Peach Pickles.—Select the finest and fairest fruit (we prefer Rareripes or Honest Johns to Morris Whites or Malacatoons, but that is a matter of taste), weigh the peaches, and for every pound of fruit take a full pound or slightly heaped quart of granulated sugar; put one gill of good cider vinegar and half a gill of water to every six pounds of sugar; put the vinegar and water into the preserving-kettle first, then add the sugar, set the kettle on the back part of the range or stove where it will dissolve gradually. While the sugar is melting prepare the peaches; pour boiling water over a few at a time, and then rubeach one carefully with a soft towel to take off a thin skin without disfiguring the peach; as you peel throw them into cold water to prevent their turning black. When all are peeled, or if two are working at them, as one peels let the other stick a clove and two small pieces of cinnamon, or two or three cassia-buds into each peach, and occasionally put in two cloves, but not often, as too many cloves make them bitter. While preparing the sugar over the fire, and after waiting a suitable time, if you find it will not dissolve without more water, add some, but only a little at a time, say half a cupful. It is difficult to telljusthow much water is needed, as some sugar melts more readily and with less water than others; for this reason it is wise to add the water by degrees, as for sweet peach pickles it is desirable to use just as little water as possible. Bring the syrup to a boil just as soon as possible after you have all the fruit prepared; skim as fast as the scum rises, and when clear put in as many peaches as will cover the surface of the syrup without crowding and bruising; let them boil up for three or four minutes, turn over carefully in syrup that both sides may be cooked evenly, and then remove into two-quart stone jars, with nicely fitting covers, taking care not to break the fruit; dip out a cup or two of syrup to each jar, cover over and set on the side of the range to keep hot for a little while, till you have others filled to take their place. Fill each jar full of fruit. When all the peaches have been thus cooked and removed to jars, pour in as much syrup as they will hold and allow the cover to fit closely. Put them aside for three or four days, then drain off all the syrup and heat it again; whenboiling hotfill up the jars again, and cover up. Repeat the scalding again in a week’s time, unless you find the peaches were so ripe as to have cooked enough to endanger their falling to pieces. In that case another scalding would injure them. To seal up jars, cut a piece of old cotton or linen, large enough to cover over the top and come half an inch over the side, leaving it loose so the cover will fit in, dip the cloth in the white of egg to seal it down over the edge, place on the cover, then wet plaster of Paris quite soft and spread over the top and so far over the sides as to cover the cloth. The plaster hardens immediately, and you have a solid cover at once, and air-tight; wet only as much at a time as willbe needed for one jar, as it stiffens so soon. Put on sufficient to entirely bury the stone cover.
Pickled Plums.—Prick the plums with a sharp needle, else they will fall to pieces badly when you put in hot syrup; tie the cloves and cassia-buds in a cloth, or throw loose into the syrup, instead of sticking them into the plums. Of course they are not thrown into boiling water like peaches, as it is desirable to preserve them as whole and perfect as possible. Except in these two particulars, proceed as with the peaches.
For extra rich pickles, when boiling the syrup the second time, add one third more sugar than was used to make the first syrup. This gives a very rich fine flavor; the small amount of vinegar used at first prevents its being too sweet.
Some prefer peaches, when pickled, quite sour. In that case a pint of vinegar and three pounds of sugar to every seven pounds of peaches is the common proportion, with cloves and cassia-buds or cinnamon, as in the first receipt; cassia-buds are milder and lesswoodyin taste than cinnamon.
Pears and crab-apples, prepared like peaches, make a fine pickle.
Green Tomato Pickles.—Slice half a peck of full-grown tomatoes just ready to turn red. They are more crisp if you can secure them after there has been almost a frost, not enough to turn the vines black. Slice very thin, cut off the blossom and stem ends and throw away. For every gallon of sliced tomatoes take twelve large green peppers,—the bell pepper is the best. Put a layer of sliced tomatoes into an earthen or wooden dish, then a layer of peppers, sprinkle over a handful of salt, then more tomatoes and peppers, adding salt to each layer till all are put in. A pint of salt is sufficient for a gallon. Press this down and place a weight on the plate or wooden cover. A metal cover will not answer. Let it stand till morning, when it should be put in a sieve or hung up in a strainer to drain. Put three quarts of best cider vinegar over the fire to scald. Tie up in a cloth two cups of white mustard-seed, half a cup of sliced horse-radish, half an ounce of whole cloves, and the same of cinnamon and allspice, and throw into the vinegar. When the brine has all drained from the tomatoes, pack them closely in a stone pot and pour theboiling spice and vinegar over it. Lay over them a plate small enough to fit inside the pot, and put a smooth clean stone on the plate to keep the pickle under the vinegar. Let it stand a few days, and then scald again. Some like part of the spices sprinkled through the tomatoes rather than have all tied in a bag. Some prefer the spices ground, and many prefer the tomatoes and peppers chopped, not very fine, rather than sliced. Either way they make a fine pickle.
