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TWENTY-FIVE CENT DINNERS
FOR
FAMILIES OF SIX.
BY
JULIET CORSON,
_Superintendent of the New York Cooking School_.
AUTHOR OF "THE COOKING MANUAL," "OUR HOUSEHOLD COUNCIL," "THE BILL OF
FARE, WITH ACCOMPANYING RECEIPTS AND ESTIMATED COST," "A TEXT-BOOK FOR
COOKING SCHOOLS," "FIFTEEN-CENT DINNERS FOR WORKINGMEN'S FAMILIES," ETC.
THIRTEENTH EDITION, REVISED AND ENLARGED.
NEW YORK:
ORANGE JUDD COMPANY,
245 BROADWAY,
1879.
Copyright by JULIET CORSON, 1878.
All Rights Reserved.
PREFACE
TO
_THE REVISED AND ENLARGED EDITION_.
During the time that this little book has been a candidate for public
favor, it has attained a success far beyond the expectations of its most
sanguine advocates; and in issuing this revised and enlarged edition the
author returns her sincere thanks to both press and public, who have so
substantially seconded her efforts for culinary reform.
In this edition an additional chapter has been devoted to the
preparation of fruit for dessert, with special reference to the needs of
American housewives. Most American ladies prepare fruit for table use
either by canning it, or making it into rich and expensive preserves;
while both of these methods are palatable, and available for winter use,
the receipts given in the closing chapter will provide a welcome variety
for serving fresh fruits at the table, and will tend to increase the
healthy consumption of those abundant and excellent domestic
productions, while they cannot fail to decrease the deplorable
prevalence of that objectionable national compound, the pie.
Recent investigations concerning retail prices in different sections of
the country confirm the author in the estimate of cost given in this
work; in certain localities some of the articles quoted are more
expensive, while others are cheaper; but the average is about equal.
PREFACE.
TO ECONOMICAL HOUSEWIVES:
The wide publicity which the press in different sections of the country
has given to my offer to show workingpeople earning a dollar and a half,
or less, per day, how to get a good dinner for fifteen cents, has
brought me a great many letters from those who earn more, and can
consequently afford a more extended diet.
In response to their requirements I have written this book, which I hope
will be found servicable in that middle department of cookery it is
designed to occupy, where we begin to look for more than the absolute
necessaries of life; it is a practical guide to the economical,
healthful, and palatable preparation of food, and will serve to show
that it is possible to live well upon a very moderate income.
It is necessary to repeat in this book some of the directions given in
the work on "FIFTEEN CENT DINNERS;" but I hope their reappearance will
be pardoned on the ground of their usefulness, and also because the
first book will fail to reach many for whom this one is intended.
The cheapest kinds of food are sometimes the most wholesome and
strengthening; but in order to obtain all their best qualities we must
know how to choose them for their freshness, goodness, and suitability
to our needs. That done, we must know how to cook them, so as to make
savory and nutritious meals instead of tasteless or sodden messes, the
eating whereof sends the man to the liquor shop for consolation.
Good food, properly cooked, gives us good blood, sound bones, healthy
brains, strong nerves, and firm flesh, to say nothing of good tempers
and kind hearts. These are surely worth a little trouble to secure.
The first food of nearly all living creatures is milk, the only entire
natural food; that is, the only food upon which health and strength can
be sustained for any length of time, without using any other
nourishment. For this reason it is the best food you can give the
children if you must restrict their diet at all; and it is also a
valuable addition to the food of grown persons. While this fact about
milk is settled, it is generally acknowledged by people who study the
subject that we thrive best on a variety. We get warmth and strength
from fat meat, wheat, rye, barley, rice, milk, sugar, fruit, peas,
beans, lentils, macaroni, and the roots of vegetables; we gain flesh
from lean meat, unbolted flour, oatmeal, eggs, cheese, and green
vegetables; and, if we want to think clearly, we must use fish, poultry,
the different grains, and a good variety of fruit and vegetables.
