Watermelon Rind Pickle - cooking recipe

Ingredients

watermelon rind
1 (10 cent) box Lilly lime
powdered alum
3/4 of (10 cent) box root ginger
8 lb. sugar
3 pt. white vinegar
2 Tbsp. allspice
1 Tbsp. cloves
4 sticks cinnamon

Preparation

Cut all pink from rind, soak in Lilly lime 12 hours using enough water to cover rind well.
Next morning, wash rind well and scatter a handful powdered alum over rind, cover with scalding water and let stand 10 minutes.
Rinse and boil 1/2 hour in clear water.
Take out of water and let cool.
Boil 1/2 hour in strong ginger tea, using root ginger.
Weigh rind and make syrup.
For 8 pounds rind, make syrup using remaining ingredients (tie spices in bag).
Cook until tender enough to pierce with toothpick and has an amber color.
(I put a piece of ginger from the tea and a little piece of cinnamon in each jar.
This is not enough syrup to cover rind, but I like the crystallized effect it has when not entirely covered.)