To Pickle Green Tomatoes.—Slice thin in separate plates green tomatoes and onions; allow half a dozen of large green peppers to one peck of tomatoes. Take a large earthen or wooden bowl and lay in a layer of tomatoes and a layer of onions, sprinkling in a table-spoonful of salt to each layer; continue this until you have packed together all you wish to pickle. Then turn a large plate or clean dry board over the tomatoes, and put some heavy weight, a stone, on top and let it stand till morning; then drain off all the salt and juice, and pour over boiling vinegar, strongly spiced with cinnamon, cloves, and very little allspice and ginger, which should be tied in a little bag, and removed when the vinegar is poured over; cover close and let them stand a week, when the vinegar should be poured off, the pickles thoroughly drained, and cold vinegar poured over the tomatoes. Some chop the onions pretty fine after they are drained from the salt.
Pickled Nasturtiums.—Gather the seed when green and not fully grown, and drop them into vinegar as you pick them. When you have a sufficient quantity scald the whole in vinegar, and bottle them or soak them twelve hours in brine; then drain and pour over boiling vinegar, with whole black peppers and allspice tied in a bag. They are often used as substitutes for capers, and the flowers and young seeds are used in salads.
Pickled Cauliflower.—Select the most perfect; break off the flowers, as they would naturally part. Put a layer of them in a jar and sprinkle over salt; then another layer of cauliflower; then salt, and so on. Let them soak two days; then wash off the salt and let them drain well; then pack in a jar or bottle, and pour over boiling spiced vinegar. In a few days, if necessary, heat the vinegar again, and pour over them, and cover or cork closely.
Tomato Pickles.—Slice half a peck of green tomatoes very thin; sprinkle over them half a pint of salt; slice half a dozen onions and three large peppers full grown, but before they have turned red; add these to the tomatoes; let them stand twenty-four hours, then drain them perfectly free of the liquor or brine; mix with them one table-spoonful of black pepper, one of allspice, one of mustard, half a table-spoonful of cloves, and the same of cinnamon all finely powdered; to this add a quarter-pound of whole mustard-seed; stir all well together and just cover with good cider vinegar. Boil this mixture until as thick as jam, stirring often to prevent its burning.
To Pickle Onions.—Choose all of a size; peel and pour on them boiling salt and water; cover close, and when cold drain the onions, and put them into jars or bottles. For white onions, fill up with hot distilled vinegar; for colored onions, use white wine vinegar; for both, add ginger, two or three blades of mace and whole pepper. If the onions are soaked in milk a little while after peeling, it will preserve their color.
Another way is to soak the onions in brine three or four days, then drain and pour on cold boiled vinegar, with spices. This will insure their being crisp.
To Pickle Red Cabbage.—Select the purple-red cabbage, take off the outside leaves, quarter, and take out the stalk, then shred the cabbage into a colander or small basket, and sprinkle with common salt. Let it remain a day or two, then drain and put into jars; fill up with boiling vinegar, spiced with ginger and black pepper, in the same proportions as for the cucumbers, and add a few slices of red beet-root; some add a few grains of powdered cochineal. If the vinegar isboiled, and then allowed to stand until cold before pouring over the cabbage, it will better insure its crispness, but will not keep so well as if put on boiling hot.
Cucumber Pickles.—The small long kind are the best for pickling, and those but half grown are nicer than the full grown. Let them be freshly gathered; pull off the blossom; but do not rub them; pour over them a strong brine boiling hot; cover close, and let them stand all night. The next day put your hand in the jar or tub and stir gently, to remove all sand; drain on asieve, and then dry in a cloth. Make a pickle with the best cider vinegar, adding spice in the following proportions: To each quart of vinegar put half an ounce of whole black pepper, the same of ginger and allspice, and one ounce of mustard-seed. If the flavor is agreeable, add four shalots and two cloves of garlic to a gallon of vinegar. When this pickle boils up, throw in the cucumbers, and make them boil as quickly as possible three or four minutes. Put them in a jar with the boiling vinegar, and cover closely. When cold, put in a sprig ofdill, the seed downward, if you like it. Made in this way they will be tender, crisp, and green. If the color is not quite clear enough, pour off the vinegar the next day; boil up, and pour over the cucumbers; cover perfectly tight.
