Ingredients
- a pound of loaf-sugar
- a gill of juice to each pound of pumpkin
Directions
Cut slices from a fine high-coloured pumpkin, and cut the slices into chips about the thickness of a dollar. The chips should be of an equal size, six inches in length and an inch broad. Weigh them and allow to each pound of pumpkin chips, a pound of loaf-sugar. Have ready a sufficient number of fine lemons, pare off the yellow rind, and lay it aside. Cut the lemons in half, and squeeze the juice into a bowl. Allow a gill of juice to each pound of pumpkin.
Put the pumpkin into a broad pan laying the sugar among it. Pour the lemon-juice over it, Cover the pan, and let the pumpkin chips, sugar and lemon-juice, set all night.
Early in the morning put the whole into a preserving pan, and boil all together (skimming it well) till the pumpkin becomes clear and crisp, but not till it breaks. It should have the appearance of lemon-candy. You may if you choose, put some lemon-peel with it, cut in very small pieces.
Half an hour's boiling (or a little more) is generally sufficient.
When it is done, take out the pumpkin, spread it On a large dish, and strain the syrup through a bag. Put the pumpkin into your jars or glasses, pour the syrup over it, and tie it up with brandy paper.
If properly done, this is a very fine sweetmeat. The taste of the pumpkin will be lost in that of the lemon and sugar, and the syrup is particularly pleasant. It is eaten without cream, like preserved ginger. It may be laid on puff-paste shells, after they are baked.
PRESERVED PINE-APPLE,
Pare your pine-apples, and cut them in thick slices. Weigh the slices and to each pound allow a pound of loaf-sugar. Dissolve the sugar in a very small quantity of water, stir it, and set it over the fire in a preserving-kettle. Boil it ten minutes, skimming it well. Then put in it the pine-apple slices, and boil them till they are clear and soft, but not till they break. About half an hour (or perhaps less time) will suffice. Let them cool in a large dish or pan, before you put them into your jars, which you must do carefully, lest they break. Pour the syrup over them. Tie them up with brandy paper.