A Punjab Link

New Zealand Listener, Volume 20, Issue 516, 13 May 1949, Page 22

A Punjab Link

Dear Aunt Daisy, During the last year someone has sent me the Listener more or less regularly and I have greatly enjoyed your column -especially when ‘it contained letters from two friends, now, like myself, overseas! Now it is my turn to. ask you a few questions. ; (1) In an issue about a year ago there ‘was a letter about whitening woollies in which powdered chalk was used. Could you please tell me if that means French chalk? If not, what? (2) Carrots are very cheap at present, so I tried the carrot jelly recipe, with definitely unsuccessful results! Could you tell me how long to boil the carrots first, and does it need only one lemon? With sugar rationed again, I am chary of experimenting. And now may I ecdihtocits a hint I learned recently. The water here is very hard and if any is spilt on a polished surface it leaves a white stain which nothing would remove until/someone advised me to use cigarette ash and almond oil. Its effectiveness varies with the type of yarnished surface, but in general I have found it very successful. Maybe this is no news, but it was certainly news to me. With best wishes. N.Z.P, Mission, "Eastern Punjab." We are quite thrilled to get your letter, and hope you will write again. The powdered chalk recipe does mean French chalk; but we have had to discontinue that method of whitening woollies here, because'the chalk that was coming in lately seemed to be less refined, and made the woollies hard, so that the last state was worse than the first. We find that it is best to prevent rather than cure, so now wash the woollies with Iuke-warm water softened with household ammonia and borax; use the best soap-flakes (and not very much, as the ammonia helps to make a quick, soft lather, and anyhow it is mainly the soap which yellows and hardens woollies); and rinse the garments in water of the same temperature and also containing ammonia. It is best to rinse in two waters. Squeeze the rinsed garments

as dry as possible in a towel, without | wringing ot twisting hard to stretch and | break the woollen threads. Dry quickly in an airy place, out of the sun, Sometimes a yellowish or dingy look is removed from white woollies by sprinkling them thickly with powdered magnesia, rolling up, and leaving for a few days, wrapped in a clean white cloth or towel, Then shake briskly. Always have your soft. luke-warm lather prepared in the basin before you put in your soiled woollies.. Some people have been known to put the dry garments in thé bowl and mix the suds over themthis is quite wrong. I’m sorry your carrot-jelly did not set; the recipe was a proven one. The boiling time was "till tender." Perhaps you did not boil fast after the sugar was added and stirred until dissolved. It is always a rolling boil at the last; sometimes a saltspoon of citric or tartaric acid added during the last few minutes will help to set a jelly. Try these recipes next time. (1) Five good-sized carrots, 4 lemons, 3 pints water, 4ib, sugar. Soak shredded catrots and sliced lemons overnight in the water. Next morning boil for 1 hour. Stir in the sugar until: dissolved, and boil fast till it will set when tested. (2) Four large carrots, or 8 small ones, 6 lemons, 6/b. sugar, 4 pints water. Mince the carrots, and cut the lemon rind finely. Soak overnight in the water. Next day boil one hour, then add sugar and lemon juice, and boil fast until it will set when tested.