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To Preserve Green Tomatoes

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Hodgson, Mary, fl. 1855 · From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 12 ingredients
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Why it works: Clove and allspice match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,874 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

To Preserve Green Tomatoes

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Gather those that look clear, not very large ; put them down to boil with plenty of water. Throw this water off; then add more water and some green gin- ger ; let this boil till the water tastes of the ginger very strong: allow three quarters of a pound of sugar to a quart of juice; make a syrup and put in the tomatoes ; let them boil till clear. The syrup, when boiled down, will make a nice jelly.

  2. FAMILY RECEIPT BOOK. 119

  3. TO PRESERVE CITRON MELON. Pare the melon, and cut it in any shape you fancy; put it down to boil in a strong ginger water ; after it has boiled ten minutes take it up ; make a syrup, allowing a pound of sugar to a quart of the water; add slices of lemon ; cut them ; put in your citron : when clear, it is done.

  4. SPICED PEACHES. To nine pounds of peaches, take three pounds of sugar, and one pint of vinegar ; make a syrup ; then put in the fruit. Soft free-stone peaches are the best; let them boil ten minutes.

  5. Plums are prepared in the same way as peaches, also cantelopes before they are ripe; add cloves, mace and allspice, to the taste : make the syrup ; put in the plums, and let boil ten minutes ; or pour the boiling vinegar and spices over the plums.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

125Calories
2 gProtein
1 gFat
30 gCarbs

Counts 6 of 8 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 6 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Peach1 medium (150g)59
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Clove1 tsp ground (2g)7
Allspice1 tsp ground (1.9g)5
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Ginger1 tsp grated fresh (2g)2
Waternot in our table0
Macenot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By Hodgson, Mary, fl. 1855. Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Clove + allspicetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together7,874 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Ginger + clovetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together6,038 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  3. Ginger + allspicetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,620 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  4. Clove + macetop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together8,400 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyleugenol (clove, spice).

  5. Mace + allspicetop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,189 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyleugenol (clove, spice).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Swap the mace

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (peach, sugar, vinegar, ginger, clove, allspice):

  1. Cinnamonfits better
  2. Cardamomfits better
  3. Nutmegfits better
  4. Macethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against peach, sugar, vinegar, ginger, clove, allspice. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

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