Raising Mushrooms at Home 



Take care not to disturb those left in the beds more than is necessary. 

 It is unnecessary to add, cook them, but it is very necessary to tell how, 

 because many excellent cooks commit the outrageous sacrilege of peel- 

 ing mushrooms. A large amount of the flavor and deliciousness of a 

 mushroom is in the skin as it is in the apple. One might just as well 

 peel a strawberry. First, always holding the plant gills downward and 

 not over others, cut away the extreme base of the stem and brush off 

 any adhering dirt. If the cap shows much scruff, rub it off with apiece 

 of coarse flannel or cloth. Throw the mushrooms thus cleaned into cold 



BERTH BEDS AGAINST CELLAR WALLS. 



water; they will float. Run the fingers through them several times, 

 then lift them to a fresh pan of water, wash them and place them, 

 gills downward, on a cloth to drain, or put them in a colander. Then 

 cook them to taste. Here, again, sacrilege is frequent. Many foods 

 are simply mediums for added flavors. Not so the mushroom; it 

 has a decided, exquisite flavor of its own. It should not be made 

 in cooking to taste like something else. Put the mushrooms in a 

 stew-pan with a little water; cover them, and stew slowly for twenty 

 minutes, adding butter, salt and pepper to taste. Cream or milk may 

 be added. Another very good way is to butter well a medium-hot 



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