Chapter 1
A BOOK OF
Fruits & Flowers.
SHEWING
The Nature and Use of them, either for Meat or Medicine.
AS ALSO:
To Preserve, Conserve, Candy, and in Wedges, or Dry them. To make Powders, Civet bagges, all sorts of Sugar-works, turn'd works in Sugar, Hollow, or Frutages; and to Pickell them.
_And for Meat._
To make Pyes, Biscat, Maid Dishes, Marchpanes, Leeches, and Snow, Craknels, Caudels, Cakes, Broths, Fritter-stuffe, Puddings, Tarts, Syrupes, and Sallets.
_For Medicines._
To make all sorts of Poultisses, and Serecloaths for any member swell'd or inflamed, Ointments, Waters for all Wounds, and Cancers, Salves for Aches, to take the Ague out of any place Burning or Scalding; For the stopping of suddain Bleeding, curing the Piles, Ulcers, Ruptures, Coughs, Consumptions, and killing of Warts, to dissolve the Stone, killing the Ring-worme, Emroids, and Dropsie, Paine in the Ears and Teeth, Deafnesse.
_Contra vim mortis, non est Medicamen in hortis._
_LONDON_:
Printed by _M.S._ for _Tho: Fenner_ at the South entrance of the _Royall Exchange_, London, 1653.
* * * * *
Of Lemmons.
_A Lemmon Sallet._
Take Lemmons, rub them upon a Grate, to make their rinds smooth, cut them in halves, take out the meat of them, and boyle them in faire water a good while, changing the water once or twice in the boyling, to take away the bitternesse of them, when they are tender take them out and scrape away all the meat (if any be left) very cleane, then cut them as thin as you can (to make them hold) in a long string, or in reasonable short pieces, and lay them in your glasse, and boyling some of the best _White_-wine vineger with shugar, to a reasonable thin Syrupe, powre it upon them into your glasse, and keep them for your use.
_To Preserve Oranges or Lemmons_.
Take your _Oranges_ or _Lemmons_, lay them in water three dayes, and three nights, to take away their bitternesse, then boyle them in faire water till they be tender, make as much Syrupe for them as will make them swim about the pan, let them not boyle too long therein, for it will make the skins tough; then let them lie all night in the Syrupe, to make them take the Syrupe in the morning, boyle the Syrupe to his thicknesse, and put them in gally pots or glasses, to keep all the yeare, and this is the best way to Preserve _Orenges, Lemmons_, or _Citrons_.
_To make Past of Lemmons_.
Take halfe a dozen of thick-rined _Lemmons_, cut them through the middest, and boyle them tender in faire water, then stamp them in a Morter, strayne the juyce or pulp from them, and dry it, and put two pound of _Shugar_ to it, then make it into what fashion you will, on a sheet of white paper, dry it in an Oven, and turne it often for two dayes and two nights, for in that time it will be dry enough; box it thus up, and it will endure all the Yeare.
_Sweet Bagges to lay amongst Linnen_.
Take _Orris, Cypris, Calamus, Fusis_, all of them grosse beaten, and _Gallingall_ roots, of each a handfull, and as much of the small tops of _Lavender_, dryed, and put them into baggs to lay among your cloaths. You may put in a handfull or two of _Damask Rose_ leaves dryed, which will somewhat better the sent.
Medicines made of Lemmons.
_To take away the Spots, or red Pimpels of the face_.
Take halfe a pint of raine water, and halfe a pint of good _Verjuice_, seeth it till it be halfe consumed, then whilst it boils fill it up againe with juyce of _Lemmon_, and so let it seeth a pretty while; then take it from the fire, and when it is cold put to it the whites of four new laid Eggs, well beaten, and with this water annoynt the place often.
_A very good Medicine for the Stone_.
Make a Posset of a quart of _Rhenish_ wine, a pint of _Ale_ and a pint of _Milke_, then take away the curd, and put into the drink, two handfulls of Sorrell, one handfull of _Burnet_, and halfe a handfull of _Balm_, boyle them together a good while, but not too long, least the drink be too unpleasant, then take of the drink a quarter of a pint, or rather halfe a pint, at once, at morning, and to bed-ward, putting therein first two or three spoonfulls of juice of _Lemmons_, this is an excellent Medicine for the _Stone in the Kidneyes_, to dissolve and bring it away. It is very good in these Diseases of the _Stone_, to use _Burnet_ often in your drink at Meales, and often to steep it in over night, and in the morning put in three or foure spoonfulls of juice of _Lemmons_, and to drink thereof a good draught every morning a week together, about the full of the Moone, three dayes before, and three dayes after.
