Keep the rinds of cantelopes or watermelons in strong brine until you
wish to preserve them; then boil in fresh water until the salt is
removed. Soak or boil a short time in weak alum water, then boil
again in fresh water until there is no taste of alum left. Make a rich
syrup of two pounds of white sugar to each of rind✪ Cantaloupe Rind Preserves. When the syrup has
boiled until well clarified, drop the rind in, and boil an hour. Lemon
flavoring may be added and a few drops of citric acid to prevent sugar-
ing.
FIG PRESERVES.
Take weight of ripe figs in sugar, the peel of one lemon and juice of
two✪ Fig Preserves, to five or six pounds of figs. Let the figs soak in cold water twelve
hours, then simmer in water until tender, take them out and drain. To
each pound of sugar add a teacup of cold water ; boil and skim until
clear. Put in the figs and simmer ten minutes. Take out the figs and
spread them in the sun for a short time, while you add the juice and
peel of the lemons and a small teaspoonful of ginger to the syrup, and
boil until thick, then put in the fruit and boil fifteen minutes more.
Fill your jars about three-fourths with the fruit, and fill up with hot
syrup. Any kind of fruit is good, cooked until clear and tender in a
thick syrup, laid in the sun until dry, then packed in boxes dusted with
sugar, and a white paper between each layer.
Fig pickles are nice and may be made in the same way with much
less sugar, a little vinegar and spices.
GINGER PRESERVES.
Pare roots of green ginger and lay in cold water fifteen minutes ; boil
in three waters (changing hot for cold every time) until very tender ;
drain and lay in ice water. For the syrup allow one and a quarter
pounds of sugar for every pound of ginger, and a cup of water for
every pound of sugar✪ Ginger Preserves. Boil and skim until the scum ceases to rise.
When the syrup is cold, wipe the ginger dry and drop it in. Let it
stand twenty-four hours and then drain and reheat the syrup. Then,
when blood warm, put in the ginger and let it stand for two days.
Then reboil the syrup and pour it over the ginger scalding hot. In a
PRESER VES AND MARMALADES. 595
week drain off again ; boil and add again while hot to the ginger ; cover
closely. It can be used in about two weeks.
MOCK GINGER PRESERVES.
Cut into strips the thick rind of a watermelon, trim off the green and
cut out the inside until the rind is firm ; cover with water, into which
throw enough soda to make the water taste of it ; let it stand from
twelve to twenty-four hours ; take out, boil in clear water until a straw
will go easily through ; drain ; put into a syrup made of good brown
sugar✪ Mock Ginger Preserves, very strongly flavored with 'pounded ginger ; let boil slowly until
the syrup penetrates the rind. This is almost as good as ginger preserve.
A beautiful nice preserve may be made by cutting the rind into fancy
shapes, and substituting white sugar and lemons cut in thin rounds for
the ginger and brown sugar. Soda makes the rind more brittle than
alum or lime.
GRAPE PRESERVES. ✪ Grape Preserves
Page 492 · 5 recipe records on this page
Presented as published in 1886. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Keep the rinds of cantelopes or watermelons in strong brine until you wish to preserve them; then boil in fresh water until the salt is removed. Soak or boil a short time in weak alum water, then boil again in fresh water until there is no taste of alum left. Make a rich syrup of two pounds of white sugar to each of rind. When the syrup has boiled until well clarified, drop the rind in, and boil an hour. Lemon flavoring may be added and a few drops of citric acid to prevent sugaring.
FIG PRESERVES.
Take weight of ripe figs in sugar, the peel of one lemon and juice of two, to five or six pounds of figs. Let the figs soak in cold water twelve hours, then simmer in water until tender, take them out and drain. To each pound of sugar add a teacup of cold water ; boil and skim until clear. Put in the figs and simmer ten minutes. Take out the figs and spread them in the sun for a short time, while you add the juice and peel of the lemons and a small teaspoonful of ginger to the syrup, and boil until thick, then put in the fruit and boil fifteen minutes more. Fill your jars about three-fourths with the fruit, and fill up with hot syrup. Any kind of fruit is good, cooked until clear and tender in a thick syrup, laid in the sun until dry, then packed in boxes dusted with sugar, and a white paper between each layer.
Fig pickles are nice and may be made in the same way with much less sugar, a little vinegar and spices.
GINGER PRESERVES.
Pare roots of green ginger and lay in cold water fifteen minutes ; boil in three waters (changing hot for cold every time) until very tender ; drain and lay in ice water. For the syrup allow one and a quarter pounds of sugar for every pound of ginger, and a cup of water for every pound of sugar. Boil and skim until the scum ceases to rise. When the syrup is cold, wipe the ginger dry and drop it in. Let it stand twenty-four hours and then drain and reheat the syrup. Then, when blood warm, put in the ginger and let it stand for two days. Then reboil the syrup and pour it over the ginger scalding hot. In a
week drain off again ; boil and add again while hot to the ginger ; cover closely. It can be used in about two weeks.
MOCK GINGER PRESERVES.
Cut into strips the thick rind of a watermelon, trim off the green and cut out the inside until the rind is firm ; cover with water, into which throw enough soda to make the water taste of it ; let it stand from twelve to twenty-four hours ; take out, boil in clear water until a straw will go easily through ; drain ; put into a syrup made of good brown sugar, very strongly flavored with 'pounded ginger ; let boil slowly until the syrup penetrates the rind. This is almost as good as ginger preserve.
A beautiful nice preserve may be made by cutting the rind into fancy shapes, and substituting white sugar and lemons cut in thin rounds for the ginger and brown sugar. Soda makes the rind more brittle than alum or lime.
GRAPE PRESERVES.
Records on this page
Cantaloupe Rind PreservesFig PreservesGinger PreservesMock Ginger PreservesGrape Preserves