The seeds of leguminous plants, such as peas and beans, contain a large proportion of albuminoids in the form of vegetable .caseine. They are deficient in fat, but rich in mineral matter.

They are used in the green unripe state as a fresh vegetable. They should be cooked in soft water, using just enough to soften them, and when done the water should boil nearly away, and the little that is left should be served with the vegetables that all the soluble matter may be saved. Green peas and beans are easily digested if the hulls are broken by a fork or the teeth, but if swallowed whole none of the digestive fluids can penetrate the hull, and serious illness often results.

The dried varieties are less digestible than the green, and need long, slow cooking in water to render them suitable for food. They contain a bitter substance, which may be removed by soaking and changing the water.

As they are deficient in potash salts, some authorities recommend adding a small amount of bicarbonate of potash to the water in which they are cooked as well as

LESSON XVI. - BEANS AND PEAS. 177 to that in which they are soaked. This makes them more soluble.

Peas are used for soups or purées; the split peas are better than the whole, for the hull being removed they are more easily cooked and more digestible. Dried beans are used in soups, bean porridge, and baked with pork.

Suggestion to the Teacher.

Much valuable information may be given to the pupils, by means of the charts and museum, but as all schools will not be furnished with these aids to instruction the teacher should thoroughly inform herself, and teach the pupils at each lesson respecting the composition of food, its cost, and the amount of nutriment as proportioned to the cost.

1/2 c. dried split peas. 3 c. cold water. 1/2 tbsp. butter. 1/2 tbsp. flour.

1/2 tsp. sugar. 1/2 tsp. salt. 1 ssp. white pepper. Milk to thin it.

Pick over and wash the peas. Put them with the cold water on the back of the stove. Let them soak 1/2 h. then simmer 2 h. or until soft. Rub them through a fine strainer, and put on to boil again. Add milk or water to make it like a thick soup. Cook the flour in the hot butter, and add it to the strained soup when boiling. Add the seasoning, and serve with croutons or crisped crackers.

A small slice of onion may be boiled with the peas. When there is sufficient time the peas should be soaked before cooking.

Scotch Broth.

1/2 c. pearl barley. 2 lbs. neck of mutton. 2 qts. cold water. 1/4 c. each of carrot, turnip, onion, and celery.

2 tbsp. butter or dripping.

1 tbsp. flour.

2 tsp. salt.

1 ssp. white pepper. 1 tbsp. chopped parsley.

Pick over, and soak the barley over night or several hours in cold water. Wipe the meat with a clean wet cloth. Remove the fat and skin. Scrape the meat from the bones and cut it into half-inch dice. Put the bones on to boil in 1 pt. of cold water, and the meat in 3 pt. of cold water. Let the latter boil quickly, and alter it has boiled 20 m. skim off the fat, and then add the barley. Cut the vegetables into 1/4 inch dice, fry

RECEIPTS FOR LESSON XVI. Split-pea Soup.

them 5m. in 1 tbsp. of the butter, and add them to the meat. Simmer 3 or 4 hours, or until the meat and barley are tender. Strain the water in which the bones have simmered. Cook 1 tbsp. of butter in a saucepan with 1 tbsp. of flour. When smooth, add the strained water gradually, and stir into the broth. Add the salt, pepper, and parsley. Simmer 10 m. and serve without straining.

Steamed Brown Bread.

1 c. corn meal. 1/2 tsp. soda.

1 c. rye meal. 1/4 c. molasses.

1/2 c. wheat flour. 1 1/2 c. sweet milk. 1/2 tsp. salt.

Mix meal, flour, and salt. Mash the soda, sift it into the meal, and mix thoroughly. Add the molasses and milk, then beat well and turn into a greased mould, cover and steam 21/2 h. Or use small cups, cover with greased paper, and steam 1 h.

Scalded Corn Cake.

1/2 c. fine white corn meal. Boiling milk, or water enough to scald it.

1 ssp. salt.

Mix the meal and salt. Stir in boiling milk until the meal is all swollen and the mixture is thick enough not to spread when put on the griddle. Grease the griddle with salt pork fat, drop the mixture on with a tablespoon. Pat the cakes till about 1/3 of an inch thick. Cook them slowly, and when browned put a few drops of fat on the top of each cake and turn them over. When the other side is browned serve them, and eat with syrup or in the place of bread with meat.

Fried Corn-meal Mush.

1 c. corn meal. 1/2 tsp. salt. 1/2 tbsp. flour.

1 c. cold milk.

1 pt. boiling water.

Mix the meal, salt, and flour, and wet the mixture with the milk. Stir it gradually into the boiling water. Stir often, and after 10 m. cook it over boiling water for 30 m. Then turn it into a wet bread-pan, and when cool cut in half-inch slices. Cut each slice in two pieces and dip them in flour. Fry several slices of breakfast-bacon or salt pork, drain them, fry the mush in the fat, and serve the bacon with the mush.

Questions on Lesson XVI.

1. What kinds of food are suitable for children ; old people ; for those who labor in the open air ; for those who work with their brains ; for those who live in cold climates ?

2. How should milk be taken ?

3. How are beans and peas used ?

4. What are some of the cheapest foods ?

5. In how many forms is Indian corn used ?

6. What is its value as food ?

7. How is rye meal used ?

8. What is the best way to cook rice ?

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