Throw into a jar, adding the kernels of half slightly bruised. Add one
pound white sugar. Cover with brandy, and let it stand a month.--_Mrs.
E._
MINT CORDIAL.
Pick the mint early in the morning while the dew is on it. Do not
bruise it. Pour some water over it, and then drain it off. Put two
handfuls in a pitcher with a quart of French brandy. Cover and let it
stand till next day. Take out the mint carefully, and put in as much
more, which take out next day. Add fresh mint a third time, taking it
out after twenty-four hours. Then add three quarts water and one pound
loaf sugar to the brandy. Mix well, and, when clear, bottle.--_Mrs.
Dr. J._
STRAWBERRY ACID.
Put twelve pounds fruit in a pan. Cover it with two quarts water,
having previously acidulated the water with five ounces tartaric acid.
Let it remain forty-eight hours. Then strain, taking care not to
bruise the fruit. To each pint of juice add one pound and a half
powdered sugar. Stir till dissolved, and leave a few days. Then bottle
and cork lightly. If a slight fermentation takes place, leave the
corks out for a few days. The whole process to be cold. When put away,
the bottles must be kept erect.--_Mrs. Col. R._
ROYAL STRAWBERRY ACID.
Dissolve two ounces citric acid in one quart spring water, which pour
over three pounds ripe strawberries. After standing twenty-four hours,
drain the liquor off, and pour it over three pounds more of
strawberries. Let it stand twenty-four hours more, and again drain the
liquor off. Add to the liquor its own weight of sugar. Boil three or
four minutes, put in cool bottles, cork lightly for three days, then
cork tightly and seal.--_Mrs. G._
STRAWBERRY VINEGAR.
Four pounds strawberries, three quarts vinegar. Put fresh, ripe
berries in a jar, adding to each pound a pint and a half of fine, pale
white-wine vinegar. Tie a thick paper over them and let them remain
three or four days. Then drain off the vinegar, and pour it over four
pounds fresh fruit. After three days drain it again, and add it a
third time to fresh fruit. After draining the last time, add one pound
refined sugar to each pint of vinegar. When nearly dissolved, stir the
syrup over a fire till it has dissolved (five minutes). Skim it, pour
it in a pitcher, cover it till next day. Then bottle it, and cork it
loosely for the first few days. Use a few spoonfuls to a glass of
water.--_Mrs. E. P. G._
RASPBERRY VINEGAR.
Put a quart red raspberries in a bowl. Pour over them a quart strong
apple vinegar. After standing twenty-four hours, strain through a bag,
and add the liquid to a quart of fresh berries. After twenty-four
hours more, strain again, and add the liquid to a third quart of
berries. After straining the last time, sweeten liberally with pounded
loaf sugar, refine and bottle. Blackberry vinegar may be made by the
same recipe.--_Mrs. C. N._
_Raspberry Vinegar._
Put two quarts ripe, fresh gathered berries in a stone or china
vessel, and pour over them a quart of vinegar. After standing
twenty-four hours, strain through a sieve. Pour the liquid over two
quarts fresh berries, which strain after twenty-four hours. Allow one
pound loaf sugar to each pint of juice. Break up the sugar and let it
melt in the liquid. Put the whole in a stone jar, cover closely, and
set in a kettle of boiling water, which must be kept boiling briskly
an hour. Take off the scum, and, when cold, bottle.--_Miss N. L._
RASPBERRY ACID.
Dissolve five ounces tartaric acid in two quarts water, and pour it
over twelve pounds berries. Let it stand twenty-four hours, and then
strain without bruising the fruit. To each pint clear juice add one
pound and a half dissolved sugar, and leave a few days. If a slight
fermentation takes place, delay corking a few days. Then cork and
seal.--_Mrs. G._
LEMON VINEGAR.
