rr 
The ordering of tbs Kitchen (fur den. 
4 <*} 
CH A P. I I I. 
Hovctooiier Jitters Garden herbes , both for their forcing, 
/pending, and gathering of the/eede, 
O Vr chief'cft andgreateft Gardiners now adaics, doefoprouide forthemfelucs 
eueryyeare, that f rom their owne grounds they gather thefeedeof many 
herbes that they fowc againe: for hauing gained the beft kind of diuers herbes, 
they will belt ill furoifhed with the fame, and be not to fcckceuery yeare for new that 
oftenrimes will not yeeldethem halfethe profit that their choycefeede will: I fay of 
many herbes, but not of all ; for the beft of' them all hath not ground fufficientforall 
forts, nor will our climate bring fometothat perfection that other forraine doth, and 
therefore the feede of fome things aie continually brought from beyond Sea vuto vs. 
And againe although our chiefe Gardiners doe (till prouide their owuefeede of diuers 
things from their owne ground, becaufe as I (aid it is of the beft kinde,yet you tntirt vn- 
dcrftandalfo,that good (tore of the fame fortes of feeds are brought from beyond the 
Seas, for that which is gathered in this Land is noc fufficient to ferueeuery mans vie in 
the whole Kingdome by many parts ; yet (till it is true,that our Englifh (cede of many 
things is better then any that commeth from beyond the Seas : as for example, Red- 
didi, Lettice, Carrots, Parfneps, T urneps, Cabbages, and Leckcs, of all w hich I in- 
tend to write in this place ; for thelc are by them fo husbanded, that they doe not (ow 
their owne grounds with any other feede of thefe forts but their owne : which that 
you may know the manner how to doe, I will here fet it downe, that cucry one may 
haue the bed directions if they will follow them. Of Reddifh thereare two forts, one 
more early then the other: they vfetherforero fow their early Reddifh firft, that they 
may haue the earlieft profit of them, which is more worth in one fortnight, then in 
a moneth after. And to cffeCt this they haue fome artificiali helps alfoyvhich areihele: 
They vfe to digge vpa large plot of ground wherethey intend to fow their feede a lit- 
tle before or after Chriftmas, calling it into high balkes or ridges fiue or fixe foote a- 
funder, which they fuffer to lye and takeall the extreame frofts in Iahuary to mellow 
the earth, and when the froftes are pad, they then beginne to bring into it good (lore 
of frefh (table dung, which they layeneyther too deepc nor too thicke, andcoueric 
with the mould a hand breadth thicknefle aboue the dung, which dothgiuefucha 
warmth and comfort to whatfoeuer is fowen thereon, that it forceth it forward much 
fooner then any other way can doe : And to preuent both the froftes, and the cold 
bitter windes which often fpoy le their feede new fprung vp, they vfe to fee great high 
and large mattes made of reedes, tyed together, and fattened vnto ftrong flakes, thruft 
into theground to keepe them vp from falling, or being blowne down With the winde - 
which mattes they place on the North and £a(l fide to breake the force ofthefe winds, 
and arc fo fin e and fafea defence, that a bricke wall cannot better defend any thing 
vnderit, then this fence will. Inthismanner they doe eueryyeare to bring forward 
their feede to gaine the more by them, and they that will haue Reddifh early, muft 
take the fame courfe. The other fort of Reddifh for the mod part is fowen in Februa- 
rie, a fortnight after the other at theleaft, and likewife euery moneth after vnto Sep- 
tember, that they may haue young continually . For the blacke Reddifh, although ma- 
ny in many places doe fowc ic in the fame time, and in the fame manner that the ordi- 
nary is fowen, yet the nature thereof is torunne vp to feede more fpeedily then the 
other, if it haue lo rich ground to grow vpon, and therefore the beft timeto fow it is 
in Auguft, that fo it may abide all winter, wherein is the chiefcft time for the fpending 
thereof, and to keepe it vntill the beginning of the next yeare from running vp to feed: 
the gathering whereof, asalfoof the other fort, is all after one manner, that is, to be 
pulled vp when the pods change whitifh, and then hanged vpon butties, pales, or fuch 
other thing, vntill they bee thorough dry, and then beaten or thrafhed out vpon a 
fmooth planchcr, or vpon clothes, as cuery ones {tore is, and their conueniencie. Let- 
tice is fowen oftentimes with the early Reddifh, in the fame manner before faid, that 
they may haue Lcttice likewife as early as the time of the year will permit them, which 
they 
