The new century cookery book

Vegetables, &c. In choosing vegetables and fruit every care should be taken to ensure perfect freshness and ripeness. Stale vegetables, as well as fruit, are quite as unwholesome and dangerous toeat as bad and putrid meat ; but because the smell of stale vegetables is not so bad as that of bad meat and fish, people are not so particular.. All vegetables should be as fresh as possible, the fresher green vegetables are the better ; they should be crisp and green, not soft and withered. They must be well washed and cleaned before being cooked. Fruit in addition to being fresh must be perfectly ripe and sound before it is fit for table. Lard. -The best lard is made from the kidney fat of the pig, melted and poured into bladders. When pure, lard has scarcely any taste or smell ; it should be of a pure white, not too opaque ; firm, but not hard. If, when it is melted, it splutters, it is a sign that water has been added to it when prepared. Cheese. — The richness of cheese depends on the quantity of cream left in the milk used for it. Skim milk forms the poor and salt cheeses (as Dutch cheese, &c.). They contain casein and little else, but are nourishing. Eggs. — Hold up to the light ; if fresh they will look clear : or mix two tablespoonfuls of salt in half a pint of water, and put in an egg ; if stale it will float, if fresh it will sink. A bad egg will float in fresh water. Tea. — This article requires the most careful attention on the part of the buyer, because in most cases the dealer (purveyor) must be relied upon. There are several varieties of tea, but two kinds should be ample for any first-class house, viz : Ceylon and Indian, or Oolong and Young Hyson ; the latter two mixed in . different proportions make excellent blends. Coffee. — Much of the success in making coffee depends on the material from which it is brewed. It is best to buy coffee freshly roasted each day and grind it as required from day to day. Java and Mocha, mixed in the following proportions, three-fourths of the former and one-fourth of the latter, make a very satisfactory beverage. Coffee for breakfast should be made a little stronger than for after lunch or after dinner. It is desirable to obtain both tea and coffee from a reliable firm, and to avoid changes, if the blends supplied give satisfaction. CHAPTER III / -'CALENDAR OF FOOD IN SEASON ALPHABETICALLY ARRANGED The following is a table showing the period when the principal foods are in prime condition, and obtainable in the markets. When marketing it is well to remember that the food most seasonable is usually that which is most plentiful, most wholesome, and usually the most reasonable to buy. Apples . September to May Crawfish Apricots August to September Crayfish Artichokes Cucumbers . (Globe) January to April 1 Currants, Artichokes English (Jerusalem) October to February (red, white, Asparagus and black) . (Giant) February to July Currants, Asparagus French (Sprue) January to July Damsons Barberries . September to Novem- Dawsons ber Ducks, Wild . Bass May to September Ducklings Blackberries . September to October Eels Black Cock . October to December Endive . Broad Beans July to August Fieldfare Broccoli Figs, Green . Sprouts October to March Filberts Brussels Flageolets Sprouts September to February Flounders Bullaces