Watermelon-rind Pickle

Ingredients

• one pound of rind
• one ounce of alum
• nearly two pounds of loaf-sugar
• one pint of water
• a teaspoonful of pure extract of lemon
• two blades of mace

Method

1. 1

   Scrape young and tender rinds on both sides.

2. 2

   Boil with alum and water until yellow.

3. 3

   Soak in cold water, then boil again with weak vinegar and water.

4. 4

   Add sugar and water to cover.

5. 5

   When syrup is rich and clear, add flavoring with ginger or lemon juice and rind.

Nutrition per serving

Estimated from matched ingredients across 5 servings.

As published

This recipe was extracted from Virginia Cookery-book (1884) by Mary Stuart Smith, page 118. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

one pound of rind add one ounce of alum; let them boil together slowly, with water enough to cover them, until they become yellow ; then put them into a vessel of cold water, where they must remain a short while ; then put them on the fire again, with weak vinegar and water mixed sufiicient to cover them. After they become green pour them into cold water again, letting them stand ten or fif- teen minutes — the exact length of time is not important. To every pound of rind put nearly two pounds of loaf- sugar (some persons put one pound and a half) and one pint of water. If there is not water enough to cover with sirup and keep the rind from burning add more. When the sirup is rich and clear the sweetmeats will be beauti- fully green and transparent. For flavoring put in white ginger, with the strained juice of one lemon and its thinly- pared rind, to each pound of preserve ; or, if you prefer, use two blades of mace and a teaspoonful of pure extract of lemon instead. Canned Peaches. To one pound of peaches allow half a pound of sugar ; to six pounds of sugar add half a tumbler of water ; put in the kettle a layer of sugar and one of peaches until the whole of both are in. Wash about eight peach-leaves, tie them up and put into the kettle, remembering to take them 260 VmomiA COOKSBT-BOOK. out when you begin to fill ap the jars. Let the sugared fruit remain on the range, but away from the fire, until upon tipping the vessel to one side you can see some liquid ; then fill the jars^ taking them out of hot water, into which they were put when cold, remaining until it was made to boil around them. In this way you will find out if the glass has been properly annealed ; for we con- sider glass jars with stoppers screwing down upon india- rubber rings as the best for canning fruit in famiUes. They should be kept in a dark closet ; and although some- what more expensive than tin in the first instance, are much nicer, and keep for years with careful usage. Fruit must be of fine flavor, and ripcy though not sojty to make nice canned fruit. Stump the World, Honest Johns, and Mixens give greater satisfaction than any other varieties of which we know. The White Heath is not good for canning. Peaches should be thrown into cold water as they are peeled, to prevent a yellow crust. Apricots, greengage and egg plums are next in value to the peach as canning fruits. Bbandy Peachbs. Pare nice, firm, white peaches as thinly as possible. To a pound of fruit allow half a pound of white cut loaf-sugar for the formation of sirup. To six pounds of sugar add a pint and a half of water ; boil for ten min- utes, then measure. To each pint of sirup add one pint of white brandy ; do this while the liquid is boiling hot, or else it may jelly or candy. Cook the first separately, using one pound and a half of sugar to six pounds of fruit, or rather more, if the fruit is very high-flavored. Put only enough of the fruit in to cook at a time to cover the bottom of the kettle, with sirup enough for them to boil till so soft that a fork may penetrate them easily ; take VIROINIA COOKERT-BOOK.' 261 them out of the sirup with a perforated ladle and lay them upon a dish to drain. When all are done fill your jars full of the fruit, and pour on of the brandied liquid until they are entirely covered. The sirup from the peaches may be used for stewing fruit to be used at once. Some think it best to peel after weighing, and allow six peaches for the thin skins of six pounds. Two persons should be engaged, the one in peeling, the other in cooking, to pre- vent the fruit from looking dark. 252 VIRGINIA COOKERY-BOOK. CHAPTER XX. PICKLES, Prepared Vinegar. — Green Pickle, No. 1 (quickly made). — Green Fickle, No. 2 (quickly made). — Isabella's Cabbage Pickle.— Green Mangoes. — Cabbage Pickle. — Chopped Pickle. — Filling for Five Dozen Peach Mangoes. — Peach Mangoes. — Peach Mangoes (Another Way). — Pepper Mangoes. — Martinoes. — Cut-cucumber Pickle. — Ripe Tomato Pickle. — Green Tomato Pickle, No. 1. — Green Tomato Pickle, No. 2. — Onion Pickle. — Walnut Pickle. — Hiden Salad. — Chow-chow, Nos. 1, 2, and 3. — Pickled Mush- rooms. — Pickled Peppers. — Sweet Pickle. (So-called German.) — To Green Pickles. — To Stuff Forty Large Cucumbers. — Span- ish Pickle. — Watermelon - rind Pickle, No. 1. — Watermelon -rind Pickl

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.