glazed earthen pot, and strew over 
them some salt, pepper, onions, one or more bay leaves; over these pour 
water till it is above them, bake it two or three hours, and keep it as it 
comes out of the oven till wanted, then cut and fry it in slices; the 
sauce is a little of the pickle, flower, and butter melted with some 
mustard.

   To roast Pork in a Collar.--There is a pretty way of doing this with a 
breast, or any other part of the hog that will admit of rolling into a 
collar: The flesh must be taken from the bones, and rubbed over with salt, 
thyme, sage, nutmeg, cloves and mace, all in powder, then roll and tie it 
up, and run the spit through it long ways. Or you may season such a collar 
of pork with only thyme, parsley and sage; roll it in a hard collar in a 
cloth, tie it at both ends, boil it, and when cold, keep it in a soucing 
drink.

   Rabisha's Way to souce a Pig in Collars.--Chine your pig (says he) in 
two parts, take out all the bones, and lay it to soak in water all night; 
next day scrape off all the filth from the skin or back part, and wipe it 
very dry; then strew some pepper over it, with a little powder'd mace, 
ginger, and a bay leaf or two; roll it in two collars, and let your water 
boil before you put it in, keep it scumming till it is half boiled; when 
boiled enough, keep it in a soucing drink.--Or take it this way: When you 
have cut off the head of the pig, slit the body in two, taken out its 
bones, and washed the flesh in several waters, you should then scrape the 
skinny part, and wipe it dry; this done, season it with a mixture of salt, 
thyme, and parsley; roll it hard with filletting, and boil it in two 
quarts of water with the bones; which put into about a quart of vinegar, a 
handful of salt, sweet herbs, and spice, and a bay leaf or two, and when 
boiled tender, keep it in this pickle or soucing drink.--Or what I think 
is a better way still: Boil the two collars only in water, till they are 
very tender, and when so boiled, take only a little of this water, and add 
to it a little white-wine (and isinglass if you please) some salt, 
vinegar, mace, and two or three bay leaves; this boil by itself a very 
little while, when cold put in the two collars, and keep them in it as a 
soucing drink or pickle; if this pickle is made strong, it is said to 
preserve such collars sweet half a year together, but the head must be 
eaten presently. These several ways were printed by old authors, and 
inserted by several new ones, in their late collections.

   Rabisha's Way to bake a Pig.--Scald it (says he) and slit it in the 
midst, flay it and take out the bones, season it with pepper and salt, 
cloves, mace, and nutmeg, chop sweet herbs fine, with the yolks of two or 
three new laid eggs, and parboiled currants; then lay one half of your pig 
into your pye, and herbs on it, then put in the other half with more herbs 
aloft on that, and a good piece of sweet butter aloft upon all: It is a 
good dish (says he) both hot and cold.--But the farmer's wife, when she 
bakes a pig, makes no more to do, than to lay a pig (after it is scalded, 
to get the hairs off, and gutted) in an earthen pan, with a paper over it 
to keep it from being scorched; and for sauce, she employs the brains, 
gravey and currants.--But John Murrell gives his printed receit thus: To 
bake a pig, says he, cut it in quarters, season them with pepper, salt, 
and ginger, lay them in pye crust, and strew over them shred parsley and 
savory, minced hard yolks of eggs, blades of mace, currants, sugar, and 
sweet butter: In two hours time it will be baked, then mix some vinegar 
and sugar, and pour it by way of a layer over the pye with scraped sugar.--
Again Rabisha says, to improve a pig pye, bone the flesh, and season it 
with nutmeg, pepper, salt, and chopt sage; then slice thinly a boil'd 
neat's tongue or two, and lay the slices on some pig, then more pig, and 
then more tongue, and so on: The pig is to be laid in quarters, and over 
all put a few slices of bacon, cloves, butter, and a bay leaf or two; make 
the paste white and good, and after it is out of the oven, put in some 
sweet butter.

   To roast a Pig.--Murrell says, to make a pudding to put in its belly, 
take grated bread, half a pound of minced suet, a handful of currants and 
cloves, mace, nutmeg, and ginger in powder, with salt and sugar, two eggs, 
rose-water, and some cream; sew the pudding up in the pig's belly, and 
roast it; when almost roasted, squeeze the juice of lemon over it with 
grated bread; the sauce is vinegar, butter, and sugar, and minced hard 
yolk of egg with it.--But I think the plainer way better than this, which 
is to mix salt with chopt sage and parsley, and sew it in the pig's belly; 
put paper round it, to keep it from scorching, and roast it; the sauce, 
butter, brains, gravey, vinegar, sugar, and currants.

   The Farmers Way of dressing a Porker's Head, Feet, and Ears.--We make 
no more to do, than to boil them tender, and eat them with mustard; and if 
any of them are left cold, we fry them in lard with some onions, and eat 
with mustard.--Or else, mince the flesh of them, and lade butter over it 
for eating.--But to eat the feet and ears in a nicer manner; when they are 
boiled, chop them small, and mix butter with gravey, shalot, mustard, and 
slices of lemon; then stew all together.

   To fry collar'd Pork.--Beat up some yolks of eggs with grated nutmeg, 
then cut slices of your collar, and dip them in it; then fry them, and eat 
with mustard and sugar. Or you may broil a chine, or other proper piece of 
pork, and sauce it thus; cut turnips in bits, boil them in broth and milk, 
then toss them up with butter and vinegar, and pour it over the broiled 
pork.

   Pork-Balls to fry.--These are pretty ready victuals, made with the fat 
of bacon and the lean of fresh pork mashed together in a mortar or 
otherwise, with powder'd spices and shred sage, crums of bread and flower, 
fry'd in little balls, or in little square pieces, in a pan of lard.

   A Yorkshire Cook-Maid's Way to pickle Pork.--She rubs the pieces over 
night with only brown sugar, and lays them sloping on a table or bench to 
drain, next day she rubs on them salt-petre powder, mixed with common salt 
and some loaf sugar, then pots it up; no way, she says, exceeds this.

   How to bake or roast a Hog's Haslet in the cheapest Manner the 
Hertfordshire Way.--A hog's haslet is to be composed of the sticking-
piece, the lights, the heart, and sometimes the milt; these being well 
washed, and cleansed from their blood, are cut into pieces about the 
bigness of one's hand; then we get ready beaten pepper, salt, shred sage 
and onion: This being done, we run a stick, or very large skewer, through 
every one of the pieces of meat; but before we put them on the skewer, we 
roll every piece in the seasoning, and when skewer'd, strew over them the 
shred sage and onion; next we fasten the kell or caul of the hog round the 
haslet, for preventing its scorching, and causing it to come moist out of 
the oven with gravey and fat in the earthen-pan it lay over; if the caul 
is from a small hog, it is but little enough to lay over and cover the 
haslet, but if from a large hog, half the skinny part may be sufficient, 
and the thick fat part cut in bits, for being melted and try'd up with the 
fat of the belly-piece; both which, being a sort that will not keep sweet 
so long as lard, may be made use of to fry pancakes, &c. This is the most 
profitable way of all others to dress a hog's haslet, because it is thus 
made palatable and wholesome without waste, for by thus baking it, the 
haslet of a large hog has yielded a pound or more of fat, which, as soon 
as the haslet is out of the oven, is scum'd off, and put into a glazed 
earthen pot, to be kept for frying meat with, &c. And as the gravey liquor 
is left behind in the pan, it serves for palatable sopping, and in the 
whole, gives a family a delightful nourishing dish.--But if the haslet is 
to be roasted, the very same preparation will do, only instead of running 
a skewer through the pieces of meat, they must be spitted; but as roasting 
a haslet is more troublesome and costly than baking it, where a person has 
an opportunity, the last way is to be preferred.--A second way to roast a 
haslet, though more costly than the first, is, to cut the heart in thin 
and the liver in thicker pieces, about the bigness of a hand, with the fat 
crow, sweetbread, and sticking-piece only. This done, besmear the pieces 
with beaten eggs, and then rub them over with a mixture made of grated 
bread, shred sage, pepper, salt, and marjoram, and as you spit the pieces 
so prepared, put a few thin bits of fat bacon amongst them, and wrap the 
caul over all. When roasted, eat it with vinegar, mustard and melted 
butter for sauce.

   The Hertfordshire cheap Way of making Family Mince-Pyes with a Hog's-
haslet.--For this we make use only of the lights, the sticking-piece, and 
heart; and if they are of an old hog, they must be first boiled an hour, 
or till they are tender. This being done, they must be first chopt or 
minced very small, and mixed with plumbs, currants, coarse sugar, and 
Jamaica spice at discretion, then put it into a pan-paste, or into raised 
paste, or into pasties, for baking.

