AUNT DAISY'S MAIL BAG

New Zealand Listener, Volume 3, Issue 55, 12 July 1940, Page 44

AUNT DAISY'S MAIL BAG

Stretched in the Wash Dear Aunt Daisy, We are always very interested in your page in The Listener, as also your morning session. We wonder if you can help us with a cardigan recently dyed. It was sent to a dyer, and has stretched considerably, and is now much too large. It is not a hand knitted one, but a bought one, and has never previously been washed. Could you tell me if it could be successfully shrunk, and if so, what would be the best way to shrink it?-"Mrs. E.M.F." (Foxton). Well, first of all I should go and see the dyer, and see if he knows he stretched it in the process, and if he can do anything about it for you. If he can do nothing, then I would suggest that you take it in as you would a cloth garment, on all the seams. Just run it down each seam on the machine, about half or three-quarters of an inch in, and that will make it smaller all over. Of course, you could always wash ‘it in the "wrong way"-in very hot soapy water, and rinse it in fairly hot water, and then lay it out dry to the right ‘size. Perhaps some other reader has overcome a sitilar ditficulty, and could tell us about it. Jam Too Tart Dear Aunt Daisy, I.am writing to ask you if you can tell me what to do’ with some damson jam I have made. It is so very tart that the family will not touch it; yet I put a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit. The jam is keeping all right, but it is so very, very sour, Do you think that if I put some apples with it the tartness would be lessened? Or shall I boil it up again, and add more sugar? I do not quite know how much I should put, so would be very pleased if you could let me know.-Mrs. E.J. (Huapai). I don’t think apples would «soften the tartness now, Mrs. E.J., though people very often add some apples when making damson jam in the first place. I think it is chiefly the skins which ecausé the excessive tartness. I would suggest that you put out-all the jam into a pan and bring it to the boil. Then stir in about half a teaspoon of baking soda, and a tits or so of raspberry jam, according to taste. Raspberry jam is so very sweet that I think the two should blend well and make quite a nice preserve, even though the flavour won’t be. pure damson. Do let me know how you get on. Perhaps some other Link in the Daisy Chain. may have a better suggestion. In any case, I think damson jain needs 1\%4Ib. of sugar to each pound of fruit. One recipe sent to me from Auckland specifies 51b. sugar and 3lb. of damson, and one cooking apple and a breaktast cup of water. I will give the recipe next year in the jam season. Coffee-Coloured ‘Curtains © Dear Aunt Daisy, Some of our Daisy Chain may be interested to hear of my happy experience with colouring curtains,

We have lately had our house painted a rich cream colour, and I felt a little anxious because all my front curtains were white, and I was afraid that the contrast would: not be at all pretty. I had heard that yellow ochre could* be used for dyeing; and as the painter was using some, I asked him to give me a little to try it out on a piece of white material. It was a great success, and so I dyed all my curtains and have been most satisfied. One has to be careful: but once used, it is very simple, and the great thing is that it does not fade. I have washed my curtains -séveral ‘times since dyeing them, but have never had to use the ochre again-as you ‘would if you used ‘coffee to make the cream colour. Here is the method. I put about half a teaspoonful of the yellow ochre into a little cold water, just enough to mix it; and then poured a little into a bowl of very hot water. Dip the curtain in and out until it becomes the desired colour; and add a little more ochre as desired, and as the curtains absorb it. You will find that they dry lighter and may appear to be streaked; but when ironed and hanging it is not noticeable. Mine were silk. Of course one has to use judgment in dyeing anything, and one gains experience by doing so.-‘ Mina" (Christchurch). A very interesting letter, and _many thanks for it. Chewing Gum Dear Aunt Daisy, As I so often find your page in The Listener so helpful, I wonder if through its medium you can help me still more. After lunching in a restaurant, I found, sticking to the front of my skirt, a piece of chewing gum, which must have been stuck on the edge of- the table..The skirt is of black cloth. Can you tell of anything to remove the mark? I am enclosing two recipes which you may find of use. Eggless Cake (very good) | Put into a saucepan and boil for three ‘minutes, 1 cupful of sugar, 1 cupful of water, 1 cupful each of sultanas and dates; 2 tablespoons of. golden syrup; Ylb. of butter (good dripping may be used instead), a little peel if liked; and one teaspoon of spice and cinnamon. When cool, mix.in 2 cupfuls of flour and one teaspoon of baking soda. Bake in a moderate oven 14% to 2 hours. This cake keeps beautifully moist. I put a few chopped almonds or walnuts in the mixture. This is a well tried old favourite, It is a fairly wet mixture, but turns out a beautiful cake, which keeps fresh for a long time. It always reminds me of cold Christmas pudding, but that is very popular, especially with men. Marrow Pickle . Four pounds of marrow, loz. of ground ginger, loz. of mustard, 2lbs. of sugar, 6 chillies, 24 shallots. 3 pints of vinegar and a few cloves. Cut the marrow (Continued on next page)

