LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 00D17034S34 LIBRARY OF. CONGRESS. 'W^ — ©i^ap. iop^rig^^t "^0. Shelf. B.J.. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. / Price, 20 Cents, New York: THE TRADESIflAN'S PUBLISHING COMPANY, No. 13 Park Row. MARKETING A RELIABLE &UIDE TO THE PDECHASE OF Meats, Poultry, Oame, Fisli, VegetaMcs, Fruits, And all other articles of food to be found in the Markets of any city in the United States. r^ J-- By f. b: goddard, / {Formerly Editor p/ the Xeiv York Mar/cet Journal.) r THE IRADESMAN'S PUBLISHING COMPANY, No. 13 Park Row, New York City. COPYRIGHTED, 1887, BY F. B. GODDAKD, TOTHE IIEADE:^: The information contained in this little wotk has neVer befofe been presented in a similar form, and its preparation has been more laborious than its size might perhaps indicate. Much care has been taken to make it reliable, and it is hoped that housekeepers everywhere may find it helpful and instructive. And the sensible marketman, who keeps really first-class articles, will be glad to have his customers own and read this book. They can then appreciate his efforts to please, and w411 soon learn to realize the vast difference between his tender and juicy meats, his poultry, game and fine varieties of fish, his fresh and early vegetables, and those of the dealer who sells "cheap meats," stale vegetables and unwholesome fruits. F. B. G. MARKETING. An old adage says, "First catch the hare before you cook it ;" yet, while books abound which teach us how to prepare our food, there is absolutely no handy little volume which tells us how to go to market and buy it. It is said upon good authority that the people of the United States waste enough in ignorant buying and bad cooking to feed another nation equally numerous. The price of food is half the price of life, and half the price of food is wasted for want of knowledge. In the midst of abundance the American people have never learned the art of living well upon small resources. Certain it is that three French families can, as a rule, live gen- erously upon the materials provided for two average American households ; but while we study the French language in our schools, follow their fashions and imitate their cookery to some extent, we reject the more valuable lessons they teach in the selection and preparation of their daily home food, and seem almost to despise their table economies. Variety in Food. Sameness cloys and often has a depressing effect upon the health of children and delicate people. Variety in food is not mere luxury or pampering of appetite. With variety, the food is more palatable, easily digested and wholesome, and is no more costly. The repugnance to the same unvaried dish is not the result of a spoiled palate ; it is nature speaking out her wants. Only with varied and alternating dishes can we be sure that what is lacking in one food stuff will be supplied in another. But there may even be a table which is generous and varied every day, and yet monotonous. We tire after a while of an unbroken round of the orthodox "choice cuts," in the form of roasts, steaks, chops and cutlets. Many dishes have been 6 MARKETING. invented, says Brillat Savarin, so attractive that they unceas- ingly renew the appetite, and which are at the same time so light and delicate that they flatter the palate, without overloading the stomach. Comparative Prices of Diflerent Cuts. In former times, prices of the different cuts of meat were more even. Prime pieces were lower and chucks, rounds, etc., higher in comparison. Now, everybody wants only the best, and prices of both qualities rule accordingly. At least two- thirds of the carcass is now retailed at cost, or less than cost of the whole animal per pound ; and it stands to reason that the butcher must find a profit in the choicer cuts. Mr. Armour, president of the Butchers' National Association,, says this condition of affairs is due to the foreign demand, which a few years ago sprang up for American canned meats. The coarser parts, such as plates, shoulders, etc., are mainly used for this purpose, and the large canners induced the butchers to take the ribs and loins, and thus the people became educated to their use. He declares, also, that the tastes of the people have been vitiated, and that if they would learn to eat more soups, stews and boiling pieces, and could be made to realize that the'plates, chucks, shoulders, etc., are quite as nutritious and more econom- ical, it would improve the general health and be more profitable to the butcher. A National Disli. We are behind other nations in having no national dish, unless it be roast turkey — that estimable bird which graces the tables of rich and poor alike on Christmas, Thanksgiving, and other holidays. But if we are ever to have a dish which is at once good, wholesome, economical, and nationally popular, it will be neither a roast, broil, nor fry, but some sort of a stew, like the French ^jio^ cmfeu^ into which can enter those cheaper prices of meat which are pronounced the poorest, but which are really the richest in flavor and nutrition. Such a dish would create new MARKETING. 7 ties of sympathy and patriotism among the people through the very potent agency of their stomachs. Soups and Stews. Richard Cobden praised soup as the source of French pros- perity, and Edward Atkinson says he would ask no better epitaph than this, " He taught the American people how to stew." Table Ecoiioinies. Contrast, for instance, the cost of a meal of mutton chops and the same quantity of a cheaper piece, cut up and put into a pot with a little water, and allowed to simmer two or three hours with some inexpensive additions; or the cost of a tenderloin steak, as compared with that of the excellent Irish stew\ In cooking chops or steak, a portion goes up the chimney in vapor, or drops into the fire, and a good deal clings to the bones and is thrown away, while nothing is lost in the soud or stew, and the materials arc far cheaper. Thousands of families would really have better and more palatable food and be quite as healthy and well nourished if they would more frequently buy the cheaper cuts of meat and vary their methods of cooking, to say nothing of the economy. IVliicli are tlie Best Cuts? Those parts which contain most of the tenderloin are generally pronounced the best, and command the highest price. But while the tenderloin is more tender, it is less juicy and well flavored, and contains less nutrition. Intelligent physicians do not pre- scribe tenderloin steaks for their convalescing patients; nor do butchers, who know what is what, often carry them home to their families. Miss Parloa declares that " Tenderloin steak has hardly any flavor, and is not half as nutritious as one from the round or rump." Round steak she pronounces richer and better in flavor than any other. lioss in Cooking- Meat, The loss of weight in cooking meat is from ^ to i, which is chiefly water, and beef shrinks rather less than mutton. The following table shows the quantity of water in various articles of food : 8 MARKETING. Per cent, of Water. Lean Beef 72 Fat Beef 51 Lean Mutton 72 Fat Mutton 53 Fat Pork 39 Dried Ham 15 Tripe 68 Fish, white 78 Per cent, of Water. Fish, red (salmon) 77 White of Egg 78 Yolk of Egg 52 Butter 15 Cheese, about 36 Milk 86 Poultry 74 Potatoes 74 Force in Food. The energy which may be developed by an ounce of lean beef is put at 55; of veal at 45; lean ham, 65; fat pork, 201; dried bacon, 291 ; white fish, 43; poultry, 51 ; potatoes, 38; cabbage, 16; white of egg, 22; yolk, 127; butter, 281; cheese, 168; ham, 149; ale, 30. The above are not absolutely to be relied upon as to the value of a diet, but they give broad indications. There is also a ques- tion of their digestibility and assimilation. Digestion of Food. Rice, tripe, whipped eggs, sage, raw eggs, lamb, parsnips, baked potatoes, and fricasseed chicken are the most easily digested substances, in the order given. Rice disappears from the stomach in 1 hour, fricasseed chicken in 2f hours. Roast beef is digested in 3 hours, roast fowl in 4 hours, while salt beef and pork require 4 J to 4^ hours each. Fats. Fat taken with meats aids digestion of the meat; and this is also the case with beans and other vegetables. In the New Eng- land dish of pork and beans, for instance, each helps to digest the other. Fats are a necessary part of human food, and it exists in varying amounts in nearly all that we eat. All animals contain it, not only in great reservoirs around the kidneys and through the tissues, but also, finely divided and invisible to the naked eye, in every organ and fluid of the body. Meats contain 5 to 10 per cent, of fat; eggs, 12 per cent.; MARKETING. 