The food most generally in use among the masses is just that which meets
their requirements. No hungry man will spend money for what he knows
will not satisfy his appetite, and a natural appetite may always be
trusted. For that reason the receipts given in this book treat of the
articles in common use, with the exception of lentils and macaroni,
which are foods that I earnestly beg all to try. In meals made up of
bacon, potatoes and bread, of corned beef and cabbage, and of pork and
beans, there exists an equal and sufficient amount of nourishment; but
if other dishes are added to these, the variety will result in better
general health and contentment. If we were to live day after day on
rice, bread, potatoes, or any one other article of food, we would not
long be strong enough for any kind of work. In matters of diet variety
is not only the spice of life, it is the necessity.
In estimating cost, I have naturally supposed that the family consists
of father, mother, and children of different ages, and not of six
adults; for them the quantities given would, of course, be insufficient.
I allow a meat dinner every day; but in order to have this the meat
itself must generally be used one day, with bread or vegetables, and the
next day the breakfast must be the broth or juice of the meat, which, if
prepared according to my directions, will afford equal nourishment.
I wish to call your attention to the following important fact. The hardy
and thrifty working classes of France, the country where the most rigid
economy in regard to food is practised, never use tea or coffee for
breakfast, and seldom use milk. Their food and drink is BROTH. Not the
broth from fresh meat, for they do not often eat that; but that which is
made from vegetables, and perhaps a bit of bacon or salt pork.
If you will reflect on the reasons I give in the next chapter for
boiling food, instead of roasting or baking it, you will learn two
important lessons in economy, namely: that boiling saves at least one
fourth the volume of food, and that the broth which is produced, when
properly managed, always gives the foundation for another meal. You
should always bear in mind that the object of cooking is to soften and
disintegrate food, so that it can be easily masticated; and to expand
it, so as to present a large surface to the action of the digestive
organs. In this connection you must open your eyes to certain
physiological facts if you want your food to agree with you. I shall not
tell you more, and perhaps not so much, as you ought to know, and to
teach your children.
In calculating the cost of the receipts I give you, I have used the
retail prices asked in Washington market, and in ordinary grocery
stores, at this season of the year; the average is about the same as
that of past years, and probably will not change much; so that I believe
I have not placed too low an estimate upon them.
At the first glance it may seem impossible to buy healthy meat at the
prices I give, but you must remember that I speak of the good second
quality of meat, and that the marketing must be done with economy, and
in low-priced localities. It _can_ be done, for I have done it myself.
Go to packing houses, and provision stores, for meats; to German
green-groceries for vegetables, and fruit; and to "speciality" stores,
for butter, sugar, tea, et cetera.
In conclusion I only have to say that I hope my little book will be
useful to every one who consults it.
JULIET CORSON.
_New York Cooking School._
DAILY BILLS OF FARE FOR ONE WEEK.
{ Breakfast: Johnny Cake, 5; Cocoa, 6; Broiled }