   The Hertfordshire Way to make Mince-Pyes for a large Family, with a 
Haslet, &c. is this.--Against the time that a hog is to be killed, many of 
the Hertfordshire women provide a calf's chauldron; and when these guts 
are cleaned, they likewise clean the hog's guts, and boil them together 
till they are tender. Next they chop and mince both very small, and 
likewise boil and mince the haslet, and other odd bits of meat from a 
porker or bacon hog. And when plumbs or currants, or both, with some 
Jamaica spice, is mixed with such minced meat, there may be be several 
pyes made, to be eaten hot or cold, which may be baked in earthen or tin 
pans, or as pasties in turnover crust. This is much in practice in and 
about the town of Tring in Hertfordshire, partly because there is much 
veal brought to this market (that lies thirty miles from London) from the 
adjacent country, which is famous for producing the whitest sort in 
England.

   The Hertfordshire Housewife's Way to make Pork Pyes, or turn-over Pork-
pasties in Harvest-time.--As it is one of the best pieces of husbandry, on 
the victualling account, to kill a porker at the beginning of harvest; so 
it is a good piece of housewifery to make the best use of the offald-
pieces of the same. To do which, our housewife takes the two kidneys, the 
two butt-pieces, the mouse-pieces, that grew at the end of the blade-
bones, the two blade-bones, and other odd pieces, and chops them into 
bits, about the bigness of a pidgeon's egg; then peppers and salts them 
pretty high, for at this time of year this is more than ordinarily 
necessary to be done, because these pyes or pasties are to be kept some 
days for being eaten cold: This done, make a regular mixture of the fat 
and lean pieces; if there be not fat pieces enough, the pye will eat dry, 
and if there be too much fat, it will be apt to make the harvest-men sick. 
Now with these fleshy and bony bits of meat, several large pyes may be 
made, and baked, either in raised paste, in earthen pans, or in pewter 
dishes, or in the shape of turn-over two-corner'd pasties, and thus they 
become a most necessary and convenient food at this time of the year, for 
farmers families in particular, because the cold pyes or pasties are a 
portable, wholesome, and satiating victuals for breakfast or dinner; but 
in cold weather, the blade-bones of a porker are generally broiled, and 
not chopt in bits to bake in pyes. N. B. Thus it is our Hertfordshire way 
to make pyes of the short bony pieces, and boil the coarse fleshy pieces 
first; so that our housewife salts down or pickles only the fine fat 
pieces clear of all bone, as being the only way to eat all the flesh of a 
porker in sweet order; for if the bony pieces are salted and pickled down, 
it's a great chance if they do not stink. And it is by these housewifely 
good managements that we dare to kill porkers, even of thirty stone 
weight, in the hottest weather of summer, with an assurance of keeping the 
meat from tainting, provided we have a good cellar.--A second receit is, 
To cut the lean part of a porker, with some of its fat part, and mix and 
beat them together. This done, season them with nutmeg, mace, pepper, and 
salt; and between every piece of this beaten meat, lay a small thin cut of 
hard fat, as that of the chine or such like. When all is put into the pye-
crust, put bits of butter on the top of it, with some claret, just as the 
pye is put into the oven.--A third receit is, that in case you roast or 
boil a joint of pork, and it prove to be under boiled or roasted, it may 
be recovered, by making it into a pye with the following ingredients, viz. 
take as much of potatoes as there is pork, pare them, and cut the potatoes 
and pork into small bits; season it with salt and pepper, and lay it in a 
pye-crust, putting pieces of butter at bottom and on the top of it; then 
as it is going to be put into the oven, pour in some water, and bake it 
moderately.--An excellent way is to skin the pork, and cutting it into 
flat pieces, a hand's breadth, rub them over with salt, pepper, and grated 
nutmeg; lay these in a pan of paste, with minced apples, sugar, and white 
wine, over which lay bits of butter, then close up, and bake the pye.

   The Hertfordshire (or this Author's) Way of baking pickled Pork.--This 
is much practised in my own family, and many other families in 
Hertfordshire, as a valuable piece of good housewifery; because no meat 
comes so cheap to the farmer as pickled pork, rightly managed, for 
preventing a butcher's bill, and is performed in two different manners; 
one is, by baking a piece of pickled pork in an earthen pan or dish, with 
a pudding by its side. The other is to lay a piece of it singly a little 
hollowish on a pan, with apples or potatoes under it. But in either case, 
the piece of fat pickled pork should be soaked and shifted in fresh water 
several times, for a day or two before it is made use of, to lessen the 
sharpness of the salt. This dish, if the pork is cut or hack'd in the 
skin, baked and eaten with apple-sauce or potatoes, will prove so much 
like roasted pork, as hardly to be distinguished from it. And thus by only 
changing the form of dressing pickled pork, a family eats it with a good 
appetite. Whereas if it is dressed always one way, it is apt to cloy, and 
cause a grumbling for having too often the same food dressed in the same 
manner. This and many other receits plainly prove, that no one can be duly 
qualifed to write a book on Country Housewifery, unless he lives in the 
country, and carries on the farming business, for then he has an 
opportunity of writing from experience. And if he is informed of (what is 
called) a serviceable receit, he is then in a way of being capacitated to 
judge whether he is imposed on or not.

   To make a Pork-pye to be eaten cold.--Cut the meat from off a loin of 
pork into thin pieces, and the same of veal, both which must be beaten 
flat with a cleaver. Then mix salt, pepper, minced sage and thyme, with 
some yolks of eggs, and put it amongst the meat. Next lay your pieces of 
pork in the crust of a pye, and on them lay pieces of veal, and so on, one 
after another, till your coffin has its due quantity, and bake it. When 
cold, fill it with melted butter.

   A Leg of Pork to boil.--Boil a powder'd leg of pork; boil also a 
handful of sage, and mince it very small. This done, put it into a little 
strong broth with butter and pepper. This must be mixed with some boiled 
turnips, and some more melted butter, and lay the same over or upon the 
leg of pork for being eaten with it.--A second way to boil a leg of pork 
is, first to stuff it with parsley and sage, and boil it with cabbage; 
when the cabbage is enough, chop it small and mix it with melted butter.

   A Leg of Pork broiled, according to Rabisha's Receit.--He says, take 
part of the fillet, skin it, and cut it into thin collops, then hack them 
thinner with your knife. Then take sage and a little thyme minced 
exceeding small, with a little powder'd pepper and salt, and strew it over 
them; then put them on the gridiron, and when broiled on one side, strew 
the same on the other side. This done, mix mustard, vinegar and sugar, 
with melted butter.

   How to roast Pork-Steaks.--Cut and hack the steaks, then mince suet 
with sage, spinage, pepper, salt, and nutmeg, which strew over the stakes, 
and roll them up. Spit and roast them, and eat them with sauce made of 
mustard, butter, and sugar.

   To broil Pork Steaks.--The best steaks for this purpose are those cut 
off a loin of pork; after they are beat thin with the broad part of a 
cleaver, and strewed over with a mixture of salt and sage minced very 
small, broil them on a gridiron. When enough done, put over them mustard 
and vinegar mixed with a little sugar.--A second way is, to make a mixture 
of sage, parsley, and thyme, chopt very small, with pepper and crums of 
bread; rub this over the steaks, and broil them; then sauce them with 
melted butter, vinegar, shalot, gravey, and mustard.

   The Hertfordshire Way of roasting Joints of Pork.-- Some roast, or 
bake, or boil the butt or gammon part of a porker; if the butt piece is 
roasted, some stuff it with suet chops very small, eggs, grated bread, 
shred sage, salt, onions, and pepper. The same they do by the chine, which 
also is very good stuffed and roasted. But then these two sorts should not 
be too much salted. The hind and fore loins are likewise excellent meat 
when roasted, and sauced with a mixture of lemon-peel, mustard, butter, 
and sugar. When they are roasted about a quarter of an hour, cut the skin 
or hack it about an inch broad. Others take this way to roast a joint of 
pork supposing it to be a breast, they will take out the bones in the 
manner they do the breast-part of venison; and when it has been rubbed 
over with salt, they will strew over it minced sage and thyme, beaten 
cloves, mace, and nutmeg. When these are well rubbed in, they will roll it 
with the skin outward, then tie it about with a string, and put it on a 
spit long-ways for roasting, and give gravey or apple-sauce to eat with it.

