1868.1 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
333 
THE H©in§EH©!LIDo 
(55?“ For other Household Items, sea “•Basket ” pages.) 
Sea-side Fare.—The Clam. 
A New Englander who orders clams in New York 
is likely to he served with a quite different “ shell¬ 
fish ” from the one he had been accustomed to call 
the clam at home. That which is commonly called 
the clam in New York is the qualiog of New 
England, while the clam proper is designated as the 
soft or long clam. The two are quite different in 
structure, habits, and flavor. The clam proper 
{Mya arenaria of the naturalist), is the one repre¬ 
sented in figure 1. The shells are quite thin, and 
of a more or less distinct white, or-often of a dull 
Eig. 1.—SOFT-SHELL CLAM. 
lead color; the color as well as the size varying 
with the locality. At one end of the shell projects 
the siphon or “ snout,” which is capable of remark¬ 
able extension. The clam burrows in the sand along 
the margins of saltwater bays and rivers, between 
high and low water mark. It is concealed at a 
depth varying from a few inches to a foot or more 
below the surface of the sand, and keeps up a com¬ 
munication with the water above it by means of 
its long snout, through which it takes its food. 
Clams are obtained by digging with a short handled 
hoe, when the tide is low. Their presence is readily 
discovered by the jets of water they throw up when 
alarmed by footsteps. They discharge a sudden 
stream of water and draw their snout completely 
within their shells.—The engraving, figure 3, pre¬ 
sents the animal with one shell removed. The large, 
roundish body is popularly known as the belly, the 
narrow strip which nearly encircles it is the “rim,” 
while the snout has been already spoken of. The 
snout and rim are covered with a thin aud usually 
dark colored skin, which is easily separated, and is 
which attains greater perfection on the shores of 
Narragansett Bay than elsewhere. In the summer 
season the shores of this Bay are visited, by thous¬ 
ands of people, many of whom come from a long 
distance for the purpose of enjoying a clam-bake. 
The method of cooking is most primitive. A cijjcle 
is paved with stones, upon which a fire is built. 
When the stones have become well heated the 
coals and ashes are swept off and the clams placed 
upon them in a heap and closely covered with a 
heavy coating of sea-weed. The clams are steamed 
iu this way until they are done, which is indicated 
by the 'opening of the shells. They are served in 
the shell. Each guest is supplied with a cup of 
melted butter, to which pepper, vinegar, etc., may 
be added. The auimal is picked from the shell, 
and the thin skin, before referred to, pulled off. 
The snout furnishes a con¬ 
venient handle for holding 
it while conveying it to the 
' mouth, it first having had a 
dip in the melted butter. 
The snout is retained by 
the fingers while the tender 
portions are bitten off. A 
distant imitation of a clam- 
: bake may bo made by plac- 
h ing the clams in a closely 
- covered pot over a fire until 
done. Fried clams are some¬ 
times poorly done, by open¬ 
ing them, splitting open the 
snout, to remove the grit 
usually contained there, rol¬ 
ling in meal or crumbs, aud 
frying whole. A much bet¬ 
ter way is to remove the 
bellies, cover with meal, 
and fry separately ; the rims aud the tender por¬ 
tions of the snouts are to be chopped fine, mixed 
with egg and flour to form a batter, and fried 
as fritters. Clams may be stewed after the man¬ 
ner of oysters, or made into a “ chowder,” which 
is a compound stew in which pork, potatoes, 
onions, etc., are used in varying proportions. 
■ - - ---- 
Tomatoes Next Winter. 
CLAM ON THE HALF SHELL. 
removed in preparing the animal for food. Only the 
lower part of the snout is eatable, the upper portion 
being of a strength and elasticity to defy mastication. 
The tenderness and flavor of the clam vary in 
different waters, and in the same water there are 
beds the products of which are particularly prized. 
Clams are cooked in a variety of ways, the best of 
which is the aboriginal “ clam-bake,” an institution 
This favorite vegetable is eaten with added relish 
during winter, when the garden is locked up, and 
“sauce” is hard to procure. A little painstaking 
now will secure a good supply for the time of need. 
