1828 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OP PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 



smooth and frothy, then add the minced 

 spinach and the salt and pepper. Cook 

 for five minutes, then add the milk or 

 cream, hot, and cook three minutes long- 

 er. Serye. 



Spinach With Egg 



One-half peck spinach, three table- 

 spoonfuls hutter, one-half teaspoonful 

 pepper, two eggs, three teaspoonfuls salt. 



Wash and cook the spinach, using two 

 teaspoonfuls of the salt in the water m 

 which the vegetable is boiled. Drain and 

 chop rather iine, return it to the sauce- 

 pan and add the salt, pepper and butter. 

 Place on the fire and cook 10 minutes. 

 Heap in a mound on a hot dish and garn- 

 ish with the hard-boiled eggs, cut in 

 slices. 



Spinach Cooked Without Water 



Fresh spinach when washed holds 

 enough water for cooking. Put the spin- 

 ach in a stewpan and on the fire; cover 

 and cook for 10 minutes. Press down 

 and turn the spinach over several times 

 during the cooking. At the end of 10 

 minutes turn the spinach into a chop- 

 ping bowl and mince rather fine. Return 

 to the stewpan and add the seasonings, 

 allowing for half a peck of spinach two 

 generous tablespoonfuls of butter and a 

 teaspoonful of salt. Simmer 10 minutes; 

 or, if very tender, five minutes will be 

 sufficient. 



Spinach cooked in this manner will 

 retain all its salts. It will be more laxa- 

 tive and the flavor stronger than when 

 blanched (boiled in water). In young, 

 tender spinach this is not objectionable, 

 but when the overgrown vegetable is 

 cooked in its own moisture the flavor is 

 strong and somewhat acrid. 



SQUASH 



The various varieties of the summer 

 squash are generally cooked when so 

 small and tender that the thumb nail 

 can pierce the rind easily. 



To prepare for the table wash the 

 squash, cut into small pieces and either 

 cook in boiling water or steam it. It 

 will cook in boiling water in half an 

 hour. It takes about an hour to cook it 

 in the steamer. The cooked squash is 



mashed fine and seasoned with salt, pep- 

 per and butter. This method gives a del- 

 icate flavored but rather watery dish. 



Summer squash is very palatable cut 

 in slices and fried like eggplant. 



It is claimed by many that the very 

 young summer squashes, particularly the 

 turban variety, or "cymlin" of the South- 

 ern states, are very delicate and palatable 

 cooked whole. For this dish they should 

 not be much larger than a silver dollar. 

 The crook-necked and other summer 

 squashes are richer in flavor when grown 

 to a large size Prom the more mature 

 squash remove the thin skin and seeds 

 Cut the squash in small pieces and put 

 in a stewpan with boiling water enough 

 to cover Boil for half an hour. Drain, 

 mash and season with salt, pepper and 

 butter. 



Cook winter squash in the same man- 

 ner. Squash is one of the vegetables that 

 requires a good deal of butter. 



SWISS CHARB 



This vegetable is a variety of beet in 

 which the leaf stalk and midrib have 

 been developed instead of the root. It 

 is cultivated like spinach and the green, 

 tender leaves are prepared exactly like 

 this vegetable. The midribs of the full- 

 grown leaves may be cooked like celery. 



TOMATOES 

 To Peel Tomatoes 



Put the ripe tomatoes into a dish and 

 pour boiling water over them. Let them 

 rest in the water about one minute; then 

 pour the water off. The thin skin will 

 now peel off readily. 



When a quantity of tomatoes are to be 

 peeled have a deep stewpan a little more 

 than half filled with boiling water and 

 on the fire where the water will continue 

 to boil. Put the tomatoes in a frying 

 basket and lower into the boiling water. 

 Let the basket remain one minute in the 

 water. There must, of course, be water 

 enough to cover the tomatoes. 



Stewed Tomatoes 



Peel the tomatoes and cut into small 

 pieces. Put into a stewpan and on the 

 fire. Boil gently for 20 minutes or half 