Fill a bottle nearly full of strong cider vinegar. Put in it the rind
of two or three lemons, peeled very thin. In a week or two it will be
ready for use, and will not only make a nice beverage (very much like
lemonade), but will answer for seasoning.--_Mrs. M. C. C._
LEMON OR ORANGE SYRUP.
Put one pound and a half white sugar to each pint of juice. Add some
peel, and boil ten minutes, then strain and cork. It makes a fine
beverage, and is useful for flavoring pies and puddings. The juice of
any acid fruit may be made into a syrup by the above recipe.
ORGEAT.
Make a syrup of one pound sugar to one pint water. Put it aside till
cold. To five pounds sugar put one gill rose-water and two
tablespoonfuls essence of bitter almonds.--_Mrs. I. H._
SUMMER BEER.
Twelve quarts water, one quart molasses, one quart strong hop-tea,
one-half pint yeast. Mix well and allow to settle. Strain through a
coarse cloth, and bottle. It will be good in twenty-four hours.--_Mrs.
E. W._
CREAM BEER.
Two ounces tartaric acid, two pounds white sugar, three pints water,
juice of one lemon. Boil all together. When nearly cold, add whites of
three eggs, well beaten, with one-half cupful flour, and one-half
ounce essence wintergreen. Bottle and keep in a cool place. Take two
tablespoonfuls of this mixture for a tumbler of water, in which put
one-quarter teaspoonful soda.--_Mrs. E._
LEMON BEER.
Cut two large lemons in slices and put them in a jar. Add one pound
white sugar and one gallon boiling water. Let it stand till cool; then
add one-quarter cupful yeast. Let it stand till it ferments. Bottle in
the evening in stone jugs and cork tightly.--_Mrs. G. W. P._
GINGER BEER.
One and a half ounce best ground Jamaica ginger, one and a half ounce
cream of tartar, one pound brown sugar, two sliced lemons, four quarts
boiling water, one-half pint yeast. Let it ferment twenty-four hours.
In two weeks it will be ready for use.--_Mrs. G. W. P._
SMALL BEER.
Fifteen gallons water, one gallon bran, one and a half gallon
molasses, one quart corn or oats, one-quarter pound hops. Let it boil
up once; take it off and sweeten with the aforementioned molasses. Put
it in a tub to cool. When a little more than milk warm, add one and a
half pint yeast. Cover it with a blanket till next morning, and then
bottle.--_Mrs. M. P._
MULLED CIDER.
To one quart cider take three eggs. Beat them light and add sugar
according to the acidity of the cider. When light, pour the boiling
cider on, stirring briskly. Put back on the fire and stir till it
fairly boils. Then pour off.--_Mr. R. H. M._
CRAB CIDER.
To a thirty-gallon cask put one bushel clean picked grapes. Fill up
with sweet cider, just from the press--crab preferred. Draw off in
March, and it is fit for use. Add brandy, as much as you think
best.--_Mrs. A. D._
THE SICK-ROOM--DIET AND REMEDIES FOR THE SICK.
First of all, let me say that after a reliable physician has been
called in, his directions should be strictly followed, and his
instructions should be the law in the sick-room. Have everything in
readiness for his admission immediately after his arrival, as his time
is valuable and it occasions him both annoyance and loss of time to be
kept waiting outside of the sick-room, after reaching the house of the
patient.
Pure air is of vital importance in the sick-room. Many persons exclude
fresh air for fear of dampness, but even damp air is better than
impure. Even in cold weather, there should be a free circulation of
air. If there are no ventilators, let the air circulate from the tops
of the windows, rather than admit it by opening the door, which is apt
to produce a draft. Meantime keep up a good fire; if practicable, let
it be a wood fire, but if this be not attainable, have an open grate,
with a coal fire. The sight of a bright blaze is calculated to cheer
the patient, while the sight of a dark, close stove is depressing. By
no means allow a sick person to be in a room warmed by a flue or
register.
The old idea of darkening the sick-room is exploded. It should be
darkened only when the patient wishes to sleep. If the eyes are weak,
admit the sunshine from a quarter where it will not fall upon them.
