The Farm Home and Kitchen.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 58, Issue 2, 20 February 1939, Page 188

The Farm Home and Kitchen.

Contributed by the Association for Country Education.

Hints for Preserving Vegetables.

IN the interest of health no family can afford to' stint the quantity of vegetables served. Every housekeeper knows that she should buy and use what is in season. Even so, some people seem to have the same meal year in and year out and never modify their diet in accordance with the provision of material. This is poor economy in every way, as, quite apart from money wasted through failure to buy the foods when they are cheap, there is the greater danger of such people gradually suffering hidden starvation for lack of some food elements which their monotonous diet lacksthe result is, in the long run, sickness and expense. It is good economy to eat all the fruit and vegetables you can while they are procurable, and so to replenish any deficiencies that may be produced during the rest of the year when these foods are too costly for frequent use. In New Zealand we are fortunate that it is possible to get fresh green vegetables almost all the year round, but we cannot all afford to pay big prices. Vegetables in the Diet. To keep us healthy and properly nourished our diet must supply vitamins and minerals procured through eating fruit and vegetables in addition to milk, butter, protein, and whole-grain products. The amount of vegetables required works out at a liberal serving of a root vegetable and a green vegetable once a day in addition to potatoes. Those fortunate enough to have ground to grow their own vegetables will have been spending much time in the garden lately, and how proudly they will now be viewing potatoes, cabbage, green peas, beans, carrots, radishes, lettuce, spinach, and silver beet all ready for use.

None of these vegetables should be wasted, and what cannot be used fresh can easily be bottled, pickled, and dried for use in the winter, when fresh ones may not be so easy to obtain. When buying food in hot weather it is advantageous > to do shopping as early in the day as possible, and naturally to buy perishables in as small a quantity as circumstances permit. By going to market early one can secure vegetables fresh from the market garden. Those who have their own gardens are well advised to pick their day’s supply of vegetables in the cool of the morning while the lettuces are crisp, and the peas, beans, &c., cool and firm. All vegetables should be unwrapped, picked over, and spread out to permit the air to circulate around them. This will help to prevent bad smells, wilting, sweating, fermentation, and the growth of mould, which so often develop in peas, beans, and cabbages which are not so treated. Preserving Tomatoes. First of all, we shall talk about tomatoes. They can be preserved by the hot or cold pack method, blanched and done just as fruit, substituting for syrup boiling water and one to two teaspoonfuls of salt per quart jar, and then processed in a hotwater bath or oven at 250° F. for twenty to thirty minutes. Another way is to make puree, which, by the way, is excellent for soups, sauces, and savouries. To make puree, blanch the tomatoes by plunging them first into boiling water and then into cold water. Remove the skins, cut the tomatoes into quarters, allow one teaspoonful of salt to 2 lb. tomatoes, and boil them down until they reach half to one-third their original volume. Then pour this pulp

into sterilized jars and seal (a very little sugar may be added during cooking to bring out flavour, and also onions and celery, but no soda). The preservation of tomato-juice is another method of utilizing the high vitamin C content of this valuable vegetable. The juice may be extracted from the tomatoes in either one or two ways — by the use of a juice-extractor, of which several types are now on the market or by the following method: Wipe the tomatoes, cut in pieces, and cook gently in a saucepan with no additional water until they are soft and puffy. Then press through a fine strainer. When the juice has been obtained bring it to boilingpoint, pour it into hot jars, adjust the lids almost but not quite tight, and boil or steam the jars for five minutes (no longer). Remove from the water, screw the lids tight, and allow to cool. Juice, prepared by this method may be used for tomato cocktail, for sauce, for oyster cocktail, for soup, and for seasoning all kinds of dishes. Peas and French Beans. Now peas and French beans. Bottling consists of destroying any bacteria and mould or their spores that may be on the food, or, if all are not destroyed completely, in making the condition so unsatisfactory for them that they will not become active. Heating is, of course, the process by which they are destroyed ; added sugar hastens the safety stage. The acid of fruits is very helpful in this work of germ-destruction, and consequently shorter cooking is needed to sterilize fruit than is needed to make non-acid foods equally safe. Peas and French beans are not acid and cannot be bottled in a sugary syrup, so that

