Historic recipes – PICCALILLI

    I am an avid recipe collector and I love to read recipes and recipe books.  Searching the “recipe web” (pun) one day I happened across Feeding America (The Historic American Cookbook Project) 
http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/index.html      This site has over 50 cookbooks for people to read.  Each cookbook has a regular text page or a PDF to download.  As a recipe nut I love to read how people used to cook and compare to today’s cooking practices.  Of course there is the true orginality to a recipe that intriques me; meaning ‘this is how they used to make it’.
    Last night I looked through a few of the historic cookbooks and copied some of the canning recipes. 

Today I’ll post one and tomorrow I’ll make a long post with more of the canning recipes.

This recipe is from JENNIE JUNE’S AMERICAN COOKERY BOOK
BY MRS. J. C. CROLY, (JENNIE JUNE.)   1866

PICCALILLI
Use all kinds of vegetables that may be pickled. Slice cabbages, and pull cauliflowers in bunches, put them on earthen dishes, sprinkled over with salt, and let them stand three days to dry. Sliced cucumbers, green tomatoes, gherkins, radish pods, onions, beans, nasturtiums and anything you like that may be pickled, put it into salt and water one day. The next day dry them; take a few at a time and scald in brown vinegar, and when all are scalded, set the vinegar away. To four quarts of brown vinegar, put a quarter of a pound of ginger, two ounces of allspice, quarter of a pound of shallots, two ounces of tumeric, and boil slowly half an hour. Take some boiling vinegar, and mix eight ounces of flour of mustard and pour it into the vinegar and spices; it must not boil after the mustard is put in. Put the prepared vegetables and spices in a large jar, scatter some brown mustard seed among the mixture, and stir it up well in the jar. If at any time it should become too dry, add cold boiled vinegar; for the vegetable must be kept covered with vinegar mixture. Cover the jar air tight and set in a cool place.

Advertisement

Sharing Relish Recipes

Green Tomato Relish posted on last years Blog.  Find the recipe at
http://arkansasfarmerette.wordpress.com/2011/10/29/green-tomato-relish/

I love making relishes and green tomato pickles.  Here’s a few tips I’ve learned along the way.
1. When the recipe calls for “sprinkling the vegetables with salt, let sit overnight,and drain & squeeze out the water”;  just put them in a large colander or colanders over a pan(s).  Let drain this way and you won’t have any squeezing to do the next day.
2.  I used to tie my spices in an old tea towel, but I lucked upon a large mesh tea ball at a Whole Foods store.  If you can’t find one, cheese cloth works well.  

I am a cookbook collector, of sorts.  I recently picked up some recipe pamphlets at a local resale shop. 
I thought I would share some of the recipes in them with all of you just to whet your appetite for canning.
The following recipes are from Circular 458 (REV) Pickles and Relishes, Agricultural Extension Service, University of Arkansas, May 1962

Pepper Relish
1 pt. sweet red peppers, chopped
1 pt. sweet green peppers, chopped
1 pt. onions, chopped
1 pt. vinegar
1 Tbsp. canning salt
1 c. sugar
2 tsp. crushed celery seed
2 tsp. mustard seed
(If desired the green peppers can be omitted and 1 qt. of red peppers used.)
Cover onions and pepper with water.  Bring the water to a boil, then remove from the heat.  Let onions and peppers stand in the water 10 minutes before draining.  Mix sugar, vinegar, and spices.  Bring to a boil, then add onions and peppers.  Cook slowly for 15 minutes.  Then pack in hot jars, seal and store.

Piccalilli
2 qts green tomatoes, chopped
3 c. green sweet peppers, chopped
1 c. cucumbers, chopped
1/2 c. onions, chopped
1 qt. vinegar
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. canning salt
2 Tbsp. pickling spice (tied in a cloth)

Combine the chopped vegetables and mix with the salt.  Let this mixture stand overnight.  Next morning, drain and press out all the liquid possible.  Mix sugar, vinegar, and spices (tied in a cloth).
Bring to a boil, then add the vegetables.  Simmer slowly about 30 minutes, or until thick.  Pack into hot jars, seal and store.

Corn Relish
2 qts. cut corm (12 to 15 ears)
1 at. chopped cabbage
1 c. green sweet pepper, chopped
1 c. red sweet pepper, chopped
1 c. onions, chopped
1 c. sugar
1 qt. vinegar
2 Tbsp. ground dry mustard
1 Tbsp. celery seed
1 Tbsp. canning salt

Boil the ears of corn in water for 3 minutes to “set the milk.”  Then cool them and cut the corn from the cob.  Mix pepper, onion, and cabbage with the corn.  Add vinegar, sugar, and spices to the mixture.
Cook about 20 minutes, or until tender.  Pack into hot jars, seal and store.

Chow Chow
1 qt. cabbage,, chopped
1 qt. cucumbers, chopped
1 qt. green tomatoes, chopped
1/2 c. green peppers, chopped
1 1/2 qts. vinegar
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 Tbsp. celery seed
1 Tbsp. mustard seed
1 Tbsp. allspice
1/2 c. canning salt

Mix vegetables and salt, then let stand overnight. Next morning drain and press out all liquid.  Combine vinegar, sugar, and spices.  Simmer 10 minutes.  Add vegetables and cook until hot and well seasoned.  Pack into hot jars, seal and store.

Chili Sauce
   For a good red color in this product, observe these four points:
1. Use ripe red tomatoes.
2. Cook rapidly in a large open pan.
3. Use whole spices instead of powdered ones.
4. Add sugar and vinegar near the end of the cooking time.
Ingredients
1 gallon chopped ripe tomatoes, peeled
2 c. chopped onion
2 c. chopped sweet red peppers
3 Tbsp. canning salt
1 c. brown sugar
3 c. vinegar
1 red hot pepper (if desired)
1 tsp. whole cloves
1 tsp. allspice
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 med. clove (section) of garlic

Combine chopped vegetables.  Tie spices in a bag and add to vegetables.  Cook vegetables rapidly, stirring often to keep from sticking.  When the vegetables have cooked down to about half the amount you started with, add the sugar, vinegar, and salt.  Boil rapidly for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Pour into hot jars, seal, and store.
NOTE: The vinegar, sugar and salt can be heated separately and added while hot to the vegetables.  In this way, the mixture is not cooled down too much.