   To salt a Piece of fresh Pork at once for boiling it directly.--Take 
six ounces of common salt, and mix it with a quarter of an ounce of salt-
petre finely beaten to powder, which rub over all parts of a piece of 
pork, whether it be a small leg or other joint, for the piece should not 
be large for this quantity of salt. Then flower a linen-cloth pretty much, 
and tie up the meat close in it, which when boiled will be as salt as if 
it had been salted some days before. If you think fit, you may leave out 
the salt-petre; but then you must make use of more of the common salt.

   A second Way to salt a Piece of fresh Pork for boiling.-- This is 
chiefly done, when time will not permit for salting it regularly; 
therefore when haste requires it, the water must boil before it is put in, 
then rub your piece of pork very well with common salt, and boil it, and 
while it is boiling, you must put salt into the pot by degrees, little by 
little, till the water or pot liquor is well salted. Cover all close, and 
the heat will drive the salt through the meat, if the piece is not too big.

   To salt fresh Pork on the Spit.--To do this, boil salt in water to a 
strong brine. When the pork is heated on the spit, baste it with this hot 
brine by degrees, and in a very little time it will be salted enough, as 
you may know by the dry whitish salt scum or scurf that appears on the 
meat; for by the heat of the fire, the salt is made to enter the fresh 
pork forthwith; and then you may baste it in the usual manner.

   The Hertfordshire Farmers Wives Way of dressing the Liver and the Crow 
of a Porker.--The liver, the crow, and the sweet-bread, is the first meat 
we dress of a hog, for this sort is fit for frying as soon as it is cut 
out; our farmers wives therefore make no more to do in dressing this, than 
to cut the liver, the crow, and the sweet-bread, in pieces about two or 
three inches square, and fry them in the same fat the crow yields; and if 
they prove too thick she cuts them thinner. When fry'd enough, it is eaten 
with mustard for an agreeable dinner to a whole family.--A second way to 
fry liver and crow is, to cut the liver into short thick pieces, because 
being short and thick they will fry the tenderer, but the sweet-bread and 
crow rather long ways, about the same bigness; then soak the pieces of 
liver first in scalding water, and while this is doing, make a composition 
with eggs, water, flower, salt, shred sage, pepper, and grated bread; in 
which dip all the pieces of meat, and fry them in lard or butter, over a 
quick fire. For sauce, melt butter, and mix it with sugar and mustard.

   The Service that souced Pork is of to Farmers and other Families.--The 
soucing of a hog's head, feet, ears, hocks, guts, &c. is of such 
importance to a farmer's family, that many set no little value on this 
great conveniency; because such souced meat is not only the cheapest sort, 
but is ready at a minute's wanting it, to become a pleasant, wholesome, 
hearty meal; either eaten cold from the soucing-drink, or being cut into 
pieces and fry'd. For these reasons it is, that most of the good 
housewives of farmers who live about forty miles from London, and so on 
northward, commonly prepare and keep souced pork by them (at times) from 
about Michaelmas 'till Lady-Day; for that at this season of the year the 
weather is generally cold enough to agree with soucing-drink for 
preserving pork in sweetness a month or more together.

   A Country Housewife's Way to make her Soucing-drink, to preserve Pork 
sweet.--This woman's way was, as she lived near a town, to go to a 
neighbouring public house, and ask the favour (when she had not the 
opportunity at home) to have the liberty of putting some water over their 
grains, after the strong beer was brewed off; for you must know, that most 
of these publicans have not a full vent for as much small beer as they 
could brew after their strong, and therefore rather than pay excise for 
small beer they are not sure to sell, which they leave the grains in a 
hearty condition, and consequently seldom refuse to give a neighbour leave 
to run some water through them. Now it is this water or wort, that thus 
runs through the grains, which is the proper liquor to make soucing-drink 
of, because it is perfectly new, and free from the fermentation of yeast, 
for if yeast were put into it, it would be improper for a soucing-drink, 
as yeast in boiling would rise, and then the fermentation would not only 
induce staleness, but would give the pork a disagreeable twang. When this 
is done, she puts a handful of salt or more into about two gallons of this 
malt-liquor, and boils it; and, when it is cold, it is a soucing-drink, 
fit for preserving pork sweet in. Or you may boil some bran in it. Or in 
water you may boil some bran and salt for a soucing-drink; but then the 
bran must be drained off through a cullender or better through a hair-
sieve. But for a further account of making souce-drink, see what William 
Rabisha says of it.

   Rabisha's Way to make Soucing-drink.--Take, says he, beer brew'd on 
purpose, then boil a pan of water, throw therein a peck of wheaten bran, 
and let it boil. Strain it through a hair-sieve, and throw in two handfuls 
of salt, so mix it with your beer aforesaid, and souce your pork therein. 
You may also take half a peck of fine flower of oatmeal, mix it with some 
liquor, and run it through a hair-sieve, and it will cause your souce to 
be white. Milk and whey is used in this case; but your milk will not keep 
so long: you may put both in boiling thereof, it will cause it to boil 
white. Keep your souce close cover'd; and when it begins to sour, you may 
renew it at your pleasure, with adding fresh liquor.

   To souce a Hog's Head, Feet, Chitterlins, and Hocks, &c.--Boil them 
till they are so tender that a straw may be run through them, and when 
cold, put them into the cold soucing-drink; but take care to scum off the 
fat that in boiling will swim on the top of the liquor, and reserve it to 
join a greater quantity, to be try'd up or refined for after uses; as for 
frying of pancakes, or for making crust for pyes, &c.

   Harvest-Men fed in various Manners.--In wheat harvest time, which 
commonly lasts about a fortnight, our men set out for the field by four of 
the clock in the morning, and return home about eight at night. In Lent 
grain harvest time later in a morning, and sooner at night, as the days 
are shorter. In either, the men generally eat five times a day: At their 
first setting out, they eat a little bread and cheese or apple-pye, with a 
draught of small beer, or half a pint of strong each man, in part of his 
quart for one day: At eight o'clock some send, for breakfast, boiled milk 
crumbled with bread; others, milk-porridge with bread; others, posset with 
bread, and bread and cheese besides, or instead of bread and cheese, apple-
pasty; others send into the field, for breakfast, hashed or minced meat 
left the day before; others send it cold (as left) but hashing or mincing 
is best, because if it is a little tainted, it is thus taken off by a 
mixture of shred onions and parsley, or with butter and vinegar, which 
relishes it, and makes it well suffice for a breakfast, and now they drink 
only small beer. At dinner time, which should be always at one o'clock, 
the victuals should be in the field; for it was the saying of a notable 
housewife, that as the men expected it at that hour, if it was not brought 
accordingly, they would lag in their work, and lose time in expecting it. 
Broad beans and bacon or pork one day, and beef with carrots, or turnips, 
or cabbage, or cucumbers, or potatoes, another day, is, with plumb-pudding 
in wheat-harvest-time, and plain-pudding in Lent harvest, good dinner 
victuals. But this method of victualling harvest-men is not a general 
rule; for I know a farmer that rents above a hundred a year in 
Hertfordshire, and employs half a score hands in harvest time, who kept 
his men almost a week together on only fat bacon and pudding, and when at 
other times his wife dressed beef for dinner, she seldom boiled it enough, 
on purpose to prevent the mens eating too much. Now the flesh of a new 
killed porker, or that of a fatted old ewe or weather sheep, or of an old 
fatted cow, comes in a right time for saving the expence of buying meat at 
market; the dressing of which to the greatest advantage, I have, and shall 
further give an account of by and bye. At four o'clock in the afternoon, 
is what we call cheesing-time, that is to say, a time when the men sit on 
the ground for half an hour to eat bread and cheese with some apple-pasty, 
and drink some strong beer; then to work again, and hold it till near 
eight of the clock at night, when all leave off and come home to supper, 
where is prepared for them, messes of new milk crum'd with bread, or 
posset sugar'd and crum'd with bread, or fat bacon or pickled pork boiled 
hot with broad beans; but although fat bacon at night is in common use 
with some farmers, with roots or with beans, yet others refuse to make 
this supper victuals, because it is apt to make men sick. No matter, say 
some, we must give them that which cloys their stomachs soonest. But my 
way is this: I allow them most nights a supper on hot milk crum'd well 
with bread, apple-pasty, and bread and cheese if they will eat it.--Others 
sometimes give harvest-men wigs sop'd in ale for supper, or a seed loaf or 
cake cut in pieces, done after the same manner.--A yeoman, owner of a farm 
worth a hundred a year, of more than three parts arable land, who 
therefore employs about ten harvest-men, feeds them with fresh and salt 
meat, which is chiefly that of his own providing, by fatting old ewes or 
weather sheep in summer, for killing in harvest; but whether they be ewes 
or weathers, they are commonly those that have lost some of their teeth by 
age; and what of this meat the family does not eat while it is fresh, they 
make into pyes or pasties, so highly seasoned with pepper and salt, that 
they will keep sweet and sound a week or two, provided the fly is kept 
off; but, besides his killing such an old sheep now and then in harvest, 
he kills one or two porkers, which his family eats fresh as long as it 
lasts so, and salts the rest: These, with a lot of beef now and then from 
the butcher's shop, supplies his harvest people all the harvest-time with 
fresh meat, and for his salt meat he has all the year pickled pork, or 
bacon, or both by him, which proves a good friend to his pocket.--A small 
farmer, that employed about four harvest-men, generally boiled oatmeal in 
skim milk for the mens breakfast, well crum'd with bread, and as soon as 
they had eaten this, they had pancakes to eat hot after it.--A great 
farmer had a mess of hot milk got ready for his harvest-men to eat as soon 
as they arose, and about eight o'clock sent them minced meat, bread and 
cheese, and pasty.--By this method each man is allowed a quart of strong 
beer or ale in a day, and is fed five several times, to support him under 
his early and late hard work in reaping, mowing, loading and unloading of 
corn, grass, hoeing of turnips, &c. and other slavery; in any of which 
cases, a brisk foreman (whom in harvest-time we call lord) is a valuable 
servant; for that on his diligent, careful, nimble performance, depends in 
a great measure the more work of the rest that follow him, because his 
pace is a rule to all the company: And it is for these, and other reasons, 
that such a foreman (who is generally the head plowman) is better worth 
ten pounds a year wages, than some of the more ignorant, slow, and 
careless sort are half ten pounds; for such a right workman, with us, is 
up first in harvest-time, blows his horn to awake and get ready the rest, 
leads them to their work, and has two paces upon occasion, an ordinary and 
extraordinary one.--Some also of our Aylsbury-Vale housewives feed their 
harvest-men with rice-milk, and at other times with furmity.

