What does tea contain? All these teas contain " theine,** which is the substance that acts upon the nerves, making some people feel comfortable, bright, and talkative, and keeping others awake. But it is another substance in tea, tannin or tannic acid, which is bad for the digestion. The longer tea stands, espe- cially if it boils, the more of this substance is taken out by the water. Miss James told the class that when one sees the teapot on the back of the stove all day, and somebody drinking tea from the pot, then somewhere in the house one will find a bottle of medicine for indi- gestion ! It is better, too, to take tea at a meal when there is little or no meat. When Agnes Groves repeated this at home, her aunt, who was a great tea drinker and liked strong tea thoroughly boiled, said that she would like to have Agnes prepare tea correctly. The doctor had told her that she drank it too often and too strong. So Agnes made the tea for supper that night, explaining that if the water is poured on when it is boil- ing, and is allowed to stand upon the leaves only a few minutes, the flavor is drawn out, but much less of the tannin. Never boil the tea leaves in the water. Making tea. ' How much. I teaspoonful tea for each person, and i for the pot ; and about i cup of water to each teaspoonful of tea. Utensils, An earthen pot, measuring cup, teaspoon, strainer. Sometimes a tea ball or piece of cheesecloth. 92 FOOD AND HEALTH How to make. Measure the water and bring it to the boiling point. Heat the tea slightly in the pot, pour on the water rapidly, allow to stand three to five minutes, strain into a heated pot for serving. If there is an astringent flavor, the tea has stood too long. Where tea is to be served in very large quantities, this method is convenient : Make a small quantity of very strong tea, pour it off the leaves, and add boiling water when it is served. EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS 1. What is the most important thing to remember in making tea? 2. Why should young people avoid tea drinking ? 3. Make a list of materials that can be put into a salad. 4. Study a cook book for other salad recipes. 5. Make a recipe for using sour-milk cheese in a salad. How could you make this a very pretty dish? Can you "guess" why Marjorie Allen calls this "bird's egg salad" ? Lesson 12 the canning of fruit and vegetables We may have fresh fruit arid berries and sometimes vegetables for supper in summer and autumn ; but in winter and spring we depend upon canned and dried foods. What preserving can a girl do at home and at school ? An old-fashioned economy is storing away food when it is plenty for time of need. We have read of the early days in our own country, when the first settlers dried corn, apples, berries, salted codfish, smoked or salted beef, and made fruit preserves and pickles. Some of > 93 94^ FOOD AND HEALTH you may have seen the old " smokehouse," or perhaps some one has pointed out to you the hooks in the beams of some old kitchen where food was hung to dry. You are fortunate if the smokehouse is still in use on your home farm. Nowadays we have many conveniences for canning and preserving; and our canneries all through the United States preserve many kinds of food in tins and glass. This industry still has a place in the home ; and, as there are many fruits and vegetables to be pre- served in the autumn, some of the first cooking lessons at the Pleasant Valley School were canning lessons. A word about canning clubs. Mollie Stark had read in the local paper an account of a girls' canning club, and asked Miss Travers how such a club could be formed. You yourself can find out all about it in the pamphlets mentioned on page 296.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

What does tea contain? All these teas contain " theine,** which is the substance that acts upon the nerves, making some people feel comfortable, bright, and talkative, and keeping others awake. But it is another substance in tea, tannin or tannic acid, which is bad for the digestion. The longer tea stands, especially if it boils, the more of this substance is taken out by the water. Miss James told the class that when one sees the teapot on the back of the stove all day, and somebody drinking tea from the pot, then somewhere in the house one will find a bottle of medicine for indigestion ! It is better, too, to take tea at a meal when there is little or no meat. When Agnes Groves repeated this at home, her aunt, who was a great tea drinker and liked strong tea thoroughly boiled, said that she would like to have Agnes prepare tea correctly. The doctor had told her that she drank it too often and too strong. So Agnes made the tea for supper that night, explaining that if the water is poured on when it is boiling, and is allowed to stand upon the leaves only a few minutes, the flavor is drawn out, but much less of the tannin. Never boil the tea leaves in the water. Making tea. ' How much. I teaspoonful tea for each person, and i for the pot ; and about i cup of water to each teaspoonful of tea. Utensils, An earthen pot, measuring cup, teaspoon, strainer. Sometimes a tea ball or piece of cheesecloth. How to make. Measure the water and bring it to the boiling point. Heat the tea slightly in the pot, pour on the water rapidly, allow to stand three to five minutes, strain into a heated pot for serving. If there is an astringent flavor, the tea has stood too long. Where tea is to be served in very large quantities, this method is convenient : Make a small quantity of very strong tea, pour it off the leaves, and add boiling water when it is served. 1. What is the most important thing to remember in making tea? 2. Why should young people avoid tea drinking ? 3. Make a list of materials that can be put into a salad. 4. Study a cook book for other salad recipes. 5. Make a recipe for using sour-milk cheese in a salad. How could you make this a very pretty dish? Can you "guess" why Marjorie Allen calls this "bird's egg salad" ? Lesson 12 the canning of fruit and vegetables We may have fresh fruit arid berries and sometimes vegetables for supper in summer and autumn ; but in winter and spring we depend upon canned and dried foods. What preserving can a girl do at home and at school ? An old-fashioned economy is storing away food when it is plenty for time of need. We have read of the early days in our own country, when the first settlers dried corn, apples, berries, salted codfish, smoked or salted beef, and made fruit preserves and pickles. Some of > you may have seen the old " smokehouse," or perhaps some one has pointed out to you the hooks in the beams of some old kitchen where food was hung to dry. You are fortunate if the smokehouse is still in use on your home farm. Nowadays we have many conveniences for canning and preserving; and our canneries all through the United States preserve many kinds of food in tins and glass. This industry still has a place in the home ; and, as there are many fruits and vegetables to be preserved in the autumn, some of the first cooking lessons at the Pleasant Valley School were canning lessons. A word about canning clubs. Mollie Stark had read in the local paper an account of a girls' canning club, and asked Miss Travers how such a club could be formed. You yourself can find out all about it in the pamphlets mentioned on page 296.

Food and health