special treatment is required. We have to add acid and salt— i.e., lemon or vinegar and salt. The fewer bacteria that are present the simpler they are to destroy, so let your peas and beans be as fresh, clean, and uncontaminated as possible, and * have absolutely sound jars, well scalded and new, and clean rubbers and lids. Bottling Green Peas. Peas should be bottled immediately after they are brought from the vines—before the sugar in them has had time to change to starch. For satisfactory results select foods that are well developed and green. After the pods have begun to wither and the peas are hard it is too late to bottle them. Shell, blanch— pre-cook in boiling water in a saucepan for five minutes, plunge into cold water and drain — pack in hot jars within 1 in. of the top. Add hot water to cover, 1 teaspoonful of salt and 1 tablespoonful of vinegar to a quart. One teaspoonful sugar may be added. Place a new rubber on each jar, adjust the cover of the jar, and screw the ; lid on tightly and then give one halfturn backwards to allow for expansion of the contents of the jar. Place in a water bath in sufficient water to cover the top to the depth of about 1 in. The temperature of the water should be the same as that in the bottle. If this is observed there should be no fear of breakage. Do not begin to count the time until the water boils over the jars. Two hours are sufficient for young peas. Allow two and a half hours for peas

which have been bought and are not strictly freshly picked. Immediately on removing jars from sterilizer, screw down lids tightly and invert them to cool. Avoid draughts on the jars, but cool them as rapidly as possible. Wash the jars thoroughly, label, and store in a cool place. A cloudy appearance of the liquid in the jar after a few days does not necessarily mean spoilage, but means that the peas were carelessly handled, breaking the capsule which encloses the starch and allowing this to be set free. hi' If large quantities of peas are picked in the heat do not allow them to stand in boxes or baskets. The flavour is spoiled by heating while standing in bulk. They should be spread out on tables until shelled, as they will heat through rapidly and be unfit for bottling. Bring to the boil in fresh water before serving. To Bottle French Beans. J Wash the French beans well and drain, then remove ends and fibres in the usual manner and cut into long strips. Blanch in a colander over a saucepan of boiling water until wilted enough to bend without snapping, and pack closely into the jars. Then treat as for peas, using one teaspoonful of salt and two tablespoonsfuls vinegar per quart jar and hot water to fill. Affix the lid, not quite securing it, and cook for 180 minutes. Screw on the lid and allow to cool, inverted. A season-to-season supply of spinach is invaluable, particularly where there are children, so use the same method as for

French beans, but we advise the bottling of small quantities— pint jarsfor blanched spinach packs densely, and even a long processing period may not be sufficient to heat right through large dense quantities. Preservation and salting is a big subject, but the common method of salting without fermentation is simple and is seldom unsuccessful, except when too little salt is used. Always wash French beans carefully, even use a vegetable brush to be thorough, and dry them lightly before packing into jars. Vegetables Spell Health. More vegetables spell better health for your family. , To quote from the report of the world dietary experts to the League of Nations Committee on Nutrition: For perfect nutrition, children from three years upwards to adolescence need 3I oz. to 11 oz. of green vegetables and from 3J oz. to 11 oz. of root vegetables, while adults need 3J oz. of green and 9 oz. of root vegetables daily.”

Broiled Hamburg Steak on Onion Rings.

Ground lean beef, 2 cups. Ground suet, J cup. Fine breadcrumbs, 1 cup. Bacon, 7 strips. Onion slices in.— 7. Chopped parsley, 1 tablespoon. Butter, 3 tablespoons. Onion- 2 teaspoons. Salt, | teaspoon. Pepper, | teaspoon. Water, 1 tablespoon. Method. — Lay slices of onion in a buttered shallow baking-dish. Pour over them two tablespoons of melted butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper, add the water, cover closely, and bake in a moderate oven (360° F.) for thirty minutes, or until tender. In the meantime, cook the chopped parsley in one tablespoon of butter and combine with the beef, suet, crumbs, and seasonings. Knead until thoroughly mixed. Mould into seven flat cakes and wrap each with a slice of bacon. Place each cake on an onion slice in the baking-dish, and broil under direct heat for five minutes on each side. Baste occasionally with the drippings. Serve at once from the baking-dish. If it is not convenient to broil the meat cakes by direct heat, pan broil them in a hot skillet and serve on onion slices.

Recommended Recipes.