To Pickle small Cucumbers and Gherkins.—Choose small perfect gherkins or cucumbers; spread on platters, mix a small bit of alum, pulverized, with salt, and cover them; let them lie in this a week. Then drain them, put them into a jar, cover with boiling vinegar, and cover it thick with grape-leaves. Set them near the fire. If they do not become tolerably green after an hour or so, pour the vinegar into another jar, set it on the hot range or hearth until too hot to bear your hand in it, but do not let itboil, then pour again over the pickles, cover with fresh leaves; repeat this till they are as green as you wish.
Tomato Catsup.—Wash and drain two bushels of fair, ripe tomatoes; cut out the stems and any imperfect spot; put the fruit into a kettle, giving each one a squeeze to break the skin as you throw them in (a brass kettle,scoured perfectly bright, is the best, as being less likely to burn on the bottom than the porcelain kettle). Cut up twelve ripe bell-peppers and as many onions, and put with the tomatoes. Set the kettle over the fire and let the fruit cook two hours, stirring often from the bottom to prevent the tomatoes sticking or burning. Then strain through a wire sieve, or better still a patent scoop and sieve combined, made of tin; with acrankor handle to turn the paddle, which easily presses the juice and meat through the strainer at the bottom, leaving seeds and skins inside. When strained, add a pint and a half of salt, a quart of vinegar, three table-spoonfuls of ground cinnamon, three of black pepper, two of cloves, two ofallspice, two of mace, and one of ginger. Boil slowly twelve hours. Of course it cannot be finished in one day; but at night must be emptied from the kettle into large wooden or earthen bowls, covered over closely, and left to stand till morning. The brass kettle should be well cleaned and dried as soon as emptied, that no verdigris may form in or around it, and to be all ready for use the next day. In the morning put the catsup up into the kettle again, and boil slowly all day, or till as thick as rich cream, so that no clear liquid will rise to the top. Stir often from the bottom; as it thickens it will stick to the bottom if not carefully stirred, and scorch very easily. That will spoil the whole. It is well to turn a plate down on the bottom of the kettle, it will not burn so readily. People differ so in their ideas of seasoning—some like food very fiery and highly seasoned, while others like very little—that it is not possible to give the exact amount of spices. We have given a medium quantity which, by tasting, can be varied to suit your own taste. When cooked sufficiently the catsup should be put into strong bottles tightly corked and tied down. Very little danger of bursting the bottles or forcing the cork out. None that we have ever tried have done so. In hot weather, if kept too damp, it may sour; but we have now some made last summer as good as the new.
To Make Tea.—There is very little skill required in making tea, and yet very few have it well prepared. It is important that the water should beboiling, not simply scalding; if it is not, the tea will be worthless. For English breakfast tea it is best to allow two heaped teaspoonfuls for each person. Either put the tea into a perfectly dry pot, and set it on the corner of the range till heated through, before adding the water, or fill the teapot withboilingwater and let it stand till thoroughly hot; and then empty it out and put in the tea. This done, pour on two cups ofboiling, bubblinghot water, set it on a range or a trivet over a spirit lamp, and let it boil two minutes; then add a teacup of boiling water for every person, and let it boil again for three or four minutes. Put into the teacups sugar and milk according to the taste of those who are to use the tea, and fill up with the boilingtea. When the cups are once filled, put more boiling water to the tea in the same proportion, and again set the pot on the trivet to boil again three or four minutes. The last will be nearly if not quite as good as the first drawing, some prefer it; but in no case fail to havereally boilingwater.
In making oolong or green teas, less tea is needed, and much less boiling. In both cases it is well to put the tea into a perfectly dry teapot, and set it where it will get hot before the water is put in, or fill the teapot with boiling water, cover close till thoroughly heated, then pour out the water and put in the tea before the pot has time to cool, and then cover the tea with boiling water. Set it where it will simmer,notboil, five minutes before using.
The tea-tree, or shrub, commonly grows from three to six feet high; but in its wild or native state it is said to reach twenty-four feet. In China it is cultivated in numerous small plantations. It resembles the myrtle in the form of the leaf and general appearance. The blossoms are not unlike those of the wild rose, but smaller, white, and very fragrant. The blossoms are succeeded by soft green capsules, containing from one to three white seeds. These capsules are crushed for oil, which is in general use in China.
