58 



NEW ENGLAND FARRIER. 



Jan. 



always been celebrated for promoting health and 

 vigor of constitution, and are especially suitable 

 for the diet of children, who naturally crave 

 sweets. The soil and climate of New England 

 seem unfavorable to the perfection of this vege- 

 table, even the best varieties being deficient in 

 saccharine matter when raised north of Virginia. 

 But anything bearing their name is eaten with 

 avidity. The best w.y to cook them is by baking ; 

 or, rather, by boiling till soft, peeling and then 

 browning them in the oven — boiling removes the 

 peculiar rank flavor that some have. If very large 

 these potatoes should be cut lengthwise before 

 cooking. They will cook in two-thirds the time 

 of ordinary potatoes. Both sweet and common 

 potatoes that are left from dinner are nice sliced 

 thinly and toasted on a gridiron over hot coals 

 for breakfast. Eat them with salt or butter. 



The turnip, beside its use for flavoring broths 

 and soups, is excelknt boiled, mashed finely, and 

 seasoned slightly with salt, pepper and batter, 

 with any sort of meat. New turnips need only 

 washing, all signs of worms cut away, and scrap- 

 ing with a sharp knife, before boiling— old ones 

 require peeling. Boil them in fresh water, half 

 an hour. If they are watery when done press 

 them between two plates before mashing. The 

 Germans and Dutch mash equal portions of potato 

 and turnip, and season in the same manner. 

 Either the white English turnip or the sweet yel 

 low French turnip served in this way is desirable. 



Beets are only admisdble with salted meat and 

 fish. New beets are boiled in half un hour, but 

 winter beets require at least two hours boiling to 

 make them tender. They should be washed care- 

 fully with a cloth, in order to remove all sand or 

 soil without breaking the skin or removing their 

 fine fibrous rootlets— which would cause great 

 waste of juice and flavor. When soft, enough to 

 admit a fork eas-ily they are done. Take them 

 immediately into cold water— let them lie half a 

 minute, and then with a slight pressure of the fin- 

 gers slip off their f-kins. It is accomplished almost 

 instantly, and much nicer than by scraping or 

 peeling with a knife. Cut them in slices, length 

 wise, butter them; or send them plain to thetubli?. 

 Baked beets aie a favorite dish with the Spanish, 

 but they have never suited the Yaiikee palate. 



Carrots are seldom used except as flavoring for 

 broths and soups, but they are very nutritious and 

 palata'ile when well cocked, boil them in their 

 fkins thiec quarters of an hour; then peel them 

 and serve in the same manner as beets with l)uiled 

 corned lie^f or salt fi^h. Or, after boiling them till 

 very tender, mash them and season with a little 

 cut par.-iey, pepper, liutter and salt. Or, bake 

 them an iiour (having removed their skins by 

 scraping — ) in a pan,— with a little wuterand sugar 

 strewn over them ; and serve with butter while hot. 

 B<'i<d carrots, rubbed through a hair seive, and 

 mixed wi.h milk— one cupful to a quart of niilk — 

 and three eggs well beaten, spiced with cinnamon 



and lemon, and sweetened with two tablespoonfuls 

 of sugar, make excellent material for pies. Bake 

 this in deep dishes with an under crust, like pre- 

 pared pumpkin or squash. 



Onions are a great addition to any sort of fresh 

 meat, with salt-fish. Remove the dry outer coat, 

 and boil them in //esA water three-quarters of an 

 hour. Turn off the water three times while cook- 

 ing vhem, and replace it with more, boiling hot. 

 They should be well-covered with it. Boiled thus 

 they will be of mild flavor. Serve them whole 

 with butter and pepper; or chop them and stir 

 them a few minutes with cream, and a little salt 

 and pepper to make a stiff' sauce. Or bake them 

 half an hour in their skins. Then remove their 

 skins and serve with butter. Cold boiled onions 

 are nice fried in pork fat till they arc well browned ; 

 and raw onions sliced thin and fried in salted lard 

 or salt pork fat, just enough to prevent them from 

 adhering to the pan, are a good accompaniment to 

 veal or mutton chops. 



Cabbages should have their loose leaves re- 

 moved and be carefully searched for insects, as 

 well as very thoroughly washed. Then divide 

 them by slitting the stump end in quarters, to the 

 centre of the head. They are best boiled in water 

 slightly salted. The water must be boiling, and 

 kept so. Enclose them in a thin cloth bag or net 

 if other vegetables are boiled with them. Boil a 

 large head an hour. Season with butter, eat with 

 vinegar and pepper. Cut cold cabbbge very fine, 

 and fry it in nice beef fat or lard,— just enough to 

 move it easily in the pan. Sprinkle salt upon it, 

 stir it, and brown it nicely, and turn it upon 

 toasted white bread for breakfast. 



Cold slaw or cabbage salad is made of raw cab- 

 bage. Two hours before it is needed, wash a close 

 head and leave in cold water till dinner is nearly 

 readj' ; then cut it into quarters, and these as thin 

 as pos.-ible, and tlien chop as small as beans. Mix 

 with this a little salt, pepper, vinegar and oil, ac- 

 cording to your taste. Cabbage stumps throw out 

 sprouts in the spring which make excellent salad, 

 dressed in the same way ; or serve as greens with 

 corned beef, — boil them half an hour in a net with 

 the meat. 



Cauliflowers, being a delicate sort of cabbage, 

 need abjut the same treatment. They are im- 

 proved by soaking an hour in cold water that is 

 slightly salted before they are boiled. Boil them 

 in fresh water — milk added to this water improves 

 their flavor. When they are halt done pour off 

 the water and fill ia more that is boiling. 



Asparagus should have its stalks bound in bun- 

 dles—about three inches through— witli a fine tape 

 or strip of strong doth. Cut oft the white ends. 

 Boil it in salted water: it must be boiling hot, and 

 kept so constantly. Half an hour will cook it. 

 Toast slices of bread, spread them with butter and 

 lay them in a dish. Then pour over them the 

 water in which the asparagus has been boiled, and 

 place the bunches carefully upon this toast, and 



