347 
THE RURAL JJEW-Y0R5CER. 
I find nothing more satisfactory for Winter- 
floweriug than oxalis. The foliage and habit 
of the plant are extremely graceful and at¬ 
tractive. With the different varieties—white 
and yellow and red—a window can bo made 
to look very gay. Landreths sell the mixed 
bulbs, four or five varieties, at 50 cents a dozen. 
My bulbs do not increase as rapidly as I like, 
and 1 have been wondering if they can be ob¬ 
tained from seed ? The sunflower is to • ‘ rage” 
as the fashion in gardens the coming season, 
and Esthetic people will wear the gay blossoms 
in buttonhole and belt! 
- 
HAP-HAZARD HOUSEKEEPING. 
ANNIE L. JACK. 
“No salt, no pepper,” I said, and the article 
in question was spoiled for the want of a little 
attention and care. The amateur cook looked 
dismayed. I do not make fault-finding a 
habit, but could not help observing that “salt 
is good,” and pepper too, by w ay of spice. 
The little incident led me to think how much 
of cookery is bap-hazard, aud how often, being 
thus, it fails. It would be a sad record in 
many households if all the carelessly cooked 
meals were counted up, aud set down against 
those properly cooked. One week the bread 
stands too long before baking, and is sour; the 
next it does not stand long enough, and is 
heavy; the next it is under or over done; 
then perhaps with a little more care and the 
same flour it is light, sweet, and wholesome. 
To cook a potato right requires more skill than 
to play The Star-Spangled Banner, aud of how 
much more utility is the accomplishment, 1 
need not say. Onions are generally underdone, 
and with a hap hazard housekeeper vegetables 
have little chance of retaining color or flavor. 
Aud so it will be until cooking is ranked 
higher, as it ought to be, until our daughters 
learn to esteem it of more value in their lives, 
and our men young anl old write and act 
with more respect for the workers w ho have 
to compass their “ daily bread” aud the many 
delicacies of the culinary art, that are now 
deemed necessary for every well kept table. 
And if every hap hazard housekeeper would 
determine to be more concise in her details, it 
would be fouud easier to Lave everything 
right than to let things drift any way, for 
“once right, keep right” is a very good motto, 
and one that pays for following. Badly 
cooked food is a waste of raw material, and a 
waste of patience, time and nerve power. 
Nor can the body assimilate food that is im¬ 
properly cooked, and those that partake of it 
cannot be blamed if they display a tendency 
to sins of omission and commission that will 
likely be set down to original sin or total 
depravity. 
WHAT SHALL WE EAT. 
ADELINE E. STORY. 
What a deal of nonsense one reads now-a- 
days about this and that food being healthful 
or unhealtliful. The most robust, healthy 
people I know, ure those who think the least 
about whether or not what is on the table be¬ 
fore them is going to “agree” with them; 
while I can call to mind numbers of puny 
half-alive creatures who Lave worn them¬ 
selves out in searching after s-omethiug that 
will be good for them aud in running away 
from what they are afraid even to look at for 
fear of an internal disturbance. 
The wisdom to enable them to throw physic 
to the dogs, breathe the fresh air of heaven, 
and eat what they like, providing they can 
get it, is what a great many people of the 
present day stand most in need of. 
And the children! Are they not, under the 
false teaching now so prevalent, being system¬ 
atically and cruelly, albeit u ffecUnnuttsly, 
weakened ami rendered powerless to resist the 
many forms of disease to whieh childhood at 
the best is a peculiar prey. No meat! no this, 
no that. 
Are we so much wiser than our grand¬ 
mothers were? Are our children healthier 
than were theirs? 
When weaned, the young among dumb 
animals thrive upon such food as their elders 
get. Not so with the young of the human 
species. They must be coaxed or driven 
through it trundle bed stage of feeding by 
which the natural powers of the stomach are 
so lessened through lack of use, that it is little 
wonder when the poor victim does begin to 
eat something more substantial than the trash 
on which he has hitherto existed, there should 
be a speedy surrendering of the domain to 
dyspepsia. 
The command, “ take no thought what ye 
shall eat,” ought to have a wider meaning for 
us than is generally given it. 
Of course, there may be abominations, in the 
way of eatables, which might be let alone. 
One need not expect to be able to make an 
ostrich of himself, neither need he refuse food 
“good for man” because some one else, suffer¬ 
ing from a real or fancied hurt, has laid it 
under a ban. 
DOMESTIC RECIPES. 
GRAHAM GEMS. 
One cupsourmilk, one half teaspoonful soda 
dissolved in hot water, one large tablespoonful 
of butter, one tablespoon ful of sugar or molas- 
sas, flour enough to make as stiff as stirred 
cake. If too stiff they are hard and dry; if 
sweet milk is used, two teaspoonfuls of 
“ baking powder ” to one cup sweet milk. 
RAISED CORN BREAD. (FOR THREE QUART 
BASIN LOAF.) 
