474 



RECREATION. 



dishes from a limited list of supplies. 

 Boiling, baking, broiling, and other meth- 

 ods of preparing food are explained with 

 reference to camp conditions, the informa- 

 tion being presented, as is always the case 

 with this author, in a clear and interesting 

 manner. She recommends self-raising flour, 

 wheat, rye, cornmeal, etc., as a ready 

 means of securing fresh bread. The list of 

 provisions also includes salt pork, smoked 

 ham, bologna sausage, eggs, dried beef, salt 

 fish, pilot bread, crackers, canned fruit and 

 vegetables, where fresh can not be obtained ; 

 potatoes, beans, onions, Indian meal, mo- 

 lasses, sugar, salt, pepper, mustard, vinegar, 

 butter, coffee, tea, chocolate, rice, oatmeal, 

 baking soda, ginger and spice. Game, 

 fresh fish and fresh meat are supposed to 

 be obtained in the vicinity of camp. 



In a recently published volume, "Camp 

 Fires in the Wilderness," E. W. Burt de- 

 votes a number of pages to the subject of 

 foods, a valuable feature being the fact 

 that his opinions are based on experience. 

 Plain, substantial fare, he believes, is need- 

 ed. "Pie and cake are not good to climb 

 hills on. Bread, meat, vegetables and fruit 

 are what you should select, and always buy 

 the best quality, as it is none too good for 

 a camper. Fruits are evaporated in such 

 excellent style that it is not necessary to 

 buy them canned and fill space with tin and 

 water. All provisions should be carried in 

 strong canvas bags, tied at the top with 

 strings. 



The following list of provisions is re- 

 garded as sufficient for 3 men for 2 weeks : 

 15 pounds hard bread, 15 pounds bacon in 

 bag, 3 pounds dried apples, 2 pounds dried 

 prunes, 2 pounds salt in bag, 5 pounds 

 sugar in bag, 5 pounds coffee in tight can, 

 y 2 pound tea in can, 5 cans condensed 

 cream, 6 cans Boston baked beans, 3 cans 

 chicken, 5 pounds butter, 5 pounds lard, 5 

 pounds white flour, 10 pounds Indian meal, 

 2 packages buckwheat flour, 2 packages oat- 

 meal, y 2 bushel potatoes, 10 pounds onions, 

 1 pound baking powder, *4 pound pepper, 1 

 quart vinegar, 2 gallons maple syrup, 1 jar 

 pickles, 2 dozen eggs. 



"The cost of the foregoing will be about 

 $15. Butter, lards, etc., should be bought 

 before you start into the woods, while the 

 rest can be taken up with you in an old 

 trunk or box." 



Such a list would naturally be supple- 

 mented by fish or game. Of camp fires 

 convenient for cookery he says : 



"It requires considerable skill to build a 

 good fire. Proceed in this manner : Lay 

 down 2 green poles, 5 or 6 inches thick, 2 

 feet long, and 2 or 3 feet apart. Make 

 notches in these about one foot apart. 

 Then cut 2 poles about the same size and 

 lay them in the notches. Procure a good 

 supply of dry wood and brush and start 

 the fire on the ground between the upper 



poles. The air will circulate under and 

 through the fire, and the top poles will be 

 found just the right distance apart to hold 

 your camp kettle, frying pan and coffee 

 pot. Over the fireplace you can erect a 

 crane as follows : Cut 2 green sticks with 

 crotches at the top, across which lay a 

 green pole about 2 inches thick. Then cut 

 a hooked limb and hang it on the cross 

 pole, at the other end of which drive a nail 

 for hanging pails over the fire." 



TAMARINDS. 



An old fashioned food product which is 

 worth more attention than it now receives 

 is the thick jam or preserve made from 

 tamarinds. In earlier times this, with guava 

 jelly and other delicacies, was brought to 

 our markets by the vessels engaged in the 

 West India trade. Some tamarinds un- 

 doubtedly come from the East Indies also, 

 as the tree will grow in most warm coun- 

 tries. The dark colored acid preserve, full 

 of shiny, round, flat, brown seeds was much 

 liked; and "tamarind water," made from 

 it, enjoyed a. considerable vogue as a drink 

 during sickness. Preserved tamarinds can 

 still be bought from dealers, and one New 

 York firm makes them. 



Of the tree, a recent writer says : 



"Being a member of the Legum'xnoscz 

 family, the tamarind is allied to the pea and 

 the bean. There are 2 varieties of the 

 plant, the one East Indian, Tamarindus in- 

 dica, and the other from the West Indies, 

 Tamarindus occidentalis. The name of 

 tamarind itself is derived from Tamar, the 

 Arabic name for the date palm, and Indus, 

 Indian. The word 'tamarind/ therefore, 

 literally means Indian date. The pods 

 which contain the fruit are flat in shape, 

 brown in color, are 3 to 6 inches long, and 

 often as thick as a man's finger. The fruit 

 inside consists of a reddish black pulp, in 

 which seeds, varying in number from 4 to 

 12, are embedded. The pulp contains potash, 

 citric, malic and tartaric acids, in addition 

 to gum and vegetable jelly. 



"The tamarind is too acid to be eaten 

 as a fruit, but it is used in many ways. It 

 is employed in cookery for flavoring va- 

 rious dishes, especially curries, and for the 

 preservation of fish. The West Indian va- 

 riety, which is generally selected for this 

 purpose, is imported in casks and jars, in 

 which it is packed in layers, alternating 

 with sugar. The East Indian tamarind, be- 

 ing prepared without sugar, has a medic- 

 inal value ; and is refrigerant and cooling, 

 when given as a drink, made by pouring 

 boiling water over the fruit. The tree is a 

 handsome evergreen, generally 30 to 40 feet 

 in height, or even higher, with wide, 

 spreading branches. It is decidedly orna- 

 mental, with its bright green leaves and 

 leaflets, and is greatly used for street plant- 

 ing in tropical countries. 



