HOUSEHOLD HINTS

New Zealand Mail, 21 February 1901, Page 29

HOUSEHOLD HINTS

Ripe tomatoes will remove ink from white cloth; also from the hands. A tablespoonful of turpentine boiled with white clothes will aid in the whitening process. Boiled starch is much improved by the addition of a little salt or gum arabie dissolved. Beeswax and salt will make rusty flatirons as clean ami smooth as glass. Tie a lump of wax in a cloth, and Keep it for that purpose. When the irons are hot, rub them first with a wax rag. then scour with a paper sprinkled with salt. By applying crushed resin to a cut it will stop the blood, heal the wound, and ease the pain immediately. To get rid of ants a little camphor burned in the closet, or elsewhere, and keeping the door closed, will soon make a clearance. When meat is sent from the butcher’s wrapped in paper, this should at once be removed, for it only absorbs the juice cf the meat. If clothes are soaked overnight, one teaspoonful of pure ammonia in each tub of water will materially lessen the labour of washing. The best way to wash bedsteads is to thoroughly sponge all parts of the bedstead with hot water in which a little alum has been dissolved. Faded cashmere may have the colour improved by being sponge*., with equal quantities of ammonia and alcohol added to a little warm water. White felt hats can be cleaned by covering them Avith a paste made cf Avbite pipeclay 7 , mixed Avith a little precipitated chalk and Avater. CoA 7 er the bat Avith the paste let it dry on, then brush off with a clean, dry brush. BroAvn shoes nay be blackened by A', ashing them A\ith soda and Avater. When dry, rub them thoroughly with some good, black ink; Avhen this has dried, polish in the usual way, with blacking or boot polish. Date stones should be planted in small pots, in some rich soil, mixed Avith a little sand. Keep them in a warm place and Avell Avatered ; soon they Avill groAv into pretty little plants of about 6in in height. A squeaking hinge may 7 be reduced to Avorking order by 7 rubbing it Avith the point of an ordinary black lead pencil. Salt will curdle new milk; hence in preparing milk porridge, gravies, etc, the salt should not be added until the dish is prepared.

To remove dandruff.— Make a mixture of half a pint of vinegar and half a pint of" toilet A 7 inegar. Take a lump of quick-

lime the size of a Aval nut, put it into a pint of boiling water, allow it to stand all the night, then strain it. and add to the other. This, rubbed well into the head, is perfectly harmless, and will remove the dandruff.

Clear boiling Avater will remove tea stains and many fir.it stains. Pour the v.ater through the stain, and thus prevent it spreading over the fabric. Fig Jam.-—Wipe the figs quite clean on a. damp clot it, and slice them up. To every 7 11b allow hit of -ugar. 1 gill of water, and the juice of half a lemon. Boil the sugar, water, and lemon-juice together for five minutes, and remove the scum, then put in the fruit and boil steadily till it looks clear a net will jelly 7 . The time depends upon the quantity 7 made. It will be from ll to 2'hours.

Figs to Pickle. —Take a dozen fresh, sound figs, not quite ripe. Rub them with a piece of flannel, and slit them cl oavii slightly, without breaking the fruit. Fill the openings with salt, and set them upright in a deep pan. which must be put in a warm place until the .salt melts. Turn them three times a day. and Paste them often in the liquor until they are tender. Drain the liquor" from them, and put them into eartherii jars. Boil the brine with ttvo quarts of good Aunegar, -Vlb of bruised ginger, 3oz of black pepper, 6oz of mustard-seed, and loz of Jamaica pepper. Pour it, Avhen boiling, upon the figs, with an equal quantity 7 of the seasoning in each jar, and Avhen cool cover Avith thick, paper. The figs must be well cooled with A'inegar, and as it eA-aporates more must be added.

Tomato Chutney.—l4lb of tomatoes, 6 chillies, 3cz cf allspice, 2oz of Avhole pepper, loz of cayenne, two large pieces of whole ginger, water and vinegar, six large apples, six or seven good-sized onions, 1 teaspoonful of mustard-seed, 3oz of cloves, treacle fib of broAvn sugar, Take the tomatoes Avhen they 7 are just beginning t° colour, slice them, and' leave them in salt for 14 hours, then carefully pour all the juice from them, put them in a preserving pan, Avith the onions (sliced), chillies, mustard-seed, all spice, cloves, pepper, cayenne, and ginger. CoA 7 er them Avith equal quantities of treacle. Avater, and A 7 inegar. Boil in a separate pan the apples with the brown sugar ; mash them avgll Avhen cooked, and add to the chutney 7 . The Avhole take? about an hour and a half after it has commenced to boil.

Sultana. Cake. —One pound flour, mix in one teaspoonful baking poAA'der and ■one teaspoonful of mixed spice. Add 4lb butter and rub it Avell into the flour. Next, 4lb sugar, sultanas, and citron. Beat up three eggs, to which mix one pint of milk, and stir into the dough. Butter a tin, and put round the inside a. piece of Avhite paper and a piece over the top. Bake in a hot oA-en for tAvo hours.