9 milk, 3 to four per cent. ; butter, 80 to 90 per cent. ; cheese, from 8 to 30 per cent. ; almonds and nuts, generally, 53 to 66 per cent., and all vegetables from traces to 3 per cent. A too fatty- diet invites bilious difficulties, while a starchy diet alone fails to supply vigor to the body and richness to the blood. Best Age and. Weiglit of Food Animals, etc. The flesh of young animals is less rich in salts and syntonine, and it also loses more weight in cooking. The best age for beef animals is from 3 to 8 years. The average weight of a steer is about 800 pounds, of a heifer, 500 and upward. Sheep, full grown, weigh 60 to 90 pounds and yield about 60 per cent, of available food; a pig of 180 or 200 pounds yields about 75 to 80 per cent. In lean animals the bones are relatively in too great proportion. Taking the whole animal, an average of 20 per cent, should be allowed for the bone. The fore-quarter contains a less proportion of meat to bone, and is less tender than the hind-quarter, but many claim it to be more juicy and well flavored. Strict Hebrews eat only the fore-quarters, as the meat of the hind-quarters is forbidden them by their religion. Orass and Orain Fed Animals. Beef and mutton are usually at their best from November to May, as they are then generally grain or stall fed, and their meat is better than that of grass fed animals. Beef from the latter may be juicy and tender, but it lacks the solidity, flavor, and nourishing qualities of grain fed beef, and it shrinks more in cooking. Farmers seldom salt down the meat of grass fed ani- mals. The flesh of oxen which have been worked and then fatted for slaughter will be more tender than of those which have always been fat, as it is newly made. "Ripening" Meats. Veal and pork should be eaten soon after being killed, but beef or mutton is much improved by keeping it in a cool, dry place until it "ripens." The length of time required depends on the f^eason and the weather; in summer from a week to ten days, and in winter as long, perhaps, as 30 days. The temperature should 10 MARKETING. be as equable as possible, because frequent cbatiges tend to make the juices run out. The meat shoukl be examined often and wiped with a dry cloth, if necessary. Experienced housekeepers sometimes dredge their hanging meats with flour, to absorb the moisture which exudes. If the meat appears to shrink in hanging, it will shrink all the less in cooking. Some experienced cooks and butchers go so far as to declare that they prefer the meat of ordinary beeves after it has been properly hung and ripened, to that of choice grain-fed cattle recently killed. This is rather a doubtful statement; but ripened meats are certainly better and more economical — they go further. And those who have never compared the two can hardly realize how much the ripening influence of time has to do with making a piece of properly hung beef or mutton tender and juicy, and bringing out the flavor of the meadows and cornfields. But meats should never be put on ice ; and freezing, while it renders meat and poultry tender, takes away their flavor. Spoiled Meats, etc. If meat has begun to putrify, its color becomes paler and, even at an early stage, its odor differs from the not unpleasant smell of fresh meat. If a knife is thrust into any kind of good, fresh, smoked or pickled meat, the resistance is uniform. In putrifying meat, some parts are softer than others. The smell of the knife is a good test. At an early stage, putrification may be arrested and the taint removed by parboiling. The French have a remarkable knack of sweetening up meats, poultry and game, which are pretty far gone, and the following is one of the best of their methods: Wash in several cold waters, then put into j^lenty cold water and throw in some pieces of red hot charcoal. It should then be cooked with little delay. If any part of a piece of meat has become touched with flies, it may be rubbed with a cloth dipped in vinegar and dried quickly. HoAv to Judge of Oood Meats. The meat of any lean animal is inferior ; good beef should, MARKETING. 11 therefore, have a fair proportion of fat about the kidneys and overlying the loin and ribs, and the lean or muscular portions should be ingrained or "marbled" with little streaks, dots or points of fat. If the animal is in good health, rested and cool -when slaughtered, the suet fat will be white, firm, dry, and crumbly; if yellow, oily or fibrous, the beef is inferior. But meat which is too fat is wasteful, and there is sometimes more fat than juice or flavor. The marbled appearance is an excellent indication, yet, if the animal has been fed on grass instead of grain, the little fat streaks through the muscular j)arts are apt to melt out, leaving the meat flabby and stringy. Good beef should have a dark red color when first cut, chang- ing to a brighter red or cherry color, after a few moments' exposure to the air. This is probably due to the juices coming to the surface. A bluish, or dull, dark red color indicates poor beef. It should look juicy, be smooth-grained and velvety to the touch, and somewhat firm and elastic. The bones and sinews should be comparatively small. The pale, moist muscle marks the young animal ; a somewhat darker color, older ones. A Bad Habit. Some people have a bad habit of punching their fingers into a piece of beef to see if it is tender, which is useless and very annoying to the butcher, as it spoils the appearance of the piece. A Oood Butcher. The best butcher may sometimes be deceived, but he can gen- erally tell the quality of meat almost at a glance. He can even judge of it in the dark from his sense of touch, which goes to show that experience teaches much which cannot be told in a book. And although many suggestions are given here which will be found of great value in buying supplies for the family, it is wise to deal with a trustworthy butcher, place confidence in his judgment and rely largely upon his advice. Wandering bargain-hunters who distrust everybody and everything but their own judgment, are especially liable to be trapped and cheated. 13 MAKKETING. V5 CS ^ o CO ^ \0 p of Sirloin Thifk Mnnlr At 17 is shown middle cut of shoulder with the. bone in, though the bone is often removed and the clod or shoulder cut to suit. Explanation of Fig. 2. The solid lines show the New York and Chicago method, and the dotted lines the variations of the Philadelphia style. For example, in Philadelphia, a, b and c being the rump and 3 the round, the veiny pieces are left either on the rump or round, at choice of the buyer; a is the pin bone, solid for roasting; then follow the rump steaks, parallel with the straight dotted line. The sirloin and sirloin steak is No. 1 below the dotted curved line. It will thus be seen that, strictly speaking, the New York or Chicago butcher cuts no rump steaks, and that the back cut of the loin is the Philadelphia sirloin steak, which in New York and Chicago is called the porterhouse. MAKKETING. 15 The First Cut. the Fig. 2. neck pieces The first cut the butcher makes in a side of beef is on the line below 20 (see Fig. 2), thus leav- ing all the ribs in the fore ; when ribs are left on the hind -quarter, as is often the case, Chicago butchers call it a "shoemaker's cut." Second Cut. — The sec- ond cut is along the line between b and c, varied often by keeping up to- wards c. The round is cut along the line between 2 and 6 and c and n, keep- ing well or more towards c. Third Cut. — Next the knife is run along the line to the left of 11 and 12, over the tops of the ribs, which are sawed off at a point to the right of 15, thus leaving the rack of beef; 10 and 13 are separated from 11 and 12, leaving plate and brisket. The rack is cut at pleasure on any of the cross lines. Quality of tlie Cuts. Back ward from the head the price increases, and it decreases downward to- wards the legs in both quarters. Behind the ears used mainly for soups and stewing. 16 MAEKETING. Next, in the upper portion of the fore-quarter, come in succes- sion the poorer chuck ribs and the best chuck ribs, which are used for steaks and roasts — next in excellence to the sirloin, and sold usually at about two-thirds the price. Next are the 3d, 2d, and 1st cut of ribs, all of which are "prime" roasts. The lower half of the fore-quarter, often called the "rattle ran," includes the brisket pieces, cross rib and plate pieces. The cross rib piece is used for steaks, leef a la mode, and pot roasting. The rest for corning, stews, etc. Still to the rear, and in the belly of the animal, come the flank pieces. The inner side of the flank is tender, and butchers sometimes cut from it small steak pieces which they pronounce better than chuck steaks. The outside of the flank is tougher and is used for stewing and corning. There are also on the ribs two nice little steaks called the "skirts." Above the flank are the loins, whence come the best steaks, etc., and further backward the rump pieces, used for steaks and roasts. Backward still is the round, used for steaks, etc. The top of the round is more tender than the lower part, and the meat gets poorer and cheaper down the leg. A slice of sirloin steak of the proper thickness will weigh from 2|^ to 4 pounds, according to the size of the animal. The trim- ming away of the flesh, bone, and fat considerably reduces this weight, so that the good and tender meat which remains is com- paratively expensive. The round steaks are all meat, without bone or superfluous fat, and are consequently very economical in respect to waste, as well as lower in price. Practical Suggestions of Butchers. One of the largest and best butchers in Washington Market, New York, says the most economical part of the sirloin is cut from the hip or lower part of the loin. It contains only a small knuckle bone, and makes good steaks, roast, or pot-roast, and it sells at about two-thirds the price of prime ribs. It is juicy, well flavored and fairly tender, but not the choicest part of the animal. An experienced butcher in Jefferson Market says that while the chuck parts are only from a half to two-thirds the price of prime MARKETING. 