Desirable  Ways  to  Follow. 
F  you  have  no  peaches  and  must  buy,  why  not  get 
half  the  usual  supply  for  canning  and  invest  the 
rest  of  the  money  in  oranges  during  the  year  ?  You 
will  save  time  and  strength  to  do  a  little  extra  cook¬ 
ing  for  it  is  hard  work  to  can  peaches.  Sliced  oranges 
with  just  a  dash  of  sugar  and  grated  cocoanut  are  not 
more  expensive  than  canned  peaches,  and  so  pretty  in 
a  clear,  shining  glass  bowl. 
Lemon  pies  are  considered  expensive  and  difficult  to 
make — by  many — but  the  lemon  butter  for  several  pies 
may  be  made  and  set  away  in  a  cool  place  and  a  most 
delicious  pie  made  at  any  time  in  three  minutes  ;  and 
at  less  cost  than  the  over-done,  watery  custard  pie  so 
often  brought  on. 
A  few  pounds  of  salt  pork  may  by  exchange  sup¬ 
ply  your  table  with  white  fish;  and  these,  if  freshened 
and  allowed  to  simmer  for  a  few  moments  in  a  skillet 
of  hot  water,  then  drained  and  dressed  with  sliced 
hard  boiled  eggs,  scalded  cream  or  drawn  butter  with 
pepper,  may  be  made  to  look  and  taste  like  delicious 
cookery  indeed. 
A  few  hard  boiled  eggs  left  over  from  a  meal  or 
cooked  purposely  and  kept  on  hand  are  nice  and  handy 
as  dressing  for  many  simple  meat  dishes,  or  salads. 
They  may  be  pickled  and  kept  a  long  time. 
For  a  long  time  I  have  been  using  a  hand  book  in 
which  I  pasted  recipes  under  these  headings:  “  break¬ 
fasts,”  “  Dinners,”  “  Suppers,”  “  Desserts.”  Whenever 
I  see  a  recipe  I  wish  to  try,  I  put  it  in  this  book  under 
its  proper  heading,  and  I  now  have  a  long  list  in  each 
department.  Each  evening  I  take  my  handy  book  and 
a  stiff  piece  of  cardboard  and,  going  over  my  list,  se¬ 
lect  my  dishes  and  make  out  a  simple,  though  very 
complete  bill  of  fare  for  the  following  day.  I  try  to 
bring  in  specially  toothsome,  or  delicate  dishes  some¬ 
times,  and  can  do  so  quite  often  by  this  forethought, 
because  I  know  what  the  day’s  duties  will  be  and 
plan  to  have  these  dishes  when  I  have  ample  time  to 
prepare  them.  These  pieces  of  cardboard  I  save,  and, 
as  they  are  carefully  dated,  when  the  year  is  out  I 
shall  have  a  year’s  bill  of  fare,  with  everything  in  its 
season.  These  cards  are  large  enough  to  admit  addi¬ 
tions  as  they  may  occur  to  me  when  I  use  them  as 
guides  next  year.  Such  cards  may  be  bought  already 
prepared,  but  your  own  are  best  because  they  mention 
only  articles  within  your  reach.  sarah  porter. 
“  What  Is  Yeast  ?”-I. 
OME,  Nellie,  put  on  your  wraps  quickly  and  run 
over  to  Mrs.  Grey’s  and  get  a  cup  of  yeast.” 
“  O  mamma,  I  want  to  play  ;  can’t  you  make  yeast, 
without  always  getting  some  to  ‘  start  ’  it  ?  What  is 
yeast  any  way  ?” 
“  Oh  why— yeast  is  yeast,  that’s  all  I  know  ;  I  just 
can’t  make  fresh  yeast  without  the  aid  of  some  old  to 
help ;  now  run  along,  and  don’t  spend  so  much  time 
talking.” 
How  many  other  little  girls  have  asked  Nellie’s 
question  and  received  similar  answers  ?  But  yeast  has 
a  history  which  both  mothers  and  children  may  be 
interested  to  know. 
