Hilda's diary of a Cape housekeeper

Cowslip Wine. — Does not “Cowslip Wine” remind one of old-fashioned days, and sweet, homely recipes ? And those who have seen the fields full of cowslips in England in the spring, and the children making the lovely sweetscented yellow “ cowslip balls,” will be specially interested in a quaint old recipe belonging to Miss Elliott, Holyhead, which is marked, “ March y" 29th, 1750.” It is called “ A Receipt to Make Cowslipt Wine, by Miss Wooliston,” and I have carefully copied the peculiar phonetical spelling, and the many abbreviations, in which it is written. “ Cowslipt,” you see, and that name, I think, is more likely to be the original meaning, for I suppose the cattle did not eat them ? “ Take a gallon of Watter, four p^* of Shug’r, two quarts of Cowslipts. Cut y*" tops of (off), only for your use be sure you don’t slip ’em. Dry ’em well in the sun to Boyll ’em all together for three quarter of an hour, sciming CUCUMBER PICKLE Feb, (skimming) ’em weil the whille, then take ’em of (off) the fire, w" quite cold (when quite cold), put a spoonfull of Barne to it with two Lemmons sliced Rine and all. Let It work for a week stirring it well once a day, then barrel it up close for a month, to Bottle it off putting in 3 or 4 cioves and 3 or 4 Lumps of Shug’r in each Bottle w* 3 or 4 Bits of Lemon pill (peel) in.” The liberal expenditure of capital letters is delightful. No doubt this excellent “Cowslipt Wine” was greatly appreciated by Miss Wooliston’s friends. Cucumber Pickle. — But though we have no English cowslipts at the Cape, we have cucumbers, so this recipe from the same source we can all try, for which the same clever hands that made such good pickles and homemade wines a century and a half ago have written the recipe in the same quaint English. The date is probably the same a hundred and fifty years ago. “ Take your largest Cowcumbers and cut them through in tow (the ‘o’ and the ‘w’ have changed places for fun !), then take out all the meat and seeds and make them very clean with a cloath, then fill them up with mustard seed grosly pund (coarsely pounded), ading tow cloves of garlick and 2 or 3 cloves and a little peper grosly pund ; then ty them about very hard with a thrid j then make very strong pickle as you doe for other Cowcumbers with dill and spice, boyle it well and pouer it scalding hott upon them and close them well. You must give the pickle a boyling every day and soe pouer it very hott upon them, you must doe this for a fortnight, and as the pickle consumes you must add some more to it, let it be as strong as an ege may swim on it. Then close it up well and keep it for your use.” Feb. WATER-MELON PRESERVES There are no instructions as to what is to be done with the “ thrid ” eventually. February 4. — Water-melon jam should be made now (see Hilda, p. 118), and I have also a recipe for ice-cream water-melon preserve, as follows — “ Ice-cream Water-melon ” Rind Preserve. — Take the rind and scoop away most of the red part, but leave a little of this red part on, peel away thinly the hard green outer part, then cut the rind into squares or any fancy shapes. Lay the squares in a bowl and cover with water, into which a small spoonful of lime and a little salt has been stirred, leaving them in it 12 or 14 hours. Then wash them clean and drain.