94 A GARDEN OF HERBS 



of divers colours, very small. A Perfect School of In- 

 structions for the Officers of the Month, by Giles Rose, one of 

 the Master Cooks to Charles II, 1682. 



A PURSLANE SOUP. When your Purslane is young, you 

 need only cut the spriggs off, but keep their whole length, 

 boil them in a small kettle, with some Pease-soup and 

 Onion Juice, both of the same quantity, when your Purse- 

 lane is boiled enough, soak some crusts in some Broth; 

 when soaked, dish it, garnish it with the said Purslane, let 

 the Broth be relishing, pour it over, and serve it up hot. 

 The Modern Cook to Vincent La Chapelle, Cook to the Prince 

 of Orange, 1744. 



RAMPION 



John Evelyn recommends the tender roots of rampion, 

 eaten in spring, as being more nourishing than radishes ; and 

 Parkinson says that the roots may be eaten " either raw 

 or boyled and stewed with butter and oyle and some black 

 or long pepper cast on them." Major Kenny Herbert 

 recommends rampion leaves prepared like spinach. Un- 

 fortunately if one wishes to eat the roots, the plants must 

 not be allowed to flower, and it is so beautiful that this 

 seems a foolish sacrifice. Distilled water of rampion was 

 highly esteemed as a complexion beautifier. 



If the roots are wanted, rampion should not be sown 

 before the end of May. They like a light soil and a shady 

 border, and they do not bear transplanting unless very 

 carefully done. The roots are fit for use in November. 



ROCKET 



" Whosoever taketh the seed of Rocket before he be 

 whipt, shall be so hardened that he shall easily endure the 

 paines." John Gerard, The Herball, 1597. 



Galen forbade the eating of lettuce without purslane, or 

 lettuce without rocket, or rocket without purslane or lettuce. 

 Formerly one of the rockets was in common use as a salad 