17 ribs, it is equal to them in succulence and flavor, and some por- tions of it are quite as good in all respects, besides having more meat in proportion to the bone. Some butchers actually prefer the best parts of the chuck of a good, grain- fed animal to the finest sirloin or tenderloin, although they are usually not quite so tender. From poor or inferior animals the chuck steaks and roasts are less desirable. The same butcher says he often recommends to his customers the first cut of the loin for a large family roast. It is called the round bone sirloin, and contains little tenderloin, but is excellent and economical. The bone should be taken out and the piece tied up handsomely. For a small family roast, weighing 5 to 10 pounds, he suggests the small end of the loin. Salted ITIeats. It is not so easy to judge of the quality of salted meats. A slight degree of decomposition is arrested by the salt, but if partially putrified no amount of salting will entirely remove the softness or bad smell. Such meat naturally looks paler than it should be, but there are ways of giving it the proper color. Parkcs estimates salt beef, (not meaning merely corned beef), as equal to two-thirds the same weight of fresh. Corning Pieces. — The pieces generally used for corning are the plate, navel, brisket, top of sirloin, etc., which have the fat mixed through them. The rumps, edgebones and rounds are also corned, and preferred by many on account of their leanness and the delicacy of the outer fat. It is a mistake to suppose that good butchers corn pieces which have begun to spoil. They use only meats which are quite fresh. Tlie Brine. Careful butchers are very particular to have the brine fresh and sweet in which they corn the beef for their customers, for meats placed in stale brine take on an unpleasant smell and taste. Brine used too often and too long may even become poisonous. This is supposed to be caused by the animal sub- stances which pass into it from the meat and decompose. 18 MARKETING. Beef Tongues. — These are a delicacy, whether fresh, smoked, or pickled, hot or cold. The best are thick, firm, and with plenty of fat on the under side. Beep Liver. — The best are yellowish red, clear and bright. Calves' liver is preferred to that of beef, while pigs' liver is inferior and cheaper. Beeps' Heart. — This makes a very economical, wholesome, and substantial dinner. Those with much clear, lively fat around the top are the best. They are stuffed and roasted and also braised. Calves' hearts are smaller and more tender Kidneys. — There are two in each animal. The best are of a clear, dark red : used for frying, broiling, and for stews ; those of veal are the best. Suet. — This comes from around the kidneys. It should be white and crumble into pieces easily. The Hebrews use the fat from the intestines in place of lard. English pastry cooks take the fibres from lard leaf and kidney suet and roll the two together in equal parts. Then they mold it into large " pats," from which they cut off thin slices for making pastry; this is worth trying. Tripe. — A very easily digested and palatable article when properly prepared. Is eaten either broiled, fried or stewed. Choose that which is thick, white, and fat. The honeycomb part is generally preferred. When tripe is dark and thin it sig- nifies that the animal was either distillery-fed or diseased. Ox Tails. — Three make a common turreen full of excellent and nutritious soup. Palates. — The palate, which lies at the roof of the mouth, is pronounced very fine eating. Cooking Meats. The great point in cooking meats is to render them tender without extracting the juices, and it is better to cook them slowly, so that the loss shall be only water. But they should first be subjected to a high heat, thus coagulating the surface albumen so as to retain the juices. Boiling Meats. — The pieces should be large and plunged at MARKETING. 19 once into boiling water. Then keep at a temperature of about 160°. Above 170° the meat shrinks and becomes hard; below 1G0° it will not cook thoroughly. Broths. — Cut the meat small and put into cold water, warm- ing gradually to 150°. Beef, which makes the weakest broth, thus yields about 82 per cent, of its goodness. Mutton broth is a little stronger, and chicken broth strongest of all. Roasting. — A big roast is better than a small one, as less juice escapes, and one rib will not make as good a roast as two or three. The weight of a joint is not a safe basis as to the length of time required to cook it. It takes longer to cook a small, thick piece than a large, thin one, and meat which has been kept and ripened cooks in less time than when freshly killed. Never roast meat without a rack in the pan. If suffered to rest in the water or drippings it becomes soggy. Steaks. — Francatelli, chief cook to Queen Victoria, declares that a "perfect steak" should be cut an inch thick, from a healthy, grain-fed animal, which has been slaughtered and hung up to ripen at least ten days, weather permitting. It should never be pounded, which is "a vain attempt to make tough meat tender by bruising its fibres." It should be cooked soon after it is cut off, by broiling over a clear charcoal fire, and turned every two minutes. MUTTON. Although mutton is one of the most wholesome, nutritious, and easily digested of meats, Americans, as a rule, prefer beef, and do not take as kindly to mutton as do the English people, with whom it is the favorite meat. But the consumption of mutton is constantly increasing in this country, as the breeds of sheep are improved, and more care taken in raising them for market. Mutton usually costs less per pound than beef, but is no more economical, as it must be fat to be of good quality, and the fat, unlike that of beef, cannot be used for cooking purposes, owing to its strong flavor. To Select Mutton. The best mutton is that from a small boned, short legged, 20 MARKETING. plump animal. The fat is abundant, white, clear, and solid. The scored skin on the forequarters is nearly red, the lean juicy and firm, and of a dark red color, and the leg bones clear and MODE OF CUTTING MUTTON. '^tw- 1. Leg of Mutton. 2. Shoulder. 3. Loin. 4 and 6. Neck. 5. Breast. 6. Scrag- end of Neck. 7. Flank. white. Lean mutton is generally inferior ; so is that in which the fat has a yellowish appearance, with flabby, bluish or stringy meat. Ram mutton is darker and coarse grained, the fat less white, and the flesh spongy and rank. Mutton is the meat for chops ; the best are cut from the mid- dle of the loin, they are also cut from the leg and from the rear end of the neck. Chops should not be less than half an inch thick, and not over fat. Mutton, like beef, improves by hanging. It is in season all the year round. The Cuts. For roasting or boiling, the leg is the choice piece and com- mands the highest price, but it has more meat in proportion to bone than any other cut of the animal, and is therefore econom- ical. The loin ribs are also roasted. The forequarters are usu- ally sold at a third or half less than the hindquarter. The breast and shoulder make a good roast, with the shoulder blade taken MARKETING. 21 out. Rib chops are also cut from the breast, which is the cheapest joint in the animal. 3,175,000 sheep and lambs were slaughtered last year in the City of New York. The flesh of the young sheep is called lamb until the animal is a year old, after which it be- comes less tender and delicate. liamb. The earliest spring lambs have usually reached New York, and perhaps the markets of other Eastern and Northern cities, about the middle of March, although the time of their appearance has constantly been growing earlier in recent years. The first supply comes from New Jersey, and is quickly followed by shipments from Virginia, Delaware, and Kentucky. Their flesh is consid- ered a great delicacy, and commands a very high price. Last year the early price was from $8 to $13 each. They are dressed with the skin and toes on, and thus sold to butchers, who sell at $2 to $3 for the fores, and ,|4 to |5 for the hindquarters. A little dumpling of a lamb, weighing 30 to 35 pounds, brings more than a scrawny animal weighing even 50 pounds. Spring lambs were constantly to be had in New York last sea- son after New Years, and by March 10th, 1,160 head had reached market. After that time arrivals reached thousands weekly. The price, up to April 1, averaged about $7 each; but the novelty wears off with the advancing season, and about the last of May or first of June they begin to be sold by the pound, like other meats. The best winter lambs and yearlings come from Canada, New York State, and Michigan. The exquisite flavor of some of the English and Scotch mutton is due to the aromatic wild herbs in their pasturage. To Choose Lamb. Select that which has hard, white fat on the back and about the kidneys, and reddish colored bones. Beware of more than one color in the fat of the hindquarters, which may indicate that the fat of older mutton has been appropriated and used on the iamb. Lamb or Sheep Fries. — These are also known as " mountain MARKETING. oysters," and as a meat delicacy they rank next to veal sweet- breads, but are much less expensive. They are always to be had in the spring and summer months, but are better in the earlier part of the season. PORK. Fresh pork can be had in market throughout the year, but its proper season is during the cool fall and winter months. It is too gross and heating for summer food. The carcass of pork is divided into halves by splitting it down the back bone; the head is cut off and the halves divided into quarters. 2,000,000 hogs are slaughtered yearly in and near New York. The best grade of pork for family use is from pigs weighing 120 to 130 pounds. The skin should be thin and pearly, the fat white, and the lean of a delicate red, juicy, firm, and finely grained. If the skin is thick, the pig is old ; if clammy, the pork is stale. If the fat is yellow and soft, the pork is not first-class. Be sure that pork in any form is thoroughly cooked; if otherwist', it is unwholesome and may be dangerous. Diagram of tlie Mode of Cutting Pork. 1. Leg of Pork. 4. Brisket. 