Watermelon Manna

James Peale -  c1820

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Watermelon Vinegar  from American Agriculturist - 1873
—By Mrs. F. E. R.—Perhaps it is not generally known that a very fine white vinegar can be made from the Juice of watermelons. We had a very great quantity of melons last season, and, after we had cut out their crimson cores for eating, scraped the shells, from which we gained a large amount of juice. This we carefully strained, and put into jugs with small glass bottles in their mouths. We set the jugs out into the sun, and in time had a fine-flavored, clear, strong, white vinegar. The vinegar at a certain stage will be very bitter, but, when perfected, loses this and acquires a true vinegar taste.

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Recipes   from American Agriculturist -1879

"Mrs. E. M. 8." sends us the following recipes, which she says she has used for a long time, and I they have always given satisfactory results:

Sweet Pickles of Watermelon

• Peeled Water Melon Rind, 7 lbs.
• White Sugar, 2 lbs.
• Vinegar, 1 pint
• whole Cloves, 1 tablespoonful
•  few bits of Cinnamon

Add a tablespoonful of Alum to 2 quarts of water, and boil the melon rinds in it until a broom splint will readily pierce them. 

Pour off the water, add the sugar, the vinegar, and the spices, boil for twenty minutes, when it is ready to can for use. This will make four quarts.

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SUGAR FROM WATERMELONS     from American Agriculturist - 1857

A friend has shown us a private letter, dated Sept. 4th, from a brother in San Francisco Co., Cal., from which we make the following extract.

I intend presenting (to the Mechanics' Institute of San Francisco,) some specimens of syrup and sugar from the watermelon. I consider this melon as the best source of syrup that has ever been tried—far more convenient than the cane or beet. All that is necessary is to press out the juice and boil; then strain through flannel, and evaporate to a proper consistence. One gallon of juice from the pulp yields one pint of syrup or three-fourths of a pound of sugar."
We are promised further particulars which will be given to the readers of the Agriculturist.

Remarks.—If half that has been said of the enormous growth of watermelons in California and also in Kansas be true, there may be some plausibility in the idea of making watermelon syrup and sugar profitably. Even in this vicinity, on Long-Island and in New-Jersey, they are grown of enormous size and in great quantities—at the cost of one cent each, it has been estimated. In Vol. XIV at page 250 we published the following item:

A correspondent writes: "I endeavor to raise a good watermelon patch. They are a healthy and delightful fruit. I cultivate the Icing variety; plant early in May, and again towards the close of the month, so that they may come in succession. When they begin ripening we commence cutting and using thpm freely during the hot weather. When the weather becomes cool in September, we bring a quantity of them to the house, split them open, with a spoon scrape out the pulp into a colander, and strain the juice into vessels.

We boil it in an iron vessel to a syrup, then put in apples or peaches like making apple-butter, and boil slowly until the fruit is well cooked; then spice to the taste, and we have something that most people prefer to apple-butter or any kind o. preserves. Or the syrup may be boiled without fruit down to molasses, which will he as fine as the sugar-house molasses. We have made in a single Autumn as much as ten gallons of the apple butter (if I may so call it) and molasses, which I kept in a fine condition until May."

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This was the first African-American cookbook in the United States! 1881

Gosh, this sounds good with the ginger and lemon, but such work!
I grew up with watermelon pickle my Gram made...I wonder if I can find her recipe.
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An 1894 Conversation With James Whitcomb Riley

I can't not republish this!

The tie in to this blog?  How about, as a poet James Whitcomb Riley referenced garden produce and country life more than most other poets?

Watermelon Seed Packets...Poetry with Seeds

Oh! it’s wortermelon time is a-comin’ round ag’in,
And they ain’t no man a-livin’ any tickelder’n me,
Fer the way I hanker after wortermelons is a sin—
Which is the why and wharefore, as you can plainly see.
                                                        James Whitcomb Riley 1922

Entire wonderful poem at end of post...

Cuban Queen, Dixie, Florida Favorite,  Kleckley's Sweet,  Kolb's Gem, Stone Mountain, Florida Giant, Tom Watson,  Tom Watson Improved,  Dixie Queen,  Georgia Rattlesnake...all promises of summer.


1895 - POEMS from AMERICA

"Literature ought to keep open house, and her progress is towards this desirable state of affairs, though there was a time when the stranger in England found it somewhat hard to obtain a hearing, chiefly because he came from afar, and could be so easily disregarded. 

But all this is changed —so much changed that when the polished Bushman from the fringes of the Kalahari desert, or the educated Maori, or the Pawnee versed in belleslettres, produces the inevitable epic, room will be found in the English papers for praise or blame, for the tendency of to day is to know the best, and even the worst, of what is foreign.

 When a singer sends us melodies across the sea it is a delightful accident if they have a sweet appeal, since there is no pleasure like that of behaving as a good host to a good guest. Here is Mr. Stanton asking for our vote. He need not ask twice, for indeed it is a small thing to give as a thank-offering for so few as a couple of his fragrant ditties. Are you not won immediately by this melon song?"

~ The Georgia Melon ~ 

Songs of the Soil. By Frank L. Stanton

Oh, the Georgia watermelon—it's a-growin'
cool an' green,
An'll soon be pullin' heavy at the stem;
An' the knife—it needs a whettin', an' the
blade is gettin' keen.
Oh, the Georgia watermelon is a gem I

Melons cool an' green—
Jest the best you ever seen!
Soe the sweet juice drippin'
From them melons cool an' green!

Oh, the Georgia watermelon—with the
purtiest sort o' stripe!
It ain't a streak o' fat an' streak o' lean; 

You thump her with your fingers, an' yon hear her answer,' Ripe!'  Oh, the Georgia watermelon cool an' green!

This poem went on forever....

Watermelon = Summer

In spite of wearing a watermelon slice on her head on this cigarette card, Rose was a much respected actress.  Rose Coghlan.

I love this next illustration!

 1892

 

< 1889

Remember triffids?

 1910

Modern Suppliers of Hollyhock - The Winner Is...

The winner for modern hollyhock selections is Swallowtail Garden Seeds with 32 varieties of hollyhock seeds,  if you count (and I do) hybrids and species besides Alcea rosea.

Swallowtail Garden Seeds include  Alcea rosea, A. ficifolia, A. rugosa, and A. pallida in the hollyhock section.  There are some beauties!!

From Swallowtail Gardens Seeds is this, Mars Magic >

BTW - Is Photoshop used here?  Something is odd.  I like the form.

There may be a larger selection somewhere but I did not find it.  I have never ordered from them as I just found their marvelous selection.

But Park Seeds has 14 varieties, with some really good ones!

It is all a matter of taste after all.  

< This is their Halo Apricot Hollyhock Seeds.

The Shop at Monticello gets high marks for the information they supply with their seeds however. This black hollyhock had the following description.  

             

"Black Hollyhock was described as early as 1629 by John Parkinson, as being "of a darke red like black blood," an apt description for the large single flowers that grace this plant in June and July. The Boston nurseryman, John B. Russe, offered seeds of "Black antwerp hollyhock: Althea nigra" in a forty-two-page catalogue published in 1827."

The Seedsman  does well, too, although for me there are too many doubles.