Put two ounces of pearl barley to half a pint of boiling water, and let it simmer five minutes; pour off the water, and add two quarts of boiling water, add two ounces sliced figs, two of stoned raisins, and boil till it is reduced to a quart. Strain it for drink.
To two quarts of boiling water, add one gill of Indian meal and a heaped tablespoonful of flour, made into a paste and stirred in the water. Let it boil slowly twenty minutes. Salt, sugar, and nutmeg to the taste.
Oatmeal makes a fine gruel in the same way.
Broil a pound of tender, juicy beef ten minutes, salt and pepper it, cut it in small pieces, pour on a pint ofboiling water, steep it half an hour, and then pour it off to drink. Another way is slower, but better. Cut the beef in small pieces, fill a junk bottle with them, and keep it five hours in boiling water. Then pour out, and season the juice thus obtained.
Express the juice of ripe tomatoes, and put a pound of sugar to each quart of the juice, put it in bottles, and set it aside. In a few weeks it will have the appearance and flavor of pure wine of the best kind, and mixed with water is a delightful beverage for the sick. No alcohol is needed to preserve it.
The medical properties of the tomato are in high repute, and it is supposed that this syrup retains all that is contained in the fruit.
One tablespoonful of arrowroot.
One pint of milk. One egg.
One tablespoonful of sugar.
Mix the arrowroot with a little of the cold milk, put the milk into a sauce-pan over the fire, and when it boils, stir in the arrowroot and the egg and sugar, well beaten together. Let it scald, and pour into cups to cool. A little cinnamon boiled in the milk flavors it pleasantly.
Wash one large spoonful of sago, boil it in a little water, with a pinch of salt and one or two sticks of cinnamon, until it looks clear; then add a pint of milk, boil all well together, and sweeten with loaf sugar.
Make a thin paste of two ounces of rice flour, and three ounces of loaf sugar, and boil them in a quart of water till transparent. Flavor with rose, orange, orcinnamon water. It can be made also by boiling whole rice long and slowly. A pinch of salt improves it.
Take the pith of sassafras boughs, break it in small pieces, and let it soak in cold water till the water becomes glutinous. It has the flavor of sassafras, and is much relished by the sick, and is also good nourishment.
One quart of good buttermilk. When boiling, beat up the yolk of an egg, and stir in, and, if it can be allowed, some thick cream, or a little butter. Then beat the white to a stiff froth and stir in. Sugar and spice if liked.
Mix half an ounce of pounded alum with one pint of milk. Strain it, and add sugar and nutmeg to the whey. It is good in cases of hemorrhages, and sometimes for colic.
One pint of boiling milk.
Two wine-glasses of wine.
Boil them one moment, stirring.
Take out the curd, and sweeten and flavor the whey.
One pint of wine and one pint of water.
Beat eight eggs and add to the above, while boiling, stirring rapidly. As soon as it begins to boil it is done.
Mix an ounce of tamarind pulp with a pint of milk, strain it, and add a little white sugar to the whey.
Beat the yolk of an egg with a great spoonful of sugar, and put it to a tea-cup of cold tea or cold coffee. Add a half a tea-cup of water, cold in summer and boiling in winter, and as much cream. Then whip the white of the egg to a stiff froth and stir it in. It is very much relished by invalids.
Wash ripe cranberries, mash them, pour boiling water on them, and then strain off the water and sweeten it, and grate on nutmeg.
Take good pippins, slice them thin, pour on boiling water, and let it stand some time. Pour off the water, and sweeten and flavor it.
Beat the yolk of an egg into a great spoonful of white sugar, or more. Add a coffee cup of good milk, then beat the white of the egg to a stiff froth, and stir it in. A little wine, or nutmeg to flavor it.
Soak one ounce of sago in a pint of cold water an hour. Pour off the water, and add a pint and a half of new milk. Simmer it slowly till the sago and milk are well mixed. Flavor with sugar, nutmeg, and wine.
Made like sago milk, only not boiled so long.
Take a slice of good bread and soak it in milk, and then put on a little butter, and it is often very acceptable to the sick. In some cases sprinkle a little salt on instead of butter.
Beat the yolk of an egg with a spoonful of white sugar, and then beat the white separately, to a stiff froth. Pour water when boiling to the yolk, then stir in the white and add spice, or any seasoning, to suit the taste. When a person has taken a violent cold, after being warm in bed give this as hot as it can be taken, and it is often a perfect cure.
Take two tablespoonfuls of ground rice, and a pinch of salt, and mix it with milk enough for a thin batter. Stir it with a pint of boiling water, or boiling milk, and flavor with sugar and spice.
Four tablespoonfuls ofgrits(coarse oatmeal) and a pinch of salt, into a pint of boiling water. Strain and flavor it while warm.
Or, take fine oatmeal and make a thin batter with a little cold water, and pour it into a sauce-pan of boiling water.
Take two ounces and a half of pearl barley, cleanse it, and boil it ten minutes in half a pint of water. Strain out this water and add two quarts of boiling water, and boil it down to one quart. Then strain it, and flavor it with slices of lemon and sugar, or sugar and nutmeg.
This is very acceptable to the sick in fevers.
Take two pints of simple barley water, a pint of hot water, two and a half ounces of sliced figs, half an ounce of liquorice root sliced and bruised, and two ounces and a half of raisins. Boil all down to two pints, and strain it. This is slightly aperient.
Take two even teaspoonfuls of cream tartar, and pour on a pint of boiling water, and flavor it with white sugar and lemon peel to suit the taste. If this is too acid, add moreboilingwater, as cold, or lukewarm water, is not so good.
Two drachms of Rochelle salts, and two scruples of bicarbonate of soda, in a white paper; thirty-five grains of tartaric acid in a blue one.
Dissolve that in the white paper in nearly half a tumbler of water, then add the other powder, dissolved in another half tumbler of water.
Syrup mixed with the water makes it more agreeable. It is a gentle laxative.
Two quarts of blackberry juice.
One pound of loaf sugar.
Half an ounce of nutmegs.
A quarter of an ounce of cloves.
Half an ounce of cinnamon.
Half an ounce of allspice.
Pulverize the spice, and boil all for fifteen or twenty minutes. When cold, add a pint of brandy.
The preceding receipts have been tested by the best housekeepers. In reviewing them, it will be seen that there are several ways of combining the various articles, all of which have, in the hands of good housekeepers, proved successful. Still it will be found that some methods are more successful than others.
In most cases, the receipts have been written as given by the ladies, who endorse them asthe best. But it is believed that the following general rules will enable a housekeeper to modify some of them to advantage.