_To roste a Shoulder of Mutton with Lemmons_.
Take a Shoulder of _Mutton_ halfe rosted, cut off most of the meat thereof, in thin slices, into a faire dish with the gravy thereof, put thereto about the quantity of a pint of clarret wine, with a spoonfull or two at most of the best wine _Vineger_, season it with _Nutmeggs_, and a little _Ginger_, then pare off the rines of one or two good _Lemmons_, and slice them thin into the _Mutton_, when it is almost well stewed between two dishes, and so let them stew together two or three warmes, when they are enough, put them in a clean dish, and take the shoulder blade being well broyled on a grid-iron, and lay it upon your meat, garnishing your dishes with some slices and rinds of the _Lemmons_, and so serve it.
_To Boyle A Capon with Oranges and Lemmons_.
Take _Orenges_ and _Lemmons_ peeled, and cut them the long way, and if you can keep your cloves whole, and put them into your best Broth of _Mutton_ or _Capon_, with _Prunes_ or _Currants_ three or four dayes, and when they have been well sodden, cut whole _Pepper_, great _Mase_, a great peice of _Suggar_, some _Rose_-water, and either _White_ wine, or _Clarret_ wine, and let all these seeth together a while, and serve it upon Sopps with your _Capon_.
_A Lemmond Sallet_.
Cut out slices of the peele of the Lemmons, long wayes, a quarter of an inch one piece from another, and then slice the _Lemmons_ very thin, and lay them in a dish crosse, and the peeles about the _Lemmons_, and scrape a good deal of _Suggar_ upon them, and so serve them.
* * * * *
_Of Quinces_.
_The best way to Preserve Quinces._
First pare and coare the _Quinces_, and boyle them in faire water till they be very tender, not covering them, then taking them out of the water, take to every pound of them, two pound of _Sugar_, and half a pint of water, boyle it to a Syrupe, scumming it well, then put in some of the Jelly that is washed from the _Quince_ kernels, and after that, making it boyle a little, put in your _Quinces_, boyle them very fast, keeping the holes upward as neer as you can, for fear of breaking, and when they are so tender that you may thrust a rush through them, take them off, and put them up in your glasses, having first saved some Syrupe till it be cold to fill up your glasses.
_A speciall Remembrance in doing them_.
When you Preserve _Quinces_, or make _Marmalade_, take the Kernels out of the raw _Quinces_, and wash off the Jelly that groweth about them, in faire water, then straine the water and Jelly from the kernels, through some fine Cobweb laune, and put the same into the _Marmalade_, or preserved _Quinces_, when they are well scum'd, but put not so much into your _Quinces_, as into the _Marmalade_, for it will Jelly the Syrupe too much; put six or seven spoonfulls of Syrupe into the Jelly. Before you put it into the _Marmalade_, you must boyle your _Quinces_ more for _Marmalade_, then to preserve your _Quinces_, and least of them when you make your clear Cakes.
When you would preserve your _Quinces_ white, you must not cover them in the boyling, and you must put halfe as much _Sugar_ more for the white, as for the other. When you would have them red, you must cover them in the boyling.
_To Pickle Quinces._
Boyle your _Quinces_ that you intend to keep, whole and unpared, in faire water, till they be soft, but not too violently for feare you break them, when they are soft take them out, and boyle some _Quinces_ pared, quarter'd, and coar'd, and the parings of the _Quinces_ with them in the same liquor, to make it strong, and when they have boyled a good time, enough to make the liquor of sufficient strength, take out the quartered _Quinces_ and parings, and put the liquor into a pot big enough to receive all the _Quinces_, both whole and quartered, and put them into it, when the liquor is thorow cold, and so keep them for your use close covered.
_To make Quince Cakes_.
Prepare your _Quinces_, and take the just weight of them in _Sugar_, beaten finely, and searcing halfe of it, then of the rest make a Syrupe, using the ordinary proportion of a pint of water to a pound of _Sugar_, let your _Quinces_ be well beaten, and when the Syrupe is cand height, put in your _Quince_, and boyle it to a past, keeping it with continuall stirring, then work it up with the beaten _Sugar_ which you reserved, and these Cakes will tast well of the _Quinces_.
_To make Printed Quidony of Quinces_.
Take two pound of _Quinces_, paired, coared, and cut in small pieces, and put them into a faire posnet, with a quart of faire water, and when they are boyled tender, put into them one pound of _Sugar_ clarified, with halfe a pint of faire water, let them boyle till all the fruit fall to the bottom of the posnet, then let the liquid substance run through a faire linnen cloath into a clean bason, then put it into a posnet, and let it boyle till it come to a jelly, then Print it in your Moulds, and turne it into your boxes. You shall know when it is ready to Print, by rouling it on the back of a Spoone.