{ Herring, 5. 16 }
{ }
MONDAY { Dinner: Chicken Soup with Rice, 5; Fried }
{ Chicken and Potatoes, 35. 40 } 75
{ }
{ Supper: Tea, 3; Broiled Kidneys, 10; Rice }
{ Bread, 6. 19 }
{ Breakfast: Pulled Bread, 3; Coffee, 6; Macaroni, }
{ Farmers' Style, 10. 19 }
{ }
TUESDAY { Dinner: Broth and Brewis, 5; Stewed Beef }
{ with Norfolk Dumplings, 19. 24 } 62
{ }
{ Supper: Tea, 3; Peas Pudding, 10; Bread, 6. 19 }
{ Breakfast: Biscuit, 6; Cocoa, 6; Codfish }
{ Steaks, 15. 27 }
{ }
WEDNESDAY { Dinner: Spinach Soup, 15; Gammon Dumplings }
{ and Potatoes, 15. 30 } 76
{ }
{ Supper: Tea, 3; Baked Beans, 10; Potato }
{ Bread, 6. 19 }
{ Breakfast: Breakfast Rolls, 6; Cocoa, 6; }
{ Stewed Pig's Kidneys, 10. 22 }
{ }
THURSDAY { Dinner: Macaroni with White Sauce, 10; }
{ Brain and Liver Pudding, with potatoes, }
{ 18. 28 } 69
{ }
{ Supper: Tea, 3; Rice, Japanese Style, 10; }
{ Bread, 6. 19 }
{ Breakfast: Indian Cakes, 5; Coffee, 6; Vegetable }
{ Porridge, 15. 26 }
{ }
FRIDAY { Dinner: Thick Pea Soup, 6; Fish and Potato }
{ Pudding, 15. 21 } 66
{ }
{ Supper: Tea, 3; Fried Beans, 10; Rice }
{ Bread, 6. 19 }
{ Breakfast: Biscuit, 6; Cocoa, 6; Rice, Milanaise }
{ Style, 10. 22 }
{ }
SATURDAY { Dinner: Mutton Broth, with Barley, 3; Epigramme }
{ of Lamb, 16; Potatoes, 3. 22 } 58
{ }
{ Supper: Tea, 3; Polenta, 5; Potato Bread, 6. 14}
{ Breakfast: Toast, 6; Fried Lentils, 10; }
{ Coffee, 6; Oatmeal Porridge, 8. 30 }
{ }
SUNDAY { Dinner: Roast Fowl and Baked Potatoes, 38; }
{ Half-pay Pudding, 20. 58 } 1.19
{ }
{ Supper: German Potatoes, 10; Cream Rice }
{ Pudding, 15; Bread, 6. 31 }
TOTAL. $5.25
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I.
_Marketing._ PAGE.
Composition and nutritive value of Meat, Blood, and Bones--How to
choose Meat--Beef--Mutton--Lamb--Veal--Pork--Poultry--Game
Birds--Fish--Vegetables--Fruit 10
CHAPTER II.
_How to Cook, Season, and Measure._
Effect of different methods of cooking--Roasting or
Baking--Broiling--Boiling and Stewing--Frying--Cooking Salt and
Smoked Meats--Seasoning Food--Dried Celery and Parsley--Dried
Herbs--Table Sauce--Celery Salt--Spice Salt--Lemon, Orange, and
Vanilla Tinctures--Table for Measuring Food 16
CHAPTER III.
_Beverages._
Tea--Coffee--Cocoa and Chocolate--Beer--Barley Water--Milk--Lime
Water 20
CHAPTER IV.
_Bread, Macaroni, and Rice._
Comparative price and nutritive value of different kinds of
bread--Homemade Bread--Rice Bread--Potato Bread--Pulled Bread--Bread
made with Baking Powder--Breakfast Rolls--Tea Biscuit--Nutritive value
of Macaroni--Macaroni Farmers' Style--Macaroni with Broth--Macaroni with
White Sauce--Macaroni with Cheese--Macaroni Milanaise Style--Macaroni
with Tomato Sauce--Tomato Sauce--Rice--Rice Panada--Boiled Rice--Rice
Milanaise Style--Rice Japanese Style 24
CHAPTER V.
_Soup._
Nutritive value of Soup--General directions for making Soup--Scotch
Broth without Meat--Pea Soup--Thick Pea Soup--Bean Soup--Lentil
Soup--Onion Soup--Spinach Soup--Francatelli's Vegetable
Soup--Vegetable Porridge--Rice Milk--Fish Soup--Fish Chowder--Mutton
Broth--Veal Broth--White Broth--Cream Soup--Beef Broth--Norfolk
Dumplings--Meat Brewis 31
CHAPTER VI.
_Peas, Beans, Lentils, and Maize._
Value of Leguminous Vegetables for Hard Workers--Oatmeal and
Peas--Peas-Pudding--Peas and Bacon--Baked Peas--Peas and
Onions--Baked Beans--Stewed Beans--Fried Beans--Beans and
Bacon--Boiled Lentils--Stewed Lentils--Fried Lentils--Indian Corn
Meal--Polenta--Cheese Pudding--Hasty Pudding--Johnny Cake--Indian
Cakes--Indian Bread--Boiled Indian Pudding--Baked Indian Pudding 38
CHAPTER VII.
