THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



NOVEMBBE 16, 1918. 



CABSAREEP. 



As is well known, the juice ol the cassava or manioc root 

 is, in its raw condition, very poisonous. This same juice, 

 however, when boiled down, becomes an ingredient of various 

 sauces, and is knowii througbout the West Indies as 'cassa- 

 reep' or 'cassaripe'. 



In this part of the world, although it is manufactured 

 locally in .-mall quantities in most of the island.s, Demerara 

 alone seems to have export trade in this article. 



Its preparation is simple. In Guiana the cassava roots, 

 after being peeled, are washed and grated. The resulting 

 pulp is then placed in lone, flexible, cylindrical baskets or 

 filters, which are plaited by the Indians from a local fibre. 

 The pulp placed in one of them is compressed more and more 

 as the basket elongates. One end of the basket is attached 

 to a beam or prop, and to the other end a weighs is attached. 

 T'nder the influence of the compression thus caused the 

 cassava juice is pressed out through the interstices of the 

 filter, and is collected in a receptacle placed beneath the 

 weight. 



When the juice has ceased to flow, the grated mass with- 

 in the filter is taken out and dried thoroughly. The dried 

 flour is known as 'farine', from which the tasty cassava 

 biscuits are made: it is also cooked in luany other ways. The 

 collected juice is then boiled down, with the addition of a 

 little salt, to the consistency of treacle or molasses. In its raw 

 state the juice is a somewhat opalescent, milky fluid, but when 

 boiled down into cassareep it is a dark-brown, sticky stuff. 

 In the West Indian islands where the special baskets men- 

 tioned above are not obtainable, the grated pulp is placed in a 

 bag cf coarse cloth, and wrung or pressed until the juice is 

 extracted. 



It must always be remembered that the juice must be 

 thoroughly boiled down so as to destroy its poisonous 

 qualities. If so prepared, cassareep is a valuable accessory 

 in the kitchen for the preparation of sauces. It is also 

 the basis of the dish kn-.wn in the West Indies as 'pepper 

 pet', into which all kinds of odds and ends of meat 

 left over from meals, and which otherwise would be wasted, 

 may be placed. Owing to the preservative effect of the 

 cassareep, a pepper pot may bs kept going for year^, if only 

 it is daily brought to the boil. It is said, although one 

 would not vouch lor the literal truth of the statement, that 

 io Demerara there are pepjier pot.^ which have been handed 

 down from father to son for at least three generations. 



ORANGE WINE. 



In the Agricultural A'ews, October 19, 1&1&, there was 

 a note on the manufacture of wine from oranges in Briti.sh 

 Guiana. Considering that in some of the West Indian 

 islands, as for instance, in Dominica where orange oil is 

 expre.s3ed, there must be thousands of oranges the juice of 

 which is thrown away, it would appear that if this juice 

 could be utilized for making win-, even for local consump- 

 tion, it would be an advantage. 



Orange wine is said to be a good tonic of agreeable fla- 

 vour, and what is more, a perfectly pure, unsophisticated 

 wine of low alcoholic content. In case any of our 'readers 

 should care to make experiments in this direction, the follow- 

 ing recipes for the manufacture of orange wine are reproduc- 



ed from a book entitled 'Flcirida Fruits', by lleleu llarcourt, 

 in which the writer advocates the manufacture of this wine 

 from unmarketable fruit. 



From the directions given — especially those in recipe 

 No. 3 — it would Jippear that almost anyone in the p^kession 

 of even a small quantity of oranges might mike such an 

 experiiuent. It need hardly be added that scrupulous clean- 

 liness must be observed in all the appliances and utensils 

 employed. 



OUANOE WINK. NO. 1. 



Take perfectly ripe, sweet oranges the riper the better, 

 as then the saccharine matter is entirely developed: peel, 

 and cut into halves across the segments: cut over a tub .so as 

 uot to loose anyjaice, and squeeze both halves hard before 

 dropping into the tub. When the tub is full, put the whole 

 mas.s through a wire press, which must be so clo.se that none 

 of the seeds can esc^ipe into the mash, as they would give 

 the wine a bitter taste. To each gallon of juice add 1 ft), 

 of granulated or loaf sugar, and to each gallon of 

 this mixed juice add 1 quart of pure water. Tut the 

 whole into a barrel, leaving a space of about -t gallons' for 

 expansion of the wine during feriuentauon. 



Orange wine has to undergo the lower fermentation, as 

 by the upper fermentation all the volatile matter and the 

 aroma would escape. The barrel must be closed air-tight, 

 and a fermenting tube adjusted; the fermentation is very 

 vigorous for the first tew days, and the barrel must be 

 closely watched to prevent its bursting. The fermentation 

 subsides gradually after a few days, then the wine has to be 

 racked off, and the lees can be filtered; the fermenting tube 

 must be adjusted again to the new barrel, to reraiin until 

 the fermentation shall have ceased entirely. Rack the wine 

 off again in about six weeks after the latter period, and in 

 a month after this second racking it will be fit for market, 

 as there is no .second or '.spring' fermentation, as with grape 

 wine. 



(pi;a-sge wine- no. "2. 



Ninety sweet oranges, 32 K). of lump sugar; break 

 sugar in small pieces and put in a dry, sweet 9-gallon 

 cask: place the latter where it is to remain. Have ready 

 close to the cask two large pans or small tubs, put 

 the orange peels pared thin into one, and into the other 

 the pulp, after the juice has been squeezed from it; strain 

 the juice carefully :ind put it into the cask; then pour 1 J 

 gallons of water on both peel and pulp: let it stand for 

 twenty-four hours, then strain into the cask; add more water 

 to peels and pulp; next day strain into cask. Repeat this 

 process until the cask is filled, which should take just seven 

 days to accomplish, the water being properly proportioned 

 to this end, and the contents of the cask being stirred each 

 day. On the third day after the cask is full, it may be 

 securely bunged down. 



This is a very simple and easy method, and if directions 

 are followed the wine can not fail to be excellent. It should 

 be bottled in eight months, and will be fit for use twelve 

 months after making. 



olt.VNGE WISE. NO. 3. 



Juice of sweet oranges and water, eiiual parts; to every 

 gallon add 3 B). of raw sugar; place in tight barrel, 

 filled, with a bent tube from the closed bunghote to a pail 

 of water. When the gas bubbles cea.se to show in the water, 

 close the barrel; leave it umli.-turbed for four mouths, then 

 bottle and cork tight. This makes a very fine wine that will 

 keep well in wood or glass. 



Orange wine i.s of an amber colour, tastes like dry 

 lloek, but always retains a decided aroma of the orauge. 



