Farm and home cook book and housekeeper's assistant

Fresh lima beans should be cooked immediately after gathering. Shell and cook till tender in water barely enough to cover, allowing most of the water to boil away. Then add salt and pepper to taste, and 1 cup rich sweet cream, or some butter. — [Mrs. L. O. M.. O. Baked Peas This is a good recipe for the big, mealy peas. Parboil 1 qt ripe peas, then drain, and put in a bean pot with 1 lb salt. pork, 1/^ teasp each pepper, salt, sugar and mustard, and enough, cold water to cover the peas. Bake about 8 hours. — [Mrs. L. A. G., Me. Mashed (dried) Peas or Beans Soak 1 qt dried peas or beans in plenty water over night. Next morning drain and put them in a kettle with boiling water and boil 1 hour, then drain, add fresh boiling water, and boil 3 hours, after which mash through a colander, add butter, salt and pepper to taste, and a little thyme. Serve with browned onions. Nice served with ham and sauerkraut. — ^ [N. P., N. H. To Cook String Beans Cook immediately after gathering, wash and snap in small pieces and remove strings if there are any. Put on in cold water barely enough to cover, cover closely, and cook slowly until tender, adding a little butter or drippings and salt to taste. Another way is to boil them with salt pork. Do not use any more .water than necessary. — [A. G., Mass. Baked Beans Soak 1 qt white beans in cold water over night (15 or 16 hours is none too long). Next morning drain, cover with cold water, boil ^/^ hour, then add a pinch of soda, and let boil, uncovered, until skins crack; then drain. Meanwhile boil % or % lb salt pork about 2 0 minutes, then cut deep gashes crisscross in the top fat of the pork, and put the pork and the parboiled beans in a bean pot, so that the cut pork will be even with the top of the beans; also put 1 small onion, peeled, in with the beans. In a large cup mix ^ teasp ground mustard, 1 teasp salt, and % teasp pepper, with ^/^ cup molasses (or less), thinned with some of the liquor in which the pork was cooked, pour over the beans, (the liquid should almost come to the top of beans), and bake slowly about 8 hours. Tomato juice can be added instead of meat liquor. The bean, pot should be of earthenware, and deep. If the liquid evaporates too rapidly, add a very little hot water from time to time. During the last half hour increase the heat so that the top of the beans and the pork may brown nicely. Long soaking in cold water and long, slow baking are essential to success.— [A. G., Mass. Stuffed Cucumbers Peel large cucumbers, cut in half lengthwise, and remove ;seeds and soft pulp. Prepare a filling of 1 cup each minced SQUASH, CELERY AND CELERIAC 18 S cold chicken and bread crumbs, 1 teasp each minced parsnip and onion, 1 tablesp melted butter, 2 tablesp cream, and salt and pepper to taste. If filling seems too stiff, add more cream. Pack this filling heaping full into the cucumber boats. Place side by side in a baking dish, and pour around them some well seasoned stock or gravy, or a little hot water and butter. Cover and bake V2 hour, then uncover and brown. Remove the cucumbers to a heated platter, thicken the gravy in the pan with a little browned fiour, pour around the cucumbers, and serve at once. — [Mrs. E. E. S., Pa. Fried or Baked Squash