Pineapple Preserves - What a Lovely find for this Pacific Girl

Dipping into my Magazines from the 1800s, I found two receipts that would have interested me back in the day. Pineapples are not something I would think would be readily available for most people. Most likely the states or locations nearest to the equator might have more access or the ability to grow them. Or maybe locations with greenhouses? 

Being from Hawaii, I love pineapples. There is nothing so delightful on a hot summer day as biting into a cool fresh slice of pineapple. My great-grandfather worked in the DelMonte processing plant with the pineapples grown on the plantations on the Ewa side of the island of Oahu.

So, before you get bored with the family connections... I'll let you know the receipts for two different preserves. (Receipt - is one word the Victorians used for recipes)

DISCLAIMER - Please keep in mind that I have NOT quality tested these receipts - so I can not tell you how they will turn out if you want to try them.

Fresh Pineapple. – Take nice ripe pineapples; peel them and pick out the eyes, and put them upon a large dish. Take a silver fork and tear the pineapple apart, and put the pieces in jars that have hermetically sealed tops. Take the juice that came from the fruit, and allow one-quarter pound of sugar to each quart jar; if not enough juice, add a little water; when the sugar has melted, fill the jars. Try and not make more juice than will fill the jars. Put the jars into a large flat bottom kettle; put a few sticks in the bottom to keep the jars from breaking. Pour cold water around the jars. Put on the glass tops, but not the india rubber pieces. When the water boils, take out the jars and seal them immediately. This manner of preserving pineapples retains the flavor and freshness of the fruit, and will keep for several years. 

Grated Pineapple. – Peel them carefully; cut out the eyes, and then weigh them; to each pound three-quarter pound of sugar. Grate the pineapple on a sharp grater; put all in the skillet together, and let boil until the juice is thick and clear; don’t add any water to them, but save all the juice as you grate them.

In the Victorian Era, I would be concerned at the amount of sugar needed to make these preserves. Sugar would have been such a dear expense... the frugal woman in me would have felt like a total spendthrift.

Would you have liked to try some of these preserves? Do you think you would have been adept in the kitchen enough to make these receipts work?

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