_Cheap Fish and Meat Dinners._
Nutritive value of Fish--Pickled Fish--London Fried Fish--Fish and
Potato Pie--Fish Pudding--Fish and Potato Pudding--Codfish
Steaks--Red Herrings with Potatoes--Cheap Meats--Sheeps' Head
Stew--Oxtail Stew--Beef Pie--Baked Heart--Stewed Kidneys and
Potatoes--Pig's Kidneys--Kidney Pudding--Gammon Dumpling--Bacon and
Apple Roly-poly--Mutton and Onions--Pork and Onions--Veal and
Rice--Irish Stew--Sheep's Haslet--Baked Pig's Head 43
CHAPTER VIII.
_Sunday Dinners._
Economy of Combination Dishes--Roast Fowl--Forcemeat or
Stuffing--Chicken Gravy--Fried Chicken--Frying Batter--Chicken
Broth--New York Cooking School Fricassee--Suet Dumplings--Rabbit
Curry--Rabbit Pie--Pickled Shad--Pork Pie--Pork Chops--Roast Pork and
Apples--Stewed Sausage--German Potatoes--Brain and Liver
Pudding--Broiled Kidneys--Tripe, Curry, and Rice--Liver Polenta--_A la
Mode_ Beef--Meat Patties--Boiled Mutton--Mutton _rechauffée_--Mutton
Kromeskys--Plain Frying Batter--_Epigramme_ of Lamb--Roast
Veal--Forcemeat for Veal--_Blanquette_ of Veal--Veal and Ham Patties 50
CHAPTER IX.
_Cheap Puddings, Pies, and Cakes._
Comparative nutritive value of Puddings, Pies, and Cakes--Swiss
Pudding--Cream Sauce--College Puddings--Cream Rice Pudding--Half-pay
Pudding--Bread Pudding--Cup Custards--Fruit Dumpling--Apple
Dumplings--Baked Apple Dumplings--Lemon Dumplings--Rice
Croquettes--Fruit Tarts--Rice Cake--Rock Cakes--Caraway Cake--Soft
Gingerbread--Sweet Biscuits 62
CHAPTER X.
_Dessert Dishes._
Directions for making cheap and enjoyable delicacies from Fruit--Apple
Black Caps--Apple Snow--Apple Cakes--Cherry Cheese--Candied
Cherries--Currant Salad--Iced Currants--Compôte of Damsons--Stuffed
Dates--Stewed Figs--Compôte of Gooseberries--Gooseberry
Cheese--Gooseberry Fool--Grape Jelly--Green Gage Compôte--Pine Apple
Julep--Lemon Snow--Melon Compôte--Orange Salad--Orange and Apple
Compôte--Peach Salad--Cold Compôte of Pears--Stewed Prunelles--Quince
Cakes--Quince Snow--Iced Raspberries--Raspberry Salad--Compôte of
Strawberries--Strawberry Drops--Compôte of Mixed Fruits--Fruit Juice 67
CHAPTER I.
MARKETING.
The most perfect meats are taken from well-fed, full-grown animals, that
have not been over-worked, under-fed, or hard-driven; the flesh is firm,
tender, and well-flavored, and abounds in nutritious elements. On the
other hand, the flesh of hard-worked or ill-fed creatures is tough,
hard, and tasteless.
All animal flesh is composed of albumen, fibrin, and gelatin, in the
proportion of about one fifth of its weight; the balance of its
substance is made up of the juice, which consists of water, and those
soluble salts and phosphates which are absolutely necessary for the
maintenance of health. It is this juice which is extracted from beef in
the process of making beef tea; and it is the lack of it in salted meats
that makes them such an injurious diet when eaten for any length of time
to the exclusion of other food.
The flesh of young animals is less nutritious, and less easily
masticated than that of full grown animals, on account of its looser
texture. Beef, which has firmer and larger fibres than mutton, is harder
to digest on that account, but it contains an excess of strengthening
elements that is not approached by any meat, save that of the leg of
pork.
