1868 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
457 
(2^" For other Household Items , see Basket " pages.) 
Sea-Side Fare.—The Mussel. 
This series of articles, describing .along-shore fare, 
(.miniiirloQ with mi account, of one -which, in this 
Fig. 1.—EATABLE MUSSEL. 
country at least, is less prized and less used than 
any other of those we have noticed. The common 
Mussel (Mytilus edulis) is found on both shores of 
the Atlantic. The shape of the shell is shown in 
figure 1, but it is given under the average size. 
The shell without is of a purplish-black color, 
within of a much lighter color and a pearly lustre. 
The animal, or meat, is conformed to the shape of 
the shell, and is of a more or less dark orange color. 
It has a number of stout fibres, called a beard, by 
which it attaches itself quite firmly to rocks, mud- 
hanks, etc.; this is to he removed in preparing the 
mussel for food, i In Europe, the mussel forms an 
important portion of the food of the people near 
the coast, and they are consumed for fish-bait to 
such an extent that large sums are invested in rais¬ 
ing them. Those are said to be best which grow at 
the mouths of rivers, where they are left bare at 
low tide. The author of an English work, called 
“Wholesome Fare,” says: “ Mussels are occasion¬ 
ally unwholesome or poisonous. There is no test 
—onion, silver spoon, or other—by which to know 
whether mussels will prove injurious or not. Some¬ 
thing may depend on the season and on their fresh¬ 
thoroughly clean, the mussels are put into a pot, 
covered, and kept over the fire until all have open¬ 
ed. The meat is to be picked out and the adhering 
beard removed, when they may be served with 
melted butter, or stewed. The following is the 
method of pickling mussels practised in a celebrat¬ 
ed N. Y. restaurant: The mussels are opened by 
hoilina- in the shell, as above directed. A pickle is 
made with three pints of vine¬ 
gar and otic of water, a few 
whole grains of allspice, pep¬ 
per and cloves are added, the 
whole allowed to come to a 
boil, and when the pickle is 
cool it is poured over the mus¬ 
sels, which are placed in glass 
or earthen jars. Besides the 
true Mussel described above, 
there are several others known 
by the name, although conch- 
ologists place them in a sepa¬ 
rate genus; some of them, 
being found only in deep wa¬ 
ter, are comparatively rare. 
We figure the most common, 
which is abundant in shoal wa¬ 
ter, and has the reputation of 
being unfit for food. It is 
much larger than the common 
Mussel, different in shape, 
with a rougher shell and a more copious beard. 
This is the Modiola plicatula of the conchologists, 
and is called “Yellow Mussel” by the fishermen. 
Household Talks. 
BY AUNT HATTIE. 
They 
gener- 
Fig. 2.—“yellow mussel.’ 
How do you like my new picture frames ? 
are perfectly simple, and, like simple things 
ally, are pretty. An ingenious neighbor of mine 
taught me how to make them. Those who are 
fortunate enough to live in the country, and more 
fortunate still to have a wheat stack in the yard, 
can readily obtain the straws. Select any quantity 
of white or dark straws, as preferred, being careful 
to use none but perfect and unbruised ones, and 
choose those as uniform in size as possible. Some 
narrow lutestring ribbon will be required for trim¬ 
ming, or you may use instead, colored worsted, 
chenille, or silk, as convenient and to your taste. 
A straw carefully split and flattened out, first wet¬ 
ting it, makes a very neat fastening. When ready 
to make a frame, take three or four straws, lay them 
in a horizontal position, and 
holding between the thumb 
and finger, pierce with a needle 
and thread, securing firmly. 
Do both ends alike, and make 
the four sides in the same 
manner; adjust according to 
the size of the picture to be 
framed, fastening the corners 
together with the needle and 
thread. Some cut the ends 
even with a pair of scissors, 
but it gives a prettier effect to 
allow the central straw to re¬ 
main a little the longest, as 
shown in the engraving. Trim 
the corners, paste the picture 
on the back, and it is done. If 
it is desired to hang the pic¬ 
ture on the wall, a cord and 
{Modiola.) tassel of worsted may be made, 
ness, and also on the eater’s individual constitution. 
