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84 DOMESTIC COOKERY AND

strong salt and water, with cabbage leaves over and
around them, and set them in a warm place till they become
yellow, then wash them, and put them in a kettle,
with alum and water, and grape or cabbage leaves over
and through them; set them on the fire and keep it at
scalding heat for two hours, but do not let them boil.
If they are not of a fine green color, change the water
and leaves; when they are green enough, put them in
cold soft water for three days, changing the water twice
a day; then make a syrup of rather more than a pound
of sugar, to a pound of melon, some sliced ginger, the
peel of a lemon, and a little mace; let them boil slowly
fifteen minutes, take them up, and boil them again at
the end of a week.

Cantelopes, Cucumbers, or Melons.

Take young water-melons, cucumbers and cantelopes,
scrape the melons and cut the rinds in shapes, leave the
cucumbers whole, put them in a preserving kettle with
alum and water, cover them and let them boil till they
are transparent, take them out, wash them in cold water,
and wipe each piece separately; have your kettle nicely
cleaned, and give them rather more than their weight
in sugar; put a layer of sugar, and a layer of melon, some
slices of green ginger, and the rind and juice of a lemon;
let them stew over the fire till the syrup is rich, take
them up and stew them over again in about a week.

Green Peppers.

Get peppers that have a sweet taste and are not pungent,
take out the seeds, leaving on the stems, lay them
in salt and water for three days, changing the water
each day, then put them in a kettle with leaves around
them, and a small piece of alum; let them scald, but not
boil for two hours, take them out, and let them lay in
water three days; changing it twice each day, then boil
them in sugar and water fifteen minutes, then make a
syrup, allowing them their weight in sugar; boil them
gently half an hour, take them out and boil the syrup
longer.