The new Annie Dennis cook book

The water will have to be changed if much alum has been used, as it must be well out of the rind before preserving. When fresh, drain well, pack in white sugar, using one pound of sugar to each pound of rind. Let it remain in sugar twelve hours, then boil until the rind is clear. If the syrup is too thick add a little water ; flavor with anything desired. If ginger is preferred, make a strong tea, strain and boil the rind in it before packing in the sugar. To Pickle Watermelons Cut the rinds in small pieces, peel, take out the meat and pack in brine until ready for use. Take from the brine and soak in clear water until fresh, then boil in weak alum water until perfectly firm, then boil in fresh water until the alum is out and the rinds are clear. Drain them well and place in jars. Make a pickle of one quart of good apple vinegar, half ounce of whole cloves, the same of mace and two pounds of sugar; boil five minutes, pour over the rind and seal. This is for a half gallon of rind. Green cantaloupes and pumpkins may be pickled in the same way. Sour pickles may be made by using the vinegar cold and not using any sugar. CANTALOUPES To Preserve Cantaloupes or Musk Melon Gather the melons nearly grown, but perfectly green; slice them, take out the seed and peel. Drop them in weak lime or alum water for twelve hours, or until perfectly firm. Then soak in clear water until fresh. Boil until clear in ginger tea, using the white ginger. Then pack in white sugar and let them remain until the sugar dissolves. Boil until transparent and the syrup is thick. Put in jars and seal. To Crystallize Cantaloupes Take young cantaloupes, after the seed are well formed. Slice, peel, and take out the inside. Put them in weak brine, or lime water, for twenty-four hours; then soak them until fresh, in cold water. If salt water is used instead of lime water, the rinds will have to be soaked in weak alum water until brittle. Soak them in cold water until the alum is out of the rinds. Have ready a tea made of white ginger, or whatever spice flavor is preferred; boil the rind in this until it is tender ; take it out of the tea, and drain on a cloth for a few minutes; then pack it in sugar, using threequarters of a pound of sugar to each pound of rind. Let it stand well covered until the sugar is dissolved, then boil until the syrup is thick. Put in jars, and in a day or two, boil it again. If, at the last boiling, the syrup will not cover the rinds, boil half of the cantaloupe for half an hour ; then spread on dishes and set in the sun ; and boil the other rind in the same way. In a few days make a fresh syrup, just enough to boil a few of the rinds at a time; as these are taken out, spread on dishes and set in the sun, place the other rinds in the sj'-rup to boil, then in the sun to dry. Proceed in this way until all the rinds have been through the syrup. Dry them thoroughly in the sun, then pack, with oiled paper between each layer. This is nice to use in fruit cake in place of citron. Pumpkin Chips