<h2>VEGETABLES.</h2>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>To Boil Green Corn.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Pick out ears near the same size, and have the water boiling when
you
put them in; half an hour is long enough for young corn; that which is
old and hard will take an hour or more; if young corn is boiled too
long, it becomes hard and indigestible.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>To Fricassee Corn.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Cut green corn off the cob; put it in a pot, and just cover it with
water; let it boil half an hour; mix a spoonful of flour with half a
pint of rich milk, pepper, salt, parsley, thyme and a piece of butter;
let it boil a few minutes, and take it up in a deep dish. Corn will do
to cook in this way when too old to boil on the cob.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>To Keep Corn for Winter.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>When boiled, cut the corn off the cob, and spread it on dishes; set
these in the oven to dry after the bread comes out. If you have no
oven,
it can be dried in a stove of moderate heat, or round a fire. When
perfectly dry, tie it up in muslin bags, and hang them in a dry place;
when you use it, boil it till soft in water; mix flour, milk, butter,
pepper and salt together, and stir in.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>Corn Fritters.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Cut the corn through the grain, and with a knife scrape the pulp
from
the cob, or grate it with a coarse grater, and to about a quart of the
pulp, add two eggs beaten, two table-spoonsful of flour, a little salt
and pepper, and a small portion of thin cream, or new milk; beat the
whole together; have the butter or lard hot in the pan, and put a
large spoonful in at a time, and fry brown, turning each fritter
separately; this makes an agreeable relish for breakfast, or a good
side dish at dinner.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>Hominy.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Large hominy, after it is washed; must be put to soak over night; if
you
wish to have it for dinner, put it to boil early in the morning, or it
will not be done in time; eat it as a vegetable.</p>
<p>Small hominy will boil in an hour; it is very good at breakfast or
supper to eat with milk or butter, or to fry for dinner.</p>
<p>Both large and small hominy will keep good in a cool place several
days.
Be careful that the vessel it is cooked in, is perfectly clean, or it
will darken the hominy.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>To Fry Hominy.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Put a little lard in your frying-pan, and make it hot; mash and salt
the
hominy; put it in, and cover it over with a plate; let it cook slowly
for half an hour, or longer if you like it very brown; when done, turn
it out in a plate. If you do not like it fried, mash it well, with a
little water, salt, and butter, and warm it in a frying-pan.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>To Boil Potatoes.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>When the potatoes are old, pare them, put them in plenty of boiling
water, and boil them till you can run a fork through easily; if you
wish
to have them whole, pour off all the water, throw in some salt, and let
them stand a few minutes over coals, to let the steam go off; they will
then be white and mealy.</p>
<p>It is a mistaken notion, to boil potatoes in but little water, as
they
are sure to turn dark and taste strong. In cold weather they may be
kept pared several days in a pan of water, by changing the water every
day, and will be whiter. If you like mashed potatoes, take them up
when barely done, sprinkle them with salt and mash them; put in a
spoonful of cream and a small lump of butter; keep them hot till they
are taken to table.</p>
<p>In the summer when potatoes are young, put them in a small tub, with
a
little water, and rub them with a piece of brick, to break the skin;
you
can then peel enough for dinner with a knife in a few minutes. When
they
are older, boil them with the skins on, and squeeze them separately in
a
cloth, to make them mealy. New potatoes are nice with cream and butter
over them.</p>
<p>In boiling old potatoes, some persons cut them round without paring,
which allows the moisture to escape; this is an improvement: you can
then either peel them or send them to table without peeling.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>To Stew Potatoes.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Chop or slice cold potatoes; season with pepper and salt; stew them,
with a little butter and milk, and a dust of flour; when nearly done,
stir in a yelk of egg with some chopped parsley--they will cook in a
few
minutes, and may be sliced over night if you wish an early breakfast.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>Sweet Potatoes.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>To boil sweet potatoes, put them in a pot with plenty of water; let
them
boil fast till you can run a fork through the largest; then pour off
the
water, and leave them in the pot a quarter of an hour; you can then
peel
the skin off or leave it on. Some prefer them baked in a dutch-oven;
they should have a quick heat; large potatoes will take an hour to
bake.
