Ancient recipes.
 

I've been going through some of my old cook books and getting a real
kick out of some of the stuff I've read. I have posted a few snippets
over in rec.food.cooking, now here's something for RFP.
It's from "The Complete Practical Confectioner", Copywrited by J.
Thompson Gill in 1890.
The recipe for Apple Butter:
Take 9 gallons of cider; boil down to three gallons; add to the
boiling cider about 3 gallons of apples that have been pared and
quartered; boil rapidly for about 2 hours without ceasing, to prevent
the apples from sinking. By this time they are well reduced and will
begin to sink. Thus far no stirring has been done, but must be
commenced as soon as the apples begin to sink, or they will scorch;
sweeten and spice to taste; stir without ceasing until it is reduced
to a thick smooth pulp, which will take about half an hour. Apple
butter made in this way has been kept perfectly good over two years
without sealing, and is a better article than that made in the usual
way.
Peaches and other fruits may be treated in a similar manner.

I don't think I'll bother.

Ross.

Ancient recipes.
 

On 7/26/2010 3:20 PM, Ross@home wrote:
> I've been going through some of my old cook books and getting a real
> kick out of some of the stuff I've read. I have posted a few snippets
> over in rec.food.cooking, now here's something for RFP.
> It's from "The Complete Practical Confectioner", Copywrited by J.
> Thompson Gill in 1890.
> The recipe for Apple Butter:
> Take 9 gallons of cider; boil down to three gallons; add to the
> boiling cider about 3 gallons of apples that have been pared and
> quartered; boil rapidly for about 2 hours without ceasing, to prevent
> the apples from sinking. By this time they are well reduced and will
> begin to sink. Thus far no stirring has been done, but must be
> commenced as soon as the apples begin to sink, or they will scorch;
> sweeten and spice to taste; stir without ceasing until it is reduced
> to a thick smooth pulp, which will take about half an hour. Apple
> butter made in this way has been kept perfectly good over two years
> without sealing, and is a better article than that made in the usual
> way.
> Peaches and other fruits may be treated in a similar manner.
>
> I don't think I'll bother.
>
> Ross.

Wow! That's really tough to do all that. I will stick with my food mill
and quartered, lightly cooked fruit. The good thing about the good old
days is that they are old days, I'm more in favor of modern days myself.

Ancient recipes.
 

<Ross@home> wrote in message
...
> I've been going through some of my old cook books and getting a real
> kick out of some of the stuff I've read. I have posted a few snippets
> over in rec.food.cooking, now here's something for RFP.
> It's from "The Complete Practical Confectioner", Copywrited by J.
> Thompson Gill in 1890.
> The recipe for Apple Butter:
> Take 9 gallons of cider; boil down to three gallons; add to the
> boiling cider about 3 gallons of apples that have been pared and
> quartered; boil rapidly for about 2 hours without ceasing, to prevent
> the apples from sinking. By this time they are well reduced and will
> begin to sink. Thus far no stirring has been done, but must be
> commenced as soon as the apples begin to sink, or they will scorch;
> sweeten and spice to taste; stir without ceasing until it is reduced
> to a thick smooth pulp, which will take about half an hour. Apple
> butter made in this way has been kept perfectly good over two years
> without sealing, and is a better article than that made in the usual
> way.
> Peaches and other fruits may be treated in a similar manner.
>
> I don't think I'll bother.


They left out the part about "gather the clan about, break out the fiddles,
banjos, and musical saws, and have a good old time." That might be worth
bothering with.

Ancient recipes.
 

Ross@home wrote:
> I've been going through some of my old cook books and getting a real
> kick out of some of the stuff I've read. I have posted a few snippets
> over in rec.food.cooking, now here's something for RFP.
> It's from "The Complete Practical Confectioner", Copywrited by J.
> Thompson Gill in 1890.
> The recipe for Apple Butter:
> Take 9 gallons of cider; boil down to three gallons; add to the
> boiling cider about 3 gallons of apples that have been pared and
> quartered; boil rapidly for about 2 hours without ceasing, to prevent
> the apples from sinking. By this time they are well reduced and will
> begin to sink. Thus far no stirring has been done, but must be
> commenced as soon as the apples begin to sink, or they will scorch;
> sweeten and spice to taste; stir without ceasing until it is reduced
> to a thick smooth pulp, which will take about half an hour. Apple
> butter made in this way has been kept perfectly good over two years
> without sealing, and is a better article than that made in the usual
> way.
> Peaches and other fruits may be treated in a similar manner.
>
> I don't think I'll bother.
>
> Ross.