It  has  been  known  for  a  long  time  that  the  juices  of 
fruits,  or  any  sweet  liquids  are  likely  to  undergo  cer¬ 
tain  changes,  if  exposed  to  the  air,  especially  in  warm 
weather.  The  liquid  may  be  perfectly  transparent 
when  first  prepared,  all  visible  particles  may  be  re¬ 
moved  from  it,  yet  it  will  not  remain  clear,  but  will 
become  milky  or  turbid  ;  after  a  while,  little  bubbles 
will  be  seen  coming  to  the  top  ;  only  a  few  at  first, 
but  increasing  in  number  until  the  liquid  seems  to 
sing.  The  mysterious  particles  which  cause  the  tur¬ 
bid  appearance  soon  collect  upon  the  surface,  forming 
a  scum.  After  a  time,  this  scum  is  forced  up  into  a 
foamy  froth  by  the  air-bubbles  which  are  constantly 
rising  and  a  sediment  sinks  to  the  bottom,  known  as 
the  “lees.”  A  little  later  the  bubbling  and  hissing 
cease,  and  both  scum  and  lees  settle  at  the  bottom, 
leaving  the  liquid  again  clear.  But  it  is  now  a  very 
different  liquid  ;  the  simple,  sweet  juice  has  become  a 
“  spirituous  liquor.” 
For  more  than  a  hundred  years  it  has  been  known 
that  the  curious  change  in  sweet  liquids  is  caused  by 
yeast.  Investigators  searched  long  and  patiently 
before  they  discovered  where  the  subtile  power  ex¬ 
isted,  which  for  so  many  years  had  furnished  the 
Frenchman  his  wine,  and  the  German  his  coveted  beer. 
They  found  little  globules  floating  in  the  liquid,  called 
yeast,  which  they  at  first  thought  were  simply  bits  of 
barley  or  portions  of  starch  grains.  By  and  by  these 
globules  were  found  to  be  living  organisms,  more 
nearly  related  to  the  lower  fungi  than  any  thing  else, 
and  so  they  are  called  to-day. 
Under  the  microscope,  yeast  appears  as  little  trans¬ 
parent  cells,  floating  about,  either  singly  or  joined  in 
chains,  or  sometimes  in  groups  or  clusters.  Each  cell  is 
a  plant ;  a  very  simple  plant,  indeed,  yet  it  is  provided 
with  its  cell  walls  of  cellulose,  its  vacuoles  and  its  bit 
of  protoplasm,  just  as  the  cells  of  other  plants  are. 
These  little  yeast  plants  were  given  the  name  torulge, 
because  little  buds  or  knobs  grow  out  from  the  mature 
or  mother  plant,  and  torula  means  knobby  swelling. 
MHS.  W.  A.  KELLERMAN. 
Some  Fine  Tomato  Relishes. 
Tomato  Sauce. — The  tomato  is  preeminently  a  relish , 
and  in  New  York  restaurants  this  is  a  favorite  dressing 
for  meats,  especially  for  some  of  the  cheaper  sorts. 
Fortunately  it  is  not  easily  spoiled  in  preparation,  as 
its  base  consists  merely  of  strained  tomato,  thickened. 
The  flavor  may  be  varied  by  boiling  onion,  parsley, 
etc. ,  with  the  tomatoes  before  straining.  Butter,  salt 
and  pepper  are  essentials  to  a  good  tomato  sauce. 
Stuffed  Tomatoes. — Select  those  which  are  large 
and  firm  ;  cut  a  round  place  in  the  top,  scrape  out  all 
the  soft  parts,  mix  with  stale  bread-crumbs  or  rolled 
crackers  ;  add  onions,  parsley,  butter,  pepper  and  salt ; 
chop  all  very  fine,  and  fill  the  tomatoes  carefully.  Bake 
in  a  moderately-hot  oven ;  put  a  little  butter  in  the 
pan,  and  use  care  that  they  do  not  burn  or  become  dry. 
Tomato  Farci. — This  is  nothing  more  nor  less  than 
scalloped  tomatoes,  and  is  prepared  as  any  other  scal¬ 
lop,  by  using  alternate  layers  of  the  base,  and  bread¬ 
crumbs  or  crackers.  Butter,  salt  and  pepper  are  added 
between  the  layers. 
Tomato  Butter. — Among  all  the  “butters”  so 
famous  on  the  old-fashioned  farm  tables,  we  fancy 
tomato  butter  scarcely  found  a  place.  A  Pennsylvania 
housewife  recommends  it.  For  a  trial  mess,  take  2% 
quarts  of  tomatoes  and  three  quarts  of  apples.  Stew 
separately  until  smooth,  mix  well,  and  add  three 
pounds  of  sugar,  one  tablespoonful  of  cloves,  and  twice 
as  much  cinnamon.  Boil  until  thick  enough  to  suit 
the  taste. 
Tomato  Toast. — Cook  two  tiny  onions  with  four 
large  tomatoes.  Let  stand  to  settle  for  five  minutes  ; 
then  replace  the  juice  with  a  generous  half  cupful  of 
sweet  cream.  Add  a  bit  of  butter,  pepper  and  salt. 
Pour  while  hot  over  golden  brown  slices  of  well-but¬ 
tered  toast,  and  serve  without  delay. 