It has been found a good way to boil them, till nearly done; then peel
and bake them--they are drier and nicer.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>To Fry Potatoes.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Cold potatoes are very good fried for breakfast with scraps of
bacon; if
they have been mashed, make them out in cakes with a little flour, and
fry them brown, or slice them.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>Tomatoes.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>If you wish to bake tomatoes in the oven with bread, pour boiling
water
on, and skin them; cut them in small pieces; season with salt and
pepper, and put them in a pan with crumbs of bread and butter; cover
the
pan with a plate, and bake three-quarters of an hour; when done, mash
them and take them out on a dish.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>To Fry Tomatoes.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Slice them, season with pepper and salt, and fry in hot butter; if
they
are green, dip them in flour after being seasoned.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>Tomato Omelet.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Pour boiling water on the tomatoes, skin and cut them fine; to one
quart
of this, put two chopped onions and a lump of butter the size of an
egg;
let them boil half an hour, then mash them; put in grated bread,
pepper,
salt, and the yelks of two eggs.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>To Stew Tomatoes.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Wash and pour boiling water over them; peel off the skins, and cut
them
up; season them with pepper and salt; put in a lump of butter, and boil
them in their own juice for half an hour; stir in enough crumbs of
bread
to thicken them; let them cook slowly ten minutes longer; be careful
that the bread does not burn.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>To Bake Tomatoes.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Take out the inside of large tomatoes, make a stuffing of bread,
butter,
pepper, salt and an egg; fill them with this, and set them in a deep
pie-plate; let them bake slowly half an hour.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>Tomato Jelly, to eat with Roast Meat.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Wash the tomatoes, and put them in a bell-metal kettle, with a
little
water; let them boil thirty minutes; take them out and strain them
through a sieve, till you get all the pulp; let it settle and pour off
the top; put the thick part in deep plates, and set them in the oven
after the bread is drawn; season it with pepper and salt to your taste,
and put it away in a jar. It can either be eaten cold, or warmed up
with
crumbs of bread and butter. Some persons slice tomatoes, and dry them
on
dishes in an oven.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>To Fricassee Tomatoes.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Wash and cut them in two, if large; if small, leave them whole, but
do
not peel them or they go too much to pieces; have a broad speeder or
stove-pan; put in a half spoonful of butter; season the tomatoes with
pepper and salt, and flour them; cover them with a plate; they will
cook
in ten minutes, stirring them once; pour in half a tea-cup of cream
just
as they are done; let them boil up and dish them while hot: this dish
is
much liked either for breakfast, dinner or tea.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>To Broil Tomatoes for Breakfast.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Take large round tomatoes, wash and wipe them, and put them on the
gridiron over lively coals--the stem side down; when this is brown,
turn
them and let them cook till quite hot through; place them on a hot dish
and send them quickly to table, where each one may season for himself
with pepper, salt and butter.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>To Bake Tomatoes for Breakfast.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Season them with pepper and salt; flour and bake them in a stove, in
a
deep plate with a little butter over them.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>Tomatoes sliced with Onions.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Pick the best tomatoes; let them stand a little while in cold water,
then peel and slice them. To about six tomatoes, you may add two red
onions, also sliced; season with pepper, plenty of salt, and a small
portion of vinegar.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>To put up Tomatoes for Winter.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Gather a quantity of tomatoes, wash, scald, skin and cut them up;
season
them highly with pepper and salt, and put them in a large stone jar;
set
this in the oven with your bread, and leave it till it is cold; stir
them, and set them in the oven every time you bake for several weeks;
when the juice is nearly dried up, put a piece of white paper over the
jar, melt some lard and pour on it. When you use them, stew them with
bread, butter and water.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>Baked Egg Plant.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Boil them ten minutes; then cut them in half and take out the seeds,
fill them with a stuffing of crumbs of bread, seasoned with butter,
pepper, salt, the yelk of an egg, and if you choose, the juice of a
tomato; close them and tie each one with a string; put a little water
in
the dutch-oven, and lay them in with some of the stuffing on the top;
let them cook slowly half an hour, basting them with butter; take them
out, thicken the gravy, and pour it over them on the dish.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>To Fry Egg Plant.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Cut them in slices half an inch thick; sprinkle them with salt, and
let
them stand a few minutes to extract the bitter taste; wash them in cold
water, and wipe them dry; season with salt and pepper; dip them in
flour, and fry them in butter.</p>
<p>Another way of cooking them is to cut them in thin slices, and bake
them
on a bake-iron that is hot enough to bake cakes.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>Salsify, or Oyster Plant.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Scrape the roots, and boil them till soft; mash them, and put in
butter,
pepper, salt, and egg and flour enough to stick them together; make
this
in cakes as large as an oyster, and fry them in butter; or after
boiling, you can cut them in slices and stew them in water; then butter
and season, and thicken with a little flour and cream.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>To Stew or Fry Mushrooms.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Be careful in gathering mushrooms that you have the right kind; they
are
pink underneath, and white on the top, and the skin will peel off
easily, but it sticks to the poisonous ones.</p>
<p>After you have peeled them, sprinkle them with salt and pepper, and
put
them in a stew pan, with a little water, and a lump of butter; let them
boil fast ten minutes, and stir in a thickening of flour and cream.
