96 THE BOOK OF RARER VEGETABLES 



Seed sown at the end of March or early in April is the 

 best mode of culture, but the seed will not germinate 

 freely unless the soil is moist, so that it is necessary to 

 give water in dry weather. For that reason I would 

 advise sowing in rather deep drills 1 8 inches apart, 

 and thinning the seedlings to 9 inches in the drill. 

 The plant likes light, rich, deep soil, and needs ample 

 moisture during growth, such as liquid manure or 

 fertilisers. In October the roots will be large enough 

 for use, or even earlier in good land. Later on the roots 

 should be taken up and stored in the same way as 

 Salsify. The seeds are obtained from the plants the 

 second year they are in flower in July or later. The 

 plants left in the soil will show flowers earlier, but these 

 are of no value. The roots are much divided, or spread 

 out, and need care in lifting. 



To BOIL SKIRRET 



To boil Skirret, a dozen roots should be first well 

 washed and scraped and at once put into a basin of cold 

 water with an egg-cupful of vinegar in it. In five 

 minutes place the roots in an enamelled stewpan con- 

 taining a boiling mixture of half a pint of water, quarter 

 of a pint of milk, two slices of lemon, a little salt, and 

 half an ounce of butter. Boil until quite tender, which 

 will usually be in about an hour's time or a little more. 

 Take out the Skirret and well drain it. It may be 

 served whole, melted butter, beurre Jondu, or sauce 

 Hollandaise accompanying it in a sauceboat. Or the 

 boiled roots may be cut into inch lengths, and a layer 

 of them placed at the bottom of a fireproof pan, seasoned 

 with pepper and salt, and covered with a little bechamel 

 sauce, this arrangement of layers being repeated till the 

 pan is full. Over all sprinkle grated Cheshire, Cheddar, 

 or Parmesan, and having covered it with very small 

 pieces of butter, heat for a few minutes in the oven. 



