CA XA DIA N no R TICUL TURIST. 



205 



" I think that wine made in this way 

 an<l brought into notice would soon \n'- 

 conie the most popuhii- beverage used, 

 taking the place at dinner that coffee 

 does at the breakfast-table." 



Apple-Butter in Pennsylvania. 



O.VK of the most delicious dishes 

 among oui- Pennsylvania German far 

 mers is apple butter. It is made in the 

 fall of the year, of ripe apples and pure 

 sweet cider. I renieniV)er in childhood, 

 how, long before daylight, the great 

 copper kettle, holding more than a 

 barrel of cider, was placed over a roaring 

 wood tire,where it continued to boil until 

 the cider was reduced to Jess than one- 

 half the original amount. As soon as 

 the morning's work was done up, the 

 whole family began to pare and cut 

 into (juarters the apples. This was a 

 long task, keeping five or six persons busy 

 until the noon hour. My earliest re- 

 membrance reaches to the time when 

 the paring machine was not in common 

 use ; so that all hard work had to be 

 done by hand. 



When the cider was reduced to one- 

 half, the cut apples began to be intro- 

 duced, a pailful at a time. The (ire 

 was kept roaring all the while. With 

 the introduction of the apples began 

 the stirring. This was done with a 

 stirrer having a handle over ten feet in 

 length, the stirrer being fastened at 

 right angles to the handle. From 

 noon until 10 o'clock at night the stir- 

 ring frequently went on without inter- 

 mission. The contents were boiled 

 and boiled, until there resulted a 

 sweet still mass, considerably less in 

 volume than half a barrel. When 

 done, it was dipped out into earthen 

 ware ve.ssels, over the top of which was 

 tied brown paper, and then the vessels 

 were stored away in the garret, win re 

 the butter has been known to keep foi- 

 twenty-tive years. 



Apple butter is a very healthy f<iod, 

 and in great demand among farmers in 

 Pennsylvania duiing the butchering 

 season to assist in the digestion of fatty 



foods then so largely in use. Sugar is 

 sometimes added, if the cider and 

 apples both are sour, but if the cider is 

 made from ripe apples, not too sour, 

 and boiled down well, sugar will not 

 be needed. Some .season with various 

 §pices, but generally it is best with no 

 spices. 



Pear-butter may be made in the same 

 way as apple-butter, using apple cider 

 and pears. It is richer than apple- 

 butter. An excellent butter is also 

 made by using half pears and half 

 apples. Quinces may also be used to 

 flavor the butter, but they are too rich 

 to be used alone. 



So far as I know the apple-butter 

 here described is a Penn.sylvania dish. 

 It differs from that made elsewhere in 

 the long boiling to which it is sub- 

 jected, but this gives it' its principal 

 excellence. It has often occurred to 

 me that apple- butter might be made 

 with profit on a large scale, but the 

 public taste would probably first have 

 to be educated to u.se it. — Ex. 



Tricks of the Trade. 



"What b-e-a-u-tiful peaches," said 

 an old lady as she stopped at a stall in 

 the market and admired a basket of 

 early peaches. They were covered 

 with pink gauze and looked very 

 tempting. 



The old lady bought the peaches and 

 took them home. The next day she 

 appeai'ed again at the stall and showed 

 the stall-keeper a small piece of pink 

 net. 



"Do you keep that kind of veiling 

 for sale ? " she asked. 



The .stall keeper told her that he did 

 not 



"Well," she said, " when 1 got them 

 peaches home they were small, and 

 sour and green, and I thought if I 

 could get some of that stuff that made 

 them look .so pretty and plump in the 

 basket, I'd wear it myself. If it would 

 improve me as nuu-h as it did the 

 peaches, folks would think I'd found 

 the Elija of life.' 



