Different Preserves

Have you ever heard of Celery Preserves? I hadn't and that's what caught my attention for this post. Below are some recipes for some not so common preserves. Granted they may be more common in your neck of the woods or in your experience over mine. We all come to writing with our own unique backgrounds.

CELERY PRESERVE—Cut the blanched part of the celery in pieces, and boil it in water with a large quantity of ginger until it is quite tender, then throw it into cold water and allow it to remain for an hour. Put it over a slow fire in good syrup, with some pieces of ginger, and let it remain simmering for an hour. Cool it again, and in the meantime thicken the syrup by further evaporation. Put the celery in again, and repeat the same process. After a third simmering in this way, taking care to keep the syrup thick, put the celery into pots, and cover with a syrup.

Watermelon Rinds (Yes, I've heard of these.)
To Preserve Watermelon Rinds.—Do not cut your rinds too thin ; pare off the outside green rind; soak them two days in clean soft water, and then drain them. Take six pounds of sugar and three pints of water, boil to a thick syrup; then add your watermelon rinds; boil until they are clear; flavor with orange flower water; cool, and put away in jars for use. ,

HEDGE PEARS.—Take four pounds of sugar and two pounds of water, boil to a middling thick syrup. Pare six pounds of good ripe hedge pears, and leave them whole. Boil these in your syrup until done; cool, flavor with orange flower water, and put away in jars for use.

These I have made, not these recipes but this kind of jam.
Rhubarb Jam.—Cut into pieces about an inch long (not peeled), put three-quarters of a pound of powdered lump sugar to every pound of rhubarb, and leave till morning; pour the syrup from it and boil till it thickens, then add the rhubarb and boil gently a quarter of an hour; tie down with tissuepaper dipped in white of egg. It will keep good for a year, and is excellent.

Rhubarb Preserve.—To every six pounds of rhubarb add six pounds of sugar and a quarter of a pound of bruised ginger; the rhubarb to be cut into pieces two inches long and put into a stone jar, with the sugar in layers, till the sugar is dissolved ; take the juice or syrup and boil it with the ginger for half an hour, then add the rhubarb and boil another half hour.

QUINCE JELLY. — Take some sound, yellow quinces, which are not over ripe; peel them, cut them in quarters, and boil them in as much water as will cover them. When they have been well boiled, squeeze them through a linen cloth, clarify the juice in a filtering-bag, weigh it, and put it with three-quarters of its weight of sugar in a brass kettle. Do not forget to put in a piece of cinnamon. Cook the whole together until it has become a jelly. Take it from the fire, and tie up in pots when it is cold.

CRAB APPLE Jam — Pare the crab apples when quite ripe, put them into a stone jar, cover it well, and put it in a pan of ‘boiling water for an hour and a half. Then prepare the syrup with two pounds of sugar in half a pint of water for every pound of the apples. Clarify the syrup. Then put the apples into it and boil the whole to a jam.
Source: The Godey's Lady's Book Receipts and Household Hints ©1870