VEGETABLES 7 



cut, and after June the stems will go to seed till 

 the autumn, when those which are ripe should be 

 cut down and the berries sprinkled over the beds 

 and the stems cut off.' 



The beds must be then arranged for the winter 

 by dressing them with salt and good short stable 

 manure, and over that some good rich soil, and 

 flattened evenly with the back of the spade, and 

 in the spring should have another dressing of salt, 

 and the soil and manure left on. 



The Battersea and Connover's Colossal are the 

 favourite kinds to sow or plant, but the Argenteuil 

 early purple and late purple are becoming very 

 popular, and are cultivated in Argenteuil expressly 

 for the French and English markets. 



RECIPES FOR COOKING 



To cook asparagus it should be arranged in bundles, the 

 heads together, and the tough part of the stalk should be 

 removed before cooking. The stalks should be carefully 

 washed, then tied together and put into boiling salted water 

 deep enough to cover them. There is now what is termed 

 an asparagus kettle, which is really a necessity to cook 

 asparagus properly. The bundle is laid on a drainer, which 

 fits into the kettle, and the cook is enabled to lift the 

 cooked asparagus out of the water without breaking the 

 heads. One or two tablespoonfuls of vinegar are some- 

 times put in the water : it helps to keep the green colour of 

 the vegetable. The time for cooking it varies according to 

 its age and freshness ; from ten minutes to half an hour is 

 about the usual time. Where there is no proper asparagus 

 kettle the asparagus should be stood up in the saucepan, 

 so that the green tops will be at least an inch above the 

 surface, that the stalks may be well cooked before the heads 

 are broken. 