Tomato  Custard. — This  is  recommended  in  the 
Modern  Cook  Book  as  a  good  diet  for  invalids.  Make 
a  custard  of  four  eggs,  one  quart  of  milk  and  one 
cupful  of  sugar  ;  add  one  pint  of  stewed  tomatoes,  and 
bake  quickly  in  small  cups. 
Canned  Tomatoes. — These  are  merely  stewed  toma¬ 
toes  sealed  in  cans  while  hot.  Some  points  to  remem¬ 
ber  are  that  freshness  is  necessary  ;  that  overripeness 
is  a  fatal  defect,  and  that  the  later  tomatoes  are  never 
so  good  as  those  which  ripen  earlier. 
Various  Ways  of  Overwork. 
NO  doubt  many  rural  women  do  work  on  borrowed 
strength  from  day  to  day,  and  not  a  few  work 
to  a  great  disadvantage. 
“  How  is  your  mother  ?”  was  the  inquiry  made  of  L. 
the  other  day. 
“  Oh,  mother  is  really  miserable  was  the  reply. 
‘ 1 1  suppose  she  has  to  work  so  hard  to  keep  the 
family  in  running  order  that  it  keeps  her  strength  at 
low  ebb,”  said  the  friend. 
“  Ye-es  !  I  think  so.  But  she  always  makes  her 
work  harder  than  it  needs  to  be.  Here  is  an  instance : 
the  other  day  I  was  sick  and  lying  on  the  lounge  in 
the  kitchen  while  she  was  washing  the  breakfast 
dishes.  How  many  times  do  you  suppose  she  went 
from  the  pantry  to  the  table  ?  No  less  than  25  (for 
I  counted),  when  three  or  four  would  have  done  as 
well !  She  carried  the  dishes  almost  one  by  one,  as  she 
wiped  them  instead  of  stacking  and  carrying  many  at 
once.  That  explains  why  her  work  is  so  hard  for  her.” 
No  doubt  not  a  few  work  after  the  same  style  ; 
while  very  many  can  plan  and  carry  out  their  work  in 
such  a  way  as  to  have  not  a  little  leisure.  Only  at 
certain  times  of  the  year  are  they  so  closely  crowded 
with  the  housework  that  they  need  to  complain. 
This  as  to  farmers’  wives. 
But  how  is  it  with  the  “  professional  ”  women  ? 
Are  their  lives  all  rosy-hued  ?  I  fancy  they  are  quite 
as  busy  as  any  of  our  overworked  farmers’  wives.  To 
illustrate,  I  will  take  an  extract  from  one  of  numer¬ 
ous  letters  : '  “I  have  work  on  sfeveral  periodicals  that 
keep  me  busy  nearly  every  forenoon.  I  do  my  own 
housework,  very  much  of  my  own  sewing,  and  belong 
to  five  societies ;  am  also  taking  the  Chautauqua 
course,  and  am  a  partial  invalid.” 
Is  it  any  wonder  that  this  friend  is  a  “  partial  inva¬ 
lid  ?  ”  What  a  drain  upon  her  time  and  energies !  and 
I  am  not  so  sure  but  that  the  self-imposed  duties  of  be¬ 
longing  to  so  many  societies  (for  they  all  call  for  a 
great  amount  of  work)  are  as  uncalled  for  in  the  mak¬ 
ing  up  of  a  truly  useful  life,  as  are  the  numerous  pens 
of  poultry  cared  for  by  the  overworked  farmers’ wives. 
Aims  are  various.  One  seeks  to  keep  up  with  the 
times  by  keeping  step  with  cultured  people  ;  the  other 
will  keep  in  step,  by  being  stylishly  arrayed  on  cer¬ 
tain  occasions,  or  by  having  a  well-appointed  table, 
a  handsome  carriage,  or  a  fine  carpet.  But  if  we  go 
beyond  our  strength  for  any  pet  ambition,  are  we  not 
accountable  ?  may  maple. 
Sweet  Pickles  in  Variety. 
THERE  are  few  pleasanter  relishes  for  tea  or 
luncheon  than  nice,  sweet  pickles,  and  the  num¬ 
ber  of  fruits  and  vegetables  which  may  may  be  pressed 
into  service  for  their  concoction  is  almost  endless.  The 
aristocrat  of  the  sweet  pickle  family  is,  no  doubt,  the 
peach,  and  it  is  not  necessary  to  select  the  finest  peaches 
in  order  to  make  a  very  delicious  pickle,  though  the  fruit 
should  be  regular  in  shape  and  not  overripe.  Peaches 
which  cling  to  the  stones  a  little  retain  their  shape  best. 