Substitute for Milk in Tea and Coffee.—Beat up one egg to every coffee-cupful of tea or coffee. Put it in a cup and pour over it very gradually the tea or coffee, very hot, stirring all the time to prevent the egg from curdling.
Bread Crumbs.—Be very careful that no piece of bread, that can be used, is wasted. Gather all waste or broken pieces, put them in a clean dish, and set into the “heater,” if you have one to your stove or range; if not, into the oven after the cooking for the day is done, leaving the door open that the pieces may not burn. When thoroughly dried roll them fine on a board, and with a rolling-pin kept expressly for the purpose, as it makes a pastry board and pin rough to roll any hard substance. Sift the crumbs through a colander, and keep them in a stone pot, in a dry place, covered closely, or put in a linen bag and hung up in a cool place. They are excellent to use in cooking many things, as well as for stuffing, and you cannot save too large a quantity.If well dried and properly aired, they will keep a year, and be as sweet as when first rolled, and, aside from the economy, are a great convenience.
To Clean Kid Gloves.—Have ready a little new milk in one saucer, a piece of white soap in another, and a clean cloth folded two or three times. On the cloth spread out the glove smooth and neat. Take a piece of flannel, dip it in the milk, then rub off a good quantity of soap on the wetted flannel, and commence to rub the glove toward the fingers, holding it firmly with the left hand. Continue this process until the glove, if white, looks of a dingy yellow, though clean; if colored, till it looks dry and spoiled. Lay it to dry, and the operator will soon be gratified to see that the old glove looks nearly new. It will be soft, glossy, smooth, and elastic.
To Keep Grapes.—The Chinese have a curious method of preserving grapes, so as to have them at command during the entire year. It consists in cutting a circular piece out of a ripe pumpkin or gourd, making an aperture large enough to admit the hand. The interior is next completely cleaned out, the ripe grapes are placed inside, and the cover replaced and pressed in firmly. The pumpkins are then kept in a cool place, and the grapes will be found to retain their freshness for a very long time.
To Clean Oil-Cloths.—Do not use soap, or scour with a brush, but wash with soft flannel and lukewarm water; wipe perfectly dry. Then wring a clean cloth out of skimmed milk, and wipe the oil-cloth over, moving the cloth one way, straight across, not round in circles or waves, and finish with a clean, dry cloth. In this way you can keep the oil-cloth looking fresh and new, and it will last much longer than if washed with soap and scrubbed with a brush.
Fill your Lamps in the Morning.—Scarcely a week passes but we read accounts of frightful accidents from kerosene lamps exploding and killing or scarring for life men, women, and children. A simple knowledge of the inflammable nature of the liquid will probably put a stop to nearly all the accidents. As the oil burns down in the lamp, highly inflammable gas gathersover its surface, and as the oil decreases the gas increases. When the oil is nearly consumed, a slight jar will inflame the gas, and an explosion is sure to follow. A bombshell is no more to be dreaded. Now, if the lamp is not allowed to burn more than half-way down, such accidents are almost impossible. Always fill your lamp every morning, and then you need never fear an explosion.
Colored Silk.—Mix equal parts of soft soap, alcohol, and molasses. Cover a table with a clean cloth, spread the article to be cleansed on smooth, and, holding firmly with one hand, sponge it thoroughly with this mixture. If the silk is spotted with grease or stains, give the spots an extra sponging. When the silk has been well sponged, rinse in tepid water twice, and finish with a third rinsing in cold water. Have your irons hot, and iron the silk immediately as it is taken from the last water. Of course if a dress is to be cleansed, it will be first ripped apart and each piece sponged, rinsed, and ironed, before the next is touched. It is a great convenience when two persons can work together in doing this,—one to sponge, while the second rinses and irons. This compound for cleansing silk does not sound inviting, buttry it. We have washed the most delicate colors,—blues, violets, etc.,—and unless the color is entirely taken out, or paint been transferred to the silk, it is surprising how like a new silk the dress can be made to look. Cashmeres or merinoes of the finest color can be thus cleansed and made to look like new; but they should be rinsed in hot water.
To Remove Fruit Stains.—A solution of chloride of soda will remove peach and all fruit or vegetable stains, and is also excellent in removing mildew; but for this it must be applied several times, and exposed to the sun, while fruit can be removed by it instantly. Of course it can only be used for white cotton or linen goods. It is perfectly harmless if well rinsed in clear water immediately after using.