In usingthe whites of eggs, it is found, as shown by several receipts, that various combinations are much lighter when they are cut to a froth, and put inthe last thing. This is so in batter puddings, and several other receipts. It seems, therefore, probable that in all cases, cake and pies, and puddings that will allow it, will be lighter by adding the cut whites of the eggsthe last minute before cooking. Sponge cake especially would most probably be most easily made light by this method.
In using alkalies with acids to raise mixtures, the poorest is pearlash, the next best is saleratus; bicarbonate of soda is still better, and sal volatile is best of all.
But one thing must be remembered in reference to sal volatile, and that is, that the lightness made by it is owing to the disengagement of the gas byheat. It is mixed with the flour, and when set in the oven, the heat volatilizes and expels the gas, and thus the lightness is induced. Of coursehotwater must not be used to dissolve it, as it would expel much of the gas. Sal volatile must be kept powdered, and closely confined in glass bottles with ground glass stoppers. It is certain to make any mixture light that can be raised by anything.
Cream tartar is best bought in lumps, and then pulverized and kept corked.
When saleratus is used with sour milk or buttermilk, the flour should be wet up with the sour milk, and then the alkali dissolved, and worked in. This makes the effervescence take placein the mixture; whereas, if the alkali is put into the sour liquid, much of the carbonic acid generated is lost before it reaches the flour.
In all cases, then, where saleratus is used with acid wetting, it would seem best to wet up the flour with at least a part of the sour liquid, before putting in the alkali.
When the alkali is a light powder, it may sometimes be mixed thoroughly with the flour, and then the sour liquid be mixed in. The experiment can be made by any who like to learn the result. A lady who understands chemistry may often improve her receipts by applying chemical principles. All the lightness made byan acid and an alkali is owing to the disengagement of carbonic acid, which is retained by the gluten of the flour. Of course, then, that mode is best which secures most effectually all the carbonic acid generated by the combination.
Cooking is often much improved by a judicious use ofsugarormolasses. Thus, in soups, a very little sugar, say half a teaspoonful to the quart, givesbodyto the soup, and just about as much sweetness as is found in the juices of the best and sweetest kinds of meat. It is very good when the meats used are of inferior kind, and destitute of sweetness. So in preparing vegetables that are destitute of sweetness, a little sugar is a great improvement. Mashed turnips, squash, and pumpkin, are all of them much improved by extracting all the water, and adding a little sugar, especially so when they are poor.
A little molasses always improves all bread or cakes made of unbolted wheat or rye.
A little lard or butter always improves cakes made of Indian meal, as it makes them light and tender.
The careful use ofsaltis very important in cooking. Everything is better to have the salt cooked in it, but there should always be alittle lesssalt than most would like, as it is easy for those who wish more to add it, but none can subtract it.
When the shortening is butter, no salt is needed in cakes and puddings, but in all combinations that have no salt in shortening, it must be added. A little salt in sponge cake, custards, and the articles used for desserts, made of gelatine, rice, sago, and tapioca, is a great improvement, giving bothbodyand flavor.
The directions in this article were given by a practical amateur cheese-maker of Goshen, Conn., a place distinguished all over the nation for the finest butter and cheese.
The articles used in making cheese are, a large tub, painted inside and outside, to hold the milk, a large brass kettle to heat it, a cheese basket, cheese hooks, cheese ladders, strainers of loose linen cloth, and a cheese press.
It is indispensable that all the articles used be first washed thoroughly, then scalded, and then dried thoroughly, before putting away.
Do not remove any part of the curd that may be found in the rennet (which is the stomach of a calf), as it is the best part. Take out everything mixed with the curd in the stomach. Soak the rennet in a quart of water, then hang it to dry, where flies will not reach it, and keep the water bottled for use. Rennet differs in strength, so that no precise rule can be given for quantity, but say about half a tea-cup full to two pails of milk.
Strain the milk into the tub, keeping in all the cream. Heat a portion, and then add it to the cold, till the whole is raised to 98° or 100° Fahrenheit; no more and no less. Then put in the rennet, stirring well, and take enoughto have the curd form well in an hour. If it does not form well, more must be stirred in.
When the curd is formed, cut it in small checks to the bottom, and then break it gently with a skimmer, to make the whey separate. If this is not done gently, the milk runs off, the whey turns white, and the cheese is injured. The greener the whey, the better the cheese.
When the whey is separated, set the basket over the tub, spread the strainer over, and dip the curd into it, occasionally lifting the corners to hasten the draining.
Then draw up the corners, twist them, and set a stone on, to press out the whey for ten minutes. Then again cut up the curd, and press it again as before. Continue thus till it is thoroughly drained. Then press it all into some regular form, and in cool weather it may stand till next morning for more cheese to be added. But if the weather is hot, it must be scalded the first day.
Cut, or chop the curd into cakes the fourth of an inch in size, put it in the strainer, and immerse it in the brass kettle of warm water, enough to cover it. Then raise the temperature to 105°. Stir it well till warmed through, say half an hour. Then gradually add cold water, till reduced to 88° or 90°. Then drain the curd thoroughly as before, and salt it, allowing four ounces of salt to every ten pounds of curd, and mixing very thoroughly. Then put it into the small strainers, and then into the cheese hoops, laying the strainer over smoothly, and placing the follower on it. Put it to press, and let it remain two days. When taken from the press, grease it with common butter or butter made of whey cream, and set it on a shelf in a dark, cool room. Grease and turn it every day till firm, and for six months grease and turn it often.
If the cheese is to be colored, boil anatto with ley, and put to the milk with the rennet. To make sage cheese, put in sage juice (some add to the sage spinach juice) when you put in the rennet. Sew strips of strong cotton around large cheeses, when taken fromthe press, to preserve their form. In fly time, put cayenne pepper in the butter you rub on.
Stilton cheeseis made of milk enriched by cream, and of a small size.
Cottage cheeseis made by pressing the curds of milk, and when free from whey, adding cream or butter and salt.
Welsh rabbitis made by melting cheese and adding wine and other seasoning.
Old and dry cheese is very good grated and mixed with a little brandy, just enough to wet it up.
Two particulars are indispensable to success in makinggoodbutter; the first is, that the churning be frequent, so that the cream will not grow bitter, or sour; and the second iscleanlinessin all the implements and processes connected with it.
In hot weather it is important to keep the milk, cream, and butter as cool as possible. For this purpose, those who have no ice-house, or very cool milk-room, hang their cream down a well. In winter it is needful to raise the temperature of the cream a little, while churning, but care must be taken to do it very slightly, or the butter is injured. The best way is to warm the churn, and churn in a warm room.
