Hilda's diary of a Cape housekeeper

. . . Throughout Italy, Sicily, and Sardinia, various kinds of sweets and confectionery are eaten on All Souls Day, November 2. One curious mixture, made in Sardinia, consists of almonds, nuts, and walnuts, bruised and mixed with sugar and grape-juice, forming a kind of stiff paste, which suggests our northern parkin. A strange practice connected with these Italian sweetmeats on November 2 is that the folk who eat them on that night are accustomed ^ to leave a dish of them on the table when they go to bed, for the delectation of the ghosts of the departed, who, on the.night of All Souls, will be abroad and will revisit their old haunts. There can be no doubt . . . that the parkin, and the “ saumas ” loaves, and the soul-cakes, still eaten or given to children, are simply survivals of the ancient belief, although no maker nor eater of parkin now-a-days ever thinks of any connection between the cake and the souls of the dead. — Globe, November 2, 1901. • V. ■' *- ^ December December 3.— Fruit— The Cape Midsummer Day is in December, so we shall not be surprised that we can eat strawberries out of doors on Christmas Day ; we also still have loquats — a delicious fruit — and we shall have blackberries late in December, and some of our eariy peas. December 9. — Apricots. — In December apricots come in, and about Christmas-time they are plentiful, being brought from the country districts and sold at is. 6d. per hundred. So it is wise to get a good supply of apricot jam and mebos made. Green apricots also make a delicious preserve (for recipes, see Hilda's Where is it, pp. 4, 140, pp. 373-4).December 12.— Rice Cream and Apricots.— This recipe is specially marked “very good,” and would be a nice suppei dish, or whenever a cold sweet is wanted. Wash, dry, and pound ½ lb. rice. Boil it in a pint of new milk, with a little isinglass, lemon-peel, and sugar. When nearly cold mix with it half a pint of thick cream whipped. Pour it into a ring mould to set. Before serving put in the centre and round the cream some apricots in syrup, or black currant or damson juice would be excellent. Green Fig Preserve. — But of all our Cape preserves I think green fig is the best. The green figs are ripe in November and December. This is how we make the pre- Dec. GREEN PIG PRESERVE. GINGER-BEER serve (from Mrs. Cloete’s, of Alphen, recipe). Take, say lOO green figs, which should weigh about 4 lbs. — if you can get the “white fig” it needs no peeling or scraping. Lay them for a night in a basin, sprinkle a handful of salt on the figs and cover them with cold water, keeping a plate ovei the figs to prevent them from drifting. The next day throw away the water and boil the figs in clean boiling ivater (letting the water boil before you put in the figs). When the figs are soft enough to be pierced with a reed, take them out and throw them into very cold water for a minute, and let it drain through the colander.