The modern science of physics has come to recognize sunshine as one of
the most powerful of remedial agencies, and cases are not rare in
which invalids have been restored to health by using sun-baths, and
otherwise freely enjoying the sunshine.
It is best to have no odors in the sick-room unless it be bay rum,
German cologne, or something else especially fancied by the sick
person. Where there is any unpleasant exhalation, it is far better to
let it escape by properly ventilating the room, than to try to
overcome it by the aid of perfumery. In fevers, where there are
offensive exhalations from the body, sponging with tepid water will
help to remove the odor, and will also prove soothing to the patient.
In winter, expose but a small portion of the body at a time, in
sponging. Then rub gently with the hand or a coarse towel, and there
will be no danger of the patient's taking cold, even in winter.
Be careful to keep warm, soft flannels on the sick person in winter.
In summer, do not keep a pile of bedclothes on the patient, even
though chilly. It is better to keep up the circulation by other means,
such as rubbing or stimulants. Scrupulous neatness should be observed
about the bed-linen (as well as the other appointments of the
sick-room). Never use bed-quilts or comforts; they are not only heavy,
but retain the exhalations from the body. Use soft, fleecy blankets
instead.
The nurse should watch her opportunity of having the bedclothes taken
into the fresh air and shaken, and the bed made up, when the patient
has been lifted up and set in an easy-chair near the fire. The
arrangements about the bed should be quickly made, so that the patient
may be able to lie down again as soon as fatigued. Let such sweeping
and dusting as are necessary be also done with dispatch, using a
dust-pan to receive the dust from the carpet. Avoid clouds of dust
from the carpet, and of ashes from the fireplace.
The nurse has a very important part to play, as physicians say that
nursing is of equal importance as medical attendance. The nurse should
be careful not to wear a dress that rustles, nor shoes that creak, and
if the patient has any fancy, or any aversion connected with colors,
she should regard it in her dress. Indeed, the patient should be
indulged in every fancy that is not hurtful.
The nurse should be prompt in every arrangement. Where blisters or
poultices are to be used, she should not wait till the last moment to
prepare them, but should do so before uncovering the patient to apply
them, or even broaching the subject. If anything painful or
distasteful has to be undergone by the patient, it should not be
discussed beforehand with or before the patient; but when all is in
readiness, with cheerful and soothing words, let it be done.
The patient should never be kept waiting for food, medicine, bath, or
any other requisite. Every arrangement should be made beforehand to
supply his or her needs in good time. Crushed ice and other needful
things should be kept always at hand, so the patient may have them at
any moment without delay. Especially on the approach of night, try to
provide everything needed during the night, such as ice, mustard, hot
water, kindling wood, a large piece of soapstone for the feet, as this
is more cleanly and retains heat better than other things used for the
purpose. Other things, such as the nature of the sickness may call
for, should be thought of and provided before nightfall.
As the sick are very fastidious, all food for them must be prepared in
the most delicate manner. Do not bring the same article of food
several times consecutively, but vary it from time to time. Do not let
a sick person have any article of food forbidden by a physician, as
there are many reasons known to them only, why dishes fancied by the
sick should be injurious.
Avoid whispering, as this excites nervousness and apprehension on the
part of the sick. Do not ask in a mournful tone of voice how the
patient is. Indeed, it is best to ask the sick as few questions as
possible. It is far better to watch their symptoms for yourself than
to question them. Examine for yourself if their feet are warm, and
endeavor to discover their condition and their wants, as far as
possible, without questions.
In a case of illness, many well-meaning persons crowd to see the
patient; do not admit them into the sick-room, as it is both exciting
and fatiguing to an ill person to see company, and, when in a critical
condition, the balance might be disastrously turned by the injudicious
admission of visitors. Both mind and body must be kept quiet to give
the patient a chance for recovery. When well enough to listen to
conversation, the patient should hear none but what is cheerful and
entertaining, never any of an argumentative or otherwise unpleasant
nature.