(Continued from previous page) into thin slices, add a little salt, let it stand 24 hours, and then strain. Make a paste of the ginger and mustard, and add to the vinegar and sugar, the chillies, cloves and the shallots chopped fine. Boil together for a few minutes, then add the marrow and boil gently until tender, Apple Paste Six pounds of apples, 6lbs. of sugar, as much ground ginger as you wish, and the juice and rind of two lemons. Put the apples on to cook with 3 cups of water, and boil till soft. Then add the sugar, the ginger, and the lemon. Boil for about half an hour. Bottle like preserved fruit in air tight jars. This is suitable for tarts, etc., and keeps indefinitely- " Awakino" (Taranaki). Very many thanks for the recipes, " 4Awakino." The Apple Paste is an exceptionally useful one. I think you will be able to get the chewing gum mark off your good skirt with eucalyptus, or with carbon-tetra-chloride. Benzine is good, too, but be very careful not to be near a cigarette, or fire of any kind, however small, as the fumes may cause a fire. It is safest to use benzine out of doors, or on a verandah, right away from any heat. Carbon-tetra-chloride, on the other hand, is perfectly safe to use. The uncoloured methylated spirits from the chemist is good, too. You may need to sponge the mark after with warm soapy water. Soup Hints Dear Aunt Daisy, In your session the other morning, you were speaking of tomato soup, and the trouble someone had with the milk curdling. The way of overcoming it which you gave is correct, but if thickening is not required, a pinch of baking soda added to the tomato purée when well heated will, make it possible to add milk or cream (either hot or cold) without any fear of curdling. I always like to stand the saucepan in another pot of hot, water, so that the soup won't boil; it makes a finer soup, as the boiling seems to coarsen the grain and the flavour. Both pea and lentil soups are improved with a little care in the cooking. Always start the peas or lentils (either soaked or not) very slowly in just enough water to cover; and as they begin to cook they turn to flour. Keep adding boiling stock as it cooks, until you have the right consistency. If you have no stock, boiling water will do, but you need plenty of grated carrot and onion to get the best results. If done this way, no thickening is required in any of these three soups. Before my marriage I cooked in hotels and institutions-mostly the latter-and made the discovery about cooking peas in a little water through forgetting to soak the peas overnight, on one occasion. I put them on early to try and get them cooked enough to strain and thicken; and you can imagine my delight when I saw the lovely pot of pea-flour instead of a lot of peas which I had expected to throw away; and everyone remarked on the fine flavour. I have always been praised for my soups and gravies. Having once struck an idea, one gets keen to go one better, and I always watched

all soups and gravies myself, no matter how many I had on my staff. Always use as little flour-thickening as possible, as it takes from the flavour. Potato water or a few mashed potatoes make a good "body." I rarely boil vegetables; I mostly steam them and do many sorts in the one steamer-putting a piece of butter paper between each. The water

from the steamer I use for gravies-as quite a lot of essencé comes from the vegetables while steaming. -‘ An Interested Listener" (Wanganui). Thank you very much for your interesting and instructive letter. The method of _ preventing curdling mentioned by this "Link" was as- follows: Start as though you were

to make a white sauce-melt a tablespoon of butter in a saucepan, and then stir in a tablespoon of flour-it is best to use wholemeal. Then very gradually add the milk (or stock or hot water) until it is of the right consistency. The tomato purée can then be added and stirred in, and in this way, curdling is usually avoided.