Manual for army cooks

The cabbage must be firm. Trim, pick over, wash, and shred it fine with a very sharp knife. The stalk should not be used. Line the bottom and sides of a barrel, keg, or crock with cabbage leaves, and put into it a layer of the cabbage three or four inches deep ; pound this down w^ell with a wooden pounder, then sprinkle over it a small handful of salt, preferably table salt, then cabbage, then pound, then salt, and so on, until four layers are j)ut in. Cover the cabbage with a board cut to fit loosely on the inside of the barrel. Pound hard on the board until the cabbage is a compact mass. Take off the board and repeat the process until the barrel is full. Cover it with cabbage leaves, the leaves with a piece of clean cloth, on the cloth lay the board, and on this put a heavy weight to keep down the mass. Set it away in a cool, dry place to ferment. As soon as the sauerkraut commences to effervesce, the covering of leaves should be thrown away, the scum removed, the kraut re-covered with a clean cloth, the board and weight thoroughly washed and replaced ; and, as perfect cleanliness is necessary for its preservation, this process should he frequently repeated during the winter. It is ready for use in twenty or twenty-five days. It may be eaten raw, or boiled with or without pork or bacon. SLAW. Slaw should be made from firm cabbage. Trim, pick, and wasli the cabbage. Shred it very fine. The stalk should not be used. It may be served without any dressing or with vinegar, pepper, and salt. It may be eaten hot or cold. STEWED SALSIFY. Scrape roots, dropping in cold water that they may not change color. Cut in one-inch pieces. Cover with hot water and stew until tender. Drain off two-thirds of the water. Stew ten minutes longer. Add pepper and salt. SPINACH. Wash one-half peck in several waters, to free it from grit, etc. Pick over carefully and cut off the roots. Wash again and drain, shaking out all remaining water. Put it in a kettle and add a cup of water. Cover kettle, place over moderate fire, and allow spinach to steam twenty minutes. Drain in colander, turn into chopping bowl, and chop fine. It can not be too fine. Place it in a saucepan, with one tablespoonful of dripping or butter, salt and pepper to taste, stirring until very hot. Have heated dish ready and place spinach on small pieces of toast. EDIBLE MUSHROOMS. Edible mushrooms are found in clear open sunny fields and elevated ground where the air is pure and fresh. They are most plentiful in August and September, and spring up after low-lying fogs, soaking dews, or heavy rains. They first appear very small and of a round form, on a little stalk; the upper part and stalk are then white ; they grow very fast, and, as the size increases, the under part gradually opens and shows a fringy fur (called gills) of a delicate salmon color. After tlie muslirooni is a day old this salmon color changes to a russet or dark brown. They have an agreeable odor, the flesh compact and brittle, and the skin is more easily peeled from the edges than in the poisonous kinds. The seeds or spores are white and for the most part roundish or oval. An edible mushroom should not have only one of the above characteristics, but should combine them all. POISONOUS MUSHROOMS.