They
may be fried in butter, or broiled on a gridiron. They are sometimes
very abundant in the fall, on ground that has not been ploughed for
several years; they appear after a warm rain; they may be peeled,
salted, and allowed to stand some hours before cooking.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>Cucumbers, to Fry or Slice.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>To fry cucumbers, take off the rinds in long pieces, a quarter of an
inch thick; season them with pepper and salt; dip them in flour, and
fry
them in butter.</p>
<p>Many persons think cucumbers unwholesome, and they certainly are if
kept for several days before they are eaten; but if sliced thin, with
onions, pepper, salt and good vinegar, they may generally be eaten
without danger.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>Lettuce.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Persons that are fond of lettuce may have it nearly all the year, by
sowing the different kinds, and keeping it covered through the winter;
the most approved way of dressing it is to cut it fine, and season with
oil, mustard, pepper, salt, vinegar, and a hard egg chopped. The
essence
of ham is also very good to season lettuce.</p>
<p>Where there is a large family, it is a good and economical way to
cut
the fat of ham in small pieces, fry it, and make a gravy with flour,
water and pepper, to eat with lettuce. To cook lettuce you must fry a
little ham; put a spoonful of vinegar into the gravy; cut the lettuce,
put it in the pan; give it a stir, and then dish it.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>Cold Slaw.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Cut hard white cabbage across the leaves, and put it in a deep
plate,
scald two large spoonsful of vinegar with a piece of butter, some
pepper
and salt; pour this over the slaw; have an egg boiled hard; chop it
fine, and spread it over the top. Some persons like it heated in a pan
with vinegar and water, and the yelk of a raw egg mixed through it.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>Cauliflowers, &c.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Have a pot with half milk, and the rest water; when this boils, put
in
the cauliflowers, and let them boil till tender; put in some salt just
before you take them up; have ready drawn butter with parsley, to pour
over them, or a sauce of cream and butter. Good heads of yellow Savoy
cabbage, cooked in this way, resemble cauliflowers. Brocolli is a
delightful vegetable, and may be cooked in the same manner.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>To Boil Cabbage.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>In summer, you should allow a large head of cabbage an hour to boil,
but
when it has been tendered by the frost, it will boil in half that time.
Most persons prefer cabbage boiled with ham; the pot should be well
skimmed before it goes in or the grease will penetrate the cabbage, and
make it unwholesome; take it up before it boils to pieces. It is very
good boiled with corned beef or pork, or with milk and water, with a
little salt added. Some like it with a little salaeratus thrown in
while
boiling, as that tenders it and makes it of a more lively green.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>To Boil Greens and Poke.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>After skimming the pot that the bacon has been boiled in, put in
cabbage
sprouts, and let them boil till the stalks are tender; all greens are
best boiled in a net. Spinach cooks in a few minutes; some persons
prefer it when boiled in salt and water; you should have drawn butter
or
hard eggs to eat with it when done in this way. There are several kinds
of wild greens to be found in the country in the spring, as wild
mustard, poke and lambs-quarter, which are very good cooked as cabbage
sprouts. Pour boiling water on poke, after tying it in bunches, as
asparagus, let it stand a few minutes; pour off the water; boil it with
a little salt in the water, and if you choose a little salaeratus;
dress
it with butter, and dish it as asparagus.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>String Beans.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>String beans, if boiled in salt and water, will require fully two
hours;
but if boiled in a net, in a pot with bacon, they will not take so
long;
if they are cooked in the same pot with cabbage, it will injure the
flavor. It is a good way to boil a very small piece of pork or bacon,
or
a ham-bone in the pot with beans; when they are done, season them with
cream, butter, salt and pepper.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>Lima Beans.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Shell them, and wash them in cold water; let them boil about an
hour;
when done, dip them from the water, and season with salt, pepper, cream
or butter; keep them hot till they are sent to table.</p>
<p>Dried Lima beans should be soaked over night, and boiled two hours
or
longer, if they are not soft.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>Peas.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Early peas require about half an hour to boil, and the later kinds
rather longer; the water should boil when they are put in; when they
are
tough and yellow, they may be made tender and green, by putting in a
little pearl-ash, or ashes tied up in a rag, just before they are taken
up; this will tender all green but do not put too much--when done, dip
them out: drain and season them with butter, pepper and salt; put a
bunch of parsley in the middle of the dish.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>To Keep Green Beans for Winter.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Boil salt and water to make a strong pickle; string the beans, and
put
them in a tight wooden firkin; sprinkle them with salt as they go in;
when the pickle is cold, pour it on, and put on a weight to keep the