The tongues of various animals, the fibres of which are small and
tender, are nutritious and digestible; the heart is nutritious because
it is composed of solid flesh, but the density of its fibre interferes
with its digestibility; the other internal organs are very nutritious,
and very useful as food for vigorous persons on that account, and
because they are cheap. The blood of animals abounds in nutritive
elements; the possibility of its use as a general food has closely
engaged the attention of European scientists; notably of the members of
the University of Copenhagen, who recommend its use in the following
forms, in which it is not only suitable for food, but also capable of
preservation for an indefinite time. First, as sausages, puddings and
cakes--being mixed with fat, meal, sugar, salt, and a few spices--to
serve as a much cheaper substitute for meat, and intended especially for
the use of the poor classes; and second, as blood-chocolate, more
especially suitable to be used in hospitals, as well as otherwise in
medical practice, in which latter form it has been recommended by
Professor Panum, at a meeting of physicians at Copenhagen, and is now
being employed in some of the hospitals of that city.
Bones consist largely of animal matter, and earthy substances which are
invaluable in building up the frame of the body. In order to obtain all
their goodness, we must crush them well before putting them into soups
or stews.
=Beef.=--The flesh of the best quality of beef is of a bright red color,
intersected with closely laid veins of yellowish fat; the kidney fat, or
suet, is abundant, and there is a thick layer upon the back. The second
quality has rather whitish fat, laid moderately thick upon the back, and
about the kidneys; the flesh is close-grained, having but few streaks of
fat running through it, and is of a pale red color, and covered with a
rough, yellowish skin. Poor beef is dark red, gristly, and tough to the
touch, with a scanty layer of soft, oily fat. Buy meat as cheap as you
can, but be sure it is fresh; slow and long cooking will make tough meat
tender, but tainted meat is only fit to throw away. Never use it. You
would, by doing so, invite disease to enter the home where smiling
health should reign. The best way to detect taint in any kind of meat is
to run a sharp, thin-bladed knife close to the bone, and then smell it
to see if the odor is sweet. Wipe the knife after you use it. A small,
sharp wooden skewer will answer, but it must be scraped every time it is
used, or the meat-juice remaining on it will become tainted, and it will
be unfit for future use. If, when you are doubtful about a piece of
meat, the butcher refuses to let you apply this test carefully enough to
avoid injuring the meat, you will be safe in thinking he is afraid of
the result.
=Mutton.=--Prime mutton is bright red, with plenty of hard, white fat. The
flesh of the second quality is dark red and close grained, with very few
threads of fat running through it; the fat is rather soft, and is laid
thin on the back and kidneys, closely adhering to them. The poorest
healthy quality has very pale flesh, and thin white fat, and the meat
parts easily from the bone. Diseased mutton has decidedly yellow fat,
and very soft flesh, of loose texture. Tainted mutton smells bad; test
it as you would beef.
=Lamb.=--A carcass of lamb should weigh about twenty-five pounds before it
is old enough to be wholesome and nourishing food; before it has reached
that age it is watery and deficient in the elements of strength; at any
age it is more suitable food for women and children than for healthy
men. The finest kind has delicate rosy meat, and white, almost
transparant fat. The flesh of the second quality is soft, and rather red
compared with the pinkish-white meat of choice kinds; the fat is more
scanty, and the general appearance coarser. The poorest lamb has yellow
fat, and lean, flabby red meat, which keeps but a short time. Test the
freshness of lamb by touching the kidney-fat; if it is soft and moist
the meat is on the verge of spoiling; a bad smell indicates that it is
already tainted; it is utterly unfit for use.
=Veal.=--Prime veal is light flesh color, and has abundance of hard,
white, semi-transparent fat. The flesh of the second quality is red in
contrast to the pinkish-white color of the prime sort; and the fat is
whiter, coarser-grained, and less abundant. The poorest kind has
decidedly red flesh, and very little kidney-fat. The neck is the first
part that taints, and it can easily be tested; the loin is just spoiling
when the kidney-fat begins to grow soft and clammy.
