Hilda's "where is it?" of recipes

Cut the water melon peel in pieces ; cut ofif the outer green peel and all the soft inside, cutting away all the red part ; then cut into square pieces or shapes, prick well with a fork ; lay the pieces in an earthen basin in lime water — two spoonfuls of lime to four quarts of water. Put a plate on the top to keep it under water ; leave all night ; wash well in cold water next morning; put in some cold water ; let it boil till you can put a stick into it ; now drain. Having previously weighed the peel, take the same weight in sugar ; set it on the fire in a saucepan, a layer of peel and a layer of sugar, a few sticks of cinnamon, two or three cups of water ; close the lid of the stewpan ; let it simmer till the sugar is melted, then preserve gently (take the lid off if there is a good quantity of syrup). If the water melon was an " American Ice Cream," it will preserve in two or three hours, and be beautifully crisp and soft, almost melting in your mouth. Four or six cloves to be put into the preserve. PRESERVE (MELON). Made in the same way, only take green melons, while the water melon peel preserve should be from a ripe one. N P] PRESERVE (SEVILLE ORANGE— PEACHES). PRESERVE {SEVILLE OR BITTER ORANGE). (Mrs. Etheridge's Recipe.) Scrape the rind with a blunt knife or piece of glass. Cut four small incisions at the bottom ; put them in water for four days, changing the water daily. Boil the oranges until soft, putting them into boiling water. Squeeze them out well. Have- ready the syrup — for twelve pounds of fruit eighteen pounds of sugar. Let the oranges lie for a night in syrup before preserving. (Similar to recipe for " Naartje Comfyf') PRESERVE {PEACHES IN BRANDY), (Mrs. H. Cloete's Recipe.) Ingredients. ISO Peiches. 8 lb. Sugar. 3 bottles of White Spirits of Wine. The yellow or apricot peaches are generally used. Make a thin syrup of half the sugar (four pounds). Peel and prick the peaches ; boil fifty at a time in the syrup till nearly soft; of the remaining sugar make a very thick syrup. Take three cups of this and two cups of spirits of wine. Put the preserved peaches in glass jars; pour the mixture over and cork at once. Should a smaller quantity of peaches be made, the same syrup in which the peaches were boiled might be mixed with the spirits of wine, only boiled till very thick. PRESERVE {WHOLE PEACHES). (Mrs. Henry Cloete's old Cape Mode.) Take ripe " Clingstone " peaches, peel very thinly, prick well. Lay them in a large basin of water into which two spoonfuls of lime have been thrown (if you have no lime at hand, a handful of kitchen salt will do as well ; the effect is to harden the outside of the fruit.) Leave the peaches for an hour or two in this. Weigh the fruit before you put PRESERVE (QUINCES— TOMATO). [P ft in the lime-water ; for twelve pounds of fruit take ten pounds of sugar. Wash the peaches in clean water ; oil your preserving pan with olive oil. Put alternate layers of fruit and sugar, and pour about two or three cups of cold water over ; preserve with the lid on the pot for about an hour on rather a quick fire, then let it stew very gently till the syrup is thick and the fruit looks clear ; skim occasionally. Cork when cool. Wi/l keep well. Ordinary white crystallised sugar or light yellow gives a nice colour. PRESERVE {QUINCES). (Hilda's Recipe.)