. Some persons eat heartily of mussels at all times 
with impunity; others dare not swallow a single 
one.” It is perhaps due to this uncertainty that 
mussels arc not generally popular on our sea-board ; 
still, with many, they are regarded as a choice deli¬ 
cacy. Pickled mussels, especially, are served at 
city restaurants, where they are held in high esteem 
by the lovers of good things. They may be stew¬ 
ed, scalloped, etc., in the same way as oysters. In 
whatever way they are cooked, they are first boiled 
out as directed for clams. The shells being made 
or a simple band of the ribbon may be used. Two 
straws with a third across them may be fasten¬ 
ed to the back to form a support, which will allow 
the frame to stand upon the table or mantle-piece. 
The Agriculturist has already figured frames made 
of the brown stems of evergreens. Raisin stems 
dipped in melted red sealing wax make an exquisite 
frame in imitation of coral. Work of this kind 
affords pleasant occupation for winter evenings. 
Cone frames are very pretty, but require consider¬ 
able time to make. A rough frame is provided and 
covered with scales of pine cones, which are put on 
singly with small tacks, neatly overlapping one 
another like the scales of a fish. Whole cones 
are used here and there, as taste may dictate. 
One of the most acceptable desserts recently in¬ 
troduced, consists of a corn starch custard pud¬ 
ding, garnished with the sweetened and flavored 
froth of the whites of eggs, or Meringue, as ; t is 
called. The recipe is as follows: Corn Starch 
Pudding .—Set to boil one quart of sweet milk ; then 
moisten in a teacup with a little milk 3 tablcspoou- 
fuls of corn starch; beat thoroughly the yolks ot 4 
or 5 eggs, adding sugar enough to sweeten the 
whole of the pudding Then beat to a stiff froth 
the whites of the eggs, adding a very little sugar 
and flavoring extract; but be careful not to reduce 
the froth. As soon as the milk boils, stir in the 
moistened starch. Let it boil up once, take from the 
fire, and stir in imme¬ 
diately tlie yolks of the 
eggs, pour into a pudding 
dish, and place on the 
top the frothed whites, 
spreading as evenly as 
possible. Set in the oven 
until the top or Meringue 
is of a fine light brown, 
when the pudding is 
done. To be eaten cold. 
The same lady also gave 
me a recipe for a plain 
rice pudding, and as I 
have frequently tried it and found it to be very 
good, I am desirous that others should know 
how to make it. Rice Ridding .—Soak over night 
in cold water a coffee cup of rice. In the morn¬ 
ing add two quarts of milk; sweeten and spice to 
taste. Place in the oven; when the rice rises in the 
pudding it is done. Quite simple and plain, but more 
wholesome and good than more elaborate ones. 
STRAW FRAME. 
Keeping a Family Record. 
Whoever lias had occasion to trace his lineage 
back to the first settlers of the country has learned 
the very loose way in which family records are usu¬ 
ally kept, and been surprised to find how little in¬ 
telligent men know about their ancestors. It is 
not unusual to find family records, but they are in 
an imperfect state, on stray pieces of paper, liable 
to be lost, or in small blauk books mixed up with 
family expenses, the births in one place and the 
marriages in another. It is quite common to find 
people who cannot tell who their grandparents 
were, or if they know these, they are ignorant of 
their grand uncles and aunts. Many who are intel¬ 
ligent thus far, perhaps by reason of a personal ac¬ 
quaintance with these relatives, can trace their 
kindred no farther back. Not one in a hundred 
preserves even the names of his ancestors beyond 
the third generation. As a people we have little 
pride of ancestry, and are quite too busy with the 
present to think or care much for the past. And 
yet the past has had much to do with our present, 
and we who are now upon the stage will have quite 
as much to do in moulding the characters and shap¬ 
ing the destiny of those who are to come after us. 
It is a duty that we owe to our children and chil¬ 
dren’s children to put them in possession of the 
names and dates in the family history with which 
we are familiar, and which will soon be forgotten if 
they are not recorded. 
Town, church, and cemetery records are import¬ 
ant in their places, but they ordinarily contain'only 
fragments of a family history. It is not uncom¬ 
mon in completing the record of a family that lived 
a hundred years ago to find the dates in many dif¬ 
ferent towns where the children were born or lied 
What is wanted is a brief record of the dates of 
marriages, births, and deaths, in tabular form. To 
this should be added the name of the place where 
the family resided when the children were bom, and 
the particular farm or house, if it can be designated. 
It is always interesting to know where our ances¬ 
tors lived and what their occupations were. It is 
desirable that a man should preserve in permanent 