* * * * *
_Of Roses_.
_To make sweet Bagges to lay Linnen in_.
Take _Damask Rose_ budds, pluck them, and dry the leaves in the shadow, the tops of _Lavender_ flowers, sweet _Margerom_, and _Basill_, of each a handfull, all dryed and mingled with the _Rose_ leaves, take also of _Benjamin, Storax, Gallingall_ roots, and _Ireos_ or _Orris_ roots, twice as much of the Orris as of any of the other, beaten in fine powder: a peece of cotten wool wetted in _Rose_-water, and put to it a good quantity of _Musk_ and _Ambergreece_ made into powder, and sprinkle them with some _Civet_ dissolved in _Rose_-water, lay the Cotten in double paper, and dry it over a chaffin dish of coales: Lastly, take halfe a handfull of _Cloves_, and as much _Cinamon_ bruised, not small beaten, mixe all these together, and put them up in your Bagge.
_A very good Poultis for any Member swell'd and inflamed, and not broken, to take away the paine_.
Take three pints of new milk, of stale Manchet crums two handfulls, or so much as shall make the milk somewhat thick, and thereto put two handfulls of dryed red _Rose_ leaves, and three ounces of Oyle of _Roses_, boyle all these together to the thicknesse of a Poultisse, then let it stand and coole, and while it cooleth rake a spoonfull of Oyle of _Roses_, and with a warm hand rub the place grieved, till the Oyle be dryed in, and then lay the Poultisse as warm as you may endure it, to the part inflamed; doe this morning and evening for three or four dayes, as you shall see cause.
_To make a sweet Cake, and with it a very sweet water._
Take _Damask Rose_ leaves, _Bay_ leaves, _Lavinder_ tops, sweet _Marjerome_ tops, _Ireos_ powder, _Damask_ powder, and a little _Musk_ first dissolved in sweet water, put the _Rose_ leaves and hearbs into a Bason, and sprinkle a quarter of a pint of _Rose_-water among them, and stirring them all together, cover the Bason close with a dish, and let them stand so covered, all night, in the morning Distill them, so shall you have at once an excellent sweet water, and a very fine sweet Cake to lay among your finest linnen.
_Oyle of Roses._
Take Sallet Oyle and put it into an earthen pot, then take _Rose_ leaves, clip off all the white, and bruise them a little, and put them into the Oyle, and then stop the top close with past, and set it into a boyling pot of water, and let it boyle one hour, then let it stand al one night upon hot embers, the next day take the Oyle, and straine it from the _Rose_ leaves, into a glasse, and put therein some fresh _Rose_ leaves, clipt as before, stop it, and set it in the Sun every day for a fortnight or three weeks.
_Syrupe of Roses._
Take _Damask Roses_, clip off the white of them, and take six ounces of them to every pint of faire water, first well boyled and scummed, let them stand so as abovesaid, twelve hours, as you doe in the Syrupe of _Violets_, wringing out the _Roses_ and putting in new eight times, then wringing out the last put in onely the juice of four ounces of _Roses_, so make it up as before, if you will put in _Rubarb_, take to every two drams, slice it, string it on a thred, hang it within the pot after the first shifting, and let it infuse within your _Roses_: Some use to boyle the _Rubarb_ in the Syrupe, but it is dangerous, the Syrupe purgeth _Choller_ and _Melancholly_.
_A Conserve of Roses._
Take red _Rose_ buds, clip of all the white, bruised, and withered from them, then weigh them out, and taking to every pound of _Roses_ three pound of _Sugar_, stamp the _Roses_ by themselves very small putting a little juice of _Lemmons_ or _Rose_ water to them as they wax dry, when you see the _Roses_ small enough, put the _Sugar_ to them, and beat them together till they be well mingled, then put it up in Gally pots or glasses; in like manner are the Conserverves of Flowers, of _Violets, Cowslips, Marigolds, Sage_, and _Sea boise_ made.
_To Preserve Roses or any other Flowers._
Take one pound of _Roses_, three pound of _Sugar_, one pint of _Rose_ water, or more, make your Syrupe first, and let it stand till it be cold, then take your _Rose_ leaves, having first clipt off all the white, put them into the cold Syrupe, then cover them, and set them on a soft fire, that they may but simper for two or three hours, then while they are hot put them into pots or glasses for your use.
