“Well, now, Sam, why need you be off on things that’s none of your business ? ” said my grandmother. “ I’ve talked to you plainly about that a great many times, Sam,” she continued, in tones of severe admonition. “ Hepsy is a hard-working woman, but she can’t be ex- 59 6o HOW TO SELECT A TURKEY. pected to see to every thing ; an’ you oughter ’ave been at home that night to fasten up your own barn, and look after your own cree- turs.” Sam took the rebuke all the more meekly, as he perceived the stiff black legs of a turkey poking out from under my grandmother’s apron, while she was delivering it. To be exhorted and told of his short- comings, and then furnished with a turkey at Thanksgiving, was a yearly part of his family programme. In time he departed, not only with the turkey, but with us boys in procession after him, bearing a mince and a pumpkin pie for Ilepsy’s children. “ Poor things ! ” my grandmother remarked ; “ they ought to have something good to eat Thanksgiving Day; ’tain’t their fault that they’ve got a shiftless father.” — Oldtown Folks : Mrs. H. B. Stowe. Houghton , Mifflin, 6° Co., Pubs. (By per.) How to Select a Turkey. The practice of sending partially dressed fowls to our markets is one which should be condemned by every housekeeper who desires pure, untainted meat. Therefore, in the selection of a turkey, first see that it is entirely cleansed inside ; and especially see that the crop is removed, as this, with its undigested food, will very soon poison the whole of the most delicious portion of the fowl. The skin should be of fine texture, and should disclose no purple flesh underneath, as that indicates age. The legs should be smooth and dark, and the spurs soft and loose. There should be no heavy layers of pale, unhealthy fat along the back : this indicates a rapidly fattened, if not a stall-fed turkey. The flesh must be white and the breast plump, and the fat yellow ; but, above all, it should smell perfectly sweet inside. Having secured a good turkey, the next thing to do is to thoroughly cleanse it, extract the pin-feathers, and hang it up to dry. HOW TO TOAST A TURKEY. 6 1 How to Roast a Turkey. While it is drying, prepare a dressing in the fol- lowing manner : If you have no good home-made loaf, take one-half or three-fourths of a stale loaf of baker’s bread, and cut into small pieces, over which pour very scantily warm (not boiling) water ; enough to make the bread light, soft, and still have it flaky, is the desired quantity ; boiling water poured over bread until it is mushy and glutinous will never make good stuffing ; add two well-beaten eggs, a good pinch of finely powdered sage without the stems, one small onion fried a golden brown in but- ter, pepper and salt. Now put into a skillet a table- spoonful of butter, and, when turning a light brown, add the dressing ; leave it to fry a golden brown, then turn and stir until thoroughly heated. Take it off, and fill the turkey, after salting the inside ; do not press the dressing in compactly, but leave room for it to swell. It should have been said at the proper place, to push back the skin from the neck, and cut the latter off close to the body ; stuff the breast from this opening, then turn the skin over on the back, and sew it ; the other vent needs no sew- ing, when the fowl is properly stuffed ; now press the legs up as far as possible toward the breast, and✪ How to Roast a Turkey

AI-modernized reading of the original text

“Well, now, Sam, why need you be off on things that’s none of your business ? ” said my grandmother. “ I’ve talked to you plainly about that a great many times, Sam,” she continued, in tones of severe admonition. “ Hepsy is a hard-working woman, but she can’t be ex- 6o HOW TO SELECT A TURKEY. pected to see to every thing ; an’ you oughter ’ave been at home that night to fasten up your own barn, and look after your own creeturs.” Sam took the rebuke all the more meekly, as he perceived the stiff black legs of a turkey poking out from under my grandmother’s apron, while she was delivering it. To be exhorted and told of his shortcomings, and then furnished with a turkey at Thanksgiving, was a yearly part of his family programme. In time he departed, not only with the turkey, but with us boys in procession after him, bearing a mince and a pumpkin pie for Ilepsy’s children. “ Poor things ! ” my grandmother remarked ; “ they ought to have something good to eat Thanksgiving Day; ’tain’t their fault that they’ve got a shiftless father.” — Oldtown Folks : Mrs. H. B. Stowe. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Pubs. (By per.) How to Select a Turkey. The practice of sending partially dressed fowls to our markets is one which should be condemned by every housekeeper who desires pure, untainted meat. Therefore, in the selection of a turkey, first see that it is entirely cleansed inside ; and especially see that the crop is removed, as this, with its undigested food, will very soon poison the whole of the most delicious portion of the fowl. The skin should be of fine texture, and should disclose no purple flesh underneath, as that indicates age. The legs should be smooth and dark, and the spurs soft and loose. There should be no heavy layers of pale, unhealthy fat along the back : this indicates a rapidly fattened, if not a stall-fed turkey. The flesh must be white and the breast plump, and the fat yellow ; but, above all, it should smell perfectly sweet inside. Having secured a good turkey, the next thing to do is to thoroughly cleanse it, extract the pin-feathers, and hang it up to dry. HOW TO TOAST A TURKEY. 6 1 How to Roast a Turkey. While it is drying, prepare a dressing in the following manner : If you have no good home-made loaf, take one-half or three-fourths of a stale loaf of baker’s bread, and cut into small pieces, over which pour very scantily warm (not boiling) water ; enough to make the bread light, soft, and still have it flaky, is the desired quantity ; boiling water poured over bread until it is mushy and glutinous will never make good stuffing ; add two well-beaten eggs, a good pinch of finely powdered sage without the stems, one small onion fried a golden brown in butter, pepper and salt. Now put into a skillet a tablespoonful of butter, and, when turning a light brown, add the dressing ; leave it to fry a golden brown, then turn and stir until thoroughly heated. Take it off, and fill the turkey, after salting the inside ; do not press the dressing in compactly, but leave room for it to swell. It should have been said at the proper place, to push back the skin from the neck, and cut the latter off close to the body ; stuff the breast from this opening, then turn the skin over on the back, and sew it ; the other vent needs no sewing, when the fowl is properly stuffed ; now press the legs up as far as possible toward the breast, and

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How to Roast a Turkey

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