After the weather gets cold, the cream rises more perfectly after allowing the milk to stand say ten or eleven hours, to set it over a furnace a while till it is warmed through, but not heated hot enough to boil. Then take it back, let it stand eleven hours longer, and skim it. This secures more, and better cream.
In hot weather, set the churn into a tub of cold water, and churn steadily, as stopping puts back the process, and injures the butter. In hot weather, do not churn very fast, as it makes soft butter. When the butter has come, collect it in a wooden bowl, which is the best article to work it in, having first scalded it, and then put it in cold water till cold.Do not use the handin working over butter, as it injures it so much that a higher price is often paid for butter made without using the hand.
A wooden spad made for the purpose is the proper article for working over butter.
As soon as the butter is put in the bowl, pour in as much of the coldest water as will allow you to work the butter, and keep adding and pouring off cold water, as you work it, until the water will run off clear. It is continuing this process untilallthe buttermilk is extracted, which alone will secure butter that will keep good and sweet. Water hastens the process, but butter keeps longer not to have it used.
No precise direction can be given for salting, as tastes vary so much in regard to this. It is a good way to notice the proportions which are most agreeable, and note the measure, and then measure ever after.
In salting down in firkins, use the nicest rock salt, as much depends on the nature of the salt. The firkins must be very thoroughly seasoned, and the bottom covered with salt, and the sides rubbed with it. Pack the butter in layers, with salt between. After a few days, the butter will shrink from the sides, and then the space must be filled with new and nice brine. Muslin spread under and over the layer of salt, between the layers of butter is a good plan, as it saves the butter.
It is said that butter will be preserved sweet a long time for journeys, or voyages, by working into it very thoroughly a mixture composed of one-fourth salt, one-fourth saltpetre, and two-fourths white sugar.
In large dairies, the milk is churned soon after it is taken from the cow.
The quality of butter depends very much upon the kind of cows. Those who give a great deal of milk, are usually small and thin. Every cow should have a tea-cup full of salt each week, and must be well fed. Green cornstalks and carrots, are excellent for cows. Turnips, cabbage, and parsnips spoil the milk. The waste of the kitchen, with a quart of corn meal, and as much hay as she will eat daily, is good fare. Skimmed milk for drink is good, and if it is refused, withhold water, andthe cow will learn to love it. Milk three times a day, and you get much more cream; stripping must be done thoroughly, or you lose cream, and dry up the cow. Never make a cow run, as it injures the milk. Use tin vessels for milk.
A stoneware churn is best, and a tin one is better than wood. Keep milk in a cool place, where air circulates freely; close air spoils milk and cream. Never stir milk after it is set, as it stops the rising of the cream. Skim milk as soon as it becomesloppard. Put a little ice in each pan in hot weather, and you get more cream. In skimming milk, do not scrape off the hardest portion that adheres to the pan, as it injures the butter. Put a spoonful of salt to each pailful of milk (except what is for family use), and it makes the butter sweeter, and come easier. Salt your cream as you gather it, and it keeps better, and makes sweeter butter. In hot weather churn in the coolest part of the day, and in a cool place, and do not shut the air out of the churn, as it is necessary to make the butter come. Butter is best, to work it enough the first time. Never work it three times. It will keep better to work out the buttermilk without putting in water. The more entirely it is freed from buttermilk, the longer it will keep sweet.
A good brine is made for butter by dissolving a quart of fine salt, a pound of loaf sugar, and a teaspoonful of saltpetre in two quarts of water, and then strain it on to the butter. Packed butter is most perfectly preserved sweet by setting the firkin into a larger firkin, and filling in with good brine, and covering it. Butter will keep sweet a year thus.
Buttermilk kept in potter’s ware dissolves the glazing, and becomes poisonous.
Never scald strainers or milky vessels till thoroughly washed, as the milk or cream put in them will be injured by it. The best way to scald such vessels is to plunge them all over into scalding water, and then every spot is scalded.
Butter will sometimes not come because the air is too much excluded from the churn.
“In some maladies,” says Dr. Pereira, “as fevers and acute inflammatory diseases, an almost unlimited use of fluids is admitted, under the names ofslops,thin diet,fever diet,broth diet, &c. They quench thirst, lessen the stimulating quality of the blood, increase its fluidity, and promote the actions of the secreting organs. They are sometimes useful, also, in lessening the irritating contents of the alimentary canal.”
“But in some maladies it is necessary to restrict the quantity of fluids taken, or, in other words, to employ adry diet.”
As it is so customary for invalids to throng to watering places, the following remarks contain very important cautions.
“The Congress Water at Saratoga,” says Dr. Lee, “though it possesses active medical qualities, yet, except in diseases attended with inflammatory action, seldom occasions unpleasant consequences, unless drank in very large quantities, when it often causes serious, if not dangerous effects.” Dr. Steel, a physician who has devoted much attention to this subject, remarks, “Aboutthree pintsshould be taken, an hour or two before breakfast, and be followed by exercise, to produce a cathartic effect. Where more is needed for this effect, add a teaspoonful or two of Epsom salts to the first tumbler. It should not be drank at all during the remainder of the day by those who wish to experience the full benefit of its use. It would be better for those whose complaints render them fit subjects for its administration, if the fountain should be locked up, and no one suffered to approach it after the hour of nine or ten in the morning.”
It is probable that multitudes who frequent mineralsprings, not only lose all benefit, but suffer injury by the excessive use of the water. Such waters should, by invalids, be taken under the direction of a physician well acquainted with their nature and uses.
Alcoholic drinks should never be given to the sick, except by direction of a physician, as they are powerful medical agents, and in some cases would increase disease.
The acid drinks are ordinarily those most relished by the sick, and they are, usually, very serviceable, especially in febrile and other inflammatory attacks. Ice cream and drinks are good for the sick, especially in fevers.
When a person is debilitated by sickness, the stomach should never be loaded with rich food. Nor should the palate be tempted by favorite articles, when no appetite for food exists, as this is the indication of nature that the stomach is in no order to digest food.
Dr. Lee remarks, “We regard rice as the most valuable of all the articles of food, in cases of the derangement of the digestive organs. It nourishes, while it soothes the irritable mucous membrane, and while it supports strength, never seems to aggravate the existing disease. For acute, or chronic affections of the alimentary canal, rice water for drink, and rice jelly for food, seem peculiarly well adapted, and appear to exert a specific influence in bringing about a recovery. These preparations are invaluable also in convalescence from acute fevers and other maladies, and in the summer complaints of young children.”
“Isinglass is a very pure form of gelatine, and dissolved in milk, sweetened and flavored, is taken with advantage by convalescents when recovering from debility.”