3. Loin. 5. Flank. 3.ChineorRibs.6. Hocks. 7. Head. 8. Feet. 9. Shoulder. Cuts of Porlt. The leg is roasted fresh, smoked as ham, or corned. The shoulder is usually salted or smoked. The loin, well scored, is MARKETING. 2B excellent as a roast, or may be cut into chops; the brisket is corned or salted ; the chine or ribs are cut into chops or may be roasted. When the rind and fat are taken off the cut is called a spare rib. Pork tenderloins are more delicate and tender and are sohl higher than the chops, but they are less juicy. The head is used for making head cheese, or cut into two or four pieces and corned, which makes a very cheap and, with many, a very palatable dish. The feet, pickled and properly cooked, are delicate and wholesome. Lard, Sausage, etc. The fat and trimmings of the pig are made into lard. Those who buy the leaf and try it out are sure of good, wholesome lard. Many housekeepers adopt the excellent plan of ordering a whole and fine young pig from their butcher and salting down such portions as they do not eat fresh, and making their own sau- sages, head cheese, lard, etc. Sausages in the shops should be firm and dry, but not sweaty on the outside. Hams, Bacon and Shoulders. The best ham is of medium size, say from 8 to 14 pounds in weight, plump, round, and the bone small. The shank should be short and tapering, skin thin and not shriveled or wrinkled on the back, and" the fat should be white and firm. They are better cured a long time in moderately strong pickle than a shorter time in stronger pickle. To ascertain if ham has begun to spoil, thrust a skewer or knife into the side of the aitch bone and at the knuckle joint. If sound there, the ham is good throughout. The part commonly used for bacon is the thin part of the ribs and belly; that which is not too thick and fat is preferred. Buy a short, thick shoulder, with a small bone and with a moderate amount of fat, which should be firm. Four grades of calves are recognized in New York, which are as follows, in the order of their value, viz: "veal" or "milk calves," "stall-fed" calves, '"buttermilks," and "grassers." 24 MARKETING. The ** milk calves" are those which have been fed exclusively on the milk of the mother cow. They are considered best when from six to eight weeks old. Thir meat is white and firm, the fat about the kidneys is white. They are broad in the back and their meat is delicate and wholesome. The stall-fed rank next, and may be nearly as good. They have been fed partly on milk and partly on meal. The "buttermilks," which have been compelled to subsist on buttermilk, skimmed milk and slops, are generally poor and thin, and their flesh is characterized by a sort of reddish tinge. There is but little fat about their kid- neys, which are of a dark red color. Lastly come the "grassers," which have been turned out to pasture to " rustle " for themselves. They begin to reach market in September. Their meat bears a resemblance to beef, but is inferior either to beef or veal, or in fact to the flesh of any domes- tic food animal. This meat is often hawked about by peddlers, and goes largely into bologna sausages in the large cities. "Bob Veal." " Bob veal," according to the rating cf the Board of Heath of New York City, is the meat of a calf less than four weeks old and weighing under 60 pounds when dressed. Such meat is bluish, watery, soft, and gelatinous. * It is considered to be very unhealthy food, and is liable to confiscation and destruction by the health authorities. The weight of good merchantable calves alive, is from 130 to 150 pounds; such should dress about 70 per cent, net weight with the skin. A good 200 pound calf will dress 75 per cent, with the skin. To Select Veal, Good veal should be from a fair sized calf and reasonably fat. The fat should be firm and of a whitish color, but not too white. The meat should be finely grained and juicy. Veal, like pork, is only good and wholesome when fresh. It is more risky for the butcher to deal in than most other meats, for the reason that if he cannot dispose of it while fresh it becomes a total loss, as he can neither smoke nor corn it. MARKETING. Cuts of Veal. 25 Tlic Cuts. The hindquarter is the choice and most expensive. It is usually divided into two parts by the butcher, called the loin and the leg of veal. The loin is roasted and is also cut into chops. The leg is also roasted or made into cutlets. The fillet of veal is also cut from the leg. It is a solid piece, from which the butcher has taken out the bone. The lower part of the leg is called the knuckle, and is used for soups, stews, etc. The forequarter comprises the shoulder, neck, and breast. The shoulder is roasted, the neck is used for stews, pot-pies, etc., and the rib end is often used for rib chops, or cutlets. The breast is generally roasted, or used for stews, fricassees, etc. Sweetbreads. "When a plump, healthy calf is slaughtered which has been fed on the milk of the mother cow, there are found in the lower throat and near the heart, two small lumps of flesh, weighing perhaps half a pound, termed "sweetbreads," These, when properly cooked, are about the most delectable and nutritious 26 MARKETING. morsels known to mankind in the line of animal food. They are the pancreatic glands, and their function in the animal economy is to assimilate the oily portions of the food. In the milk calf, therefore, the sweetbreads may be almost said to be composed of assimilated cream. In the older animal, or when the calf is turned out to grass, these glands either shrink away or become tough, so that they are no longer the same dainty article. About half a million pairs of sweetbreads were sold in New York city last year at prices ranging from 25 cents to |1, according to quality and sea- son. The sweetbread nearest the heart is more desirable than its mate from the throat, the latter being longer and less plump in form. There is little difference, however, in their delicacy. The two are generally sold attached to each other. Formerly, sweetbreads were not taken out, but were sold with the meat, but the demand for them is now growing rapidly with the wealth and luxury of the land. Calves' Head, etc. — Usually found in market with the hair taken off. When fresh, the eyes have a bright, full look, and the skin seems firmly attached. If the head appears yellowish and slimy, reject it. If small and without sign of horns, it is probably from a very young calf. There should be a protuber- ance or indication of the horns. Calves' kidneys are the best of all kidneys. Calves' haslet comprises the heart, liver, and lights. The liver of a calf is pronounced better than that of any other animal. Calves' brains are very delicate when properly cooked, and the tongues are also excellent. MARKETINGt. 27 Difference in Quality, There are places in most large cities where meats are retailed at prices which seem very low ; but it will generally be found that there is neither satisfaction nor economy in buying at them. Purchasers should remember that there is a vast difference in the quality of meats, and that the cheapest are by no means likely to be the best. Cuts from a choice, grain-fed animal may be really worth twice the price at which similar pieces may be had from a hungry Texas steer or a lean, grass fed cow, and they may cost the butcher twice as much. The cheaper cuts of first-class beef are more desirable and will generally give better satisfac- tion than the choicest cuts of inferior beef. Honorable butchers, who keep really first-class meats, give good weight and trim the cuts fairly, cannot, as a rule, reduce the prices of meats very much and continue to do a fairly profit- able trade. Marketmen and butchers do not generally grow rich any faster than other tradesmen. Their commodities are perishable, and they are required to begin work usually long before other people are out of bed. A Good Plan. It saves considerable planning and trouble to the housekeeper, •and is also a guide to the butcher, to have certain things on cer tain days. Yet this rule should not be too rigid ; the butcher should have some latitude, for there are times when, from their abundance, or the difficulty of keeping, articles generally expensive may be had at very moderate prices, and both the family and the marketman be benefited by deviation from the usual order of the day. The butcher likes to be free to give a good customer the benefit of some choice article which is unusually abundant and low in price. Street Venders, Some of these pedlers of fish, fruits, vegetables, etc., in the larger cities make a regular practice of giving short weight, measure or change. The articles they sell are often inferior and stale. They work off ''gluts" of berries, produce, fish, etc., 28 MARKETING. for wholesale dealers, and such refuse as cannot be sold to respectable marketmen. Some of them are reliable and honest, but as a rule it is well to be wary in dealing with them. POUIiTRY. The prices of poultry have come down within a few years, from the fact that farmers throughout the country, and espe- cially in the west, have paid more attention to raising it, having found that grain fed to poultry jDays better than when sold directly, at current prices. It is even stated that it is no more costly to raise a pound of ^^oultry than a jDound of pork. However this may be, it is certain that poultry was never before raised so extensively or consumed so largely in this country, and it is a reg- ular visitor at the tables of many who formerly considered it a luxury, to be eaten only on rare