   The valuable Uses of Cheese to Yeomen and Farmers Families in Harvest-
time.--This family article, I think, deserves a paragraph in my book, 
because cheese is an indispensable necessary food in all yeomens and 
farmers families throughout the year, but most of all in harvest-time; for 
so great a stress is then laid on this eatable, that every day while the 
harvest lasts, the men about four of the clock in the afternoon (as I have 
before observed) sit down in the field for about half an hour, which they 
call cheesing-time, by reason that in this space of time they eat a piece 
of bread and cheese, and commonly drink a pint of strong beer or ale each 
man, in part of a quart which we allow them a day; and this they 
punctually observe to do, especially in wheat harvest, because at this 
time they are obliged to work in harvest the hardest and longest, and 
therefore more than ordinarily covet this sort of refreshment, as well to 
ease their backs from their stooping reaping labour, as to refresh their 
bodies by thus eating and drinking. And as to the management of this 
cheese diet, I have to observe, that some of our farmers think it no lost 
time to ride to Baldock-Fair, which lies about five miles from Gaddesden, 
and is held on the 24th day of February, there to buy Leicester or 
Warwickshire cheese for harvest and other times, because we imagine we buy 
it here much cheaper than at any country shops. But to save the cheese-
penny in another shape, some yeomen and farmers are so frugal as to keep 
the thick strong Cheshire cheese, as well as thin cheese in their houses 
for using the Cheshire at supper, and the thin at other times: Wherefore 
as cheese is eat at almost every meal in harvest-time, it concerns a 
yeoman or farmer to keep by them or buy old, and not new cheese; for 
though new cheese, perhaps, may be bought for a half-penny or more a pound 
less than old, yet some sort of it will go away near as soon again as old.

   To make Harvest Posset, the Hertfordshire Way.--This is very commonly 
done for supper, and but seldom for breakfast; because, for the latter, we 
send into the field either broth made from yesterday's meat crum'd with 
bread, or milk-porridge with bread; but for supper, we often give the 
harvest-men a posset crum'd with bread, made in this plain manner: The 
maid-servant boils new milk, and when it is so done, she puts about a pint 
of it into each man's wooden dish, and immediately adds a quarter of a 
pint of stale strong beer, some coarse sugar and crumbled bread, which 
turns the milk into a posset, and gives the men a palatable supper; but if 
our country housewife has a mind to make a better posset she may:--Take a 
quart of new milk, and mix it with a pint of ale, the yolks of eight eggs, 
and the whites of four, which when beaten must be put in the milk and ale; 
then add some sugar and nutmeg, and stir it all the while it is on the 
fire till it is thick (but it must not boil) and it's done for eating; but 
if you will have the posset richer, use cream instead of milk. Or to make 
a sack-posset:--Take a quart of milk or cream, boil it with sugar, mace, 
and nutmeg; then take half a pint of sack, and half a pint of ale, and 
boil these well together with sugar; then put your milk or cream to your 
sack and ale in a bason, cover it with a hot dish, and set it two or three 
hours by a fire before you eat it. Or you may bake a sack-posset thus:--
Beat eight eggs, and strain them into a quart of milk or cream, season 
them with nutmeg and sugar, then put to them a pint of sack, stir them 
together and put them into a bason, and set it in the oven no hotter than 
for a custard; let it stand two hours.--Or, grate three penny Naples-
biskets, and boil them with nutmeg and sugar in a quart of milk or cream; 
then warm a pint of sack and put it into a bason, and on that pour your 
boiled cream by a high fall, when after a little time standing it may be 
eaten. But for an ordinary sack-posset--Sir Kenelm Digby says, boil a pint 
of milk, and as soon as it boils take it off, and let it cool a little, 
for by so doing, says he, the curd will be the tenderer; then pour it into 
a pot, wherein are two spoonfuls of sack and four of ale, sugar it, and 
let it stand by a fire-side till you eat it.

   To make Wigs for Harvest-men the Hertfordshire Way.--Our way is to make 
use of no butter, because we cannot well spare it from market; and 
therefore we use only a little cream put among new milk, which serves 
instead of butter; neither do we use any eggs, because this is rather too 
costly, wherefore we mix only the warm milk with some flower, ale, yeast, 
carraway-seed, sugar and salt, and knead it into a paste or dough, which, 
after it has stood to ferment and rise, we make into wigs, without 
colouring them with yolks of eggs, as the usual way is; neither do we put 
them into tin pins, but set them on a peal, and lay them to bake at the 
oven's mouth (as we do our common dough cakes) for about half an hour; and 
this we generally do about six o'clock in the evening, that they may be 
hot against the men come home to supper from reaping, when we toss one of 
these large wigs to each man for his dipping it in a bowl of ale, which 
serves for an agreeable cooling supper with cheese or other things. Thus, 
as we think these sort of plain wigs are a cheap and pleasant food to our 
workmen, our frugal housewives generally make some of them twice a week, 
sometimes alone, and sometimes they bake them when they bake bread; so 
that the farmhouse is seldom without some of these wigs, or seed or plumb 
cake all harvest; for the making of which I shall give directions by and 
bye, after I have shewed our housewives to make richer wigs, if they think 
fit.--Take half a peck of flower, and mix it with an egg-shell full of 
carraway seeds, and half a pound of sugar; then melt twelve ounces of 
butter in a pint of warm milk, and with three parts of a pint of ale-yeast 
knead all together into a paste, and after it has lain to ferment and 
swell, make it into wigs and bake them.--Or, take three quarters of a 
pound of butter, and mix it with a pottle of fine flower, and half a pound 
of sugar, nutmeg, mace, and grated ginger, four beaten eggs and half a 
pint of ale yeast, with a little Canary, if you please: These mix with a 
little warm milk, and knead the whole into a light dough, to stand about 
half an hour before a fire to ferment and swell; then just before they go 
into the oven, wash the wigs over with beaten yolks of eggs; if the oven 
is quick in fire, they will be baked in half an hour on tin plates.

   A common Country Baker's Way of making Wigs.--This baker lived about a 
day's journey from London, in the Dunstable road, where he made wigs as 
well as loaves of bread for sale: Now it was this baker's method to use 
milk-porridge as one of his chief ingredients in the making of wigs 
(saying, he thought it help'd to make them whiter, hollower, sweeter, and 
more substantial, than when milk only is employed for this purpose) with 
flower, ale-yeast, some sugar, and carraway-seeds; but you must know that 
the milk-porridge he thus made use of, was from the finest of oatmeal, as 
it came from Braetch-Mill at Luton in Bedfordshire, where it was ground 
almost as fine as flower.