Select ripe, sound tomatoes, place them in a colan¬ 
der, immerse them in boiling water to loosen the 
skins, lift them out, and peel them at once. Cook 
them in a porcelain lined kettle. * Tin will answer 
if it be not much worn, but iron is easily corroded 
by their acid, and the fruit will be spoiled in color 
and flavor by its use. Stir with a wooden spoon 
or pudding stick. Tomatoes may be 
kept without very thorough cook¬ 
ing, but as they are largely com¬ 
posed of water the sauce will be 
much better if boiled down one-half 
or more of its original bulk. Put 
them up in tin cans if bottles can¬ 
not bo procured, and solder the tops 
tight while the contents are boiling 
hot. This is a troublesome process, 
and fruit preserving jars or bottles, 
which are now easily had at almost 
every country store,will be preferred. 
With these, as with all vegetables 
or fruits to be kept air-tight, the one 
great point of oare is to make them 
air-tight. Have the bottles heated 
that they may not crack, pour in the 
hot contents, filling the jar, aud 
fasten the cover at once. By the use of fruit-pre¬ 
serving powders or solution, which prevent fer¬ 
mentation, less care is needed to exclude the air. 
Many who have used these preparations prefer 
them to the former method. 
Tomato Catsup. —At the request of several in¬ 
quirers we republish the directions given several 
years since in the Ac/ricidturist.' Select perfectly 
. . . . —- ■— 1 
ripe, sound fruit, cut in slices, and boil until the 
pulp is cooked soft. Hub it through a sieve to 
take out the skins and seeds, and replace it in 
the kettle for cooking. To each gallon of pulp 
add three tablespoonfuls each of salt, ground pep¬ 
per, and mustard, aud one of ground allspice. 
Enclose four large sweet peppers, and two or 
three garlics, or one large onion, in a small bag, 
aud boil in the catsup. The garlic or onion may 
be omitted if the flavor is not relished. Cook it 
until of the right consistence. It should be just 
thick enough to run slowly from a bottle. When 
cool, pour it into bottles, cover them with a bit 
of cotton cloth tied on the neck, aud leave it 
three months to ripen; then cork aud seal. 
Soap Cups. 
Soap dishes of some kind are indispensable about 
the kitchen sink or wash room, if the housekeeper 
means to be neat 
and orderly. The il¬ 
lustration presents 
cheap forms of 
these articles. Fig. 
1 is a berry bowl, 
such as is retailed 
in the market for 
lour cents. It is 
turned in a lathe 
from poplar or 
any soft wood, and makes a convenient dish for 
hard soap. Fig. 3 is made from two blocks of 
inch board, about 4J^ inches square, with a hole 
cut in the middle. Between the blocks a strip of 
copper or iron wire cloth is inserted, and the two 
blocks are pinned or screwed together so as to 
bring the grain at right angles. These dishes can 
be made at home, and have this advantage over 
stone china or earthen ones, that they are not easily 
broken. We give 
quite frequently 
these illustrations 
of ornamental and 
useful articles, for 
the purpose of 
encouraging their 
home manufacture. 
In many parts of 
the country, where 
labor and material Fig. 3. 
are plenty, they can be made cheaper than they can 
be purchased, and making them serves to developo 
the mechanical skill of the boys, and affords them 
interesting and profitable occupation. A little 
work-shop, with a turning lathe and a tool chest, 
we think one of the best investments a father can 
make for his sons. They will spoil some good 
timber, some screws and nails, and cut their fingers 
perhaps, but will soon learn to use tools efficiently, 
and will get an education in practical matters 
quite as valuable as anything they learn iu schools, 
•-- .--a»l—->■-—- 
The Cooking of Vegetables. 
In continuing our notes on the manner of cook¬ 
ing some of the less known vegetables, we give 
some that are seldom found upon farmers’ tables, 
though there is no reason why they should not be. 
Ego Plant.— The fruit of this is egg shaped 
when small, but as it grows large, it becomes irreg¬ 
ularly rounded. It is lit for use from the time it 
is two or three inches in diameter, until the mi¬ 
nute seeds begin to turn brown. It is singular that 
the fruit itself is called egg-plant; the name egg- 
fruit would be much more appropriate. In some 
places it is called Guinea Squash. It is one of those 
vegetables, which, like the tomato, most people do 
not relish at first, but of whieh after a few trials 
they become exceedingly fond. Even when most 
carefully cooked, it absorbs a great deal of fat, 
and is not suited to these whose digestion is fee¬ 
ble. The fruit is cut into slices about half an inch 
thick, pared, aud the slices piled up on a plate with 
salt sprinkled between them,* and allowed to lie for 
