Eve’s Vanity Case

Feilding Star, Volume 11, Issue 4156, 1 February 1934, Page 2

Eve’s Vanity Case

TO CORRESPONDENTS

The Lady Editor will be pleased to receive for publication in the Women’s Realm items of social or personal news. Such items should be duly authenticated and engagements must bear *he signatures of the parties.

SOCIAL NOTES

Sister Smith has returned from a holiday spent in Auckland.

AN ANCIENT HERR PRIZED BY THE ROMANS LEOENDS ABOUT ROSEMARY It is more than likely that a herb so highly esteemed by the ancient Romans as rosemary was introduced by them into Britain. But traditionally the first plants were sent by the Countess of Hainauli to her daughter Philippa, Queen of Edward ill. In the library of Trinity College, Cambridge, there is a manuscript on the subject of rosemary, which was sent by the Countess to her daughter. It is a curiously interesting treatise, for the writer records various beliefs aoout the li .:h not to be found elsewhere ; among others, that rosemary never grows higher than the height of Christ during ilis earthly life, and that after 33 years the plant increases in breadth, but not in height. “Lavender and rosemary,” says the writer, “is as woman to man and White Rose to Red. It is a holy tree, and with folk that be just and rightful' gladly it groweth* and tlirivetli.” In Baneke’s Herbal (,1525) much of thi s manuscript is incorporated, not ably the passages in which the writer sets forth the virtues of the herb. It said for instance that the leaves laid under the pillow deliver from all evil dreams; that it gladdens all who use it; that powder of the flower bound in a linen cloth to the right ami make one light and merry ; that the dowers laid among clothes and books keep away moths; that a decoction of the leaves boiled in white wine makes the. face fair; that burnt rosemary wood rubbed to powder “keeps all evils” from the teeth and that even the smell of the herb keeps one “youngly.” Certainly, rosemary was far more lavishly grown and used in Tudor and Stuart times than nowadays. Hentzncr, in liis “Travels” (1598) says that in English, gardens the walls were frequently covered with rosemary, and at Hampton Court “it was so planted and, nailed to the walls as to cover them entirely.” Every sort of use was made of the herb, both in cookery and medicine. Rosemary lias always been credited with mysterious powers. Did they not try to waken even the sleeping beauty with its fragrance In old French laungage of flowers, rosemary represents the power of rekindling lost energy. Further, from earliest times this herb has been associated with fairies. In Portugal, for instance, rosemary is called alecrim, a name said to be derived ultimately from ellegrcn—i.e., “elfin plant.”

EARLY MUSHROOMS

WAYS OF SERVING Mushroom Pudding.—Rutter h medium-size pudding basin and line with a good suet pastry. Fill the case, with prepared and clean mushrooms, adding a tablespoonful of chopped parsley, one finely-chopped shallot, and a teaspoonful of mixed herbs. Add sufficient good sauce to cover the mushrooms, wet the edge of the pastry, and cover all with the pastry “lid”; press the edges and trim them, cover with a buttered paper and over this tie a wetted cloth. Boil in a saucepan with water well up the sides of the- basin for two and a-half hours, replenishing water from a boiling kettle as required. Turn on to a hot dish, serve with extra sauce and a little bowl of apple or tomato sauce for extra flavour. Mushroom Fritters.—Put in a saucepan some peeled mushrooms with a sprig of thyme, a litlo garlic, a bay leaf, seasoning, a tablespoonful of water, and a little lemon juice. Simmer for five minutes and drain thoroughly. Cut in fairly small pieces. Have ready a ‘batter and lard for

frying. A deep frying-pan is best. Mix the .mushrooms with a suitable quantity’ of batter, and drop into the boiling fat a tablespoonful at a time. Garnish with parsley. Mushroom Powder. -Four quarts mushrooms, two onions, ten cloves, ioz. powdered mace, two teaspoonfuls of white pepper. Peel mushrooms and clean thoroughly; put them in saucepan with the other ingredients. Shake over a clear fire till all the liquid is dried up, an 1 be very careful not to burn. Arrange on tins and dry in slow oven. Pound to a fine powder and put in airtight bottle, which must be perfectly dry. Store in a. dry cupboard. In using the powder, add to gravy just before serving. Select lib fresh mushroooms. Peel and remove stalks. These can he used for flavouring soup. Flour the mushrooms well and place in an earthenware casserole, with loz butter and two tablespoonfuls of cream. If no cream is at hand milk will do. Set to simmer slowly, and when the mushrooms have let out their juice dredge in more flour at intervals, stirring to prevent lumps ; season well with black pepper and salt and continue to simmer till you have a thick puree. The mixture must be stirred to prevent burning, and it is most important that it should only be cooked as slowly as possible. Pile the mushrooms on to rounds of lightly-toasted and buttered bread, give a squeeze of lemon juice and light sprinkle of cayenne to the puree, pour this over the mushrooms, garnishing each crout- with half a finely-cut slice of lemon, placing it so that it stands with the rind uppermost. Serve very hot. Tf preferred, a drop or two of sherry might bo u.id-.fc(l to the [Hicoo instead of the lemon, in which case garnish with fried parsley.

