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Pickled Cucumbers

A historical recipe from Housekeeping in Old Virginia, by Marion Cabell Tyree (1878).

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A historical recipe

Housekeeping in Old Virginia, by Marion Cabell Tyree (1878). Project Gutenberg eBook #42450.

From an old book: a historical recipe, not current advice. Its methods, additives and storage may be unsafe by today's standards. Its words name: preserving or pickling. Check current food-safety guidance before following this.

United States

Known as an American recipe, with similar versions prepared across other nations.

  • Preserving. Old preserving methods may not make food safe to keep. Use current tested guidance.

Ingredients 11 ingredients

  1. ½ gallon vinegar
  2. 3 pounds brown sugar
  3. 2 tablespoonfuls cloves
  4. 2 tablespoonfuls allspice
  5. 2 tablespoonfuls mustard
  6. 2 tablespoonfuls celery
  7. 1 tablespoonful white ginger
  8. 1 tablespoonful cinnamon
  9. 1 tablespoonful black pepper
  10. 2 pods green pepper
  11. 12 onions

Possible health benefits

General information, not medical advice.

  1. Celery High in vitamin K · Source of folate · Source of protein

    High in vitamin K · 29 µg per 100 g, 39% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Vitamin K contributes to normal blood clotting.
    • Vitamin K contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.

    Vitamin K is a nutrient that the body needs to stay healthy. It’s important for blood clotting and healthy bones and also has other functions in the body. NIH fact sheet

    Source of folate · 36 µg per 100 g, 18% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Folate contributes to maternal tissue growth during pregnancy.
    • Folate contributes to normal amino acid synthesis.
    • Folate contributes to normal blood formation.
    5 more authorised claims
    • Folate contributes to normal homocysteine metabolism.
    • Folate contributes to normal psychological function.
    • Folate contributes to the normal function of the immune system.
    • Folate contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
    • Folate has a role in the process of cell division.

    Folate is a B-vitamin that is naturally present in many foods. Your body needs folate to make DNA and other genetic material. NIH fact sheet

    Source of protein · 0.7 g per 100 g, 20% of the energy from protein

    • Protein contributes to a growth in muscle mass.
    • Protein contributes to the maintenance of muscle mass.
    • Protein contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.

    Nutrients per 100 g of “Celery, raw”, USDA FoodData Central.

Claims: EU Register of health claims (Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, © European Union, CC BY 4.0), shown only where the ingredient meets the claim's conditions (Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006). Nutrients: USDA FoodData Central (CC0). Facts: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (public domain).

Cook safely

Keep children and pets away from the hob and the oven, and keep oven gloves and a lid within reach.

  • Boiling water and steam. Turn pan handles inward, away from the edge of the hob. Lift lids away from you, and pour hot water away from your body: steam burns too.
  • Sharp knives. Cut on a board that doesn't slip (a damp cloth under it helps), and curl the fingers of the hand that holds the food.

Method

  1. ½ gallon vinegar.
  2. 3 pounds brown sugar.
  3. 2 tablespoonfuls cloves.
  4. 2 tablespoonfuls allspice.
  5. 2 tablespoonfuls mustard.
  6. 2 tablespoonfuls celery.
  7. 1 tablespoonful white ginger.
  8. 1 tablespoonful cinnamon.
  9. 1 tablespoonful black pepper.
  10. 2 pods green pepper.
  11. 4 lemons sliced.
  12. A little horseradish.
  13. 12 onions, and as many cucumbers as the vinegar will well cover.
  14. Boil all together until the cucumbers are tender, and they will be ready for use in a week or so.
  15. To green the fruit: line your brass kettle with grape-leaves, and then pour weak vinegar on the cucumbers, cover with leaves, and boil a little while.--Mrs.
  16. E.
  17. I.

Plating

Cookware for this recipe

  • Saucepan
  • Chef's knife
  • Cutting board
  • Kettle
Source Public domain in the USA
Credit

From Housekeeping in Old Virginia, by Marion Cabell Tyree (1878). Digitised by Project Gutenberg, eBook #42450 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/42450). Public domain in the USA; its status may differ elsewhere.

What was changed: As printed, from the book's text; Project Gutenberg's header and licence removed. Ingredient lines were read out of the text by a program. A historical recipe, not current advice.