Cod sounds, and the American gelatine, are equally good. Calve’s foot jelly, blanc mange, and other gelatinous food, are among the best kinds of nourishment, especially in cases of cholera infantum. The slight quantity of spice or wine used to flavor such articles, except in peculiar cases, cannot do any injury.
Buttered toast, either dry or dipped, rarely is a suitable article for the sick, as melted oils are very difficult of digestion. Where there are strong powers of digestion, it may be proper.
Many cases of illness, among both adults and children, are readily cured byabstinence from all food. Headaches, disordered stomachs, and many other attacks, are caused, often, by violating the rules of health laid down in the preceding chapter, and in consequence, some part of the system is overloaded, or some of the organs are clogged. Omitting one, two, or three meals, as the case may be, gives the system a chance to rest, and thus to gain strength, and allows the clogged organs to dispose of their burdens. The practice of giving drugs to “clear out the stomach,” though it may afford the needed relief, always weakens the system, whileabstinencesecures the good result, and yet does no injury.
Said a young gentleman to a distinguished medical practitioner of Philadelphia,—“Doctor, what do you do for yourself, when you have a turn of headache, or other slight attack?” “Go without my dinner,” was the reply. “Well, if that will not do, what do you do then?” “Go without my supper,” was the answer. “But if that does not cure you, what then?” “Go without my breakfast. We physicians seldom take medicines ourselves, or use them in our families, forweknow thatstarvingis better, but we cannot make our patients believe it.”
Many cases of slight indisposition are cured by achange of diet. Thus, if a person suffers from constipation, and, as the consequence, has headaches, slight attacks of fever, or dyspepsia, the cause often may be removed by eating rye mush and molasses for breakfast, brown bread, baked apples, and other fruits.
In cases of diarrhœa, rice water for drink, and rice pudding or jelly, will often remove the evil.
In cases of long-continued confinement from sickness, it is very desirable to have a good variety of articles for the sick, as the invalid is wearied with the same round,and perhaps may be suffering for some ingredient of food, which is not found in the articles provided.
For this reason, a large number of receipts of articles for the sick have been provided in this work. In preparing them, great care should be used to have every article employed clean and pure, and to prevent any burning in cooking, as the sensibilities of the sick to bad tastes and smells are very acute.
It is often the case in dyspepsia and cholera infantum, that jellies of American gelatine are very much better than any preparations of farinaceous food, being much more easily digested.
It would be a happy thing for the sick, and a most benevolent custom, if the young ladies of a place should practise cooking the various articles for the sick, and carrying them to invalids as an offering of kindness and sympathy. It would be twice a blessing, first to the invalid, and quite as much to the young benefactress.
There are many little comforts and alleviations for the sick, which should be carefully attended to, which are particularly pointed out in the chapter on the Care of the Sick, in the Domestic Economy. Such, for example, as keeping a room neat, clean, and in perfect order, having every article in use sweet and clean, keeping a good supply of cool water, providing pleasant perfumes, lemons, flowers, and other objects agreeable to the senses, speaking softly, kindly, and cheerfully, and reading the Bible and other cheering books of the kind, whenever it will be acceptable. Be careful to change the linen next the skin, and the bed linen, often. Be sure to ventilate the room thoroughly, two or three times a day, as pure air is a great restorative of health and strength. Wash the skin often, as it has a great tendency to restore health, and never, except in very peculiar cases, can do any harm.
Always request a physician towriteall his directions, that no mistake may be made, and nothing be forgotten. Always inquire of him as to the exact mode of preparing every article ordered, and never venture to alter, or omit, what he directs, unless you are sure that youare better qualified to practise than he, in which case he should be dismissed, and you should assume his duties.
Always keep all medicines in papers and vials,labelled, that poisons be not given by mistake, or other injurious articles used.
The drawing at Fig. 5 represents a contrivance for the sick, which ought to be prepared in every village, to rent out to those who need it.
Fig. 5.
Fig. 5.
It is called theWater Bed, orHydrostatic Couch, and is made at an expense of from twelve to fifteen dollars. The object of it is to relieve the sufferings of those who, from extreme emaciation, or from ulcers, or bed sores, are great sufferers from the pressure of the bed on these sore places. This kind of bed proves a great relief from this kind of suffering.
It consists of a wooden box, six feet long, and two feet and a half wide at the top, and the sides gradually sloping inward, making it fourteen inches deep. This is lined with sheet zinc, to make it water tight. Over this is thrown, and fastened to the edge of the box, a sheet of thick India rubber, water-proof cloth, large enough foran entire liningto the inside of the box. The edges of it are first made to adhere to the upper edge of the box with spirit varnish, and then a thin strip of board is nailed on, to fasten it firmly, and make it water tight. Near the bottom, at A, is a hole and plug, to let off water; and at B, a tin tube, soldered in the upper part of the outside, to pour water in. When used, the box is to be filled half full of water, about blood warmth. Then a woollen blanket and pillow are laid upon the India rubber cloth, and the patient laid on them, and he will float as he would in water, and there will be no pressure on any part of the body greater than is felt when the body is in water.
This is important for all who suffer from bed sores, or sloughing in protracted fevers, from diseases in the hip-joint, from diseases of the spine, lingering consumption, and all diseases that compel to a protracted recumbent position. None but those who have seen, or experienced the relief and comfort secured to sufferers by this bed, can conceive of its value. The writer saw the case of a young man, who was enduring indescribable tortures with the most dreadful ulcers all over his body, and who had for several days and nights been unable to sleep, from extreme suffering. This bed was made for him, as an experiment, after trying every other mode of relief in vain. It was placed by his bedside, and the water poured in, and then his friends raised him with the greatest care in a blanket, and laid him on it. Instantly his groans ceased, an expression of relief and delight stole over his countenance, and exhausted nature sunk instantly into the most peaceful and protracted slumbers. And ever after, he was relieved from his former sufferings. Every hospital, every alms-house, and every village should have the means of obtaining such a bed for the many classes of sufferers who would thus find relief, and it iswomanwho should interest herself to secure such a comfort for the sick, who especially are commended to her benevolent ministries.
The sick couch
The drawing, AA, is the outline of asick couch, such as would prove a great comfort in every family, and ata small expense. The following are the dimensions:—Length of seat inside, six feet three inches; breadth, twenty-eight inches; height of the seat from the floor, thirteen inches. The swing frame,dd, is three feet long, and is fastened three feet from the head-board by a very large pin or screw. The seat should be of sacking, and a thick hair mattrass, or cushion for a bed or cushion and be divided into two parts, where the swing frame is fastened. The frame is fastened by large screws atff. The supporter,ee, is fastened by large and strong hinges to the upper part of the frame, and is moved into the notches made in the frame of the seat. When in the notcha, the frame is very low; when in notchb, it is higher; and when atc, it is as high as is needful to raise the sick. A piece of sacking is to be fastened over the frame, leaving it loose, especially at the top, and leaving a space ato, so as to give room for a pillow, and so that the head can be thrown a little back. The frame and supporter must be thick and strong. When not in use for the sick, the frame can be laid down, and the cushion laid over it, and then with a frill fastened in front, it makes a good-looking and most comfortable chamber couch, or a lolling sofa for a sitting-room.