Read this sentence about BOB-VEAL carefully, and be sure to remember it.
It is the flesh of calves killed when two or three weeks old, or that of
"deaconed calves," which are killed almost as soon as they are born, for
the value of their skins. This practice cannot be too harshly condemned
as a criminal waste of food; for a stock raiser, or farmer, who knows
his business can feed his calves until they reach a healthy maturity,
without seriously interfering with his supply of milk. The flesh of
BOB-VEAL is a soft, flabby, sticky substance, of a ropy gelatinous
nature; and, being the first flesh, unchanged by the health-giving
action of air and food, it is devoid of the elements necessary to
transform it into wholesome food. IT SHOULD NEVER BE EATEN.
=Pork.=--The best kind of pork is fresh and pinkish in color, and the fat
is firm and white. The second quality has rather hard, red flesh, and
yellowish fat. The poorest kind has dark, coarse grained meat, soft fat,
and discoloured kidneys. The flesh of stale pork is moist and clammy,
and its smell betrays its condition. Measly pork has little kernels in
the fat, and is unhealthy and dangerous food. After testing, as you
would beef, so as to see if it is fresh, and making sure that it is not
measly, we have still to dread the presence of TRICHINA, a dangerous
parasite present in the flesh of some hogs. The surest preventive of
danger from this cause is thorough cooking, which destroys any germs
that may exist in the meat. Cook your pork until it is crisp and brown,
by a good, steady fire, or in boiling water, at least twenty minutes to
each pound. Pork eaten in cold weather, or moderately in summer,
alternately with other meats, is a palatable and nutritious food. It has
a hard fibre, and needs to be thoroughly chewed in order to be perfectly
digested; for that reason it should be sparingly used by the young and
the very old. The least fat is found in the leg, which contains an
excess of flesh-forming elements, and resembles lean beef in
composition; the most fat is in the face and belly. When cured as bacon
it readily takes on the anti-septic action of salt and smoke, and
becomes a valuable adjunct to vegetable food, as well as a pleasant
relish; and in this shape it is one of the most important articles in
general use.
=Poultry.=--Both poultry and game are less nutritious than meat, but they
are more digestible, and consequently are better food than meat for
persons of weak digestive organs and sedentary habits. They are both
excellent for persons who think or write much. Fresh poultry may be
known by its full bright eyes, pliable feet, and soft moist skin; the
best is plump, fat, and nearly white, and the grain of the flesh is
fine. The feet and neck of a young fowl are large in proportion to its
size, and the tip of the breast-bone is soft, and easily bent between
the fingers; a young cock, has soft, loose spurs, and a long, full,
bright red comb; old fowls have long, thin necks and feet, and the flesh
on the legs and back has a purplish shade; chickens and fowls are always
in season.
Turkeys are good when white and plump, have full breasts and smooth
legs, generally black, with soft loose spurs; hen turkeys are smaller,
fatter, and plumper, but of inferior flavor; full grown turkeys are the
best for boiling, as they do not tear in dressing; old turkeys have long
hairs, and the flesh is purplish where it shows under the skin on the
legs and back. About March they deteriorate in quality.
Young ducks and geese are plump, with light, semi-transparent fat, soft
breast-bone, tender flesh, leg joints which will break by the weight of
the bird, fresh colored and brittle beaks, and windpipes that break
when pressed between the thumb and forefinger. They are best in fall and
winter.
Young pigeons have light red flesh upon the breast, and full, fresh
colored legs; when the legs are thin, and the breast is very dark, the
birds are old.
=Game Birds.=--Fine game birds are always heavy for their size; the flesh
of the breast is firm and plump, and the skin clear; and if a few
feathers be plucked from the inside of the leg and around the vent, the
flesh of freshly killed birds will be fat and fresh colored; if it is
dark, and discolored, the game has been hung a long time. The wings of
good ducks, geese, pheasants, and woodcock are tender to the touch; the
tips of the long wing feathers of partridges are pointed in young birds,
and round in old ones. Quail, snipe, and small birds should have full,
tender breasts.
