Historic Recipes - Piccalilli Relish
I love historic recipes and when my mom gave me an old Iowa Farm Bureau Cookbook, published in the 1920’s, I was in heaven. Since I now have the cookbook my own mother and grandmother used to make many of our family dishes, my dad asked me to find a piccalilli recipe for him.
There was one very funny story involving piccalilli relish in a book I was just reading, All Things Bright and Beautiful by James Herriot about a British country vet, set in the 1930’s. Many on the farms in England, and here in the US on country farms, loved piccalilli relish.
Here are two piccalillli relish recipes from my historic Iowa Farm Bureau cookbook. Some directions in historic recipe books seem very vague to us these days, but most farm wives back then already knew all the basics and took the directions for granted.
Ingredients for Piccalilli Relish
1 package green tomatoes
6 medium onions
1 medium head cabbage
1 1/4 c salt
6 green peppers
1 red pepper
2 cups sugar
1 tsp cloves, cinnamon and mixed spices
Directions
Put vegetables through a food chopper, then add salt. Let misture stand over night and then drain off liquid.
Add vinegar and spices and cook “gently” for one-half hour.
Put into sterilized jars and seal while hot.
Recipe 2 for Piccalilli Relish
This version will be spicier and makes more than recipe one.
Ingredients
1 package green tomatoes
8 large onions
1 cup salt
2 quarts water
1 quart vinegar
2 cups sugar
2 quarts vinegar
1 tablespoon white mustard seed
2 tbs ginger
1-2 tbs cayenne pepper
2 tbs cinnamon
1 tbs cloves and allspice
Directions
Chop fine tomatoes and onions, stir in salt and let it stand over night.
In the morning, drain off liquid.
Boil 2 qts water and 1 qt vinegar with tomatoes for 20 minutes.
Drain, put in kettle.
Put spices into cheesecloth and form a bag. Add this to the kettle, along with 2 quarts vinegar. Boil these together for another 20 minutes.
Add sugar if more sweetness is desired.
Makes 7 pints.
to a salad of mixed greens.