   To make a Hertfordshire Seed-cake for Harvest-men.-- This cake is made 
much after the same manner as wigs are made, by stirring flower, yeast, 
milk mix'd with some cream, sugar, and carraway-seeds, which, after being 
kneaded and fermented, is baked in a round, deep, earthen or tin pan, on a 
hearth, or at the oven's mouth, and serves for beaver victuals upon a 
change; that is to say, it is sent into the field about four of the clock 
in the afternoon with some cheese, for the harvest-men to eat this cake 
dry with, or to dip it in ale; and sometimes it serves for supper 
victuals, as also for entertaining a neighbour or stranger with a cup of 
ale; so that a good housewifely farmer's wife is seldom without this cake 
or wig, or plumb-cake, especially in harvest-time, and thinks this seed-
cake good enough for these purposes without eggs or butter, though some of 
the abler sort add hogs-lard or butter for making it better. In either 
form it is a very agreeable repast, when every harvest-man is allowed a 
wooden dish of ale to sop a piece of this in as a cooling beaver or 
supper, after hard labour in hot weather. Others of our country housewives 
make use of a tin hoop, and laying doubled brown paper at the bottom of it 
well flower'd they put the paste into it, and when it is out of the oven 
they unscrew a pin, and the hoop parts free of the cake. But, for a choice 
of better sort of seed-cakes, take the following accounts how to make them.

   To make a good Seed-cake.--Work two pounds and a half of fine flower, 
with a pound and half of fresh butter, seven eggs, a tea-cup full of 
cream, and three spoonfuls of ale-yeast, into a paste, which set by a fire-
side to ferment and rise; then work in a quarter of a pound of carraway 
comfts; an hour or thereabouts bakes it in a butter'd tin hoop. Or--Mix 
three grated nutmegs with some beaten mace, and put it to half a peck of 
flower; then take two pounds of fresh butter, and melt it with two quarts 
of hot cream, and when cooled, mix it with a pint of yeast, and a pound 
and half of carraway-seeds, and some chopt orange or lemon peel; knead the 
whole into a thin paste just before it goes into the oven, and bake it in 
less than an hour's time: Some add a little sack.

   A Hertfordshire Spice-loaf for Harvest. --This loaf is made with wheat-
flower in the shape of a common loaf, and for a large family in the 
bigness of half a peck one: It must have more yeast work'd into the flower 
than is allowed for a houshold-bread loaf, because it must be hollowish 
and spungy, somewhat of the wig kind; then melt butter, and knead it into 
dough with sugar and carraway seeds, and bake it not quite so long as 
bread is. This seed loaf, like seed cake, is to be eaten dry, or in slices 
dip'd and sop'd in ale for beaver or supper, or with cheese or spread 
butter.

   A Hertfordshire Plumb-cake for Harvest.--This cake is made with a quart 
of flower, a quartern of currants, or half a pound of Smyrna raisins (for 
we reckon that currants go as far again as these plumbs in a pudding or 
cake) a quartern of sugar, four spoonfuls of yeast, some warm milk made 
better by the addition of a little cream, grated nutmeg, and some carraway-
seeds; mix and knead these into a paste, and after it has lain to rise and 
ferment, make it into a cake and bake it at the oven's mouth, when bread 
is baked: Such a cake some farmers wives bake twice a week, to have one of 
them constantly by them during the harvest; not only to give the harvest-
men now and then a slice, but is also a sort of entertainment for a 
neighbouring visiter, as being a ready bit with cheese and a mug of ale, 
without butter, because, as I said, this must go to market; about half an 
hour bakes it. But how to make richer plumb cake, the following receit 
will shew.

   To make a good Currant or Plumb Cake.--You may with half a peck of 
flower mix one pound of melted butter, two pounds and a half of currants, 
a little salt, some powder'd cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, half a pound of 
white sugar, rose-water and ale-yeast; work the whole well till it swells 
in working, and bake it in a tin hoop; if you will you may add sack. Or--
Mix four pounds of flower with twelve eggs, a quarter of a pint of cream, 
a pound and half of butter, and two powder'd nutmegs; mix the butter cold, 
and do not wash but rub the currants dry; to these add two pounds of loaf-
sugar, half a gill of sack, and some rose-water; knead it well, and bake 
it half an hour.--Or rub half a pound of butter into half a peck of 
flower; this done, boi [sic: boil] half a pound of butter with cream, let 
it be luke-warm then mix with it powder'd mace, nutmegs, and hal [sic: 
half] a pound of fine sugar: The whole being mingled together, put to it 
half a pint of ale-yeast, four or five eggs, or half a pint of sack, and 
one pound of currants; this being kneaded, let it lie by a fire-side till 
it rises, and bake it in a tin hoop. But if any one wants to make a richer 
plumb-cake than any of these, he may--Mix six pounds of currants with 
seven pounds of flower, powder'd cloves, mace, and cinnamon, candied lemon-
peel, a quart of ale-yeast, whites of eggs, and a pound of butter melted 
in a quart of cream, with two pounds of sugar.

The Benefits of saving the Fat of boiled, roasted, or baked Meats.

THIS I take to be one of the best pieces of housewifery belonging to a 
farmer's, yeoman's, or gentleman's family; because it is in a large family 
attended with considerable profit, when bacon or pickled pork, salt beef, 
or any sort of fresh meat is boiled, roasted or baked, and the fat is in 
quantity enough to be scum'd off and saved: Wherefore she that does not 
this, but suffers such fat with the pot-liquor to be given to hogs or 
dogs, is a sorry housewife indeed; and yet as great a fault as this is, 
there are too many guilty of it.--Or, if they give themselves the trouble 
of scumming and saving it once, some of the worser sort are apt to neglect 
it twice; but a good housewife will be sure to let little or none of such 
fat be spoiled, because a mixture of such fats will, if not used at home, 
sell to the tallow-chandler for two-pence half-penny or three-pence a 
pound: But when the fat of roasted or baked meats is saved and try'd up, 
that is to say, when it is boil'd, scum'd, and after it is settled cold in 
a glazed earthen pot, and the jelly dross taken from the pure hard fat, it 
will then keep several months sound and sweet, fit to make good pye-crust, 
fry pancakes, and be otherwise very serviceable in the kitchen. And the 
clearer the fat is poured off from its watry dreggy parts, the longer it 
keeps sound; and for its better coming out of such a glazed pot, it should 
be just rinced with water as the fat goes into it: Others, when the fat is 
cold, pour half a pint or more of cold water on its top, for that by this 
the fat will the easier come loosely out, and if shifted now and then with 
fresh water, it will be preserved sweet some time. The fats from only 
boiled bacon or pickled pork are soft fats of the worser sort, yet may 
serve, when try'd up to fry pancakes, or make ordinary pye-crust for 
farmers servants and poor mens families; but these are improved when try'd 
up with the fat of salt beef, or fresh roasted, baked, or boiled meats; 
however, at worst, these fats will serve for greasing cart-wheels, 
preserving white-leather harness, and making candles for country villages, 
&c. 

Of saving the best Fat of a Porker or Bacon Hog.

HOW we try or dry up the pure fat Part of a Porker or Bacon Hog, which we 
call Lard or Seam.--In a day or two after the hog is killed, we generally 
try or dry up the fat of it, and begin with tearing off the skinny part of 
the flair, and cutting off the coarse ends of it, for then there will 
remain nothing but the pure lardy fat part. This we cut into bits a little 
bigger than dice, and put them into a metal pot, to heat over a gentle 
fire to melt by degrees; and as it melts we take it off the fire, and thus 
we serve it several times, to drain away the fat through a pewter or 
earthen cullender, by keeping back the gross part with a brass or other 
ladle; and when the remaining fat becomes somewhat dryish, we put the 
whole into a cullender, to squeeze out the liquid part, and thus renew the 
melting and squeezing several times, till no more fat can be forced out. A 
good housewife commonly lets a sprig (two or three) of rosemary be amongst 
the fat in melting, for giving the lard an agreeable flavour.

   How we try or dry up the offald fat Part of a Porker or Bacon Pig.--
What I call the offald part of a hog is, first, the kell or caul; 
secondly, the ends of the flair; thirdly, the fat of the guts. If the caul 
be that of a porker, it is but small enough to put over and cover the 
haslet, that is to be roasted or baked, for preventing the lean meat being 
scorched or dried too much, and for keeping the herbs in their place: But 
if it is that of a bacon hog, the caul is generally large enough to use 
part of it for this purpose, and part to melt or dry up for keeping fat. 
Or if none of it is employed this way, the whole is cut into little bits 
and melted down. Secondly, as the ends of the flair consist of a coarse 
bloody fat, we generally cut them off from the better fat, and melt them 
with the caul fat. And, thirdly, we do the same with the thickest end of 
the belly-piece of a large porker, or bacon hog; with this difference, 
that as this fat is of a kernelly and harder nature than the other two 
sorts, we cut it smaller. This done, we melt these last three fats in a 
pot or kettle, over a gentle fire, and as it melts we squeeze and press it 
out thro' a cullender by degrees, till nothing is left but the dry dreggy 
part, which we call crinklings, that are commonly eaten by our plowmen and 
other servants, with only a little salt strew'd over them. Now these three 
offald sorts of fat, so melted together, we keep in a glazed earthen pot, 
by itself, for present occasions, to fry pancakes, make pye-crust, and 
using it on some other culinary accounts, because this sort of fat will 
not keep so long sweet, nor is it so white and palatable as the more pure 
flair fat part is; but as to the gut fat, we generally melt it by itself, 
and save it for greasing our waggon and cart wheels, for if this was 
melted with better fat, it would taint it, because it retains the strong 
scent of the dungy guts.