_How to Preserve Barbaries._
First take the fairest _Barbaries_, and of them the greatest bunches you can get, and with a needle take out the stones on the one side of them, then weigh out to every halfe pound of them one pound of _Sugar_, put them into a Preserving pan, strow the _Sugar_ on them, and let them boyle a quarter of an hour softly, then taking out the _Barbaries_ let the Syrupe boyle a quarter of an hour more, then put in the _Barbaries_ againe, and let them boyle a pretty while with the Syrupe, then take them from the Syrupe, and let them both stand till they be cold, and so put them up.
_To keep Barbaries to garnish your Meat._
Take the worst of them, and boyle them in faire water, and straine the liquor from them, and while the liquor is hot put it into your _Barbaries_, being clean picked, and stop them up, and if they mould much, wash them throughly in the liquor, then boyle the liquor againe, and strayne it, and let it coole, then put it to your _Barbaries_ againe.
_Conserve of Barbaries._
Take your _Barbaries_, pick them clean in faire branches, and wash them clean, and dry them on a cloath, then take some other _Barbaries_, and boyle them in _Clarret_ wine till they be very soft, then straine them, and rub them so well through the strainer, that you may know the substance of them, and boyle up this matter thus strained out, till it be very sweet, and somwhat thick, then setting it by till it be cold, and then put in your branches of _Barbaries_ into gally pots, or glasses, and fill it up with the cold Syrupe, and so shall you have both Syrupe, and also _Barbaries_, to use at your pleasure.
* * * * *
_Of Almonds._
_To make Almond Biscate._
Steepe one pound of _Almonds_ so long in cold water, till they will blanch, then put them in _Rose_-water, and beat them in so much _Rose_-water as will keep them from growing to an Oyle, and no more; take one pound of _Sugar_ beaten very fine, and sifted through a Searce, take the whites of six Eggs beat to a froth, as you use to doe for other Bisket, with a spoonfull of fine flower, set the _Almonds_ and _Sugar_ on a soft Charcoal fire, let them boyle together till they be very thick, and so let them stand till they be almost cold, then beat the Eggs and that together, put in a little _Muske_ for the better tast, if you please, then lay them upon papers, in what proportion you will, and dry them in an Oven, with a slack fire.
_To make Almond Milke._
Take a rib of _Mutton_ or _Veale_, or rather a _Chicken_, boyle it in faire water, put thereto _French Barley_, a _Fennill_ root, a _Parsly_ root, _Violet_ leaves, _Strawberry_ leaves, and _Cinquefoyle_ leaves, and boyle them all together, till the meat be over boyled, then strayne out the liquor from the rest, while they are boyling blanch a proportion of _Almonds_ answerable to the liquor, beat them well in a clean stone Morter, and then grind them therein with _Rose_ water and _Sugar_, and when they are well ground put in all your liquor by little and little, and grind with them till they be all well Compounded, and then strayne it into a faire glasse, and use it at your pleasure.
_An approved Medicine for the running of the Reines._
Make _Almond_ Milke of _Plantine_ water, or else boyle _Plantine_ in the liquor whereof you make your _Almond_ Milk, take a quart of it, and put thereto three spoonfulls of _Lentive farine_, and three spoonfulls of _Cinamon_ water, take of this at six in the morning, a good draught, two hours before dinner another, at four of the clock in the afternoon, a third, and two hours after supper a fourth; and twice or thrice between meals, eat a spoonfull of Conserve of Red _Roses_ at a time.
_Oyle of Almonds_.
Take _Almonds_, blanch them, and put them into a pot, and set that pot in another pot of water that boyleth, and the steam of the seething pot will arise and enter into the pot with the _Almonds_, and that will become Oyle when they are stamped and wringed through a cloath. Thus they make Oyle of the kernels of _Filberts, Walnuts,_ &c.
_A Barley Cream to procure sleep, or Almond Milke._
Take a good handfull of French _Barley_, wash it cleane in warme water, and boyle it in a quart of sayre water to the halfe, then put our the water from the _Barley_, and put the _Barley_ into a pottell of new clean water, with a _Parsley,_ and a _Fennell_ root, clean washed, and picked with _Bourage, Buglos, Violet_ leaves, and _Lettice_, of each one handfull, boyle them with the _Barley_, till more then halfe be consumed; then strayne out the liquor, and take of blanched _Almonds_ a handfull, of the seeds of _Melons, Cucumbers, Citralls_, and _Gourds_, husked, of each halfe a quarter of an ounce, beat these seeds, and the _Almonds_ together, in a stone morter, with so much _Sugar_, and Rose-water as is fit, and strayne them through a cleane cloath into the liquor, and drink thereof at night going to bed, and in the night, if this doth not sufficiently provoke sleep, then make some more of the same liquor, and boyle in the same the beads, or a little of white _Poppey_.