Sounds about like making ketchup. You start with a bushel of fresh
garden-ripe tomatoes, add vinegar and a bunch of expensive sugar and
spices, then hours later (after messing up *everything* in the
kitchen) you eventually end up with 2 1/2 pints of ketchup that is
almost as good as the stuff you buy at the store for 88¢ per quart.
:-) And theirs has a better color.

Every gardener should do this once.

Bob

Ancient recipes.
 

On Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:40:52 -0500, zxcvbob >
wrote:

>Ross@home wrote:
>> I've been going through some of my old cook books and getting a real
>> kick out of some of the stuff I've read. I have posted a few snippets
>> over in rec.food.cooking, now here's something for RFP.
>> It's from "The Complete Practical Confectioner", Copywrited by J.
>> Thompson Gill in 1890.
>> The recipe for Apple Butter:
>> Take 9 gallons of cider; boil down to three gallons; add to the
>> boiling cider about 3 gallons of apples that have been pared and
>> quartered; boil rapidly for about 2 hours without ceasing, to prevent
>> the apples from sinking. By this time they are well reduced and will
>> begin to sink. Thus far no stirring has been done, but must be
>> commenced as soon as the apples begin to sink, or they will scorch;
>> sweeten and spice to taste; stir without ceasing until it is reduced
>> to a thick smooth pulp, which will take about half an hour. Apple
>> butter made in this way has been kept perfectly good over two years
>> without sealing, and is a better article than that made in the usual
>> way.
>> Peaches and other fruits may be treated in a similar manner.
>>
>> I don't think I'll bother.
>>
>> Ross.
>
>
>Sounds about like making ketchup. You start with a bushel of fresh
>garden-ripe tomatoes, add vinegar and a bunch of expensive sugar and
>spices, then hours later (after messing up *everything* in the
>kitchen) you eventually end up with 2 1/2 pints of ketchup that is
>almost as good as the stuff you buy at the store for 88¢ per quart.
>:-) And theirs has a better color.
>
>Every gardener should do this once.

And only once! For us it was about 15 + years ago. Took hours and, as
you said, disappointing colour plus it wasn't the greatest tasting
stuff we'd ever made. The one saving grace was one grandson (about 8
YO at the time) said it was the best ketchup he ever tasted. It was
the only stuff he would eat until it was gone.

Ross.

Ancient recipes. - One specific
 

In article >, ost
says...
Related item.
I was looking for an English Pickled Onion recipe.
Came across several one was different in the fact it suggested a soak in
Sugar water rather than brine prior to the "canning". I use canning in
quotation because all the recipe's I have seen just add vinegar & spices
to the cold onions and close them up.
I realise that ph will prevent most "nasties" from growing and the non
application of heat will ensure the "crunch" factor.
I know I should actually try the two branches of the recipe but I was
wondering on what others had already tried.
Thank you

Ancient recipes.
 

On Jul 28, 12:01*am, Sqwertz > wrote:
> On Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:20:36 -0400, Ross@home wrote:
> > * *Take 9 gallons of cider; boil down to three gallons; add to the
> > boiling cider about 3 gallons of apples that have been pared and
> > quartered; boil rapidly for about 2 hours without ceasing,....
> ...
> > I don't think I'll bother.
>
> Boiling that much vinegar you'd probably need a gas mask.
>
> We've all stuck our head over boiling liquids that contain vinegar
> and take a whiff, right? *Anytime I do pickled beets or eggs I
> just *have* to do this. *I know what's going to happen, but it's
> just this demented compulsion I have.
>
> -sw

Well, it didn't call for cider vinegar, it called for fresh cider.
they're using the apple cider to provide the sugar.