Bee or Wasp Stings.—Wet some cut tobacco and lay it on the sting. In five minutes it will be cured. Always keep cut tobacco in the house for such emergencies. It is invaluable and sure.
To Preserve Brooms.—Wet the broom every week in boilingsuds, and it will be toughened by it, will last much longer, will not cut the carpet, and will sweep as elastic as a new broom.
Glossy Starch.—Put two ounces of white gum-arabic powder into a pitcher; pour over it a pint of boiling water, stir well and cover it up; let it stand overnight. In the morning pour it from the dregs into a clean bottle, and keep for use. A table-spoonful of this stirred into a pint of starch made in the usual manner will give your lawns, either black or printed, a new look, which nothing else can give, after being once washed. Much diluted, it is excellent for thin white muslin.
Salt for Nuts.—Many people find nuts of all kinds injurious, and some are made seriously ill by them. It is said, and we think truly, if a little salt be used with them it will prevent any injury or inconvenience arising from their use.
To Take Ink Stains from Mahogany.—Put a few drops of nitre in a teaspoonful of water. Touch the ink-spot with a feather dipped in the mixture; and as soon as the ink disappears, rub it instantly with a cloth wet in cold water, or there will be a white mark left, which will be difficult to remove.
To Keep Quinces.—Gather the fruit at the usual time, then put carefully into barrels so as not to bruise, rejecting all but the perfectly sound; then fill with water, head up, and put in the cellar. They will keep all winter, retaining all the peculiar qualities and flavor of fresh quinces.
Fruit Stains.—When berries and fruits of all kinds are in season, the housekeeper will find it necessary to look carefully after the stains. They are easily removed if attended to at once, but if left to dry for a day or two it will be a more difficult work. Stretch the stained spot tightly over a deep bowl or pail, and pour over itboilinghot water, letting it filter through till the stain disappears. The water must be reallyboiling, not simply scalding. If the article has been thrown into suds before looking after the stains, the hot water will not destroy them. In that case wet the stain, and while wet spread over the spot some chloride of lime, lay the piece on the grass, or hang on the clothes-line where the sun will strike through for a few minutes, and then wash and boil immediately. This is sure, but should be used with careand judgment or it will eat the cloth; but with proper oversight it is safe and reliable. Chloride of lime is largely used in bleaching linen, cotton, and silk in the different manufactures. In former timeschlorine, or oxygenated muriatic gas, was used in bleaching, but its effect on the lungs of the workmen was very injurious. Since chloride of lime has been used instead ofchlorine, it is considered safe for those employed in factories, and harmless in its effects on the goods bleached. In pickling, paring, or preserving fruit, the hands get badly stained. Rub them in lemon-juice; wet your nail-brush in the juice and carefully brush your nails and hands; this will remove the stains effectually. A “bleaching liquid,” prepared from chloride of lime, is very effectual in removing all stains except those made by grease. Put four ounces of chloride of lime into a wide-mouthed quart bottle, add a little water and stir well with a stick, then fill the bottle nearly full with water, and let it stand corked for two weeks, that the chloride may dissolve. During this time some gas will be disengaged, and to prevent explosion or driving out the cork it will be well twice a day to remove the cork for an instant only, and as the gas has an extremely offensive smell it is important that care should be taken not to inhale it, as it is injurious to the lungs; when diffused through the apartment in small quantity it is not hurtful. After standing two weeks, the fluid portion should be poured off and kept in a bottle in a dark place, with paper wrapped around it, as light and air injure its properties. This fluid should be kept in every family, but servants ought not to be allowed to use it indiscreetly.
Ink Stains.—Ifinkis spilled on clothes or carpet, do not allow it to dry, but as speedily as possible getcotton batting, and, wetting it in sweet milk, soak the spot and rub with the cotton. Wring the cotton out and soak again with milk, and if used when the ink is fresh it will soon remove it. This done, wash in warm soapsuds and rinse in clear warm water.
Buying Furs.—In purchasing furs, a sure test of what dealers call a prime fur is the length and density of the down next to the skin. This can be readily determined by blowing a brisk current of air from the mouth against the set of the fur. If the fibers open readily, exposing the skin to view, reject the article; but ifthe down is so dense that the breath cannot penetrate it, or at most shows but a small portion of the skin, the article may be accepted.
Drying Umbrellas.—Most people dry their umbrellas handle upwards. This concentrates the moisture at the tip where it is close, rusts the wire which secures the stretchers, and rots the cloth. After the umbrella is drained, it is better to invert it, and dry it in that position.