beans under; they will keep in the cellar till the next spring. They
should soak several hours in cold water before they are boiled.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>Asparagus.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>All persons that have a garden should have an asparagus-bed; it is
valuable as being one of the first vegetables in the spring. Put the
stalks of the same length, in bunches together, and tie them with
strings; boil it three-quarters of an hour in clear water; (if you put
salt in, it turns it dark;) have buttered toast in the bottom of a deep
dish; untie the strings, and put the asparagus in; sprinkle it over
with
pepper and salt, and put butter on. Asparagus is also agreeable in
chicken soup.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>Cymlings, or Squashes.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>In cultivating this vegetable, the small bunch cymling is the best,
as
it takes so little room in the garden, and comes soon to maturity; if
they are so hard that a pin will not run in easily, they are unfit for
use. Boil the cymlings till soft; cut them open, and take out the
seeds;
put them in a colander, and mash them; when the water is drained off,
put them in a small pot, and stew them with cream and butter for ten
minutes; just as you dish them, season with pepper and salt. If boiled
with salt meat, they require but little seasoning.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>Pumpkins.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Young pumpkins resemble cymlings, when cooked in the same way. When
they
are ripe, they should be pared and cut up, and boiled till soft in a
good deal of water; take them up as soon as they are done, or they will
soak up the water; mash them and season them with salt, pepper and
butter. They are good to eat with roast or boiled beef.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>To Bake Pumpkins.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>The long striped pumpkin, with a thick long neck, called by some
potato
pumpkin, is the best for baking; cut it up in slices, leaving on the
rind; put it in a dutch-oven or dripping-pan, and let it bake an hour
with a quick heat. Where sweet potatoes cannot be had, pumpkins make a
very good substitute. If you put ripe pumpkins that have not been
frosted; in a dry place, they will keep to make puddings till spring.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>To Dry Pumpkins.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Pare them, and cut them in thin slices; have a strong thread, and
string them on it with a needle; hang them out in the sun till dry,
taking them in at night; tie them up in a muslin bag, and hang them in
a dry place. Soak them before they are stewed, and they are nearly as
good for puddings as when in season. Some dry them, as apples, by
spreading on boards.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>Parsnips.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Scrape and split them, and boil until quite soft, either in salt and
water, or with meat; they are very good served up in this way, with
plenty of butter. They may, when boiled, either be baked with a few
slices of salt meat, and require no seasoning but pepper, or made into
small round cakes, seasoned with butter, pepper and salt, and fried.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Carrots. Carrots should be scraped, and boiled till soft, in plenty
of
water; when they are done, take them up, and slice them thin; season
them with salt, pepper and butter. They are suitable to eat with boiled
meat or fowls.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>Turnips.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Pare and quarter the turnips, and put them in a pot of clear water,
or
with fresh meat; boil them half an hour; drain, and season them with
butter, pepper and salt; mash them.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>Onions.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>After they are peeled, boil them in milk and water; if small, they
will
cook in half an hour; when they are done, pour off the water; put in
cream, butter and salt, and let them stew a few minutes. Small onions
are much better for cooking, as they are not so strong.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>Beets.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Wash the beets; cut the tops off, and put them in boiling water; the
early turnip beet is best for summer, and will boil in less than an
hour; the long winter beet should be boiled two hours,--when they are
done, drop them in cold water for a minute; peel and slice them; season
with butter, pepper and salt; send them hot to table.</p>
<p>To pickle beets, put them in a jar after they have been boiled; fill
it
up with weak vinegar; put in salt, cayenne and black pepper.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>To Boil Rice.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Pick a pint of rice, wash it clean--put it in three pints of boiling
water: it should boil fast, and by the time the water evaporates, the
rice will be sufficiently cooked; set it where it will keep hot, until
you are ready to dish it.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<h3>To Keep Vegetables in Winter.</h3>
<p></p>
<p>Beets, parsnips, carrots and salsify should he dug up before the
frost
is severe; those wanted for use in the winter should be put in barrels,
and covered with sand; what you do not want till spring should be
buried
in the garden, with sods on the top. Celery may be dug in November, and
set in a large box covered with sand, in the cellar, with the roots
down; it will keep till the frost is out of the ground. Or it may be
left in the ground all winter, and dug as you want it for use.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<hr>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />