Cassell's dictionary of cookery

damsons while the sun is on them, and when there has been no rain for twenty-four hours at least. They should be quite ripe, whole, and without blemish. To each jar, containing one quart of fruit, allow half a pound of good loaf sugar, and sprinkle it equally . in the jar among the fruit, then set it in a vessel of cold water over a moderate fire and simmer, after it has come to a boil, fifty minutes, when the damsons will be soft, and must be allowed to get cold. Lose no time in completing the preserve. Untie the covers, and pour the juice into a preserving-pan, where it may boil fifteen minutes, and must then be strained over the fruit. Fasten down when cool, and store in a dry cool place. Damsons, Preserved (another way). — Prick the fruit, and place it in scalding water for about a minute, lift the fruit into a dry dish, and strew powdered sugar over it. Next day pour ofl: the syrup, boil and skim it, pour it again over the fruit, and allow it to stand for a day or two. Boil the syrup once more, add it again to the fruit, and boil both together for a short time, taking care not to break the damsons. "WTien ready, pour into jars, and when cold, add brandied papers, and close carefully. Half a pound of sugar is sufficient for each pound of fruit. Dandelion, Stewed.— The first mention of this dish would perhaps inspire most English people with aversion, but we can honestly advise them to try it. It is an inexpensive dish, and easily obtained ; for fresh growths after DAN ( 183) DEP showery weather may be had throughout summer and winter. Gather an equal quantity of fresh dandelion and sorrel leaves. Pick off all the withered tips and hard parts of the roots ; shred them into tine strips, and wash them free from grit. Put the dandelion by itself into a copper stewpan, cover it with a small quantity of boiling water, and stew until nearly tender ; add the sorrel, and simmer until the water has evaporated and the whole is soft. Mash with a wooden spoon ; stir in a lump of butter ; flavour with pepper and salt, and serve like spinach. The dish may be garnished in a variety of ways, either with liard-boiled eggs, sippets of fried bread, or slices of boiled carrot cut into shapes. It is usually served with white meats, as veal, sweetbreads, kc. ; but it is excellent as a garnish for poached eggs. Some persons cook this vegetable without sorrel, but to our taste it is too bitter, and wants toning down. It is impossible to fix a price for the plant, as it is not a market article. It will, in aU probability, be more often found on the tables of the rich than of the poor, not from its cost, but from its peculiar taste and flavour. ^ Dandelion Wine.— Get four quarts of