Stewed Kidneys. Kidneys. Butter, 2 tablespoons. Brown stock or water, f cup. Onion, f. Lemon, -Jr. Method. — kidneys and cut in slices. Melt butter in a hot frying-pan, put in kidneys and cook five minutes. Dredge thoroughly with flour and add the stock or. water (hot). Cook five minutes. . Season, add lemon juice, and serve on toast. . Steamed Brains with Parsley Sauce. Brains, 2 sets. Flour, 1 tablespoon. » Butter, 1 tablespoon. Milk, 1 cup. Parsley, | teaspoon. Method. Soak the brains in brine for a few minutes. Pull off the skin. Steam for twenty minutes or till soft. Make a parsley sauce and serve garnished with parsley and paprika. Brain Fritters. Brains, 2 sets. Egg, 1. Breadcrumbs (dried). Salt. Pepper. Method. Soak brains in salt and water for a few minutes. Peel off the skinseason and press so that a good, firm shape is obtained. Roll in egg and breadcrumbs. Saute and serve with tomato sauce. Rice and Mince Surprise. Meat (raw or cooked), 1 lb. Cooked rice. Salt. Pepper. Onion-juice. Tomato juice or stock, f cup. Method.— meat, season highly with salt, pepper, and onion-juice. . A small quantity of pickles may be added. If the meat is uncooked, saute or stew. Add stock or tomato-juice. Line moulds with rice and fill with meat mixture and a layer of the cooked rice, and steam or bake for half to three-quarters of an hour.

Stewed Rabbit. Rabbit, i. Fat, 2 tablespoons. Onions, 2. Flour, 2 tablespoons. Salt, i teaspoon. Pepper, £ teaspoon. Vinegar, 2 tablespoons. Stock or water, i cup. Method;— the rabbit with a damp cloth and dismember. Saute the chopped onions in the hot fat and remove when light brown in colour. Roll the pieces of rabbit in the flour mixed with the salt and pepper, and saute until brown. Remove to stew-pan or casserole, add the onions, vinegar, and stock or water, cook until tender one and a half to two hours. If cooked in stew-pan, temperature should be 185° F. (simmering-point) ; oven-temperature for casserole cookery, 350° F. Serve hot on a platter, and if desired surround with a border of well-cooked rice. To provide variety in flavour, one teaspoon of ground ginger may be added to the above ingredients.

Witches’ Broth

2 lb. apples.

6 tablespoons sugar. 2 egg-whites.

Lemon juice.

Sliced fresh fruit. Whipped cream.

Method. — Bake the apples till very soft, remove peel and core, and rub through a sieve. Whip the egg-whites stiffly, add sugar and lemon juice, and gradually fold in the apple pulp. Put in a glass dish and garnish with slices of fresh fruit and whipped cream.

Apples with Riee.

Method.— small buttered cups with cooked, boiled rice, and then fill the centres closely with slices of cooked apples. Cover the apples with more rice, rounding the tops slightly. Place in a steamer or cook in the oven, standing in a dish of hot water for about fifteen minutes. Turn out from the cups on to a serving dish and serve hot with cold boiled custard, hard sauce, or' lemon sauce.

Apple Salad. i cup red apple cored and diced. i cup very finely shredded cabbage (use only the crisp leaves). | cup toasted chopped peanuts. Method. —Mix with salad dressing and serve on lettuce. Dutch Apple Cake.

2 cups flour. 4 level teaspoons baking-powder. I teaspoon salt. 1 tablespoon sugar. f cup milk. 2 oz. butter. Method. — Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl; rub in butter and add the milk gradually. Spread the mixture in. thick in a buttered round or oblong pan. Cover top with wedge-shaped slices of apples, pressing the thin edge into the dough. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Bake in a moderate oven (350° F.). German Apple Pie. Filling— Apples, if lb. Dates, f lb. Sugar, 2 tablespoons. Butter, i oz. Cinnamon, i teaspoon. Ginger, | teaspoon. Paste— Flour, £ lb. Sugar, 2 oz. . Cream of tartar, i teaspoon. Soda, J teaspoon. Butter, J lb. Egg, i. Milk, | cup. Method— Filling : Peel and core apples and cut into small pieces. Put into a saucepan with rest of ingredients and stew till soft. Beat all together and allow to cool. Paste: Cream, butter, and sugar. Add beaten egg and then sifted dry ingredients. Mix to firm paste with milk and roll out. Line dish with paste, put in filling and . cover with another layer of paste. Bake in a moderate oven. ;