Glad's Pickled Onions Without Tears

Put 3 kg. pickling onions and 1 kg salt into a plastic bowl, cover with water. Turn regularly for 3 days. Peel (no tears!) and scald 3 times with boiling water, draining each time. Boil about 1&1/2 litres of spiced vinegar. Put onions into jars and pour boiling vinegar over. Place a spoon into jars to stop glass cracking.

Allow to cool before sealing. Ready for use in 7 days.

Source: contributed by Lois Sampson in Kelly's Cook Book. A New Collection of Favourite Recipes published by 'The Golden Girls' Port Lincoln Uniting Church 1997 (Adelaide: Queens Court Press, 1997), p.98.

Old Fashioned Meat Pickle

(Beef recommended)
1&1/4 lb. salt, 6 ozs. brown sugar, 1/2 oz. salt petre, 1 gallon water.

Method: Put all the ingredients for the pickle into a large pan, bring to the boil and boil for 5 minutes, skim well. Strain into a large basin or pickling jar and leave until quite cold (cold brine should allow a fresh egg or small potato to float on its surface). Wipe meat thoroughly with a damp cloth. Put meat into the cold pickle, cover and keep in a cool place 8-10 days. Turn the meat every day.

Source: contributed by Mrs. J. Bagshaw in Urania Methodist Guild Cookery Book. Book II. (Kadina: Kadina & Wallaroo Times, 1965), p.11.

Pickled Orange Wedges

Wipe 8 oranges, cut into sections. Put in a saucepan covered with water and 1/4 teaspoon carb soda, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. In another saucepan put:-

2&1/2 cups vinegar

8cm (3") stick cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

2 cups sugar

12 whole cloves

2cm (1") piece fresh ginger

Method: Bring to boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Drain orange wedges and put in pan with vinegar syrup. Bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove orange wedges with slotted spoon and pack in hot dry jars. Boil the syrup and top up jars, cover and seal ready to eat in one week.

Source: contributed by M. Frith in Gulnare Gourmets (Adelaide: Gulnare Primary School Welfare Club, 1984 [2nd edition]), p.132.

Pickled Vegetables: Walnuts

Be certain nuts are not over-ripe. Prick walnuts deeply with silver fork in 2 or 3 places. Soak in brine for 3 days. Take from brine and place on tray, put out in sun, moving them occasionally. Slowly they will turn black. This takes 2-3 days (if very hot 24 hours may suffice). When quite black pack into jars and cover with spiced vinegar. Tie down and mature for at least 1 month before use.

Source: The South Australian Country Women's Association Incorporated Presents Ways with Fruit and Vegetables (1st edn, 1977), p.16.

Pickled Vegetables: Figs

Soak as many figs as you can cover with 4.8 litres vinegar for three days, then pour off the vinegar and add to it 1 kg sugar or treacle, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 125 grams salt, 60 grams each of allspice, ground cloves and ground ginger and boil for 1/4 hour. Pour over the figs while boiling and cover jars.

Source: The South Australian Country Women's Association Incorporated Presents Ways with Fruit and Vegetables (1st edn, 1977), p.15.