hampshire county farmers' monthly 

 home: making 



XMAS SWEETS 



Appetizing, Wholesome, and Easy 

 to Make 



White Fondant 



2i lbs. sugar, 1* cups hot water, 11 

 teaspoons cream tartar. 



Put ingredients into a smooth, granite 

 stew-pan. Stir, place on range, and heat 

 gradually to boiling point. Boil without 

 stirring until, when tried in cold water 

 a soft ball may be found that will just 

 keep in shape, which is 230°F. Pour 

 slowly on a slightly oiled marble slab or 

 oiled platter. Let stand a few minutes 

 to cool. Work with a spectula until white 

 and creamy. It will quickly change from 

 this and begin to lump when it should be 

 kneded with hands until perfectly smooth. 

 Put in a bowl, cover with oiled paper to 

 exclude air and let stand twenty-four 

 hours. 



Note: — After a few minutes boiling, 

 sugar will adhere to sides of pan. Re- 

 move these by means of a fork, padded 

 with clean cheese cloth, dipped in water. 



Some Variations of White Fondant 



1. Coffee Fondant 



Put il cup.s cold water and .1 cup 

 ground coffee in saucepan and heat to 

 boiling point. Strain through double 

 cheese cloth, add 21 lbs. sugar and 'i tea- 

 spoon cream of tartar. Boil and work as 

 White Fondant. 



2. Maple Fondant 



i\ lbs. maple sugar, ii lbs. sugar, 1 cup 

 water, \ teaspoon cream of tartar. 



Break maple sugar in pieces and add to 

 remaining ingredients. Boil and work as 

 White Fondant. 



S. Bon Bons 



The centers of bon bons are made of 

 fondant shaped in small rolls and flavored 

 as desired, — vanilla is usually preferred, 

 cocoanut and nuts may be worked into the 

 center. Allow rolls to stand over night 

 and dip following day. 



Boiled Sugar for Confections 



A sugar thermometer is a most helpful 

 aid in candy making. 



Eleven tests in boiling sugar. 



Small thread, 215°F. 



Large thread, 217° 



Pearl, 220"^ 



Large Pearl, 222"' 



The Slow 2.30 = 



The Feather, 232' 



Softball, 328 = 



Hard ball, 248"' 



Small crack, 290= 



Crack, 310° 



Carmel, 350° 



FOODS FOR CHILDREN 



They VN ill Like These 



Mother Goose says A is for apple. Cho 

 says, "A is for Apples and also for 

 Air; children need both and we have them 

 to spare. M is for Milk which makes 

 Muscles and Bone; one pint a day would 

 be best till you're grown. V is for Veg- 

 etables if you're too thin, these vegetables 

 are full of Vigor and Vim." 



Children do not always like the things 

 to eat they should have, especially some 

 of the vegetables. Often it is because the 

 vegetables are not attractively prepared. 

 The child should not be made to eat what 

 it does not want but it should be taught 

 to eat what it should have. This places 

 the responsibility on those of us who 

 know the foods that the child ought to 

 have. Vegetables may be attractively 

 served in many different ways. The fol- 

 lowing will illustrate the serving of car- 

 rots and beets. 



GOLDIE CARROT 



Boil the carrots. Scrape the skin off. 

 Cut enough off the length so the carrot 

 will stand alone. Then cut a V out of 

 the center, using the piece cut out to cut 

 in two and make arms. Insert two whole 

 cloves for eyes, rasin for nose, rasin for 

 mouth. With a knife insert the pieces 

 for arms. Now Goldie carrot is ready 

 to serve either in summer or winter. If 

 preferred in winter just stand him in his 

 rubber boots in white sauce. If desired 

 his head may be scooped out and green 

 peas served in the top which gives Goldie 

 Carrot a nice green cap. 



BILLIE BEET 



Boil the beets whole. Take off the skin. 

 Split them lengthwise. Use the bottom 

 of the beet for the top which gives him 

 the appearance of a Brownie or having 

 on a dunce cap. Put whole macaroni in 

 for eyes. Split the macaroni for nose and 

 mouth. Lay him flat on a dish, insert 

 under him two string beans for arms and 

 two for logs. (These ways are used by 

 Mrs. Wood of Boston Dispensary). 



Apple Crystals 



Select good, .sound apples. Make a 

 sirrup of two cups of granulated sugar 

 and one cup of water. Stir over a very 

 slow fire until sugar is dissolved and 

 bring to a boil. Have ready one medium 

 sized apple, pared, cored, quartered and 

 each quarter cut in three slices. Drop the 

 twelve pieces into the boiling sirrup and 

 allow them to cook until transparent and 

 tender. Remove from kettle, drain, and 

 place on waxed paper of a platter. Al- 

 low it to remain twenty-four hours, roll 

 in granulated sugar. Roll twice at in- 

 tervals of twenty-four hours. 



HOT LUNCH 



Does Your Boy or Qirl Have a 

 Hot Lunch at Noon? 



School days with all cold lunch are 

 several years removed from the parents. 

 Consequently it is often forgotten how 

 unsatisfying the cold lunch is. A fair 

 question and still one that proves to the 

 adult he will not have the cold lunch im- 

 posed on him is, "Do you have an all cold 

 lunch"? The an.swer is he is usually able 

 to get home for lunch or if the lunch must 

 be carried, a thermos bottle containing 

 something hot, helps to make up the 

 lunch. But more often than not the 

 school child cannot get home for lunch 

 and the thermos bottle is not provided. 

 That means a cold lunch five times a 

 week foi' the number of school weeks in 

 the year which amounts to an alarming 

 number of cold lunches. Time and prac- 

 tice have been proven that the growing 

 child is better nourished and does better 

 school work when one hot dish, preferably 

 of a milk basis, is provided to .supplement 

 the cold lunch carried from home. 



The pieparation of the one hot dish 

 need not take a great deal of time and 

 the equipment required is not elaborate. 

 One thing essential to the success of the 

 hot lunch is the hearty cooperation of the 

 parents and .school workers. 



Does your particular school have the 

 hot dish served at noon? If not, why 

 not? Did you boost it? 



Women at the Annual Meeting 



It was highly gratifying to your new 

 home agent to see so many women in at- 

 tendance at the annual meeting. Cer- 

 tainly your attendance must be indicative 

 of a strong interest in your county Exten- 

 sion Service and what it can do for you. 

 .lust now community meetings are being 

 held at the various towns in the country. 

 Previous to the meeting in your town it 

 is hoped the women will talk over the 

 work in which they are interested and 

 have something definite in mind at the 

 same time of the meeting so your new 

 home agent may be of service to you and 

 functioning in the county at as early a 

 date as possible. 



Parisian Sweets 



1 lb. figs, 1 lb. dates, 1 lb. English Wal- 

 nut meats, confectioners' sugar. 



Pick over and remove stems from figs 

 and stones from dates. Mix fruit with 

 meats and force through a nut chopper. 

 Work, using the hands, on a board 

 'dredged with confectioners sugar until 

 well shredded. Shape into ball or roll to 

 one-fourth inch thickness, using confec- 

 tioners sugar for dredging board and 

 rolling pin, shape as desired. 