=Fish.=--Fish is richer in flesh-forming elements than game, poultry, lamb
or veal, but it contains less fat and gelatin. It is easily digested,
and makes strong muscular flesh, but does not greatly increase the
quantity of fat in the body. The red blooded and oily kinds, such as
salmon, sturgeon, eels and herring, are much more nutritious than the
white blooded varieties, such as cod, haddock, and flounders. The
salting of rich, oily fish like herring, mackerel, salmon, and sturgeon,
does not deprive it of its nutritive elements to the extent that is
noticeable with cod; salt cod fish is almost entirely devoid of
nutriment, while the first named oily varieties are valuable adjuncts to
a vegetable diet.
Although fish contains more water and less solid nutriment than meat, it
is generally useful from its abundance and cheapness; and certain kinds
which are called red-blooded, are nearly as nourishing as meat: oily
fish satisfies hunger as completely as meat; herring, especially, makes
the people who eat it largely strong and sinewy. Sea fish are more
nourishing than fresh water varieties.
Sea fish, and those which live in both salt and fresh water, such as
salmon, shad, and smelts, are the finest flavored; the muddy taste of
some fresh water species can be overcome by soaking them in cold water
and salt for two hours or more before cooking; all kinds are best just
before spawning, the flesh becoming poor and watery after that period.
Fresh fish have firm flesh, rigid fins, bright, clear eyes, and ruddy
gills. Oysters, clams, scallops, and mussels, should be eaten very
fresh, as they soon lose their flavor after being removed from the
shell.
Lobsters and crabs should be chosen by their brightness of color, lively
movement, and great weight in proportion to their size; you ought always
to buy them alive, and put them head first into a large pot of boiling
water, containing a handful of salt; they will cook in about twenty
minutes.
=Vegetables.=--In order to be healthy we must eat some fresh vegetables;
they are cheap and nourishing, especially onions and cabbages. Peas,
beans, and lentils, all of which are among the lowest priced of foods,
are invaluable in the diet of a laboring man: he can get so much
nourishment out of them that he hardly needs meat; and if they are
cooked in the water that has been used for boiling meat, they make the
healthiest kind of a meal.
All juicy vegetables should be very fresh and crisp; and if a little
wilted, can be restored by being sprinkled with water and laid in a
cool, dark place; all roots and tubers should be pared and laid in cold
water an hour or more before using. Green vegetables are best just
before they flower; and roots and tubers are prime from their ripening
until they begin to sprout.
When it is possible buy your vegetables by the quantity, from the
farmers, or market-gardeners, or at the market; you will save more than
half. Potatoes now cost at Washington market from one to one dollar and
a half a barrel; there are three bushels in a barrel, and thirty-two
quarts in a bushel; now at the groceries you pay fifteen cents a half a
peck, or four cents a quart; that makes your barrel of potatoes cost you
three dollars and sixty-three cents, if you buy half a peck at a time;
or three dollars and eighty-four cents if you buy by the quart. So you
see if you could buy a barrel at once you could save more than one half
of your money. It is worth while to try and save enough to do it.
=Fruit.=--Fresh fruit is a very important food, especially for children,
as it keeps the blood pure, and the bowels regular. Next to grains and
seeds, it contains the greatest amount of nutriment to a given quantity.
Apples are more wholesome than any other fruit, and plentiful and cheap
two-thirds of the time; they nourish, cool, and strengthen the body. In
Europe laborers depend largely upon them for nourishment, and if they
have plenty, they can do well without meat. They miss apples much more
than potatoes, for they are much more substantial food.
All fruit should be bought ripe and sound; it is poor economy to buy
imperfect or decayed kinds, as they are neither satisfactory nor healthy
eating; while the mature, full flavored sorts are invaluable as food.
Preserved and dried fruits are luxuries to be indulged in only at
festivals or holidays. Nuts are full of nutritious oil, but are
generally hard to digest; they do not come under the head of the
necessaries of life.