Such a couch saves much labor to friends and nurses, because it is so low, so easily moved, and the nurse can go around it and work on both sides so easily, while the frame raises the patient with great ease and comfort. It would be a good plan to engage some carpenter or cabinet-maker, in every village, to provide such an article to rent out, and probably it would be in constant demand.
The frame, supporter, hinges, and screws, must beverystrong, or they will break.
Fig. 6 represents a contrivance for securing exercise in the open air for invalids, which would often prove convenient and agreeable.
Such an article can be easily made of the broken toy of a child, called a velocipede, or the back wheels of a child’s wagon. Nothing but shafts are needed, and a common rocking-chair, with a foot-board nailed acrossthe front rocker, on which to rest the feet. The chair is then slipped along back to the axle of the wheels, so that the shafts, when raised, are under the seat, and lift it up. In this way an invalid can be rolled through yards and gardens with very little effort, and with great comfort and relief to the imprisoned sufferer, who perhaps can ride in no other way.
Fig. 6.
Fig. 6.
There is no way of relieving the weariness and nervousness of an invalid more effectually than by rubbing the limbs and arms with the bare hand of a healthful person.
Those who believe in animal magnetism would say, that by this method, the well person imparts a portion of the magnetism of a healthful body to aid in restoring the sick. Those who do not believe in it, will say that itsoothes and strengthens the nerves. Either way, it is a great comfort to a suffering invalid.
It is unhealthful to sleep with a sick person, especially one who has lung complaints, as the breath and effluvia from the skin sometimes communicate disease, even in complaints not contagious. Young children should not sleep with the aged, because their healthful fluids will be absorbed.
The art of keeping a good table, consists, not in loading on a variety at each meal, but rather in securing asuccessivevariety, a table neatly and tastefully set, and everything that is on it, cooked in the best manner.
There are some families who provide an abundance of the most expensive and choice articles, and spare no expenses in any respect, who yet have everything cooked in such a miserable way, and a table set in so slovenly a manner, that a person accustomed to areallygood table, can scarcely taste a morsel with any enjoyment.
On the contrary, there are many tables where the closest economy is practised, and yet the table-cloth is so white and smooth, the dishes, silver, glass, and other table articles so bright, and arranged with such propriety, the bread so white, light, and sweet, the butter so beautiful, and every other article of food so well cooked, and so neatly and tastefully served, that everything seems good, and pleases both the eye and the palate.
A habit ofdoing everything in the best manner, is of unspeakable importance to a housekeeper, and every woman ought toaimat it, however great the difficulties she may have to meet. If a young housekeeper commences with a determination totryto doeverythingin the best manner, and perseveres in the effort, meeting all obstacles with patient cheerfulness, not only the moral, but the intellectual tone of her mind is elevated by the attempt. Although she may meet many insuperable difficulties, and may never reach the standard at which she aims, the simple effort,perseveredin, will have an elevating influence on her character, while at the same time she actually will reach a point of excellence far ahead of those who, discouraged by many obstacles, give up in despair, and resolve to make no more efforts, and let things go as they will. The grand distinction between a noble and an ignoble mind is, that onewillcontrol circumstances; the other yields, and allows circumstances to control her.
It should be borne in mind, that the constitution of man demandsa varietyof food, and that it is just as cheap to keep on hand a good variety of materials in the store-closet, so as to make a frequent change, as it is to buy one or two articles at once, and live on them exclusively, till every person is tired of them, and then buy two or three more of another kind.
It is too frequently the case, that families fall into a very limited round of articles, and continue the same course from one year to another, when there is a much greater variety within reach, of articles which are just as cheap and easily obtained, and yet remain unthought of and untouched.
A thrifty and generous provider, will see that her store-closet is furnished with such a variety of articles, that successive changes can be made, and for a good length of time. To aid in this, a slight sketch of a well-provided store-closet will be given, with a description of the manner in which each article should be stored and kept, in order to avoid waste and injury. To this will be added, modes of securing asuccessive variety, within the reach of all in moderate circumstances.
It is best to have a store-closet open from a kitchen, because the kitchen fire keeps the atmosphere dry, and this prevents the articles stored from moulding, and other injury from dampness. Yet it must not be kept warm, as there are many articles which are injured by warmth.
Acoolanddryplace is indispensable for a store-room, and a small window over the door, and another opening out-doors, is a great advantage, by securing coolness, and a circulation of fresh air.
Flourshould be kept in a barrel, with a flour scoop to dip it, a sieve to sift it, and a pan to hold the sifted flour, either in the barrel, or close at hand. The barrelshould have a tight cover to keep out mice and vermin. It is best, when it can be conveniently done, to find, by trial, a lot of first-rate flour, and then buy a year’s supply. But this should not be done, unless there are accommodations for keeping it dry and cool, and protecting it from vermin.
Unbolted flourshould be stored in barrels, and always be kept on hand, as regularly as fine flour.
Indian mealshould be purchased in small quantities, say fifteen or twenty pounds at a time, and be kept in a covered tub or keg. When new and sweet, it should not be scalded, but when not perfectly fresh and good when used, it is improved by scalding. It must be kept very cool and dry, and if occasionally stirred, is preserved more surely from growing sour or musty.
Ryeshould be bought in small quantities, say forty or fifty pounds at a time, and be kept in a keg, or half barrel with a cover.
Buckwheat,Rice,Hominy, andGround Rice, must be purchased in small quantities, and kept in covered kegs, or tubs. Several of these articles are infested with small black insects, and examination must occasionally be made for them.
Arrowroot,Tapioca,Sago,Pearl Barley,American Isinglass,Macaroni,Vermacelli, andOatmeal, are all articles which help to make an agreeable variety, and it is just as cheap to buy a small quantity of each, as it is to buy a larger quantity of two or three articles. Eight or ten pounds of each of these articles of food can be stored in covered jars, or covered wood boxes, and then they are always at hand to help make a variety. All of them are very healthful food, and help to form many delightful dishes for desserts. Some of the most healthful puddings are those made of rice, tapioca, sago, and macaroni, while isinglass, or American gelatine, form elegant articles for desserts, and is also excellent for the sick.
