Recipe Manuscript

To Pickle Cucumbers, Miss Halls Way

Name: To Pickle Cucumbers, Miss Halls Way
Prep time: PTPT15M
Cook time: PTPT10M
Yield: 6
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 500g small pickling cucumbers (gherkins or cornichons); 100g salt (for 1L water); 1L water; 750ml distilled white vinegar (or white wine vinegar or gooseberry vinegar, if available); Optional: cling film or jar lids (historically, animal bladders were used for sealing)

1720

From the treasured pages of Cookbook of 1720

Unknown Author

Culinary Enlightenment (1700 - 1800)European Intermediate Snack Other

Original Recipe • 1720

Original Manuscript(circa Culinary Enlightenment, 1700 - 1800)

As inscribed by the original author's hand, transcribed with care by Lost Kitchen Scrolls

To Pickle Cucumbers, Miss Halls Way

"Take the small rough cucumbers, rub them with a coars cloth, make a strong brine of salt or water, boil and scum it, then pour it upon the cucumbers & cover them close, let them stand one hour, then drain them well from the brine, and take some good destill'd vinegar put them in & give them one boil up, pour them into a stean & cover them, when cold put them into pickle pots & cover them with bladders, keep them close NB wine, or goosberry vinegar will do without destilling"

Note on the Original Text

The recipe is written in the practical, flexible style typical of 18th-century household manuscripts. Measurements are imprecise, trusting the cook's intuition and experience, while instructions focus on the sequence of processes rather than precise timing or temperatures. Spelling and capitalization are irregular but intelligible—'scum' for 'skim,' 'stean' likely for 'stewpan' or 'colander,' and 'bladders' to seal the pots, a practice now obsolete. The reference to 'wine, or goosberry vinegar will do without destilling' is advice for flexibility, enabling the preservation of cucumbers using naturally-fermented or homemade vinegars in place of commercially-distilled ones.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Cookbook of 1720 - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Cookbook of 1720 (1720)

You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome

Writer

Unknown

Era

1720

Publisher

Unknown

Background

Step back to the early 18th century and discover a delightful treasury of recipes and culinary secrets, where traditional flavors meet timeless technique—a feast for curious cooks and history lovers alike.

Kindly made available by

Folger Shakespeare Library

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This pickling recipe hails from early 18th-century England, around 1720—a time when preserving vegetables was a vital skill due to lack of refrigeration. The method reflects a period where both salt-based brining and the growing popularity of vinegar were employed to extend the shelf life of seasonal produce. The recipe's connection with a 'Miss Hall' indicates the domestic, often female-driven, culinary tradition of manuscript cookbooks, where households curated their own collections of tried-and-true recipes. Interestingly, the mention of gooseberry vinegar and wine vinegar as alternatives hints at the inventive spirit in the kitchen—making do with what was at hand.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

Historically, the essential tools included a coarse linen cloth for cleaning cucumbers, a large iron or earthenware pot for boiling the brine, and wooden or stoneware pickle pots for storage. Tightly stretched animal bladders were employed as air barriers to seal jars, as glass and screw-top lids were not yet common. The boiling and scumming required a ladle or spoon, likely made from wood or pewter.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Servings

We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!

Ingredients

1 lb small pickling cucumbers (gherkins or cornichons)
3.5 oz salt (for 1 qt water)
1 qt water
3 cups distilled white vinegar (or white wine vinegar or gooseberry vinegar, if available)
Optional: cling film or jar lids (historically, animal bladders were used for sealing)

Instructions

Begin with small, bumpy pickling cucumbers (cornichon or gherkin type is ideal).
Gently rub off any dirt using a coarse clean cloth.
Prepare a strong brine by dissolving about 3.5 ounces of salt per quart of water.
Bring the brine to a boil and skim off any foam that rises to the surface.
Pour the hot brine over the cucumbers, cover, and let them sit for one hour.
After an hour, drain the cucumbers and discard the brine.
In a large pot, bring enough good-quality distilled white vinegar to a boil—enough to cover your cucumbers.
Add the cucumbers and bring them just quickly to a boil once more.
Transfer everything into a clean colander or bowl, cover, and let cool.
Upon cooling, move the cucumbers to sterilized jars or pots, pour over enough vinegar to fully submerge, and seal well (cling film or a tight jar lid works instead of a bladder).
Store in a cool, dark place.

Estimated Calories

15 per serving

Cooking Estimates

Preparing the cucumbers, making the brine, and boiling the vinegar take most of the time. You only need a few minutes for each step, but resting and cooling add extra time. This doesn't require a lot of active cooking.

As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.

We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.