occasions. Vast quantities are sent East from Iowa and other Western states in refrigerator cars, and much is also forwarded alive, to be slaughtered by the shokets, or Jewish butchers. There has been a great deal of controversy in regard to the question of dressing poultry for market, many claiming that it will be much better, more delicate and palatable, without than with the entrails -and other offal. But the old custom still prevails in New York and elsewhere, and they are not generally removed until purchased by the consumer. To Select Poultry. Dry picked or unscalded poultry has the preference in price. When fresh, the eyes should be bright and full, the feet and legs moist and limber. If very stale it will be dark colored and slimy. There are people in New York who buy up stale poultry and treat it with alum water, etc, , to give it an ajopearance of freshness and remove the smell of the taint. Poultry thus doctored turns black shortly on exj^osure to the air, at places where the skin is removed. Fowl or chickens are the best which have small bones, short legs, and clean white flesh. It is said that those with white or yellow legs are better boiled, and that those with black legs should be roasted. The breeds with long legs and big bones are not as fine meated, juicy, and wxll flavored as those which are full breasted and plump, like a partridge. MARKETING. S9 Spring chickens were to be had in the New York markets this year, in February, at from one to two dollars per pair, weighing three pounds. When ovea- one year old all are called fowl. To judge of the age of poultry, press with the fingers on the breast bone at the point towards the latter end of the body ; if young, the bone will be soft and pliable. The spurs of the young male are soft, loose, and short; if old, the comb and legs are rough, and the spurs are hard and firm. Both cock and hen have a hard breast bone. Capons. Capons are the greatest delicacies in the line of poultry, as they retain the tenderness of the chicken, while they acquire the flavor and substantial qualities of maturity; they sell usually at about double the price of prime roasting chickens. Tlie Turkey. As long, probably, as the imperial eagle continues to preside over the battles of the nation, the savory turkey will grace its banquets, and retain a firm hold upon the affections of the people. The young hen is usually preferred, as it is smaller, f)lump, and generally fatter and less angular ; although a young Tom well roasted is by no means to be despised. The legs should be black and smooth, and the breastbone soft and pliable. If fresh, the eyes will be bright and the feet supple. A moderate sized turkey is more apt to be tender than a very large one. "When the legs are rough, the spur of the Tom long and hard, the breastbone hard, and the skin fat and tough, the bird is old ; such are con- sidered better for boiling and for boning. Turkeys are better in the fall and winter. In the spring their flesh is less palatable. Many superior turkeys are killed in Vermont during the winter months and frozen solid. In this condition they are shipped all over the country, and are fine eating at any season of the year. Ouinea Fowls. Are considered delicate and good, but rather dry. They also are best in the winter months. 30 MARKETING. Tame Pigeons and Squabs. Tame pigeons are dry but well flavored ; if confined and fed for a time, they are much, improved. Tame squabs may be had nearly all the year in market, and they are considered a delicacy. Their flesh is very tender and easily digested, and they are much in demand for invalids. White squabs range in the New York markets at from $2.50 to $5 i)er dozen, w4iile the dark are sold at about one-third less. This is on account of their less inviting appearance. Geese and Ducks. It is said in England that a goose is not fit to eat after it is a year old. They are out of season after Christmas, but young or green geese arrive in March and are fine eating. The breast of a goose should be j^lump and white, and the feet yellow and j^liable ; if red and stiff, the bird is old. The windpipe of a young goose or duck will also be soft, w^hile in older birds it is hard. £GGS. Every exemplary hen which lays an egg is perfectly justified in spending the next ten minutes in talking about it. She has scratched diligently to gather the material, made a snug little vess(^ of lime, and, after packing it full of the most delicate, palatable and nutritious food, she resigns it to the world with a presentation speech, full, probably, of lofty and noble sentiments, which we call a cackle. Many a noisy harangue is made with far less praiseworthy motives and results. The Various Kinds of Eggs. Turkeys eggs are pronounced more delicate and pleasant than any other. They bring in the New York market from 75 cents to $1.00 per dozen, and are sought for mostly by epicures who know their excellence. Guinea hens' eggs are also pronounced very fine and rich, and will keep a long time on account of their thick shells. Goose eggs are larger, whiter, and less esteemed. Duck eggs are bluish and less desirable than hens' eggs. Eight hens' eggs should weigh one pound. If a perfectly fresh egg is boiled it cannot be peeled, but must be dug out of the shell. Neither can the white of an egg be beaten into froth until it is MARKETING. 31 several days old, which is a point to remember. An egg begins to loose its flavor after it has been laid a few hours. The older it is the less pleasant and nutritious it becomes. A fresh egg re- quires half a minute longer to boil than a stale one. A fresh egg feels heavier in the hand and looks clear and semi- transparent before a light. If the egg stands upright in water it is bad ; if obliquely it is not fresh. If it lies at the bottom it is quite fresh. The larger end of a fresh egg feels warm to the tongue. The contents of a stale egg rattle or bounce when shaken. Vinegar added to the water to boil eggs makes them white. GAME. It would be impossible, in the narrow limits of a work like this, to describe all the varieties of game and wild fowl which may be found in American markets during their proper season. We can only refer to the leading varieties, with some general information for the purchaser. Venison, or the Meat of the Common Deer. — Venison cannot be too fat ; if lean, it will be dry and flavorless. The fat should be white and the lean dark red. It is much better after l^eiug kept two or three weeks. The cuts are the loin, leg, saddle, forequarter, and steaks. The retail price of venison in Washington Market, New York, on the first of January last, was 25 cents per pound, and this is about an average price. Rabbits and Squirrels. — When young and fat, the wild rabbit is tender and delicate, but if over a year old the flesh is dark, dry, and tough. When old, the claws are long and rough. The domestic rabbit is superior to the wild, in flavoi and juiciness, but the best are inferior for the table to the gray or black squirrel. Bear. — The meat of the black bear is, when young and fat, very rich and savory. It is cut into roasts and steaks, and brings about 25 cents per pound in the New York markets during the cool months of the fall and winter. Wild Fowl and Oame Birds. Wild Goose. — This wild fowl is considered superior to the domestic goose. It is best m October, November, and December. The head and most of the neck are black, while the chest and 32 MARKETING. throat are white. The young are very fine eatmg. The brant goose is plentiful also in the spring and fall, and is also considered very good for the table. A good bird will weigh about 4 pounds. The mature brant has black wings, while the young have them tipped with grayish white. Can^^as Back Duck. — If its food has been the wild celery of the southern marshes, this is considered the best of all the duck tribe; otherwise, it is not greatly superior to other varieties. This duck has a black bill about three inches long, nearly in a straight line with the head, and higher at the base than that of the red head. Part of the back of the drake resembles a piece of can- vas. The price, of course, varies with the season and supply, but they are eagerly sought after by epicures, and bring, in the New York market, usually $3.50 to $5 a pair. A good duck should be plump, fat, and heavy. Red Head Duck. This variety is much like the canvas back, and ranks next in popular estimation, although it usually sells at rather more than half the price of the former. It is advancing in popular estimation. The bill is about 21 inches long, slightly curved, bluish and black towards the end. They come in November, Tlie Mallard. Stands next in demand for the table. The head and upper neck are deep green, with a white ring around the middle of the neck. They at about two-thirds the price of the red head. Other varieties of ducks. Others of the duck species are the BLACK DUCK — good if fat and from fresh water. The wood duck — very beautiful in plumage, and very palatable. Otlier Varieties. The WIDGEON, the broad bill, the blue winged and the GREEN winged TEAL, the PINTAIL, the SPOONBILL, the WHISTLER, SHELLDRAKE, DIVER, COOT, and othcrs are more or less desirable for the table. There is also the loon, or great northern diver, whose flesh, being tough and rank, is held in little estimation. The Woodcock, This perhaps the most delicate and highly prized of all the game MARKETING. 