The Home.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 31, 15 October 1920, Page 12

The Home.

TO PICKLE HAMS. This recipe for the curing of hams with a flavour of garlic has been given before, but as it has been asked for again i here it is : And if the taste of garlic is approved, the writer thinkg no hams can be better than those cured with it. Chop less than a quarter of a pound of garlic fine, take two ounces of salt-petre, half an ounce of sal-prunella, and one pound of coarse brown sugar or treacle. Mix with ag mucli salt as you deem sufficient, a pound or rather more. Rub the pickle well into the hams every day, then turn them in the pickle for a month, pouring it over them. It is sufficient for two hams weighing about twelve or fourteen pounds each. One bulb of garlic will probably be sufficient for a ham. When removed from the pickle send the hams to be smoked ; or smoke essence may be brushed over them, about a tablespoonful is sufficient to give a shght smoky flavour. Garlic may be disliked, in that case it would be omitted and the pickle used without it. — An other Way. — Another good pickle for a ham weighing about sixteen pounds consists of one pound common salt, one pound treacle, or coarse sugar, one ounce of bag salt, half a pound of sal-prunella, and an ounce of black pepper. Rub this well into the ham for six weeks., Hard rubbing is most essential, or the salt will not penetrate as it should( and in very frosty weather neither will the meat. take salt. SAVlNG GAS MANTLES. We know that gas mantles are very brittle articles to deal with, only with care can they be made to last a reasonable time. Soak them in vinegar before use, Put a long hat-pin through the little loop at the top and dip the rnantle in a jar of vinegar till well soaked. Lift out gently and place across another jar to drip and dry thoroughly. When absolutely dry, fix it in its place, and burn off the stiffening in the usual way. By this device the mantle lastg twice as long, gives a clearer light, and will stand a good breeze from an open door. This method has been found most successful in lengthening 'the service of gas mantles. Indeed, it took a prize for the best hint offered in a domestic magazine. TO TAKE BRUISES OUT OF FURNITURE. Wet the part with warm water; double a piece of brown paper five or six times, soak it, and lay it on the place; apply on that a hot flat iron till the moisture is evaporated. If the bruise be not gone, repeat the process. Generally, after two or three applications, the dent or bruise is raised level with the surface. If the bruise be very small, merely soak it with warm water, and apply a red hot poker near the surface; keep it constantly wet, and in a few minutes the bruises will disappear. SCOTCH FLOUR SCONES. Melt an ounce of butter, or substitute, in a pint of hot milk, pour it over a pound and a half of flour, stirring it quickly till it becomes a stiff dough ; knead it well, and roll out very thin. Cut into small round cakes or scones and bake quickly on a girdle for three or four minutes. These scones eaten'with cold bacon give a relish to it; spread with a good butter substitute they are very good, honey or marmalade likewise, but as these desirable additions &re not always to be had as they were before the war, the cakes are . very good eating without either. They take only a short time to make and to bake; a fact that those who hj^ye to prepare breakfast will not be slow to apprecij^te. TO USE UP DRY CHEESE. Peel and boil until soft a pound and a half of ai'tiehokes and put them in a pie-dish ; mix one and a half tablespoonfuls of flour in half a pint of milk, to which add half a breakfast cupful of grated dry cheese, a small piece of margarine, salt and cayenne to taste. Boil milk, etc., until quite smooth (about five minutes), pour it over the artichokes, scatter brown br,ead crumbs 011 top, and bake in the oven for a sh'ort time.