Do not allow the patient to read, as it is too great a tax on the
sight and brain before convalescence. Suitable books, in large print,
are a great resource to the patient when arrived at this stage, but
should be read only in moderation.
Driving out is a delightful recreation for convalescents, and they
should be indulged in it as soon as the physician pronounces it safe.
In winter, they should be carried driving about noon, so as to enjoy
the sunshine at its warmest. In summer, the cool of the morning or
evening is the best time to drive them out; but if the latter time be
chosen, be careful to return immediately after sundown. Make
arrangements for the patient on returning to find the room thoroughly
cleaned, aired, and adorned with fresh flowers (always so cheering in
a sick-room), and let the bed be nicely made up and turned down. It is
well to have some little refreshment awaiting after the drive--a
little cream or milk toddy, a cup of tea or coffee, or, if the weather
be hot, some cooling draught perhaps would be more acceptable. It is
well to keep the convalescent cheered, by projecting each day some new
and pleasant little plan for the morrow.
ARROWROOT.
Break an egg. Separate the yolk and white. Whip each to a stiff froth.
Add a tablespoonful of arrowroot and a little water to the yolk. Rub
till smooth and free from lumps. Pour slowly into half a pint of
boiling water, stirring all the time. Let it simmer till jelly-like.
Sweeten to the taste and add a tablespoonful of French brandy. Stir in
the frothed white and take hot in winter. In summer, set first on ice,
then stir in the beaten white. Milk may be used instead of
water.--_Mrs. S. T._
_Arrowroot._
Mix one tablespoonful arrowroot with enough cold water to make a
paste, free from lumps. Pour this slowly into half a pint boiling milk
and let it simmer till it becomes thick and jelly-like. Sweeten to the
taste and add a little nutmeg or cinnamon.--_Mrs. R. C. M. W._
SEAMOSS FARINA.
One tablespoonful in one quart hot water makes jelly; one
tablespoonful in one quart milk makes blanc-mange. Stir fifteen
minutes, and, while simmering, flavor with vanilla or lemon. Suitable
for sick persons.--_M. L. G._
RACAHAUT.
One pound rice flour, one pound chocolate, grated fine, two
tablespoonfuls arrowroot. From a half-pound to a pound of sugar. Mix
well together and put in a close jar. To one quart milk, rub in four
dessertspoonfuls of the above mixture. Give it a boil up and season
with vanilla.--_Mrs. J. H. T._
CRACKED WHEAT.
Soak the wheat in cold water all night. Pour off this water in the
morning. Pour boiling water then over the wheat and boil it about half
an hour, adding salt and butter. Eat with cream.--_Mrs. A. M._
BREAKFAST FOR AN INVALID.
Bread twelve hours old, an egg and black tea.--_Mrs. A._
FOOD FOR A SICK INFANT.
Gelatine two inches square, milk half a pint, water half a pint, cream
one-half to one gill, arrowroot a teaspoonful. Sweeten to the
taste.--_Mrs. J. D._
WINE WHEY.
Put half pint milk over the fire, and, as soon as it begins to boil,
pour slowly into it a wine-glass of sherry wine, mixed with a
teaspoonful white sugar. Grate into it a little nutmeg, and as soon as
it comes to a boil again, take it off the fire. When cool, strain for
use.--_Mrs. R. C. M. W._
MILK PUNCH.
Pour two tablespoonfuls good brandy into six tablespoonfuls milk. Add
two teaspoonfuls ground loaf sugar and a little grated nutmeg. An
adult may take a tablespoonful of this every two or three hours, but
children must take less.--_Mrs. R. C. M. W._
BEEF ESSENCE.
Cut one pound beef in small bits, sprinkle with a very little salt,
tie up in a close stone jar, and set in boiling water. Boil it hard an
hour or more, then strain it. Chicken may be prepared the same way.