Sugarsshould not be bought by the barrel, as the brown is apt to turn to molasses, and run out on to the floor. It is best to keep four qualities of sugar on hand.Refined loaf for tea, crushed sugar for the nicest preserves and to use with fruit, nice brown sugar for coffee, and common brown for cooking and more common use. The loaf can be stored in the papers, on a shelf. The others should be kept in close covered kegs, or covered wooden articles made for the purpose.
Buttermust be kept in the dryest and coldest place you can find, in vessels of either stone, earthen, or wood, and never in tin.
Lard and Drippingsmust be kept in a dry, cold place, and should not be salted. Usually the cellar is the best place for them. Earthen, or stone jars are the best to store them in.
Saltmust be kept in thedryestplace that can be found.Rock saltis the best for table salt. It should be washed, dried, pounded, sifted, and stored in a glass jar, and covered close. It is common to find it growing damp in thesalt standsfor the table. It should then be set by the fire to dry, and afterwards be reduced to fine powder again. Nothing is more disagreeable than coarse or damp salt on a table.
Vinegaris best made of wine, or cider. Buy a keg, or half barrel of it, and set it in the cellar, and then keep a supply for the castors in a junk bottle in the kitchen. If too strong, iteatsthe pickles.
Pickles never must be kept in glazed ware, as the vinegar forms a poisonous compound with the glazing.
Oilmust be kept in the cellar.Winter strainedmust be got in cold weather, as thesummer strainedwill not burn except in warm weather.The best of lardoil is preferred to every other by those who use it. Some lard oil is very poor.
Molasses, if bought by the barrel, or half barrel, should be kept in the cellar. Sugar bakers’ is best for the table, and Porto Rico for cooking. If bought in small quantities, it should be kept in a demijohn. No vessel should be corked or bunged, if filled with molasses, as it will swell, and burst the vessel, or run over.
Hard Soapshould be bought by large quantity, and laid to harden on a shelf, in a very dry place. It ismuch more economical to buy hard, than soft soap, as those who use soft soap are very apt to waste it in using it, as they cannot do with hard soap.
Starchit is best to buy by a large quantity. It comes very nicely put up in papers, a pound or two in each paper, and packed in a box. Starch, which by the single pound is five cents a pound, if bought by the box, is only three cents a pound, and this makes a good deal of difference, in a large family, by the year. The high-priced starch is cheapest in the end.
Indigois not always good. When a good lot is found by trial, it is best to get enough for a year or two, and store it in a tight tin box.
Coffeeit is best to buy by the bag, as it improves by keeping. Let it hang in the bag, in a dry place, and it loses its rank smell and taste.
Tea, if bought by the box, is about five cents a pound cheaper than by small quantities. If well put up in boxes lined with lead, it keeps perfectly. But put up in paper, it soon loses its flavor. It therefore should, if in small quantities, be put in glass, or tin, and shut tight.
Saleratusshould be bought in small quantities, then powdered, sifted, and kept tight corked in a large mouth glass bottle.
It grows damp if exposed to the air, and then cannot be used properly.
Raisinsshould not be bought in large quantities, as they are injured by time. It is best to buy the small boxes.
Currantsfor cake should be prepared as directed for cake, and set by for use in a jar.
LemonandOrange Peelshould be dried, pounded, and set up in corked glass jars.
Nutmeg,Cinnamon,Cloves,Mace, andAllspice, should be pounded fine, and corked tight in small glass bottles with mouths large enough for a junk bottle cork, and then put in a tight tin box, made for the purpose. Or they can be put in small tin boxes with tight covers. Essences are as good as spices.
Sweet Herbsshould be dried, and the stalks thrownaway, and the rest be kept in corked large mouth bottles, or small tin boxes.
Cream Tartar,CitricandTartaric Acids,Bicarbonate of Soda, andEssences, should be kept in corked glass jars. Sal volatile must be kept in a large-mouth bottle, with a ground glass stopper to make it air-tight. Use cold water in dissolving it. It must be powdered.
PreservesandJelliesshould be kept in glass or stone, in a cool, dry place, well sealed, or tied with bladder covers. If properly made, and thus put up, they never will ferment. If it is difficult to find a cool, dry place, pack the jars in a box, and fill the interstices with sand, very thoroughly dried. It is best to put jellies in tumblers, or small glass jars, so as to open only a small quantity at a time.
The most easy way of keepingHamsperfectly is to wrap and tie them in paper, and pack them in boxes or barrels with ashes. The ashes must fill all interstices, but must not touch the hams, as it absorbs the fat. It is much less labor, and quite as certain a mode as the one previously mentioned. It keeps them sweet, and protects from all kinds of insects.
After smoked beef, or ham, are cut, hang them in a coarse linen bag in the cellar, and tie it up to keep out flies.
KeepCheesein a cool, dry place, and after it is cut, wrap it in a linen cloth, and keep it in a tight tin box.
KeepBreadin a tin covered box, and it will keep fresh and good longer than if left exposed to the air.
Cakealso should be kept in a tight tin box. Tin boxes made with covers like trunks, with handles at the ends, are best for bread and cake.
Smoked herring keep in the cellar.
Codfishis improved by changing it, once in a while, back and forth from garret to cellar. Some dislike to have it in the house anywhere.
Allsalted provisionmust be watched, and kept under the brine. When the brine looks bloody, or smells badly, it must be scalded, and more salt put to it, and poured over the meat.
Salt fish barrels must not be kept near other food, as they impart a fishy smell and taste to it.
CabbagesandTurnipsin the cellar often impart a bad smell to a house. All decayed vegetable matter should be kept out of a cellar, as it creates a miasma, that sometimes causes the most fatal diseases. Therefore, always take care of the vegetable bins, and have all that are decaying removed.
A cellar should be whitewashed often, to keep it sweet and clean.
By a little skill and calculation, a housekeeper may contrive to keep a constant change of agreeable varieties on her table, and that, too, without violating the rules either of health or economy. Some suggestions will be offered to aid in this object.
In the first place, much can be effected by keeping on hand a good supply of the various bread-stuffs. Good raised bread, of fine flour, must be the grand staple, but this may, every day, be accompanied with varieties of bread made of unbolted flour, or rye and Indian, or Indian alone, or potato and apple bread, or rice bread, or the various biscuits and rusk. It will be found that these are all more acceptable, if there are occasional changes, than if any one of them is continued a long time.
All the dough of these different kinds of bread, when light, can, with very little trouble, be made into drop cakes, or griddle cakes for breakfast, or tea, by adding some milk and eggs, and in some cases a little melted lard.
