44 



The Tomato. 



Vol. VIII. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 The Tomato. 



We often hear it said, that a relish for 

 this vegetable is an acquired one ; scarcely 

 any body at first, liking it, but eventually 

 every one becoming fond of it — if not pre- 

 pared in every way, at least when prepared 

 in some way or another — or it may hap, 

 raw, without any preparation at all. It has, 

 indeed, within a few years come into very 

 general use, and is considered a particularly 

 healthy article. It delights in rich ground, 

 and is an abundant bearer. No farmer's or 

 cotter's garden should be without it. His 

 family, if like the writer of this, will soon 

 want their tomatoes, — once, — twice, — three 

 times a day, — morning, noon, and evening! 

 A nice way to keep the plant erect, and the 

 fruit from the ground, is to drive down four 

 stakes, so as to make a square of, say, two 

 feet each way, around the plant, and then 

 wrap three or four wisps of straw or mat- 

 ting, at suitable distances around the stakes. 

 These will keep the vines from falling, and 

 expose the fruit nicely to the sun for ripen- 

 ing. They will bear till frost. 



I have already said I am a great lover of 

 tomatoes ; and as this is their season — and 

 as housekeepers, as well as their lords, have 

 been invited to throw in their mite to make 

 the Cabinet useful — which, by the way, I 

 take pleasure in looking over — I thought I 

 would cull some receipts from my book. 

 Do with them as you like. Though they 

 may have been published before, they may 

 perhaps, again be worth their room. 



Susanna P. 



Newcastle, Del. 



Tomatoes, instead of Cucumbers. — 



Treat them much as you would cucumbers 

 Peal, and slice them ; season with plenty of 

 salt — pepper and vinegar to your taste. 



Tomato Catsup. — To half a peck of 

 pealed tomatoes, put four table-spoonfulls of 

 good salt — four do. black pepper — half do. 

 allspice — three do. mustard, and eight red 

 peppers, all ground fine, and simmered 

 slowly with the tomatoes in sharp vinegar, 

 for three or four hours. Use as much vine 

 gar as to leave half a gallon of liquor when 

 the process is over. Strain through a sieve, 

 bottle and seal from the air. It may be used 

 in a fortnight, but improves by age, and will 

 keep for years. 



Stewed Tomatoes. — Peal, slice and stew 

 them slowly. When done, season them — 

 thicken a little, and put in a small lump of 

 butter, and eat them as you would apple 

 sauce. If you have them thus prepared, 

 with good roast beefj properly manufac- 



tured — sweet potatoes, and lima beans, — 

 and President Tyler should pop in upon 

 you, unexpectedly to dine, you need wish 

 nothing better : you'll find them first rate. 



Tomatoes with beef-steak. — Cut them 

 in two, lay the flesh side upon the gridiron, 

 over pretty hot coals, for a few minutes — 

 turn them — season them well, with pepper 

 and salt, and when done, dress them with 

 butter, or eat them with gravy, as suits you 

 best. 



Tomato preserves. — Prepare a syrup by 

 clarifying sugar, melted over a slow fire 

 with a little water, boiling it till no scum 

 appears. Take the tomatoes when quite- 

 green, peal them, and put them in cold 

 syrup, with one orange sliced to every two' 

 pounds of your fruit : take pound for pound, 

 of sugar; simmer them for two or three 

 hours over a slow fire. When a superior 

 article is wished, add fresh lemons sliced, 

 and boil with the tomatoes a few peach 

 leaves, and powdered ginger in bags. To- 

 matoes even when ripe, make a fine pre- 

 serve, treated as above; but unless great 

 care is used in the process, they will fall to 

 pieces. 



Tomato figs. — Take six pounds of sugar 

 to one peck, or sixteen pounds of the fruit. 

 Scald, and remove the skin in the usual 

 way. Cook them over a fire, their own 

 juice being sufficient without the addition of 

 water, imtil the sugar penetrates, and they 

 are ckrified. They are then to be taken 

 out, spread on dishes, flattened and dried in 

 the sun. A small quantity of the syrup 

 should be occasionally sprinkled over them 

 while drying; after which, pack them down 

 in boxes, treating each layer with powdered 

 sugar. Boil the remainder of the syrup, 

 and bottle it for use. They will keep from 

 year to year, and retain a nice flavour. The 

 pear shaped, or single tomatoes, answer the 

 best purpose. 



Tomato Tart. — Roll out your dough 

 very thin, and place it on the plate in which 

 you intend baking your tart, and slice your 

 tomatoes very thin; spread them over the 

 dough also very thinly, take about two table 

 spoonfiills of brown sugar, and one of ground 

 cinnamon bark, spread the two over the to- 

 matoes, bake it well, and you have a de- 

 lightful tart. 



Pickled Tomatoes. — Place your toma- 

 toes in layers, in a pickling jar with garlic 

 or shred onions, mustard seed, horse raddish, 

 red pepper, spices, &c., as wanted, until the 

 jar is filled. A little salt must also be added, 

 as the layers are put in. When the jar is 

 filled, pour over the tomatoes, good cold 

 cider vinegar, till all are covered, then close 

 up tight for use. 



