To Pickle Mushrooms

Instructions

1. Select the smallest buttons of the wild meadow mushrooms in preference to those artificially raised, as freshly gathered as possible.
2. Cut the stems off quite close and clean them with a bit of new flannel slightly moistened and dipped into fine salt.
3. Throw them as they are done into plenty of spring-water mixed with a large spoonful of salt, but drain them from it quickly afterwards and lay them in a soft cloth to dry, or the moisture will too much weaken the pickle.
4. Make the pickle. Per quart of prepared mushrooms (body proportions): nearly a quart of the palest white wine vinegar, a heaped teaspoonful of salt, half an ounce of whole white pepper, an ounce of ginger sliced or slightly bruised, about the fourth of a saltspoonful of cayenne tied in a small bit of muslin, two large blades of mace, and if liked half a small nutmeg sliced. Do not over-spice: too much spice will entirely overpower the fine natural flavour of the mushrooms.
5. When the pickle boils, throw the mushrooms in and boil them over a clear fire moderately fast from six to nine minutes, or somewhat longer should they not be very small. Where they are much disproportioned in size, give the larger ones two minutes' boiling before the others are thrown in.
6. As soon as they are tolerably tender, put them at once into small stone jars or warm wide-necked bottles, dividing the spice equally amongst them.
7. The following day, or as soon as they are perfectly cold, secure them from the air with large corks, or tie skins and paper over them.
8. Store in a dry place and guard them from severe frost. Where colour matters more than the excellence of the pickle, distilled vinegar can be used instead.