33 birds. It weighs about half a pound, has a large, triangular shajied head, and a long bill. They are in season from July to the middle of November, and bring, in the New York markets, from $1.25 to $2.00 per j^air, according to supply. Ctnail. This excellent and well known game bird is usually abundant in market in its season. The pi'ice ranges in the New York markets at $3 to $4 per dozen. The flesh of the quail is white, tender, and delicate. Its size is little more than one-third that of the partridge, and in the South it goes by that name. The Partridge or Ruffled Orouse. The white and delicate meat of this bird is held in much esteem. They are fairly abundant in most parts of the country during their season. Their legs are feathered a little below the knee, while the Canada grouse and the prairie hen are feathered to the ankles. Partridges retail in the New York markets at from $1.10 to $1.75 per pair, in their season. The Prairie Chicken or Pinnated Grouse. This game bird is somewhat like the partridge in color and size, but it is more regularly barred on the breast, and has short, thick, fan-like tail feathers. It has a feathery mane hanging from each side of the neck, and its meat is dark. They are excellent when young and fat. The heaviest are the best. They range in price at from $1.00 to 1.50 per pair in Eastern markets. They are lower in some parts of the West. Snipe or English Snipe. This game bird is considered second only to the woodcock in delicacy and flavor. They sell in Eastern markets at about $2.50 per dozen in the season. The red breasted snijDc is not quite so highly esteemed. Wild Turkeys Are to be had in the fall months in New York. Many arrive frozen. They are considered more delicate and gamey than the tame turkeys, especially when young. The bill is short and thick, head small, and a tuft of coarse black hair falls from the lower part of the 34 MARKET II^G. breast. It has warty lumps or wattles on the neck. The feathers are glossy and dark, with spots of bronze on the wings and tail. They weigh usually from 10 to 20 pounds, and retail in Eastern markets at 20 to 25 cents per pound. Plover. The golden plover is very fine eating when in good condition, and the gray or grass plover is equally good. The former sells at about $3.00 per dozen, and the latter at $2.50 to $3.00 in Eastern and Western markets during the season. They are best in the early fall months. There are also the ring plover, the j^iping plover, the kildeer, and the sanderling or ruddy plover, all of which are sought after as excellent game birds. The Doe Bird. This is the best of the Curlew family. Some esteem it equal to the woodcock in flavor. It comes to Eastern markets from Indiana and other western points, and often sells at $10 to $12 per dozen. Many are sold in Eastern markets. Reed Birds. These are the bobolinks of our northern meadows. Whe i they migrate to the South and grow fat in the rice fields, they are called rice birds and reed birds. They are considered by the planters as a pest, but are much liked by epicures, when in good condition, and they are usually extremely fat in the fall months. Reed birds are extensively sold in market, tied in bunches, at $1.25 to $1.50 per dozen. \rild Pigeon. These birds were formerly very abundant and low priced, but of late years they appear to be scarce. Still they are plentiful at times, and in some portions of the country they are often over- whelmingly abundant. They range in price in the New York markets at from $1 to $2.75 per dozen according to supply. If fat, they are fairly good, although the flesh is rather dry. The wild squabs are excellent. ' Black Birds. There are several species of black birds often to be found in MARKETING. 35 market. Although rather small they are quite palatable, and are sold at about thirty-five cents per dozen. Otlier Birds. Meadow larks when fat are nearly as good as quail, though not so large and plump. Their sale at any season is forbidden in New York state. Robins are very delicate eating in the fall, when they are fat. The martin and the ring-tailed martin or godwit, the varieties of the sandpiper, the yellow legged snipe or tattler, the willet-tattler, etc., are all esteemed as food. The English sparrow, which threatens to overwhelm us, is also said to be very delicate and palatable. The blue jay is also eaten, but is said to be less desirable than the robin, and the flesh of the night hawk is said, also, to be excellent. IMPORTED GAME BIRDS, ETC. The main receipts of foreign game occur during the holiday season, but English pheasants, which are more largely imported than any other game bird, can be had at all seasons in the great Eastern cities. About ten thousand brace of them are annually brought to New York and sold at from $3 to $5 per brace. They weigh from three to four pounds each, and are much sought after by epicures. Their plumage is exceedingly beautiful, and each bird is carefully wrapped in paper. Many are sold to the taxider- mists, who stuff and mount them. The black cock and grouse from Scotland are less largely im- ported, as their meat is somewhat strong in flavor. About three thousand brace of German hare are also brought to New York every year, and sold at $4 to $5 per brace ; they are about the same size as the well know Western Jack rabbit, but their flesh is far more delicate and well flavored. Birds Not Eaten. The following are some of the birds which are considered, for various reasons, unfit for human food : Eagles, hawks, vultures or buzzards, ravens, crows, gulls, terns, auks, several species of wild ducks, sandpipers and snipe, buntings, woodpeckers, thrushes, grebes, herons, crossbills, cormorants, 36 MARKETING. Ibis, gallinules, guillemots, orioles, mocking birds, swallows, petrels or Mother Gary's chickens, albatross, whippoorwills, etc. FISH. In selecting fish, choose only those wliich are finn and stiff, with lively red gills, eyes full and clear, and fins firm. The sooner any fish is cooked after being taken from the water the better it will be. Fish should not be allowed to remain in the water after being dressed. If caught in muddy ponds or stagnant waters, some varieties acquire a muddy flavor, which lies mostly in the skin. Such should, therefore, have the skin removed, or they should be soaked in well salted water half an hour before being cleaned. Those fish are most digestible which have least oil in their com- position. Rich or fatty fish are apt to disturb a weak stomach, and to produce thirst and an uneasy feeling. For such, those fish which are free from oil and cook dry are best. There is a white, curdy matter to be seen between the flakes of freshly boiled fish which adds much to the flavor, and is highly nutritious. This is really a film of albumen formed by the coagulation of the serous juices of the muscles. If the fish is kept long before cooking, much of this is lost, and the flavor of the fish is impaired. .The flesh of the male fish is generally better eating than that of the female, but either are at their greatest perfection at the period of the ripening of the milt or roe. After spawning time, fish appear to get out of condition ; their flesh becomes soft and flabby, loses flavor, and has a bluish, transparent look after cooking. Cod. This excellent and wholesome fish is staple throughout the year wherever markets can be supplied from the coast ; but it is best during the fall and winter, or during the cool months, and the price seldom varies much. Codfish steaks usually retail in the New York markets at from ten to twelve cents per pound, but the whole fish comes cheaper. Haddock. This fish resembles the cod in appearance and size, but has a black line along each side from the gills to the tail. The head bones are more prominent and the under jaw shorter. It appears MARKETING. 37 in season with the cod, but is considered rather less desirable for the table by most people. Many are smoked by the Scotch method and sold as the so-called " Finnon Iladdies," and they are very appetizing. Hake. This appears to be also a congener of the cod, but is longer and rounder. It is considered inferior to the cod, and is lower in price. It is better s dt than fresh. Unless a person is a good judge of fish, one is apt to buy salt hake for codfish at country stores, and they are not as good, the flesh being more transparent and gelatinous. Pollack. Another ally of the cod family, but inferior and sold cheaper. Its flesh is not so white and has a bluish tinge. Halibut. This is the largest of the flat fish family, and is excellent and staple. There are two species in the markets— the white and the gray. The former looks whiter, but is no better than the latter in flavor. The flesh of a halibut w^eighing from 50 to 100 pounds is considered better than that of the larger ones, which is apt to be dry and tasteless. • A peculiarity of the flesh of halibut is its ten- dency to turn sour when it takes on a pearly whiteness. This can also be detected by the smell. The best have white meat. If yellow it is more likely to be strong, yet some with yellow meat are very fine. Blue Fish. This is one of our most important food fishes. It is in season during the summer and part of the fall, and may be had frozen during almost the entire year in the large Eastern cities. It is quite rich and substantial, and loses in flavor and w^holesomeness if kept long out of the water, unless frozen. But a piece of broiled blue fish, fresh from the water, is a dish fit for a king. In Rhode Island this fish is called the horse-mackerel. Weak Fish. {Ghequet or 8queteaque\. Somtimes called also Salt Water Trout. A good and w^ell known fish, weighing from one to eight pounds. 