^^ Roasting Ears," Hominy and Ash -cake 83 



covering, with part of the shuck left on, in hot ashes 

 and roasting until done. Sprinkle salt over the grain, 

 split the grains along the rows with a sharp knife, and 

 eat from the cob. The memory of my relish for the 

 "roasting -ear" thus eaten is as appetizing as that of the 

 "ginger cake" eaten in childhood. The names of the 

 dishes now prepared from "mutton" corn is legion, one 

 of the best of which is corn pudding, which is made of 

 grated corn seasoned with milk, butter, eggs and salt, 

 and baked. It is boiled and served on the ear, or boiled 

 and sliced from the ear after splitting the grains with a 

 knife, and made into fritters, etc. 



On the old farm in the halcyon days of the old South, 

 "big hominy" was a choice dish made from the whole 

 ripe corn. A mortar was made by burning out the 

 center of a block three feet long sawed from a large 

 tree. In this the clean corn was placed and beaten with 

 an iron pestle to remove the husk. "Lye hominy," still 

 a favorite dish, is made by boiling corn with a gill of 

 concentrated lye in the pot of corn until the husk slips 

 off and the grains are soft. Then wash and pour off the 

 husk. Enough of this is cooked at one boiling to last a 

 family a week. It is beaten to soften the grain, and fried. 



The "ash cake" is made by placing the dough, made 

 as usual for bread, on the hearth, swept clean and cov- 

 ered with hot ashes: when done, wash off the ashes 

 quickly while it is hot. It is also wrapped in large 

 cabbage leaves and cooked in the ashes in the same way. 

 Plain corn bread properh' cooked and eaten with fresh 

 butter and milk makes an excellent lunch, and is a 

 wholesome and nutritious food. 