Nice for the sick.--_Mrs. Col. W._
BEEF-TEA.
Take half a pound fresh beef for every pint of beef-tea required.
Carefully remove all fat, sinew, veins, and bone from the beef. Cut it
in pieces under an inch square and let it soak twelve hours in
one-third of the water required to be made into tea. Then take it out
and let it simmer three hours in the remaining two-thirds of the
water, the quantity lost by evaporation being replaced from time to
time. The boiling liquor is then to be poured on the cold liquor in
which the meat was soaked. The solid meat is to be dried, pounded in a
mortar, and minced so as to cut up all strings in it, and mixed with
the liquid. When the beef-tea is made daily, it is convenient to use
one day's boiled meat for the next day's tea, as thus it has time to
dry and is more easily pounded. Avoid having it sticky and too much
jellied, when cold.
ESSENCE OF CHICKEN.
In a case of extreme sickness, when it is important that what little
nourishment the patient can take should be highly condensed, the
following is an excellent mode for concentrating, in a small compass,
all the nutritive properties of a chicken.
After picking the chicken, sprinkle a little salt over it and cut it
in pieces, as if for frying. Put the pieces in a small glass jar (or
wide-mouthed bottle), stop it tightly, and put it in a pot of cold
water, gradually heating the latter till it boils. Let the jar of
chicken remain in the water till the juices are well extracted, then
pour them off for the patient.--_Mrs. M. C. C._
CHICKEN JELLY.
Take a large chicken, cut the flesh from its bones, break the bones,
soak an hour in weak salt and water to extract the blood. Put on in a
stewpan with three pints of cold water. Simmer till reduced to less
than half its original quantity. Sprinkle a little salt on it, and
strain in a bowl. Keep on ice.--_Mrs. S. T._
A NOURISHING WAY TO PREPARE CHICKEN, SQUIRREL, OR BEEF FOR THE SICK.
Put in a clean, glazed jar or inner saucepan. Set this in another
vessel of boiling water. Cover closely, and keep boiling for hours.
Season the juice thus extracted with a little salt, stir in a
teaspoonful of fresh milk, and give to the patient.--_Mrs. T._
PANADA.
Lay six nice crackers in a bowl. Sprinkle over them powdered sugar and
a pinch of salt, adding a very small piece of fresh butter. Pour
boiling water over the crackers, and let them remain near the fire
half an hour. Then add a teaspoonful of good French brandy, or a
tablespoonful of Madeira wine, and a little grated nutmeg.--_Mrs. T._
DRY TOAST.
Slice thin, some nice, white bread, perfectly sweet. Toast a light
brown, and butter with fresh butter.--_Mrs. S. T._
SCALDED TOAST.
Prepare and toast the bread as above directed. Then lay in a covered
dish and pour boiling water over it. Turn to one side, and drain out
the water. Then put fresh butter on each slice, with a small pinch of
salt. Serve in a covered dish.--_Mrs. S. T._
MILK TOAST.
Slice the bread thin, toast a light brown, butter each side, and
sprinkle with a little salt. Put in a covered dish, and pour over it
boiling milk.--_Mrs. S. T._
CAROLINA SMALL HOMINY.
Wash and pick. Drain, and soak an hour in cold water. Drain again, and
put in a saucepan, with one pint boiling water to one pint hominy.
Boil till dry like rice. Eat with cream, butter and salt, or with
sugar, butter and nutmeg.--_Mrs. S. T._
DISHES SUITABLE FOR THE SICK
May be found in various parts of this work, such as rice pudding,
baked custard, and various preparations of tapioca, sago, and
arrowroot. Grapes are valuable in fever, and also good for chronic
sore-throat.--_Mrs. S. T._
THIEVES' VINEGAR.
A handful of sage and the same of mint, tansy, rue, rosemary,
lavender, and thyme; one ounce of camphor. Put in a gallon demijohn,
and fill with good vinegar. Set in the sun two weeks with a piece of
leather over the mouth, then stop tightly.--_Mrs. D. R._
AROMATIC VINEGAR.