38 MARKETING. If kept long it becomes soft and loses its flavor. The name ''weak fish " is, it is said, derived from its tender mouth, as it often escapes by tearing out the hook. It is in season from May to November, but is best in the fall months. It usually sells at about the same price as blue fish, perhaps a little less. It is bluish gray in color, with sjDeckled back and sides, belly white, fins yellow, under jaw reddish. Sliad. The season for this widely known and popular fish begins with shipments from Florida waters about the first of January. They are then not very fat or desirable, but are recognized as harbingers of spring and the good things soon to come. About 20,000 are annually sent to New York from Florida, and they sell early in the season at from 50 cents to $1 each, the roes bringing from one-half to one-third more than the bucks. Our next shad come from the Ogeechee River in Georgia ; then follow shipments from the Savan- nah and from North Carolina. The quality improves as they are caught northward, until they are in ^^erfection in the Hudson and Connecticut Rivers, about April 1. The shad is, however, still pursued even to the far " down East " provinces. A large portion of the interior of the country is regularly supplied with shad from Eastern and Southern points. Shad die quickly out of water; when fresh the gills are crimson red, scales bright, and body firm. When the gills begin to turn a whity blue, and the flesh is soft, eyes sunken, etc., the fish is unfit to eat. The roe is considered a delicacy, l)ut some prefer the flesh of the male, and the latter are considerably cheaper. Shad average to weigh about four pounds. Salmon. This royal fish stands at the head of all the finny tribes in rich and savory qualities. Our home supply comes from the rivers of Maine and the provinces, but large quantities are also sent eastward from the Columbia River in Oregon and the waters of Puget Sound. A less quantity is required of this delicious fish than of any other, in proportion, and the price at which it may usually be had in market in recent years renders it comparatively cheap. The best have small heads, and are quite thick through the shoulders. The MARKETING. 39 "silver salmon," and the qiiinuet or Calif ornia salmon, are the supe- rior varieties. Mackerel. To be had fresh in the sjjring and summer throughout the Eastern States and is very delicate. Our fresh mackerel are seldom very fat and weigh but little more than a pound at the best. They are well known to all housekeepers. Spanish Mackerel, A very choice fish, in season during the summer and early fall months, but brought earlier from Southern points, frozen. They are much larger than the ordinary mackerel, but somewhat resemble it. It has several rows of pale yellow spots on the sides, instead of lines. The weight ranges from two to eight pounds, and it sells at from twenty-five to seventy-five cents per pound, according to supply. Slieepsliead, Another choice fish. It is large and short, with mouth and teeth which suggest a sheej:). Its favorite food is young oysters. They are very delicate and rich when fresh, but spoil quickly. They are in season from May to October, and weigh from three to ten pounds. They are generally sold considerably lower than the Spanish mack- erel. Pompauo. These fish come mostly from the South, but are occasionally caught on the northern coast. Southerners pronounce them the best of all table fish. They range in weight from one to ten pounds. The common or Carolina variety is the best of the four sjDecies of the Pompano. Sturgeon. In season from Aj)ril to September. It is a large fish, ranging in weight from one to three hundred pounds, and is from five to twelve feet long; it takes its food by suction. The young, fat fish, are considered the best Avhen the flesh appears "beefy," and the fat is straw colored. It is better baked than boiled, and better smoked than fresh. Sells at al^out fifteen cents jier pound usually. Fresh water sturgeon are caught in all the great lakes and rivers of the Mississippi valley. 40 MARKETING. Striped Bass. This is one of our best and most valuable food fishes, and is, next to the salmon, perhaps the most popular salt water game fish. Its flesh is firm and will bear keeping for some time without injury. It is most abundant in the spring and fall months. Sea Bass or Rock Bass. This is also a table favorite. Its flesh is sweet, flaky and firm and is superior for chowders. Best season from May to October. Their average weight is about one and one-half pounds and they are usually lower in ^irice than the striped bass. Black Fisli or Xaiitog* A favorite table fish with many, their flesh being white, dry, and delicate, but is less prized than the bass. They are in season from May to December. As it is almost im- possible to scale them, they are usually dressed by skinning. Sword Flsli. This is a large fish and its flesh looks somewhat like veal. It is fine grained and palatable, and usually is quite abundant in New England markets along the coast. It is often to be had in the New York markets. Bonito* This fish is allied to the mackerel family, but is larger and thicker than the common mackerel. It is round and smooth, with a peculiar head and wide mouth. It is sometimes sold for Spanish mackerel, but its flesh is far inferior. It is less valued for the table than the blue fish, than which it is softer and more perish- able. Its meat has no elasticity. If pressed in or dented the mark remains as it would in a mellow apple. Tom Cod or Frost Fish* Without scales, and varying in color in different seasons from orange to a greenish yellow ; is small and a good jian fish. In sea- son from September to April. Weight from one-quarter to one- half a pound. Retail price in New York usually eight or ten cents per j^ound. MARKETING. 41 Smelts. Widely known as an excellent pan fish. The back is greenish, the sides silvery ; weight from an eighth to a quarter of a pound. Many are sold frozen. When "green" and fresh, as the fish deal- ers term those which have not been frozen, they possess a peculiar odor, something like cucumbers. This is lost as the fish becomes stale. The markets are largely supplied from Maine and New Brunswick. Prices vary with the season and supply. Butter Fisli or Harvest Fisli, In season from June to October; a fair pan fish and not expen- sive. They are short, deep and thin; silvery, with blue and green tints, large eyes, short and blunt nose. Herring. Large quantities are caught in the late winter and spring months and frozen; the green and frozen vary a little in price, but are usually sold low. The alewive is another variety of the herring species, and is sometimes called the hickory shad. Porgy or Scup. An excellent fish, and abundant from May to December. They average to weigh a pound, and are somewhat like a sheepshead in ap- pearance, but smaller. Flat Fisli. The plaice, or summer flounder, is considered to be the most important of the flat fishes, next to the halibut, and excellent for the table. It weighs from one to ten pounds. FluRes. This fish is flat, of an oblong shape ; color, a dark olive green, mottled with spots, and white underneath; mouth large and ob- lique, and opens on the left side ; eyes on the right side. It is a good table fish, but hardly equal to the plaice or summer flounder, although some think it fully equal. Other varieties of the flat family are the smooth flounder, the spotted turbot, or sea flounder, the small sand flounder, and the excellent Bay of Fundy turbot or flounder, often found in market in the winter months in Eastern cities. 42 MARKETING, Tlie Red Snapper. This large, red colored fish is caught in the gulf, and up along the Atlantic coast as far as South Carolina. It is also found in the waters of the Pacific coast. It was little known in northern markets fifteen years ago, but is now fast becoming popu- lar. It weighs from four to tw^enty-five pounds, but the smaller sizes are most salable at the North, They retail usually at twenty to twenty-five cents per pound, and are l>etter boiled — flavor similar to that of the striped bass. They are to be had at the North during the cool months only. In the South they are a constant market staple. Black Percli. An excellent fish, caught abundantly off the coast of New Eng- land during May, June, and July. Weighs from 1 to 3^ pounds. Wliite Sea Perch. A small but delicate pan fish. In season in the winter and spring months. There are other varieties of sea perch, and they are held in fair esteem for the table. \riiiting. A small but good pan fish, caught extensively along the Rhode Island coast. They much resemble the torn cod or frost fish, and sell at about the same price. King Fisli. This is a gamy and highly-prized table fish, caught from the Chesapeake to Cape Cod from May to October. It weighs from ^ to 2 pounds, is whitish on the belly, while the back and sides are dark brown. It ranks in excellence with the sheepshead, and sells at about the same price, or from 25 to 50 cents a pound, according to supply. Mullet. There are several varieties of this fish. The white mullet is con- sidered the best, but the striped variety is most abundant. They are much esteemed in the South, and large quantities are caught in Southern waters. Not many are sent North, but during the shad season a few are shipped here with the shad, and are much sought for by those who know their excellence. MAKKETING. 