The rind of cucumbers contains a very strong purgative, which is the reason why one
should be very careful to pare them perfectly, and soak them in cold water an hour to ex-
tract the drastic juice. One last word : Never serve any dish of whose perfect sweetness
you are not entirely sure. The slightest stale, flat or changed taste is reason enough to
throw it away. I knew a whole family made violently ill by eating a soup which stood a.
trifle too long in warm weather. Not one of those who ate it tasted anything amiss, but
the cook confessed she couldn't be sure whether anything was the matter with it or not,
and she thought it too good to throw away. I don't think any of those persons got well
of the sickness the whole summer for this paltry economy. The reason why such care is
urged in keeping and storing food, and keeping dishes and cooking utensils strictly clean,
is because the little decay or ferment, such as gives the rank smell to ill-washed kettles,
will start a change in food which is very dangerous in the system.
The ice-box or refrigerator requires a good deal of care. The waste pipe should be
in order, so that no water stands in the box, for water melts ice, and moisture spoils food
quickly. The box should be washed thoroughly with strong hot suds, rinsing with cold
water, wiping and airing before fresh ice is put in. It is a good plan to keep lumps
of charcoal in each compartment to purify the air, and absorb any odors that may escape.
"When your mother or aunt complains of dinner not agreeing with her, or one of the
boys calls out in the night for Jamaica ginger, you don't think that the slightly sour bread, or
the canned tomatoes that had grown sharp, or the stew that had changed, "not enough to
hurt," as most cooks say — those few drops of cankering acid, or yeastly ferment — have
acted on the sensitive juices and tissues of the body like verdigris or calomel. People can
eat food that isn't just right a good while and not notice the effect, but nature always pays
her debts. These things have what doctors call a cumulative effect, which means that it
grows stronger by repetition, till an ulcerated sore throat, or attack of colic, pulls one
down, and he never gets his strength fully back again.
Be thankful if you have senses which quickly warn you of unwholesome air. Never
mind if dull persons tell you that "the smell is in your imagination," for the fault lies with
them not you. If all this watching and looking after things seems too much effort, re-
member that the thing in this world which can be done without effort and care is not
worth attempting, and the best inheritance in this world is an athletic, healthy spirit, in
love with work for its own sake, and which counts its ends worth all the strength and
striving one can put forth."
ENTHUSIASM OF LABOR.
" Labor is God's ordinance." — If you have great talents, industry will improve
them ; if moderate abilities, industry will supply
their deficiency. Nothing is denied to well-directed
labor. Nothing is ever to be attained without it.
Page 42
Presented as published in 1891. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
The rind of cucumbers contains a very strong purgative, which is the reason why one should be very careful to pare them perfectly, and soak them in cold water an hour to extract the drastic juice. One last word : Never serve any dish of whose perfect sweetness you are not entirely sure. The slightest stale, flat or changed taste is reason enough to throw it away. I knew a whole family made violently ill by eating a soup which stood a. trifle too long in warm weather. Not one of those who ate it tasted anything amiss, but the cook confessed she couldn't be sure whether anything was the matter with it or not, and she thought it too good to throw away. I don't think any of those persons got well of the sickness the whole summer for this paltry economy. The reason why such care is urged in keeping and storing food, and keeping dishes and cooking utensils strictly clean, is because the little decay or ferment, such as gives the rank smell to ill-washed kettles, will start a change in food which is very dangerous in the system.
The ice-box or refrigerator requires a good deal of care. The waste pipe should be in order, so that no water stands in the box, for water melts ice, and moisture spoils food quickly. The box should be washed thoroughly with strong hot suds, rinsing with cold water, wiping and airing before fresh ice is put in. It is a good plan to keep lumps of charcoal in each compartment to purify the air, and absorb any odors that may escape.
When your mother or aunt complains of dinner not agreeing with her, or one of the boys calls out in the night for Jamaica ginger, you don't think that the slightly sour bread, or the canned tomatoes that had grown sharp, or the stew that had changed, "not enough to hurt," as most cooks say — those few drops of cankering acid, or yeastly ferment — have acted on the sensitive juices and tissues of the body like verdigris or calomel. People can eat food that isn't just right a good while and not notice the effect, but nature always pays her debts. These things have what doctors call a cumulative effect, which means that it grows stronger by repetition, till an ulcerated sore throat, or attack of colic, pulls one down, and he never gets his strength fully back again.
Be thankful if you have senses which quickly warn you of unwholesome air. Never mind if dull persons tell you that "the smell is in your imagination," for the fault lies with them not you. If all this watching and looking after things seems too much effort, remember that the thing in this world which can be done without effort and care is not worth attempting, and the best inheritance in this world is an athletic, healthy spirit, in love with work for its own sake, and which counts its ends worth all the strength and striving one can put forth."
ENTHUSIASM OF LABOR.
" Labor is God's ordinance." — If you have great talents, industry will improve
them ; if moderate abilities, industry will supply their deficiency. Nothing is denied to well-directed labor. Nothing is ever to be attained without it.