_An Oyntment to kill the Worms in little Children_.
For stomach Wormes, annoynt the stomach with Oyle of _Wormwood,_ and the belly with Oyle of sweet _Almonds_, for belly Wormes take all of _Wormwood_, Oyle of _Savine_, and the Powder of _Aloe Cicatrina_, finely beaten, annoynt the belly therewith, morning and evening. You must not use _Savine_ in Medicines for Mayden Children, but in stead of Oyle of _Savine_, take as much of an Oxes Gall.
_To make the best white Puddings_.
Take a pound of _Almonds_, blanch them, putting in a little Milk sometime to them in the stamping, then put to them three handfulls of fine Flower, or as much grated bread first baked in an Oven, six Eggs well beaten, a good deale of marrow cut in little pieces, season them with _Nutmeg_ and _Sugar_, three spoonfulls of _Rose-water_, and a little Salt; temper them all together, with as much Cream as will serve to wet or mingle them; and so fill them up.
_An Almond Candle_.
Blanch Jordan _Almonds_, beat them with a little small Ale, and strayne them out with as much more Ale as you minde to make your Caudle of, then boyle it as you doe an Egg Caudle, with a little Mace in it, and when it is off the fire sweeten it with Sugar.
_To make fine white Leach of Almonds_.
Take halfe a pound of small Almonds, beat them, and strayne them with Rose water, and sweet Milk from the Cow, and put into it two or three pieces of large Mace, one graine of Musk, two ounces of Isinglasse, and so boyle it in a Chafin-dish of coales, a quarter of an hour, till it will stand, which you shall try thus, set a saucer in a little cold water, so that none come into it, and put a spoonfull of the Leach into it, and if you see that stand, rake the other off the fire, then you may slice it in what fashion you please.
_To make Almond Butter_.
Blanch one pound of _Almonds_, or more; or lesse, as you please, lay them four hours in cold water, then stamp them with some Rose water, as fine as you can, put them in a cloath, and presse out as much Milk as you can, then if you think they be not enough beat them, and straine them againe, till you get as much Milk of them, as you can, then set it on the fire, till they be ready to boyle, putting in a good quantity of Salt and Rose water, to turne it after one boyling, being turned, take it off, cast it abroad upon a linnen cloath, being holden between two, then with a spoon take off the Whey under the cloath, so long as any will drop or run, then take so much of the finest Sugar you can get, as will sweeten it, and melt it in as much Rose-water as will serve to dissolve it, put thereto so much _Saffron_ in fine powder, as will colour it, and so steeping the _Saffron_ and _Sugar_ in Rose-water, season your Butter therewith, when you make it up.
_To make Almond Cakes_.
Take of Jordan Almonds, one pound, beat them as you doe for Almond milk, draw them through a strainer, with the yolks of two or three Eggs, season it well with Sugar, and make it into a thick Batter, with fine flower, as you doe for Bisket bread, then powre it on small Trencher plates, and bake them in an Oven, or baking pan, and these are the best Almond Cakes.
_To make Paste of Almonds_.
Take one pound of small Almonds, blanch them out of hot water into cold, then dry them with a cloath, and beat them in a stone Morter, till they come to Past, putting now and then a spoonful of Rose water to them, to keep them from Oyling, when they are beaten to fine past, take halfe a pound of _Sugar_ finely beaten and searsed, put it to your past, and beat it till it will twist between your fingers and thumb, finely without knots, for then it is enough, then make thereof Pyes, Birds, Fruits, Flowers, or any pretty things, printed with Molds, and so gild them, and put them into your Stove, and use them at your pleasure.
_To make a Marchpine_.
Take a pound of small Almonds, blanch them, and beat them, as you doe your past of Almonds, then drive it into a sheet of past, and spread it on a botome of wafers, according to the proportion, or bignesse you please, then set an edge round about it, as you doe about a Tart, and pinch it if you will, then bake it in a pan, or Oven, when it is enough, take it forth, and Ice it with an Ice made of Rose-water and Sugar, as thick as batter, spread it on with a brush of bristles, or with feathers, and put it in the Oven againe, and when you see the Ice rise white and dry, take it forth, and stick long comfits in it, and set up a staddard in the middest of it, so gild it, and serve it.
_To make White-Broth with Almonds_.