   How to preserve Hogslard or Seam fresh.--As I said, we seldom do any 
thing else, for preserving our lard sweet, than to boil it with a little 
rosemary, and squeeze out the pure from the gross part: But there is an 
old receit, that says, to preserve lard sweet and fresh for some time, it 
should be boiled up with a little old verjuice, till all the verjuice is 
wasted in boiling; then put it into a glazed earthen pot, or into a hog's 
bladder, and keep it in a dry place, and it will remain untainted from 
mustiness, or any other ill scent, some years; for if lard is kept in a 
damp cellar it will grow rank, and if too much in the sun, the same: 
Therefore keep it in a dry room. Others, instead of rosemary, boil a few 
bay leaves among the lard, to give it an agreeable flavour. A pint of 
verjuice is but enough to boil with six pounds of lard, till it is wasted, 
according to the opinion of some, but I think a lesser quantity of that 
liquor may serve. Most of the hogslard that is sold in London, is sent out 
of the country in hogs bladders, because it is the lightest, safest, and 
cheapest carriage, else it would be sent in glazed earthen pots.

Of making Sausages.

HOW to prepare Guts or Skins for filling them to make Sausages.--Sausages 
are generally made with sheeps guts, and to prepare them right is the 
chiefest part of the business: Many authors have wrote on making sausages, 
but not one of them has told his readers how to prepare skins for them; 
which deficiency I here undertake to supply, by giving a plain account of 
it, as it is now in practice.--Take the fresh guts of a sheep, and cut 
them into fathom or six foot long pieces; one parcel of guts will cut into 
six or eight such pieces; stroke the dung out, and put them into water 
just to wet them, then turn them inside-out, by the help of a stick, wash 
them, and scrape a piece at a time as it lies on a table, with the back of 
a knife drawn along the inside skin thus turned outwards, and it will come 
off in two or three times scraping, and without breaking the gut, if it be 
rightly done; and in the same manner, the outward skin with scraping will 
come off at the end of the gut; then there will only remain the middle 
skin, that will appear about the bigness of a wheat straw. And when all 
the pieces of the guts are thus scraped, cleaned, and prepared, put them 
into water made just lukewarm, for if it is too hot, they are all spoiled. 
Now in this lukewarm water the guts must be washed clean; then put them 
into a glazed earthen pot, with salt enough strewed over them, and they 
will keep sweet as long as you please. And that the skins may appear truly 
fine and clear, put one end to your mouth and blow it, and then you may 
easily perceive whether the gut is entirely free of all outward skin or 
fur; for if it is nor, it must be presently taken off.

   How to prepare Pork Meat for making it into Sausages.-- The next thing 
is to prepare the meat for filling the skins with it: For this purpose, a 
fine hind loin of pork is the best part of a hog, though some make use of 
a fore loin, but the former exceeds; yet there is a profit to be made 
sometimes of a fore loin, which cannot be done with the hind loin, and 
that is, when sausages are made in a town where gentry live, they 
sometimes bespeak and buy the bones of a fore loin to broil, and then 
there is the more meat left on them, because for these they generally give 
an extraordinary price, as the sweetest meat lies next to the bones, and 
eat somewhat like that of a spare-rib; otherwise the flesh is cut quite 
off from the bones, as clean as can be well done. The meat, thus taken off 
the bones, must be cut into little bits, and chopt as small as possible, 
till a whole bit cannot be found in it bigger than a pea free of its skin, 
for the skin must be first taken off the loin; and while it is chopping, 
four or five spoonfuls of water must be now and then mix'd among the meat, 
for this will cause it to chop the better, increase its gravey, make the 
sausages eat the more pleasant, and if they are to be sold, will add to 
their weight. A secret never yet imparted by any author whatsoever, in the 
exact method this is done; and is of such importance, as occasioned a 
person to give out selling sausages, merely for want of knowing this piece 
of good management.

   How a Person set up to sell Sausages in a Market Town in Bedfordshire, 
and broke for want of knowing how to make them in a right Manner.--One, 
that was a thorough master of this business in this town, made great 
quantities of sausages, which he not only sold in the market town he lived 
in, but carry'd many to other places for publick sale; and as he sold 
these, with pyes, and tarts, and other pastry ware, he got money apace, 
and lived in such a manner, as tempted one of his neighbours to endeavour 
the same. Accordingly this person began to make sausages, but not knowing 
how to mix water with the meat in chopping, soon gave over his new employ, 
because his sausages eat dryer, harsher, and were not near so good as the 
old Sandard's were. There are indeed many receits how to make sausages: 
One in particular says--The fillet part of a young hog chopt very small, 
and mixt in the proportion of half a pound of fat to two pounds of lean, 
season'd with pepper, salt, and nutmeg, and grated bread added to it, will 
make sausages, if the meat is stuffed into the guts, with salt and water; 
but no mention is made of what sort of guts, nor how they are to be 
prepared, nor how to mix the water with the meat in chopping, and 
therefore is an imperfect one, for meat cannot be chopt full small without 
watering it in chopping, and if it be beat much to supply watering, the 
meat will be dryer and eat worse.

   How to make compleat Sausages for Sale, or for a private Family.--The 
meat being prepared as before mentioned, as it lies on the chopping block, 
we grate white bread as small as possible, and sprinkle over it; which, 
when mixed, hollows the meat, makes it go the further, weighs more, and 
makes the sausages eat the pleasanter, half a pound of such grated bread 
is enough for one loin of pork; then beat black pepper and Jamaica pepper, 
as much of the one as the other, and mix them with salt, which sprinkle 
over the meat and bread, and mix them well with the chopping knife: Then 
chop green sage very small, and mix this likewise with the meat, though 
some dry it and rub its powder in, but in this manner the sage is apt to 
lose some of its virtue; therefore sage is kept dry in its leaves in 
winter, and chopt as the green sage is, by which means the sage will make 
an agreeable green spotted appearance through the gut when filled. The 
mass of meat being thus all got ready, take an instrument, which we call a 
tin fill-bowl, made hollow and in the shape of a syringe, only wider at 
top and narrower at bottom, about four inches in length, an inch and half 
wide at top, and three quarters of an inch wide at bottom. This being 
filled with the chopt meat, and the little end put into the gut, the meat 
is forced into it by a finger pushing it down; and when a pound of it is 
thrust thus into a fathom-long piece of gut, and made all alike round, at 
every six inches in length a link is twisted off, and a sausage 
compleated.--Thus, sausages may be made in a good and cheap manner for a 
gentleman's, yeoman's, and farmer's family, clear of that extraordinary 
expence that some receits may lead people into; as when white-wine, eggs, 
oisters, and other chargeable ingredients are made use of: Therefore, 
those receits that direct the making of sausages in a plain, palatable, 
and wholesome way, must be the best for a private family's use, as this 
which directs--To chop a leg of pork very small, and mix it with a 
sufficient quantity of hog's hard fat, some Jamaica pepper, black pepper, 
salt, marjoram, and sage, all cut and minced small, which being put into 
sheeps or hogs guts, makes sausages.

