Walnut Pickle

Ingredients

• white walnuts
• salt
• strong vinegar
• 1 part cloves
• 1 part allspice
• 1 part black pepper
• 1 part red pepper
• 1/2 part mace
• 1/2 part nutmeg
• 1/2 part cinnamon
• 1/2 part ginger
• sugar
• 1 cup salad oil
• mustard seed
• celery seed
• strong cider vinegar
• oil

Instructions

1. Gather white walnuts in June — they must be tender enough to cut with the finger nail.
2. Wash, drain and pack down in jars smothered in salt.
3. Let stand a fortnight, then drain off the resultant brine.
4. Scald the nuts in strong vinegar, let stand hot, but not boiling, for twenty minutes, then drain.
5. Pack in jars, putting between the layers a mixture of cloves, alspice, black and red pepper, in equal quantity, with half as much mace, nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger.
6. Strew in a very little salt, and a little more sugar.
7. Mix mustard and celery seed in a cup of salad oil, and add to the jars after the nuts are in.
8. Scald strong cider vinegar, skim clean, let cool, pour over the prepared nuts, film with oil on top.
9. Leave open for two days — if the vinegar sinks through absorption, fill up the jars.
10. Paste paper over mouths, tie down securely, and set in a cool place until next year. It takes twelve months for pickled walnuts fully to "find themselves."