Sweet pickles are prepared from every fruit that can be preserved. Spices are generally tied in a muslin bag and kept in the pickle jar, and the sirup is rich in order to preserve the pickle. Sour pickles should always be cooked in granite or agate-ware kettles, and if desired green, put on to cook in cold vinegar and brought gradually to the boiling point. Alum added to the pickles keeps them crisp.

Sweet Pickled Watermelon

4 cups vinegar 8 pounds sugar.

4 tablespoons cinnamon sticks 4 tablespoons cloves (whole) watermelon.

Cut skin from watermelon; cut rind into small pieces about two inches square; cover with water and cook until tender. Boil sugar and vinegar ten minutes; add spices tied in a bag, simmer until sirupy, about two hours; add melon and simmer one hour. Fill jars and seal.

Sweet Pickled Pears

6 pounds pears 3 pounds sugar.

2 cups vinegar.

4 tablespoons cloves (whole)

¼ cup mixed spices.

Wash pears, but do not pare. Stick the cloves into the pears. Make a sirup of sugar and vinegar; add spices, when boiling, add a few pears at a time and cook until tender. Fill jars and seal.

Sweet Pickled Cantaloupe

Prepare in the same way as Sweet Pickled Watermelon, substituting cantaloupe.

Sweet Cucumber Pickle

Soak the cucumbers in a brine for two weeks; drain, and slice lengthwise. Cook in a sirup made by cooking six pounds sugar and four quarts of vinegar; boil twenty minutes. Keep in tightly covered crock.

Pickled Cucumbers No. 1

100 small cucumbers 1 quart small peppers.

2 pints salt 8 quarts water.

Boil water and salt together; pour over cucumbers and peppers. Let stand over night; in the morning drain. Make a new brine, using same proportion; repeat this process twice, then drain and wash cucumbers and peppers in cold water. Place cucumbers and peppers in crock; cover with boiling vinegar.

Twelve whole cloves and twelve peppercorns may be tied in a bag and kept in the pickle jar.

Pickled Cucumbers No. 2

100 cucumbers sliced 30 small onions sliced salt olive oil vinegar mustard seed.

Arrange cucumbers and salt in layers and let stand over night. Arrange onions and salt in layers and let stand over night. In the morning drain; put a layer of cucumbers in an earthen crock, cover with olive oil and mustard, then a layer of onions, and so continue until all are used. Cover whole with cider vinegar; let stand covered closely for two months, when it is ready for use.

Pickled Cabbage

4 quarts chopped cabbage 1 cup chopped peppers.

2 cups chopped onion salt.

Arrange cabbage, onion, and peppers in layers in an earthen crock; cover each layer with salt. Let stand over night; in the morning drain; then arrange cabbage, onion, and peppers in layers, with cloves and mustard seeds. Cover with cider vinegar; let stand twenty-four hours.

Pickled Cabbage And Celery

2 quarts chopped cabbage.

1 cup sugar.

¼ cup celery seed.

2 quarts chopped celery.

¼ cup salt.

¼ cup mustard seed.

3 quarts vinegar.

Cook all ingredients until cabbage is tender. Keep in stone crock.