Very fine common cake is also easily made, at every baking, by taking some of the dough of bread and working in sugar, butter, and eggs, by the receipt given for Bread Cake and Child’s Feather Cake. These can be made more or less sweet and rich at pleasure.
In the next place, a good supply offruitin the garden, and stored in the cellar, enables a housekeeper to keep up a constant variety. The directions given under the head ofModes of Preparing Apples for the Tea Table, will be found very useful for this purpose, while those for preparingRice and Dry Breadare equally serviceable in helping out a cheap and convenient variety. There are some cheap dishes at the end also, which are very good, and easily made.
The directions for preparingHashes, also, are recommended as a mode of economizing, that is very acceptable when properly done. The little relishes obtained in summer from the garden, are very serviceable in securing varieties. Among these may be mentioned cucumbers, radishes, cabbage sprouts, Jerusalem artichokes, and tomatoes, all of which are very fine eaten with salt and vinegar.
Mush, hominy, tapioca, and rice cooked, and then, when cold, fried on a griddle, are great favorites. If salt pork rinds are used to grease the griddle, there will be so little fat used, that no injury to the most delicate stomachs can result from this mode of cooking.
In winter, the breakfast-table and tea-table can be supplied by a most inviting variety of muffins, griddle cakes, drop cakes, and waffles made of rice, corn meal, and unbolted flour, all of which are very healthful and very agreeable to the palate.
One mode of securing a good variety, in those months in spring when fruits and vegetables fail, is by a wise providence in drying and preserving fruits and vegetables. The following directions will aid in this particular.
Blackberries, whortleberries, currants, raspberries,peaches, plums, apples, pears, and quinces, can all be preserved by drying them in the sun, and then storing them in bags in a cool, dry place.
Green currants, and green gooseberries, can be preserved thus. Gather them when perfectly dry, put them into very dry junk bottles, free from stems and eyes, set the bottles uncorked into a kettle of cold water, and then make the water boil. Then cork the bottles (the fruit should come up to the cork), and seal them with bee’s wax and rosin. Store them in a dry, cool place, where they will not freeze. Everything depends on success in excludingair and water. Putting them in boxes, and filling the interstices with dry sand, is the surest mode of storing the bottles.
There is a receipt forPreserving Fruit in Water, that has found its way into many receipt books, which seems to the writer to be a dangerous and useless one, and never should be tried.
It directs that fruit be put in bottles, then water poured in, and then the bottlescorked tight, and the cork tied. Then the bottles are to be set in a kettle of water, which is to be heatedtill it boils. Of course this must burst the bottles, or throw out the corks.
It is probable that the design of some plan of this sort was to exclude all air from the fruit. This could be done by setting the bottles filled with fruit and water,uncorked, in a kettle of water, and making the water boil. Then cork the bottles and seal them, and the water will remain, but all air will be excluded. The writer never has seen a person who has tried this method, and perhaps it may be one in which fruit can be preserved.
Peach Leatheris much relished by invalids, and is prepared thus. Squeeze out the pulp of very ripe peaches, and spread it half an inch thick on plates or shingles, and let it dry till quite hard and tough. Then roll it up in layers, with clean paper between.
Tomato Leathercan be made in the same way. But the following is the best mode of preserving tomatoes. Pour boiling water on to the ripe tomatoes, and peelthem. Boil them till reduced to half the original quantity, throwing in, at first, a tea-cup of sugar and a large spoonful of salt for every gallon. When reduced to one half the quantity, spread it on flat dishes half an inch thick, and dry it eight or ten days in the sun, and air. Then put it in layers, with paper between. In preparing it for table, stew it slowly in a good deal of water, adding bread crumbs and seasoning.
Some persons dry them in a brick oven instead of the sun. A quicker, but not so nice a way, is simply to cut them in two without peeling, and dry them in the oven.
Tomato Figsare prepared thus:—Scald and peel them, and then boil them in one-third the weight of sugar, till they are penetrated by it. Then flatten and dry them in the sun, occasionally turning them and sprinkling with sugar. When dry, pack them in layers, with sugar sprinkled between.
Green Corncan be preserved by simply turning back the husk, all but the last thin layer, and then hanging it in the sun, or a very warm room. When it is to be used, boil it till soft, and then cut it off the cob and mix it with butter, and add, if you like, dried Lima beans cooked soft, in another vessel. The summer sweet corn is the proper kind to dry. Lima beans can be dried in the sun when young and tender. They are good to bake, when dried after they are ripe.
Another mode is to parboil sweet corn, cut it from the cobs, and dry it in the sun. Then store it in a dry, cool place, in a bag.
Another way is to take off all the husks but the thin one next the corn; tie this over the corn tight, and pack it in salt.
Try each of these ways, and makesuccotashwith dried Lima beans, adding a little cream to the broth. If done right, it is excellent in winter. In cutting corn from cobs, in all cases take care not to cut off any cob, as it gives a bad taste.
Peas, also, are good to dry, and make a fine dish thus. Take six or eight pounds of corned beef, put it in a large pot and fill it with water, and put in two quartsof dried peas. Let them boil till soft, and then add the sweet herb seasoning, or take it up without any other seasoning than a little pepper and the salt of the meat.
Beef, cooked thus, is excellent when cold, and the pea soup, thus made, is highly relished. No dish is cheaper, or more easily prepared.
Pumpkins and squashes can be peeled and cut in strips and dried in the sun.
The stalks of rhubarb or the pie plant can be slivered fine and dried in the sun for winter use.
A housekeeper who will take pains to have these things done in the proper season, and well stored, will always keep an inviting table, in those months when others so much complain that they can find no variety.
It is a good plan for a housekeeper the first day, or week of every month, to make a calculation of her bill of fare for that month, going over such a receipt-book as this, and ascertaining how many of the varieties offered she can secure. At the same time she can be laying in stores of articles for future use. System in this matter is of essential service.
Few housekeepers are aware of their responsibility in reference to thebreadfurnished for their family. As this is the principal article of food, there is no one thing on which the health of a family, especially of young children, is more dependant.
Baker’s bread is often made of musty, sour, or other bad flour, which is made to look light, and the bad taste removed by unhealthy drugs. Of course, to the evil of unhealthy flour, is added unhealthy drugs, and there is no mode of discovering the imposition.
The only safe mode is, to have all bread made in the family, and to take all needful care that it shall uniformly be good.
Bread made ofsalt, ormilk risings, is good only the first day, and to those accustomed to goodyeast bread, it is offensive to the smell, and not acceptable to the palate.
Bread made of sour milk, or buttermilk and an alkali, or made by mixing cream tartar in the flour, and an alkali in the wetting, is good as an occasional resort, in emergencies, when good yeast cannot be preserved, or when there is not time to wait for yeast rising.