Acetic acid (concentrated), eight ounces; oil of lavender (Eng.), two
drachms; oil of rosemary, one drachm; oil of cloves, one drachm; gum
camphor, one ounce. Dissolve the camphor (bruised) in the acid, then
add perfumes. After standing a few days, with occasional shaking,
strain, and it is ready for use.--_Dr. E. A. C._
SODA MINT.
Bicarb. soda (Eng.), one drachm; pure water, three ounces; spearmint
water, four ounces; glycerine, one ounce; ar. spts. ammonia,
thirty-two drops. Mix and filter. Dose, from twenty drops to a
tablespoonful, according to age.--_Dr. E. A. C._
LIME-WATER.
This is easily prepared, and a bottle should always be kept ready for
use. It is an antidote to many poisons and a valuable remedy in a
sick-room. Put some pieces of unslacked lime in a bottle, fill up with
cold water, keep it corked and in a cool, dark place. It does not
matter about the quantity of lime, as the water will not dissolve more
than a certain quantity. It is ready for use in a few minutes, and the
clear lime-water can be poured off as needed. When all the water is
used, fill up again, which may be done several times before it is
necessary to use fresh lime.--_Mrs. T._
TARRANT'S EFFERVESCENT SELTZER APERIENT.
Is an invaluable remedy for sick headache, nausea, constipation, and
many of the attendant evils of dyspepsia. Directions accompany each
bottle. Colic and other violent pains of the stomach are sometimes
instantly relieved by adding to the dose of Seltzer Aperient a
teaspoonful of Brown's Jamaica Ginger.
BROWN'S JAMAICA GINGER.
Is not only an invaluable remedy, but a refreshing and delightful
drink may be made from it in summer, when iced lemonade would be
unsafe and iced juleps, etc., would be too heating for one suffering
from over-fatigue. Fill a goblet with crushed ice, add two
teaspoonfuls of powdered sugar and one of Jamaica ginger. Fill up with
water, stir and drink.--_Mrs. S. T._
MUSTARD.
It is not safe to pass a day without mustard in the house, so
valuable are its medicinal properties. When a large plaster is wanted,
put into a plate or bowl two tablespoonfuls ground mustard. Wet it
with cold water and stir with a spoon or knife till a smooth paste.
Lay on an inverted tea-board a piece of newspaper twice the size of
the plaster wanted. On one-half spread evenly and thinly the mustard.
Fold over the other half and fold over the edges as if to hem a piece
of cloth, to prevent the mustard from getting on the skin or clothing.
In winter, warm slightly before applying. Keep it on an adult fifteen
minutes; on a child, half that time. In this way, painful blisters
will always be avoided. If the pain is in the chest or stomach, place
the same plaster on the back just opposite, and let it remain on
twenty minutes the second time. Colman's mustard is considered the
best by many persons.
MUSTARD LEAVES OR PLASTERS.
It is well in travelling to carry a package of these plasters, in case
of sudden sickness. It is important also to keep them at home, as
sometimes they are needed suddenly in the night, and even one moment
gained is important in great emergencies. Those manufactured by
Seabury & Johnson, N. Y., are considered excellent and superior to the
foreign article.
COMPOUND SYRUP OF HOREHOUND AND TAR.
Is excellent for coughs, colds, bronchitis, and diseases of the chest.
Manufactured by Faulkner & Craighill, Lynchburg, Va.
FOR SORE-THROAT.
Carbolic acid crystals, pure, half a drachm; tincture kino, one
drachm; chlorate potash, two drachms; simple syrup, half an ounce.
Water sufficient to make an eight-ounce mixture. Gargle the throat
every few hours.--_Dr. T. L. W._
_For Sore-Throat._
Rub the throat well with camphorated oil, and gargle frequently with a
strong solution chlorate of potash.--_Mrs. S. T._
_For Sore-Throat._