A Tight Ring.—To remove a tightly fitting ring from a finger, without pain, pass the end of a portion of rather fine twine underneath the ring, and evenly encircle the finger from below upward (as whipmakers bind lashes on) with the remainder, as far as the centre of the finger, then unwind the string from above downward by taking hold of the end passed under the ring, and it will be found the ring will gradually pass along the twine toward the tip of the finger.
Scrubbing White Paint.—As little soap as possible should be used with this, and that in the water and not on the cloth. It not only makes the paint yellow, but, after a little while, removes it altogether. A noted housekeeper would never allow either soap or hot water to be used on paint, except in case of grease. Cold water and a scrubbing-brush were her weapons of offence in waging warfare with dirt. This makes hard work, but it gives a very fresh look to paint, and saves soap and fire, if one is inclined to try it. For greasy spots use a very little soda (carbonate) in the first water, to be immediately rinsed off and wiped dry.
How to Wash Graining.—Take clearwarmwater, a clean, white cloth, and wash a small place and wipe dry with anotherclean whitecloth. Do not wet any more space than you can dry immediately with your cloth, as it must not be left to dry in the atmosphere; it must be rubbed dry, hence the necessity for clean white cloths. If the paint has been neglected until very much soiled with greasy fingers, or specked with a summer’s growth of flies, a very little hard soap may be put in the first water, and then rinsed off with clear water; but avoid soap if you possibly can, as it dulls the varnish, however carefully used. On no account must it be rubbed on with a cloth.
Codfish should be purchased in small quantities, as they are disagreeable to have in the house. Even the desiccated codfish, that comes in boxes, cannot be kept so tightly covered as to secure us from the unpleasant smell. If kept in a dry place they grow hard, if in a damp place they will spoil. They must be changed from garret to cellar often to keep them in proper condition, and therefore it is better to get them only as needed.
Zante currants and stoneless or sultana raisins should be washed and dried when first bought, and then packed into jars for use. It is well to look them over occasionally, to see that they do not become wormy. If there should be any appearance of mold or worms, empty from the jars and spread on a cloth or paper to dry, in the warm sun or by the fire. When dry, repack.
Keep cheese in a dry place. A cheese-box with perforated wire sides is the best thing to put it in, as the air will circulate through it. When the cheese is cut wrap a cloth tightly about it to prevent its drying.
Smoked beef should be kept in a bag and hung up. Hams, also, when cut, should be tied into a cloth or bag and hung up in a cool dry place.
If strawberries, pineapples, and all delicate preserves are kept in a box and filled in with sand, they will keep better and longer. Sawdust or tan-bark is not good to fill in around them, as it gathers moisture and molds the preserves.
Keep the flour-barrel well covered with a close-fitting wooden cover. Hang the sifter on a nail over it, but never leave it in the barrel. Besides being untidy, the accumulation of flour, dough, or moisture from your hands will soon coat the sieve so that it cannot be used with ease, and in a short time make the flour musty or sour. It should be well washed and dried after the baking for each day is finished. No flour should be use unsifted, both from cleanliness and because the food will be lighter.
Indian meal should be kept in a cool, dry place, in a barrel or wooden pail, and stirred from the bottom often, particularly in warm weather, as it will readily become sour or musty. Never use without sifting.
Coffee should be bought by the bag or barrel, as it grows better by age.
Tea is cheaper by the box, but take out a pound canister at a time, and replacing the tin foil, nail the box up again.
Keep the canister always shut, as air injures the tea badly.
Raisins and starch are cheaper by the box; but raisins must be kept from heat or air, or they dry up and become almost worthless; and the starch must be kept covered to protect it from dust.
Household Weights and Measures.—Wheat flour, one pound is one quart.
Indian meal, one pound two ounces is one quart.
Butter, when soft, one pound one ounce is one quart.
Loaf sugar, broken, one pound is one quart.
White sugar, powdered, one pound one ounce is one quart.
Best brown sugar, one pound two ounces is one quart.
Eggs, average size, ten are one pound.
Liquid measure, sixteen table-spoonfuls are half a pint.
To test Flour.—Place a little in the palm of the hand, rub gently with the finger; if the flour smooths down, feeling slippery, it is inferior flour and will never make good bread, but if it rubs rough in the palm, feeling like fine sand, and has an orange hue, you may purchase it confidently. It will not disappoint you.
THE END.
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