Part 8 (1/2)

Sh.e.l.l 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 b.u.t.ter; keep them hot till they are sent to table.

Dried Lima beans should be soaked over night, and boiled two hours or longer, if they are not soft.

Peas.

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 b.u.t.ter, pepper and salt; put a bunch of parsley in the middle of the dish.

To Keep Green Beans for Winter.

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.

Asparagus.

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 b.u.t.tered 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 b.u.t.ter on. Asparagus is also agreeable in chicken soup.

Cymlings, or Squashes.

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 b.u.t.ter for ten minutes; just as you dish them, season with pepper and salt. If boiled with salt meat, they require but little seasoning.

Pumpkins.

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 b.u.t.ter. They are good to eat with roast or boiled beef.

To Bake Pumpkins.

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 subst.i.tute. If you put ripe pumpkins that have not been frosted; in a dry place, they will keep to make puddings till spring.

To Dry Pumpkins.

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.

Parsnips.

Sc.r.a.pe 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 b.u.t.ter. 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 b.u.t.ter, pepper and salt, and fried.

Carrots. Carrots should be sc.r.a.ped, 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 b.u.t.ter. They are suitable to eat with boiled meat or fowls.

Turnips.