   To make Sausages as good as those from Bologna, according to the receit 
in The Way to get Wealth.--Take, says this author, the fillets of young 
porkers, three parts lean, and one fat, to the weight of five and twenty 
pounds; season it well in the small shredding, and beat it in a mortar 
with pepper and salt, a little grated nutmeg, and a pint of white-wine 
mixt with a pint of hog's blood; then stir and beat it all together, till 
it is very small; add a few sweet herbs, chopt small and bruised, as 
pennyroyal, sweet marjoram, and winter savory; then with a whalebone bow 
open the mouths of the guts you are to fill with this meat, and thrust it 
leisurely down with a clean napkin, lest, forcing it with your hands, you 
break the gut. Make divisions of what length you think convenient, tying 
them with fine thread, and dry them in the air two or three days if it be 
clear and the wind brisk, then hang them in rows at a little distance one 
from the other in your smoak loft, and when they are well dried, rub off 
the dust they have contracted with a clean cloth; anoint them over with 
sweet oil, and cover them with a dry earthen vessel, and, either roasted 
or boiled, they will equal those so much boasted of from this city in 
Italy.--Or make use of the gammon part of a bacon hog, which shred small 
with a like quantity of lard and sweet herbs as above; work it with red-
wine and the yolks of eggs, till it becomes a paste fit to be put into 
skins, so that the sausages ought to be as thick as a child's wrist; then 
hang them up in a chimney, and when sufficiently dried, they are ready to 
be eaten with vinegar and oil.--But to make these Bologna sausages keep 
long, mix as much fat as lean of a porker, and then add to it cloves, 
pepper, mace, salt, parsley, and sage, all shred small into a paste and 
fill the biggest guts of a sheep, or instead thereof the guts of an ox; 
then hang the sausages in a dry place not too near the fire, and they will 
keep a twelve-month round; their usual size is a foot long, and should be 
boiled just before eating.--Or Bologna sausages may be made with the lean 
of beef, whereof the buttock part is best, and is chopt with some bacon 
fat, and some beef suet, with pepper, cloves, mace, and a little salt-
petre and bay-salt, into a paste consistence, it will be fit to fill large 
skins with; some add the powder of a few dried bay leaves: then dry them 
in or near a chimney.

   To make Sausages without Skins.--Take the leg of a young porker, and 
cut all the lean free of skin and strings; then take two pound of beef 
suet, and shred it small; this done, chop sage and onion, and mix them 
with pepper, salt, and nutmeg; all which ingredients must be cut and 
minced small, and when minced small enough, add the yolks of two or three 
eggs, and make the compost into a paste: Now this paste may be kept sweet 
a fortnight, and when used, it must be cut into the shape of sausages and 
fry'd.--Or take the receit with this variation; make use of a leg of pork 
of a small size, two pounds of suet from an ox, two handfuls of sage, the 
crumb of a two-penny loaf grated, salt and pepper to your taste, and chop 
all pretty small together; but, in the first place, be sure to cut out all 
skin and gristles, and when all is well mixed together knead them into a 
paste pretty stiff with the yolks of two or three eggs, and roll it (when 
you are ready to use it) into the shape of sausages, and fry them.

   How to preserve naked Sausages.--To make sausages for keeping them 
sweet and sound some time, mix the meat pretty high with pepper, salt and 
herbs, as before directed, then press it down in a glazed earthen pot very 
close, and they will keep, if season'd enough, almost half a winter good. 
And when such potted down meat is to be used, take some of it out, roll it 
in flower in the shape of sausages, and fry them, or broil them: This is 
the most in practice amongst farmers for their family uses.

   How to preserve Sausages in Links.--If sausages in links are to be kept 
some time, they may be so done by laying them in a glazed pot, and when 
they are all placed in it, then pour on them salt water. This method is 
observed in particular by those who make and sell sausages for their 
livelihood, because if they cannot sell them quickly, they preserve them 
this way; whereby the sausages may not lose any thing of their weight.--
Another receit says, make use of double the weight of fat to the lean of 
pork, and mix with four pounds weight of this meat a nutmeg in powder, and 
as much cloves and mace as the nutmeg, with pepper and salt; then chop a 
handful of sage, a small parcel of thyme, and mix the whole with a handful 
of grated bread, all mixed very small, and put into skins. Thus far the 
receits are pretty well; but here is no mention made how to chop the meat 
with water, how to prepare the skins, nor how to fill them, &c. &c.

   To make Sausages by an old Receit.--It says, take the largest chine of 
pork, and first with your knife cut the lean thereof into slices, and 
spread it over the bottom of a dish; then take the fat of the chine, and 
cut it in the very same manner, and spread it upon the lean; then cut more 
lean, and spread it upon the fat; and thus lay one lean upon another fat, 
till your quantity of pork is shred, observing to begin and end with the 
lean; then with a sharp knife cut it through and through divers ways, and 
mix it all well together; then take store of sage, and shred it exceeding 
small, and mix it with the flesh; then give it a good seasoning of pepper 
and salt, take the guts made as long as possible, and not cut in pieces as 
for puddings, first blow them well to make the meat slip, and fill them; 
which done, take thread, and with it divide them into several links as you 
please, then hang them up in the corner of some chimney clean swept, where 
they may take the air of the fire, and let them dry there at least four 
days before any be eaten; and when they are served up, let them be either 
fry'd or broiled on a gridiron, or else roasted about a capon.

   Rabisha's Receit to make Sausages of Pork, or with the Flesh of a Fowl 
or Rabbit.--Take pork, but not as much fat as lean, mince them exceeding 
small together; then take part of the flair of pork in bits about the 
bigness of the top of a finger, season it with minced sage, good store of 
pepper and salt, some cloves and mace; then take small sheeps guts and 
cleanse them, so fill them with your funnel, always putting some of the 
pieces of flair between the minced; you may sprinkle a little wine on the 
top of your sausage meat, and it will fill the better. I have made (says 
he) rich sausages of capons and rabbits flesh, and could shew a receit for 
it; but allow, that no flesh eats so savoury in a sausage as pork, by 
reason sage and pepper are not so suitable to the other two sorts. Tie up 
the sausages in links, and keep them for use.


Of making Black and White Hogs Puddings.

HOW to prepare Skins for filling them to make Black Hogs Puddings.--To 
prepare these in a pure sweet housewifely manner, the guts of a barrow hog 
should be extraordinarily well cleansed; for which purpose, one person 
should hold open a gut, while another by a funnel pours water into it, for 
driving and washing out all the dung, and is what must be nicely done, 
till the gut is clean emptied, and discharged of all the filth; then we 
turn it inside-out, and wash it thoroughly two or three times; at last we 
scour all the guts well with salt, and put them into a tub of cold water, 
where they are to lie twelve hours, and then this first water is to be 
thrown away, and fresh put in its room, and so on every twelve hours, for 
three or four days together; or better, if it be so done a whole week.

   How to prepare Meat for filling Skins with it to make Black Hogs 
Puddings.--As soon as the hog is stuck by the butcher, the blood should be 
catched in a glazed earthen pot, some salt first put into it, and stirred 
about all the while with a wooden paddle. When you have thus got the 
blood, the salt will preserve it sweet without clotting a week together in 
winter; then get ready a composition of meat for filling your prepared 
hogs guts with it. And to do it, boil whole oatmeal, or what we call 
grouts, in water only, a wallop or two, and immediately take it off the 
fire, for emptying both oatmeal and water into an earthen glazed pot or 
pan, wherein some salt is first put; here let it lie all night to harden; 
next morning mix as much blood with the oatmeal as will colour it, and add 
to it some crumbled bread, pennyroyal, and onion cut small, with some 
chopt bits of hogs hard fat. These being all well mixed together, begin to 
fill a gut a yard long, with the same tin fill-bowl instrument that you 
did the sausages with, and when it is about three parts filled, and 
squeezed all of a thickness, tie each gut so filled at each end with thrum-
thread; and while water is boiling, put these puddings into it, and boil 
them till they become dark colour'd and tender, which will be in about an 
hour's time; then take them out of the water, and while they are hot, 
twist them into links, ready to be dressed, by either broiling or frying 
them.--Thus black hogs puddings may be made in the very best housewifely 
manner for cheapness, and yet good enough for a farmer's family, or for 
sale: Not but that there are several other ways to make black hogs 
puddings, according to different receits. One whereof says--Grind oatmeal 
a little, and add to every quart of it the inside of a half-penny loaf 
grated, both which ingredients are to lie soaking in milk twelve hours, 
and after that twelve hours more in warm'd hog's blood; then mix chopt fat 
with pennyroyal and winter savory, and stir the whole together with 
sprinkled salt. The meat thus made, it says, guts are to be filled with 
it, and when tied up in lengths, they must be boiled and hung up near a 
chimney to dry.-- Another says, boil a haslet in about five gallons of 
water till tender, then drain out the liquor, and while it is boiling, put 
in a peck of whole oatmeal, which is to boil but fifteen minutes: Then let 
the grouts and water stand cover'd in a pot about six hours, and with half 
the oatmeal mix thyme, pennyroyal, parsley, cloves, mace, and salt, all 
minced small with a quart of hogs blood and some hogs fat of the flair cut 
into dice bits; which put into the guts, till every gut is three parts of 
it filled, and then put the puddings into boiling water to boil thirty 
minutes, pricking them now and then to prevent their bursting; when 
boiled, lay them on clean straw, and with the rest of the oatmeal make 
white hogs puddings.--Another says, beat a quart of cream, and as much 
sheeps blood, with ten eggs; this done, stir into it grated bread and 
oatmeal finely beaten, each a like quantity; then with powdered cloves, 
mace, nutmeg, marjoram, lemon, thyme, pennyroyal and salt, make a mixture, 
and when all is mixed, fill the guts, and boil them directly.--Another 
says, boil the liver of a hog till it is enough, and bruise it in a mortar 
with half the quantity of hogs fat cut small; mix these with hog's, goose, 
or sheep's blood, salt, pennyroyal, butter'd yolks of eggs, some spice, 
and some oatmeal grouts just cut in the mill, after being first soaked 
twenty hours in water: When all these are brought into a requisite 
consistence, put it into the guts, tie them up, and boil them in a kettle 
of water with hay at bottom; when swell'd enough, dry them on hay.

   How to prepare Skins for making White Hogs Puddings.--As the eating 
variety of viands enlarges the appetite, our country housewife may make 
white hogs puddings as well as black ones; and indeed, it is the more 
necessary so to do, where persons have an aversion to the eating of blood, 
as many have. Good wholesome white hogs puddings may be eaten with 
pleasure, with a very little trouble of cooking them, for on a gridiron 
they are presently broiled: But to make these good as well as cheap, is 
the art of the housewife; and that she may do all this, I here present her 
with a receit that has been in practice many years with a frugal manager, 
as follows, viz.--Take hogs guts, and after the dung is washed out of 
them, scour them well with salt, then turn them once a day, and shift and 
wash them twice a day in spring water for a week together, to soak out all 
the tincture of the dung, and make them white. It is true, that many stand 
not on this nicety, but scour, wash, and fill the guts in a day or two 
after they are begun with; however, by the way, this is a sort of sluttish 
proceeding, for if the gut is not made thoroughly white and sweet, the 
meat cannot be agreeable.

   How to prepare the Meat for filling Skins to make White Hogs Puddings.--
This receit as well as my first for making black hogs puddings are genuine 
sorts, calculated for the use of a country family, or for common sale, 
because they are composed of cheap, sweet, and palatable ingredients; for 
which purpose, let our country housewife provide herself with a pottle of 
grouts or whole oatmeal, half a pound of white sugar, half a pound of 
currants, the crumb of a two-penny white loaf, and three quarters of a 
pound of hogs fat chopt; the oatmeal must be boiled over night, in as 
little water as will just suffice, and this only for a quarter of an hour, 
and by morning it will be in right order, neither too hard nor too soft. 
Next morning therefore mix all the ingredients with cold new milk, and 
some Jamaica spice in powder, into a pudding consistence, and put it into 
the prepared hogs guts, after the same manner as was done for sausages of 
sheeps guts; and observe, that for these white puddings we make use of 
only the smallest guts, for if they were of the larger sort, they would 
take up too much of the meat. The guts being thus filled, boil them in 
yard-long pieces, about three quarters of an hour at most, for these must 
not be boiled so long as black puddings; and as they boil, they must be 
reared up with a fork to the top of the water now and then, and pricked 
with a fine fork to prevent their bursting. This done, take them out of 
the kettle with a stick, and lay them on wheat straw first put at the 
bottom of a basket; then with thrum-thread, and while the puddings are 
full hot, tie them up in links, two, three, or four in a bunch, and place 
them singly on a table. Thus the process of this receit is finished under 
a plain preparation, free of those costly compositions with which several 
receits to make white hogs puddings are stuffed, as may appear by the 
following accounts of them, viz.--Mix some of the finest white crumb of 
bread with a little flower, mace, and nutmeg, steep these in milk to 
become a pappy consistence: This done, add four ounces of currants, and as 
much almonds, marrow, and sugar, which beat and thoroughly mix together 
for filling hogs guts with it; they must be boiled, and the puddings 
afterwards kept in a dry place till used.--Another receit directs to make 
use of twelve or more eggs, and half the whites, which are to be beat up, 
and when a quart of cream boils, stir in the eggs on a gentle fire; to 
this must be added, when the cream is cooled, a pound of grated bread and 
nutmegs, two pounds of chopt suet, and half a pound of sweet almonds 
minced and beat fine with orange or rose water, salt and sugar, with which 
fill the guts and boil them, and prick them as they boil to keep them from 
breaking.

   How to make white Hogs Puddings by an ancient Receit.--Steep grouts in 
milk twelve hours, then boil a pint of cream, and put these grouts into 
it, and let them soak here twelve hours more; then put to this the yolks 
of eggs, a little pepper, cloves, mace, saffron, currants, sugar, salt, 
and some swines suet, or for want of this, beef suet; all these being 
prepared according to art, fill the guts with this mixture, and boil the 
puddings on a gentle fire, and as they swell, prick them with a great pin, 
or a small awl, to keep them from bursting; and when you are to serve them 
on a table, first boil them a little, then take them out, and toast them 
brown before a fire, and so serve them, trimming the edge of the dish 
either with salt or sugar.--But here is no mention made how the hogs guts 
are to be prepared, which is a strange deficiency, and seems as if the 
authors were persons ignorant of the matter, for neither ancient nor 
modern receits shew this first and most necessary article.

   How to make Gut Puddings with Hog's Liver, by an ancient Author.--Take, 
says this author, the liver of a fat hog and parboil it, then shred it 
small, and afterwards beat it in a mortar till it is very fine; then mix 
it with cream, and put to it six yolks of eggs and two whites, and the 
grated crumb of a half-penny loaf, with good store of currants, dates, 
cloves, mace, sugar, saffron, and salt, and the best swines suet or beef 
suet; but beef suet is the more wholesome, and less loathing; then after 
it has stood a while fill the guts with it, and boil them as before 
shewed: And when you are to serve them to the table, first boil them a 
little, and lay them on a gridiron to broil gently, but do not scorch 
them, nor in any wise break their skins, which is to be prevented by often 
turning and tossing them on the gridiron, and keeping a slow fire.

   To make Gut Puddings with Hog's Liver, by one new and two old Receits.--
Take a pound of beef suet, and mince it with the crumb of a two-penny 
white loaf small enough to pass through a cullender; then boil a pound of 
hog's liver, which grate and sift very fine. This done, boil a quart of 
cream with some mace, and grate a nutmeg into it; mix all this with six 
eggs, currants, a little salt, and rose-water, into a pudding consistence, 
and fill hogs guts with it.--This receit seems to me to be the last 
ancient one reformed, as being somewhat better put together in a truer 
proportion of ingredients. But to shew the maker of a hog's liver pudding 
in a more particular manner, I shall add the two following old receits, 
viz.--Boil a hog's liver very dry, when cold grate it, and take as much 
grated manchet as liver; sift them through a cullender, and season it with 
cloves, mace, cinnamon, and as much nutmeg as of all the other; half a 
pound of sugar, and a pound and half of currants, half a pint of rose-
water, two pounds of beef suet minced small, eight eggs, put away the 
whites of four; temper your bread and liver with these eggs, rose-water, 
and as much sweet cream as will make it something stiff; then cut the 
small guts of a hog about a foot long, fill them about three quarters full 
of the aforesaid stuff; tie both ends together, and boil them in a kettle 
of fair water, with a pewter dish under them with the bottom upwards, and 
it will keep your puddings from breaking; when the water boils, put in 
your puddings, let them boil softly a quarter of an hour, and take them 
up; and so you may keep them in a dry place a week or more: when you spend 
them, you must broil them.--The other receit runs thus, viz. Boil a hog's 
liver well, let it be thoroughly cold, then grate it like bread; then take 
grated bread, new milk, the fat of a hog minced fine, and put it to the 
bread and the liver, the more the better, divide it into two parts, take 
store of herbs that are well dried, mince them fine, put the herbs into 
one part, with nutmeg, mace, pepper, anniseed, rose-water, cream and eggs; 
wash the skins, and then fill them up, and let them boil enough: To the 
other part, put barberries, sliced dates, currants, new milk and eggs, and 
work them as the other.

   To make Hogs Guts Puddings with Hogs Humbles.--After the hogs humbles 
are tender boiled, take some of the lights, with the heart, and all the 
flesh about them, picking them from all the sinewy skins; then chop the 
meat as small as you can, and put to it a little of the liver very finely 
searsed, some grated nutmeg, four or five yolks of eggs, a pint of good 
cream; two or three spoonfuls of sack, sugar, cloves, mace, nutmeg, 
cinnamon, carraway seeds, a little rose-water, good store of hog's fat, 
and some salt; roll it in rolls two hours before you go to fill them in 
the guts, and lay the guts to steep in rose-water till you fill them.