If your coal fire is low, throw on a tablespoonful of salt, and it will
help it very much.
Many Soups are better on the day after they are made, provided they
are not warmed too quickly, or left too long over the fire, after they
have become hot.
Apple pips impart a fine flavor to tarts and dumplings.
Boiled Fowl wth sauce, over which is grated the yolks of eggs, is a
magnificent dish for luncheon.
Fish may be scaled much easier by dipping them in boiling water for
a minute.
SPRING HOUSE-CLEANING.
Now is the time to wash, or destroy what cannot be renovated, so as
to have everything neat and clean. Banish the moss, ferns, autumn
leaves and grasses, that brightened the home in the winter months, and
fill your vases with vines, flowers, plants and living things, instead of
the dead ones, that are pretty in winter, but not fresh enough for sum-
mer, when all is life, freshness and beauty. Clean out the cellars,
closets, sinks, backyards and sheds. Burn all the refuse ; sprinkle chlo-
ride of lime in the damp places, but keep them dry as possible, and
you will avoid diphtheria and malarial fevers.
The best place to commence cleaning is in the attic, and then move
downward, taking one room at a time ; next the halls, cellar and door-
yard. Don't from year to year store away things in the hope of using
them some time, or "once in seven years," according to the old saying,
but give them away where they will do good and be of service to some
needy and deserving person. Give away the old shoes, clothes, books,
and newspapers ; the latter will gladden the invalid's heart and make
the children's eyes glisten with delight. When it comes moving day
there are many things which are hardly worth moving, and it is much
better to give away every cast-off article in the house.
Closets and Cupboards should be well ventilated, and this is a defect
— ill-ventilation — that but few try to remedy, or even think of. This
can be remedied, however, in a very simple way. If possible, have per-
forations made through the back of the closet, and a few in the door ;
when the wall of the closet cannot be perforated, bore holes freely in
the door at the top and bottom. To prevent dampness, with the.accom-
panying unpleasantness and injurious effects of mildew in cupboards, a
tray of quicklime should be kept and changed from time to time as the
lime becomes slaked. This remedy will also be found useful in safes
or muniment rooms, the damp air of which is often destructive to valu-
able deeds and other contents.
198 HOUSE-KEEPING.
If Wall Paper is not to be renewed, it can be made to look almost
as well as new. Tie a large piece of clean, white cloth over a broom,
and brush the wall down well. Then take a stale loaf of bread, cut it
open and rub the soft side all over the paper. Be sure and rub down-
ward. It will also remove spots of lime or whitewash. If plaster is
broken off in spots, mix equal parts scouring sand and plaster of Paris,
into paste with water, and fill up the places, using a common kitchen
knife to smooth it off. It will dry quickly, and pieces of fresh paper can
be fitted in.
Page 175
Presented as published in 1886. 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
If your coal fire is low, throw on a tablespoonful of salt, and it will help it very much.
Many Soups are better on the day after they are made, provided they are not warmed too quickly, or left too long over the fire, after they have become hot.
Apple pips impart a fine flavor to tarts and dumplings.
Boiled Fowl with sauce, over which is grated the yolks of eggs, is a magnificent dish for luncheon.
Fish may be scaled much easier by dipping them in boiling water for a minute.
Now is the time to wash, or destroy what cannot be renovated, so as to have everything neat and clean. Banish the moss, ferns, autumn leaves and grasses, that brightened the home in the winter months, and fill your vases with vines, flowers, plants and living things, instead of the dead ones, that are pretty in winter, but not fresh enough for summer, when all is life, freshness and beauty. Clean out the cellars, closets, sinks, backyards and sheds. Burn all the refuse ; sprinkle chloride of lime in the damp places, but keep them dry as possible, and you will avoid diphtheria and malarial fevers.
The best place to commence cleaning is in the attic, and then move downward, taking one room at a time ; next the halls, cellar and dooryard. Don't from year to year store away things in the hope of using them some time, or "once in seven years," according to the old saying, but give them away where they will do good and be of service to some needy and deserving person. Give away the old shoes, clothes, books, and newspapers ; the latter will gladden the invalid's heart and make the children's eyes glisten with delight. When it comes moving day there are many things which are hardly worth moving, and it is much better to give away every cast-off article in the house.
Closets and Cupboards should be well ventilated, and this is a defect — ill-ventilation — that but few try to remedy, or even think of. This can be remedied, however, in a very simple way. If possible, have perforations made through the back of the closet, and a few in the door ; when the wall of the closet cannot be perforated, bore holes freely in the door at the top and bottom. To prevent dampness, with the.accompanying unpleasantness and injurious effects of mildew in cupboards, a tray of quicklime should be kept and changed from time to time as the lime becomes slaked. This remedy will also be found useful in safes or muniment rooms, the damp air of which is often destructive to valuable deeds and other contents.
If Wall Paper is not to be renewed, it can be made to look almost as well as new. Tie a large piece of clean, white cloth over a broom, and brush the wall down well. Then take a stale loaf of bread, cut it open and rub the soft side all over the paper. Be sure and rub downward. It will also remove spots of lime or whitewash. If plaster is broken off in spots, mix equal parts scouring sand and plaster of Paris, into paste with water, and fill up the places, using a common kitchen knife to smooth it off. It will dry quickly, and pieces of fresh paper can be fitted in.