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🧪 Bad Science 1920

A Good Relish—Uncooked

Raw cabbage and onion into jars, sealed under paraffin, with no heat at any point.

From
Libertyville Presbyterian Cook Book
Published
1920
Yikes Scale
Yikes

Exactly as printed, 1920

Mrs. H. T. Mason. 3 C cabbage, chopped fine 1 C sweet pickles 1/2 green pepper ½ t salt 2-3 C onion Place in jars and cover with parafine. ½ C sugar in one cup vinegar

Libertyville Presbyterian Cook Book, 1920. Public domain; transcription unaltered.

So what happens if I make it?

Cabbage, onion and pepper are all low-acid, and half a cup of vinegar spread through three-plus cups of vegetables does not bring the jar anywhere near the acidity that makes a pickle safe.

There is no boiling of the brine, no hot pack and no water bath. Whatever is on the raw vegetables goes into the jar alive, and the paraffin seal then gives it an oxygen-free environment to sit in.

Notes from the 21st century

  • Paraffin seals are obsolete. They were standard for decades and are now advised against for everything, because the seal is unreliable and the contents are unprocessed.
  • Refrigerate and eat it fresh. As a fridge relish eaten within a week or two, this is a perfectly nice slaw. The jar and the wax are the problem.
  • Church cookbooks are full of these. Contributed by Mrs. H. T. Mason. Community compilations printed what worked in one kitchen, without testing.

Don't take our word for it. The complete book is online, free and searchable.

Read the original page →

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