The housekeeper's guide to preserved meats, fruits, vegetables, &c

— This cordial is a preparation from Montserrat lime-fruit juice flavoured with certain spices. It is entirely free from alcohol, and is a teetotaller’s drink. It is said to be a winter’s drink, and evidently contains ginger, and probably also some of the essential oils, such as oil of nutmeg and oil of lemon. It is a very agreeable drink alone, and a wineglassful mixed in a tumbler of cold spring water forms a most refreshing draught when one is thirsty. ARROWROOT.- — Arrowroot is a fine white powder consisting chiefly of pure starch, extracted from the rhizomes of the Maranta arundinacea. There are several different kinds of arrowroot, viz., Bermuda, Natal, St. Vincent, West Indian, and a fine kind called Tous-lesmois made from the Ganna Edulis in the West Indies. Of all these the Bermuda arrowroot is universally admitted to be the best. Arrowroot is largely used in this country, and being very light of digestion is a popular form of food in cases of sickness. The amount of arrowroot annually imported into this country is stated to exceed 400 tons. There is a considerable amount of adulteration practised in connection with arrowroot, and it is always advisable to take the precaution of seeing the name of some well-known respectable firm on the label. Arrowroot is used for a variety of purposes besides that of making invalids’ food, but I will first give a few instances of ARROWROOT FOR INVALIDS.— Arrowroot can be mixed either with , milk or water. Take say a tablespoon- i fill of arrowroot and moisten it with a ! little milk or water and then pour on it some boiling milk or boiling water and keep stirring it. The arrowroot will cause the milk or water to become thick in proportion to the amount of fluid added. For invalids this must necessarily be a matter of taste. If you want to make arrowroot into a firm . jelly that will turn out of a mould, you \ must allow four tablespoonfuls to a quart of boiling fluid. If you want the arrowroot thin, one tablespoonful to a quart will be ample. The next question is, How should arrowroot be flavoured ? This again is a matter of taste, and also dependent on the doctor’s orders. For instance, arrowroot can be flavoured with brandy or rum. When the latter is used, by adding lemon-peel and sugar you can make an imitation punch jelly. Sherry is often used to flavour arrowroot, as well as lemon, essence of almonds, essence of vanilla, nutmeg and all kinds of spices, and sugar to taste. Young children when ill will often refuse arrowroot, regarding it in the light of a medicine ; when this is the case, make the arrowroot into a jelly — i.e. four tablespoonfuls to aquart, flavour it as desired, and colour it pink with a little cochineal, whichjnust be added to the milk or water before the arrowroot is mixed. Then pour it into a well-oiled mould, and when it is cold turn it out. Before turning it out the arrowroot should be pulled from the sides gently with the fingers. The whole mass adheres together and wall not break. In this form children wall often take it, especially if told some time beforehand that they are going to have a little jelly for a treat. There is a great art in humouring young children when ill. As a case in point I would mention the case wdiere the doctor has ordered a spoonful of beef -tea to be given occasionally to an infant.