Pickled  Peaches. — Peel  the  peaches  very  carefully 
with  a  thin,  sharp  knife  and  drop  into  cold  water. 
Make  a  syrup  of  the  following  proportions  :  To  each 
quart  of  good  cider  vinegar  add  two  pounds  of  granu¬ 
lated  sugar,  let  it  boil  and  skim.  Mix  equal  quanti¬ 
ties  of  ground  cloves  and  allspice,  with  twice  the 
amount  of  cinnamon,  and  put  it  into  little  muslin  bags, 
a  small  tablespoonful  in  each  bag,  which  is  about  the 
right  amount  for  a  quart  of  vinegar.  From  15  to  18 
peaches  will  fill  a  quart  can.  Drop  this  number  into 
the  vinegar  with  one  of  the  little  bags  ;  boil  until  the 
peaches  may  be  pierced  with  a  straw  ;  then  put  into 
the  can  and  seal.  I  often  put  the  little  bag  of  spice 
into  the  can,  but  it  makes  the  fruit  darker  than  when 
only  boiled  in  the  syrup. 
Pears  may  be  pickled  in  exactly  the  same  way,  and 
many  like  them  as  well  as  peaches. 
Grape  Pickles. — To  eight  pounds  of  grapes,  cut  in 
clusters  of  from  three  to  five  berries,  use  four  pounds 
of  sugar  and  a  quart  of  vinegar.  Put  the  fruit  into 
self-sealing  jars.  Boil  and  skim  the  syrup  and  pour  it 
over  the  fruit  hot.  Repeat  this  process  for  three  or 
four  days,  then  seal.  If  spices  are  desired,  boil  them 
in  the  syrup  in  little  bags  the  same  as  for  peaches. 
Pickled  Citron. — Peel  and  cut  the  citron  in  slices 
and  remove  the  soft  part  near  the  center.  Boil  in 
slightly  salted  water  until  the  fruit  may  be  pierced 
with  a  straw.  Drain  carefully.  Make  a  syrup  of  one 
quart  of  vinegar,  three  pounds  of  sugar  and  a  bag  of 
mixed  spices.  Boil  and  skim,  then  enter  the  citron 
and  cook  until  clear.  Green  muskmelon  and  water¬ 
melon  rinds  are  also  very  nice  pickled  in  this  way. 
Ripe  Cucumber  Pickle. — Peel  and  remove  the 
seeds.  Slice  in  inch  thick  pieces  and  soak  in  salt  and 
water  overnight.  In  the  morning  drain  the  cucumber 
thoroughly  and  boil  in  vinegar  enough  to  cover,  using 
one  pound  of  sugar  and  a  bag  of  mixed  spices  to  each 
quart.  Watch  carefully  and  remove  the  pieces  as  soon 
as  done. 
Small  Cucumbers. — Some  cooks  make  a  rich  syrup 
from  vinegar  and  molasses  and  pour  it  scalding  hot 
over  a  jar  of  small  cucumbers  which  have  been  pickled 
in  clear  vinegar  and  drained. 
Sweet  Tomato  Pickles. — Slice  green  tomatoes  and 
boil  till  tender  in  salted  water.  Drain,  place  in  a  jar, 
cover  them  with  vinegar  to  which  two  pounds  of  sugar 
and  a  handful  of  whole  spices  have  been  added  while 
heating.  Scald  the  vinegar  every  alternate  day  for  a 
week.  s.  a.  LITTLE. 
*  *  * 
Apple  Dumplings. —  When  you  are  making  your 
bread  out  into  loaves,  take  a  small  piece  and  prepare 
it  as  you  would  for  biscuit.  Then  pare  some  apples, 
and  place  all  together  in  sufficient  boiling  water  to 
cook  them.  The  water  should  be  sweetened  before 
the  dumplings  go  in,  which  makes  a  nice  sauce  for 
them  when  they  come  to  the  table.  m.  r.  mc.c. 
Chicken  a  la  Maryland. — For  this  style  of  serv¬ 
ing,  the  chickens  must  be  young  and  tender.  Make 
into  suitable  pieces,  season  well  with  salt  and  pepper 
dip  in  beaten  egg,  and  roll  in  fresh  bread-crumbs. 
Butter  a  baking  pan;  place  in  it  the  chicken,  moistened 
with  one  ounce  of  clarified  butter,  and  roast  about 
20  minutes.  Into  a  rather  flat,  hot  serving  dish  pour 
half  a  pint  of  cream  sauce;  in  this  arrange  the  chicken 
nicely,  and  garnish  with  thin  slices  of  broiled  bacon 
and  small  corn  fritters. 
