OLD WAYS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume IX, Issue 19, 7 May 1892, Page 481

OLD WAYS.

‘What in the world are you doing, my dear’’ asked a matron of years and experience, as she dropped in informally upon a young married lady in her neighbourhood. ‘ Why, you will ruin your fruit ! Putting it in water ! Whoever heard of snch a thing ’’ ‘ Well,’was the quiet reply, ‘what should I do? Eat dirt and all ’ For that is what I must do if I can my fruit without rinsing it. Oh, yes, I know all you would say, and I have had it beaten into my ears for years ; but all the same I wash my fruit, and, if it is carefully done, I don’t think it does it the least bit of harm. Of course, I don’t allow the berries to stay in the water, but I rinse them thoroughly, and relish them much better in consequence. Just look here. This water is actually black, and as I pour it out there is at least a teaspoonful of sand and dirt at the bottom of the pan. Certainly one could not find food as appetizing when it is full of sand and scraps. I know you will say that it destroys the flavour of the fruit, but I cannot see how it can do so. A slight shower of rain often freshens the berries while yet they are on the vines, and a little dash of cold water must have a like effect. The cells which hold the juices are not broken, and so no water enters into the fruit. Even though there were the most trifling loss of flavour, which I am not willing to admit, I think it would be more than made up for by the delicacy of perfectly clean fruit. Almost all our berries are picked by careless hands, many times by very untidy ones, and it is a mystery to me how any one can eat them at all without washing. 1 put every sort of fruit into water, and, after a moment’s whirling about, remove it and let it drain. This has been the practice in our family for many years, and we have never been able to discover that the fruit lost any of its flavour.