=Mint Jelly.=--This can be made with the young, fresh leaves. Soak one
ounce of gelatine in a pint of salted water until soft, when the water
is discarded. Add one and a half cupfuls of granulated sugar. Crush one
pint of green mint, and pour one quart of boiling water over it. Let
it stand whilst you are doing the other things, then strain through a
jelly-bag, and bring to the boil. Pour over the gelatine and sugar, and
stir for a minute. Turn into jelly glasses, and when firm keep in a
cold place. If sealed, these will keep some time, or they may be served
as soon as cold.
=Mint Sandwiches.=--Put into a basin a tablespoonful of fresh mint
leaves cut fine, and pour over them a tablespoonful of hot water, and
let it infuse for ten minutes. Strain, add two cupfuls of heavy whipped
cream, salt and pepper to season, and one tablespoonful of gelatine,
softened in a little cold water; dissolve over hot water. Turn into a
square mould to cool. Cut in slices, and place between thin slices of
brown bread.
=Mint Sherbet.=--Pour two cupfuls of boiling water over a bunch of
bruised, fresh spearmint leaves. Cover, and let it stand on the back
of the stove to infuse, then add one cupful of sugar. When the sugar
is dissolved, strain, cool, add two-thirds of a cupful of grape juice,
and one quarter of a cupful of lemon juice. Freeze to a much-liked
consistency. Serve in sherbet glasses; ornament the top of each glass
with crystallised jelly and a sprig of mint.
=Mint Sauce.=--Chop finely some mint--two or three tablespoonfuls; add
to this an equal quantity of brown sugar; let it stand two hours, and
just before using pour some brown vinegar over it, and dilute with a
little cold water. This method will not affect people who suffer from
indigestion.
MUSHROOM (_Agaricus Campestris. Fungi_).
For the growth of mushrooms it is almost indispensable that some pit or
house protected from frost be available, though it is possible to make
up successful beds out of doors during summer and early autumn. But
an even temperature is necessary, and that never below 50°. It is not
unusual to grow mushrooms under the staging of hothouses.
Fresh horse manure in quantity is the first requisite of a mushroom
bed. This should be as free from straw as possible, and should be
stacked in a heap about three feet high, and be turned and restacked
twice at weekly intervals, to take the fire out of it.
Mix the manure well with about one-fourth its bulk of earth, and make
up the bed about eighteen inches deep, leaving all tidy and neat. The
mixture should be homogeneous and well mingled, and the whole well
trodden and compact. When the temperature is about 75° insert the
spawn in pieces about 4 × 3 × 2 inches in size, a foot apart all over
the bed, including the sides. The spawn should be put in by hand, two
inches deep.
When the spawn has thoroughly permeated the bed the original pieces
should be withdrawn, and all carefully made smooth again. An inch of
soil should now be laid over the whole bed, and watered moderately with
tepid water.
Watering in moderation must be attended to, and when the mushrooms
appear they should be gathered, stem and all, as it is important not to
leave the old stems rotting in the bed.
For an outdoor bed the same procedure is carried out, and the bed is
protected by a six-inch layer of hay or straw. A sheltered position
should be chosen--much the sort of spot where one usually places the
garden frames. Indeed, it is by no means bad practice to make the bed
in such a frame and cover the glass with mats.