BEANS. 75 



LIMA BEANS. 



Shell them while fresh, and boil them till tender in a full 

 kettle of water with a little salt. Drain them, and put bits 

 of butter over them. 



These beans are often preserved in Virginia through the 

 winter, by packing them when ripe (towards the last of fall 

 if convenient) into clean jars or kegs. Take a dry day foi 

 the packing. Put a layer of beans in the pod into the keg 01 

 jar, and sprinkle salt over them, repeating the process till the 

 vessel or tub is filled. When to be cooked, the beans are 

 freshened by washing the pods, and then soaking them in 

 fresh water over night. Put them over the fire into cold 

 water and boil till tender. 



SNAP BEANS. 



Gather them when ' young, snap off the stalks, and pull 

 off the strings ; but do not break them, for if young they 

 are nicer whole. Put them with a little salt into boiling 

 water, and boil them for about fifteen minutes. Take them 

 up and drain them in a colander. Put them into a dish with 

 pieces of butter, or pour a little melted butter over them, or a 

 made brown gravy. If the beans are old, put a bit of saler- 

 atus in the water they are to be boiled in, and cut the beans, 

 and boil them rapidly. Do not let them float in butter or 

 gravy. 



WINTER DISH OF BAKED BEANS. 



This disli is generally considered too hearty for warm 

 weather. Pick the beans, wash them, and put them to soak 

 over night in a good deal of water. In the morning pour this 

 water off, and put them into a kettle of cold water and let them 

 simmer till quite tender. Take them up, and drain them 

 through a colander ; when thoroughly drained, put them into 

 a deep baking-pan with a large piece of scored salt-pork sunk 