THE “OLDHOSES

Jn France a great effort was made some years ago to collect the' old roses. The Empress Josephine had no less than 250 varieties of roses in her garden, and of these 197 varieties are now in the gardens of St. Cloud. The late M. Jules Gravereaux, the distinguished French rusarian, was chiefly responsible for making this valuable collection, and in the garden of L’Hayles- roses (about 10 kilometres south of Paris) his own collection may be seen. This garden is only open to the public on certain days in June, and is more than worth the pilgrimage. For collections of roses in England are sadly few. The greatest loss is the old cabbage rose, which those of us who were children in Victorian times associate with cottage gardens, where it Avas grown chiefly as a standard. The scent of these big full-petaillcd roses was indescribably good and their colour a true rose-pink one rarely sees in these days. For nowadays salmon and 1 apricot are the fashionable colours but they cannot compare with the true old rose colour. The cabbage rose is a member of the very large Provence family, and a century ago at least a hundred varieties Avere in oulthation.

MELBOURNE TAKES TO FLATS

Melbourne’s fair name as a city of homes is being seriously threatened by the onslaughts of flat buiblers. A few years ago flats were almost unknoAvn there now they are being built by the dozen in the city and suburbs. A strong prejudice against flats and flat life is gradually being overcome due chiefly to the skill and taste of Melbourne’s architects.

One of the principal objections to living in a flat was the lack of garden setting, and the lack ot priA-acy in build mgs packed closely together. This objection, hoAveyer, now has no force, because 90 per cent, of Melbourne’s flats are set ill pretty gardens. The garden idea is being carried to almost extraA agant lengths. At the present time a Tudor A-illage in miniature is being built around a lawn as the equivalent of the A'illage green, in South Yarra,. Jn the centre of the green the architects have planned a fountain, while seats aa ill be scattered about. The design is made possible by the spacious allotment on Avhieh the flats are being built. The flats themselves will comprise six-roomed maisonettes, with servants’ quarters. There are many beautiful blocks of flats in Toorak, Avhicli was, of course, the very stronghold of home life. But these flats have been so Avell concealed, as such, that it is often difficult to separate a flat from a private home. A feature of the designs in this suburb is the beautiful colouring given to the outside brickwork — cream blue, pink, and green predominating. Many of these flats are equipped with every modern convenience, such as telephones., hotAvater services, and built-in furniture. And the gardens are delightful.

FIRST AID FOR FRACTURES

It is no uncommon thing during holiday-time to break an arm or leg, and it is just as avoll to knoAV what to do in an accident of this kind. First-aid treatment is of the great-

est importance, for a simple fracture or break may become a much more serious injury if not handled carefully.

The first thing to do is to make the patient comfortable. Then try to prevent the jagged ends of the bones from damaging the soft structures. You can do this by fixing the joints above and below tlie fracture and steadying tlie broken ends. Splints are used for this purpose — any rigid structure, a stick for instance, Avill do if it- is long enough, or a piece of rolled-up newspaper. When you get your patient home apply cold compresses, and send for the doctor as soon as possible.

FIRST ATD IN EMERGENCIES

There are various sticking-plasters and court-plasters in the market which are admirable for the first aidtreatment of wounds, but it often happens that the stock m the family medicine chest has been allowed to get depleted in that case, a substitute has to be found for the dressing of small cuts. The best substitute is the skin of an egg—that white tissue tiiat lines tlie shell. The blood should be washed aAvay from the cut, and part of egg skin quickly laid oyer it. Immediately the egg will contract; draw the wound together ,and exclude dirt. It should, of course, be noted that this is a rough-and-ready first aid specific arid is valuable mainly for minor injuries, such as shaving cuts and children’s Avounds. When there is no doctor of chemist in the neiglibourhoo l, or during camping, there are generally eggs to be had.