Three pints of corn meal scalded by turning 
on boiling water, stirring till thoroughly wet, 
but not too soft. When cool enough to not 
scald the yeast, add two tablespoonfuls of 
common bop yeast or use for the wetting the 
potato yeast, which was given iu the Rural 
a short time ago, two tablespoonfuls of sugar 
or molasses, one teaspoonful of ginger, two 
tablespoonfuls of salt, mix with the hand 
thoroughly, adding one pint Graham, rye, or 
fine Hour. It should be quite stiff when done. 
Wot the hand, smooth it over, let it rise half 
or three-quarters of an hour, steam an hour 
and a half, then remove to the oven half an 
hour. The oven should not be too hot. 
Mrs. T. G. Towner. 
MIXED OR INDIA PICKLES. 
To each gallon of vinegar allow one-fourth 
pound bruised ginger, one-fourth pound mus¬ 
tard seed, one and one-half ounce tumeric, 
one ounce ground black pepper, and one-fourth 
pound salt. Put these ingredients in a basin 
and stir till well mixed and smooth with some 
of the vinegar, then pour in the jar with the 
rest of the vinegar, set in a warm place aud 
thoughtly stir every morning for a month, as 
different vegetables come into season put them 
into the pickle raw. The pickles must stand 
sometime before using, stirring all up well 
occasionally. If the vinegar be good the 
pickles will surely be good. Mrs. A. Servos. 
INDIAN BREAD. 
One-half cup of meal, one cup of flour, one- 
half cup of sugar, one egg, one cup of milk, 
one teaspoouful of soda, two of cream-of-tar- 
ter, aud a very little salt. Mrs. P. A. 
FRESH FISH. 
The boys of Every-day House are unwearied 
iu their devotion to hook and line. They 
havn tried scalding fiih, instead of scraping 
off the scales, but they found the connoisseurs 
of the table readily detected the difference 
by a softness in the flesh of the fish. The 
“boys” say if you want to eat a fish cooked 
to perfection, broil it in camp, by a bonfire, 
and peel off scales and skin when nearly done, 
(I cannot indorse this method, haviug had no 
experience.) One thing is certain that better 
than oil, or butter, or lard, is fresh cream in 
which to cook delicate fresh-water fish. 
A. L. j. 
IVORY HANDLES OF KNIVES. 
Mix whitening to a thick paste, and rub 
the handles as hard as possible up and down 
with the grain of the ivory. Leave until all 
are done. Then dip each handle into cold 
water, dry and rub after with dry whitening. 
E. T. V. 
STEEL KNIVES. 
To keep the blade free from rust, rub with 
mutton fat iu which there is not a paiticle of 
salt and wrap up iu brown paper. i. j. 
-- 
BEEF OLIVES 
Cut some slices of cold roast beef quarter 
of an inch thick, put into each a small quan¬ 
tity of ordinary veal stuffing, roll up neatly 
tie round, fry, remove strings and serve with 
a little good gravy. 
arias, niul by *10!IN WIL- 
LI A MS A SON. Knlamazno. 
THE WILLIAMS 
EVAPORATOR! 
For the Preservation of all 
kinds of Fruit and Vegeta¬ 
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haa ■proved theonly practical 
Evaporator constructed, and 
operated on strictly philo¬ 
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fjo irlily and nuulity produc¬ 
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otherraachinw, with one half 
the help, and uo more fuel, 
besides the auality of the 
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proof. Send for our circu¬ 
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buying. Manufactured by 
B. K, a J. M SPROUT, 
Money, Lycoming Go., Pa., 
for t he Eastern, Middle, and 
Micliitfiu. for the West and 
Southwest. J. 8- TWOM- 
BLY, 23 Commercial St., 
Boston. Mass., Agent for 
Maine. New Hampshire and 
Massachusetts. 
# SWITZERLAND . 
••• ENDORSES •• 
• PENNSYLVANIA • 
STEWED KIDNEY. 
Cut up a beeve’s kidney and put into a stew- 
pan with a small piece of butter. When it 
begins to brown add half a cup of stock or 
water, season to taste and let sunnier two 
hours. Thicken with a little flour add 
some Worcestershire sauce and serve very 
hot. Mary. B. 
- » » » 
VENICE CAKE. 
Beat one-half a pound of butter to a cream 
with your hand, add to it six thoroughly 
beaten eggs, their weight in flour and one- 
balf pound of powdered sugar. Bake in a 
flat tin and when cool cut out in graduated 
sizes with, biscuit or cake cutter (anything 
the right size will do) and pile upon a dish in 
the form of a tower with different colored 
icing or jam betw een each cake. 
ORANGE SPONGE. 
Dissolve one ounce of isinglass in one pint 
of %vater, strain through a sieve and let 
stand until cold. Then mix with it the juice 
of six oranges and one lemon. Sweeten to 
taste and beat the mixture until it becomes 
white and looks like sponge. Put into a mold, 
turn out when required and ornament it with 
slices of cut orange. Mrs. P. 
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