But, as the ordinary bread for continued daily use, it is expensive, and not healthful or good like yeast bread. Some persons suffer from sore mouths and disordered stomachs, in consequence of eating it. Sometimes this is owing to the imperfect mixture of the materials. When the cream tartar is notverythoroughly mixed with the flour, or when the alkali is not properly dissolved and thoroughly mixed, or when there is too much of either, the skin of the mouth and stomach are affected by the bread.
The only kind of bread which is always good for the health, and always acceptable to every palate, is sweet, well-raised, home-madeyeast bread. Thebestkind of home-made yeast bread is an article of luxury to be found upon very few tables, and those who enjoy this comfort, know that there is no food upon earth, which is so good, or the loss of which is so much regretted.
In order to secure such bread, these three things are indispensable, viz.:good flour,good yeast, andgood care.
In order to secure good flour, it is best to try itby tasting it, and you ordinarily can detect sourness or must. Buy a small quantity, and then, if it is found to be very superior, and it can be done conveniently, it is well to provide enough of it to last till the next crop of wheat affords new flour, when another supply for a year can be secured. Flour stored in barrels needs no other care than putting it in a cool, dry place, where itis well protected from rats and cockroaches. A tight covered box made of thick plank, large enough to hold several barrels, with shelves to hold smaller supplies of other bread-stuffs, with a door in one side shutting very tight, is a perfect protection from rats, mice, and cockroaches.
Good flour has a yellowish tinge, and when pressed tight in the hand, retains the creases of the skin impressed on it. Poor flour is not thus adhesive; it can be blown about readily, and sometimes has a dingy look, as if ashes were mixed with it.
When good flour is found,notice the brand, and seek the same next time. It is sometimes the case, however, that bad flour is passed off, by putting on the brands of persons who have gained a name as makers of superior flour. The only sure way is to try a small sample, and then get a larger supply, if it is good, from the same stock.
Grownwheat makes dough that isrunny, and cannot be well moulded, or make good bread. This can be discovered only by trial.Smuttywheat makes flour that is very unhealthful.
Flour always should besiftedbefore using it, to restore the lightness destroyed by packing, as well as to remove impurities. Bread is also more sure to be light, if the flour is heated before wetting. This can be done, by setting the kneading trough aslant before the fire, stirring it a little as it is warming. When bread proves to be bad, examine the yeast, and see also whether the oven bakes properly. If both are as they should be, and the bread is still poor, then the fault is in the flour, and it should be sent back and another supply obtained. And in buying flour, this liberty should always be secured, even if a higher price is the condition. No economy is so false as to try to save by means of bad bread. Medicine and doctors’ bills soon show the folly of it.
Good yeastis as indispensable to good bread as good flour. Of the receipts given in this book, the one which will keep a month is the best. The one whichis made with fewer materials will not keep so well, but is more easily made.
In hot weather, when it is difficult to keep yeast, the hard yeast will be a great convenience. Some housekeepers who have tried both, prefer the flour hard yeast to that which is made with Indian meal, as it does not turn sour, as Indian does. Home-brewed yeast must be used for hard yeast, and not distillery or brewer’s. Yeast, when it is good, is all in a foam, or else has largebeadson the surface, and its smell is brisk and pungent, but not sour. When poor, it sometimes smells sour, sometimes looks watery, and the sediment sinks to the bottom, and it has no froth or beads. Sometimes, when yeast does not look very good, it is improved by adding a tea-cup, or so, of flour, and two or three great spoonfuls of molasses, and setting it in a warm place to rise. Yeast must be kept in stone, or glass, with a tight cork, and the thing in which it is kept should often be scalded, and then warm water with a half teaspoonful of saleratus be put in it, to stand a while. Then rinse it with cold water. Sour yeast cannot be made good by saleratus.
The last grand essential to good bread isgood care. Unless the cook can be fully trusted, the mistress of a familymusttake this care uponherself. She must, if needful, stand by and see that the bread is wet right, that the yeast is good, that the bread is put where it is warm enough, that it does not rise too long, so as to lose its sweetness (which is often the case before it begins to turn sour), that it is moulded aright, that the oven is at the right heat, and that it is taken out at the right time, and then that it is put in the right place, and not set flat on to a greasy table, or painted shelf, to imbibe a bad taste.
Perhaps it may be thought that all this is a great drudgery, but it is worse drudgery to have sickly children, and a peevish husband, made so by having all the nerves of their stomachs rasped with sour, or heavy bread. A woman should beashamedto have poor bread, far more so, than to speak bad grammar, or to have a dressout of the fashion. It is true, that, by accident, the best of housekeepers will now and then have poor bread, but then it is an accident, and one that rarely happens. When it is very frequently the case that a housekeeper has poor bread, she may set herself down as aslack bakedand negligent housekeeper.
It is very desirable that every family should have a constant supply of bread made of unbolted flour, or of rye and Indian. Most persons like to eat of it occasionally, and it tends to promote health. Warm cakes also, made of unbolted flour, are very excellent, and serviceable to health. The receipts for these articles in this work are first-rate. Warm raised bread cakes, of fine wheat, are not so healthy for breakfast, as those made of unbolted flour, Indian meal, rice, or tapioca. Griddle cakes, muffins, and waffles, made of these last articles, are more healthful than those made of fine wheat. If eaten at the right temperature (not above blood heat), and with but little butter, they are safe and harmless. Unbolted flour is good in almost any receipt in which fine flour is to be used, and many very much prefer it for all kinds of warm cakes. Brown bread, when light, makes good drop cakes, or good griddle cakes, by adding a little water or milk, and some eggs, and in some cases, a spoonful or two of molasses. Many cases are on record, of great changes for the better, in the health of individuals and communities, by the habitual use of food made of unbolted flour.
The style in which bread is prepared for the table, is a matter to be carefully attended to. In moulding up loaves and small cakes, do not leave lumps and loose flour adhering to the outside, but work them in thoroughly, so as to have the cake look fair and smooth. Wipe off flour from the outside before carrying to the table. Buttered pans are better than floured ones, because the cakes cleave off cleaner. When soda and saleratus are used, work it in thoroughly, or you will have those yellow spots and streaks, which look so disgusting, and show a slovenly negligence.
In the receipts for making bread, no particular direction is given in regard to the time bread should stand after it is moulded and put in pans, because here is the point where observation and discretion are so indispensable, and rules are unavailing without. In hot weather, when the yeast is very good, and the bread very light, it must not stand over fifteen minutes after it is moulded, before setting in. If it is cold weather, and the yeast is less active, or the bread not perfectly raised, it may sometimes stand an hour in the pans without injury.