43 Gar, or Sea Pike. A long fish. The under jaw is longer than the upper ; mouth full of sharp teeth, color on the back dark green. There are two bands along the sides and one on the back ; weight from one to six pounds. Season, July to October. Is a fair table fish. Whitebait. These are mites of fish like minnows. The true Thames whitebait of England, which furnishes the staple of the celebrated whitebait dinners, is pronounced by Professor Huxley to be small herring. Fish which are said by dealers to be the true English white- bait, and which are at least very similar, are sold in the New York markets at about fifty cents per pound. They are pronounced delicious, and the best mode of cooking them is said to.be to mix them through a batter of egg, etc., put into a bag, and cook in hot fat. Eels. Eels are always in season, and are very substantial and palatable food. The silver eel is considered the finest of the species. There are a number of varieties of eels, but it is not necessary to describe them. They are usually to be found in market dressed or with the skins oflf, and bring from 15 to 20 cents per pound. laenltaden, Mosbunker, Boney Fisli or Hard Heads (with Tweuty-six Otlier Names). This is the most abundant fish on our coast. Vast quantities are caught and used as a land fertilizer and for their oil. They are rich and savory, but are considerably more boney than shad, which prevents their extensive use as food. Thousands of little bones are scattered through their flesh, serving as points of support for the muscles, but without being connected with the boney framework of the fish. FRESH WATER FISH. Vast quantities of fresh water fish are caught in the lakes, rivers and inland waters of the country, and regions remote from the seashore are largely supplied with them. They are also sent to the markets of Eastern cities in abundant supply, where they 44 MARKETING. are almost as staple as the salt water varieties, and some species are quite equal in excellence and flavor to the latter. White Flsli of tlie Lakes. This is generally considered as the most important of the fresh water fish of the country. It is about as large as a shad, having a whitish blue back, and white belly, with a sharp or pointed head. It is an excellent table fish, a favorite with all who eat it. Muscallonge, This fish, in size and gameness, stands at the head of all the finny tribes which inhabit fresh water : its weight ranges from five to seventy pounds, and it belongs to the pike family. It is considered a fine table fish, but is somewhat scarce and is seldom found in our markets. Speckled Trout. " Opening day," or the first day of the season when trout are per- mitted to be sold is usually a considerable event in the New York City markets, and the display is very fine. The excellence and beauty of this fish are too well known to need description. Its head and back are mottled with yellow and brownish green. Its sides are bluish gray, covered with yellow and crimson spots; its belly is silver white ; the inside of its mouth dark. Lake Trout. A fine fresh water fish, to be found in market from October to March, and weighing from four to seven pounds. Every lake«of New England and the northern States has its own variety. They reach their greatest perfection at the northern part of the Great Lakes: Huron, Michigan, and Superior, where they are called Mackinaw trout. Rainbow Trout, A variety brought from California and introduced into eastern waters, and now somewhat extensively cultivated for market on Long Island, etc. ; an excellent table fish. Wliite Fisli of tlie Lakes. This is the most important of all the fresh water varieties. It MARKETING. 45 is about the size of the shad, has a bluish back and white beneath, with a sharp head. It is a very excellent table fish, and is largely sold in eastern markets during the proper season. Yellow or Wall-eyed Pike. This is also a fine fish. It is called sometimes the wall-eyed pike, because its eyes quickly become clouded after death. It weighs from 2 to 6 pounds, has yellow fins, brownish head and back, sides yellow, belly white. Its. flesh is juicy and delicate, fiiTn and white. It is a staple in eastern city markets, where it sells at from 15 to 20 cents per pound. Blue Pike. This fish is also taken from the lakes. It is inferior to the yel- low pike, and sells at about two-thirds its price. Is brought east from the Huron fisheries and from Vermillion, Ohio. The Sauger or Gray Pike. Smaller than the two preceding, as it weighs seldom more than 2 pounds. Considered a good table fish, and sells at about same price as the blue pike. Pickerel. This fish is taken from rivers, l^rooks, and ponds in nearly all parts of the country. There are several varieties. The flesh is sweet and finn. Sells in New York at 10 to 18 cents per pound. Black Bass. (Fresh water.) This is a very firm fleshed and welcome fish, well known to amateur fishermen. It is taken in all the western lakes and streams. They somewhat resemble in shape the salt water black fish, but are shorter, with a rounder back and longer under jaw — color bluish black, bluish white belly. They average about two pounds in weight, and are often in eastern markets from October to April. Many ponds have been stocked with them of late years. Ciscoes, or Herring of tlie Lakes. Are to be had during the autumn and winter months. Flesh sweet but rather dry. They are sold at eight to ten cents per pound. In appearance are something like the salt water herring, 46 MARKETING. but rounder, with a sharp pointed head. They are generally quite fat. Resemble small white fish also in general appearance, with a less pointed head. Yellow Percli. This fish is taken in nearly all the ponds and streams of the country, although not in the lower Mississipj^i basin, and can generally be found on the fish stands during the season, or from September to April. Its flesh is firm, but not especially delicate. Sucker. A thick, round bodied fish, 'with a greenish back and sides, and whitish belly. Not highly esteemed ; aj)t to have a muddy flavor. Catfish. Horned Pout or Bull Head. A common fresh water fish in our markets, where they are sold skinned, and looking red and bloody. They are substantial and palatable. The varieties of catfish preferred in Baltimore and other southern points are those which dress white instead of red. The catfish of the lakes are larger, and are not much esteemed for the table. The smaller ones, weighing under, say ten pounds are the best, and it is said they should be parboiled to extract the oil, then stuffed and roasted. Sun Fisli, Pond Fisli or Pumpkin Seed. These small and jDlentiful fish are seldom eaten unless fish are scarce. Their flesh is sweet, but dry and crumbly. turtl.es. Terrapin. This is the best of the turtle tribe, and a great favorite with epi- cures. They are considered best in the months of November, December, and January. In the New York markets the varieties are distinguished as the diamond back and the southern. The former usually sell at $18 to $25 per dozen, and the latter at from $12 to $18. The snapping turtle is ugly and savage in appearance, but the young ones are savory food. The soft shelled, the logger head, hawk's bill, and leather turtles are also eaten. So are the MARKETING. 47 fresh water, smooth, and the red bellied terrapin. The speckled turtle is not often eaten, its flesh being muddy, insipid and rank. Green Turtles These friends of the aldermen are brought North from Florida, the West Indies, and the Spanish Main. About 8,000 reach New York annually. They range in weight from five to five hundred pounds, but average about eighty pounds. They are kept here through the winter in well warmed storage rooms and fed on green stuff, like cabbage leaves, etc. The flesh of the green turtle is sold in the New York markets at 20 to 25 cents per pound, and is cut into delicious steaks and soup pieces. The fat is green. The "veal part " from the forequarters is usually cut to steaks. The flesh attached to the upper shell is called "calipash," and is of a dull greenish color. " Calipee " is the flesh from the lower shell, and is yellowish. Turtle eggs are much sought for. Frogs liCgs. These are delicate and delicious; only the hindquarters are eaten. They are stewed, fried, or friccaseed. Usually command from 40 to 70 cents per jDOund, and are best in the autumn and poorest in the spring. SHELL. FISH. Oysters. The United States surely leads the world in the size, flavor, and succulence of this dainty shell fish. The favorite oysters in New York are the "East Rivers," which generic name includes all brought here from the Long Island Sound waters, as far East as Bridgeport, aggregating about 3,000,000 bushels yearly. All the East Rivers are raised from their ov/n "seed." The large oys- ters of this variety are called "saddle rocks." Many are shipped under this name to all parts of Europe and to all points in the United States, but strictly speaking, there have been no "saddle rocks" in twenty-five years. Shrewsburys, Rockaways, Prince's Bays, and New Haven oysters are all in high repute. Many are sent westward from Maryland and Virginia in cars. Everyone knows that oysters are best in those months which are 48 MABKETING. spelled with an r. In other months they are spawning, and are soft and milky. Oysters are never fat, but they may be plump. This plumpness is owing to the assimulated substance which it lias laid away under its "mantle," and which renders it so delicate and nutritious. Clams. The best clams on the Atlantic coast are known as the Quahaug or hard clams. They are considered excellent as an appetizer. Next in importance is the soft shelled clam, abundant in many places along the coast. The razor back and beach clam are other varieties. Scollops, These are a rich and dainty sea food. They are best from September to March. They retail in New York at from fifty to eighty cents. Only the muscular part of this fish is eaten; the largest and plumpest are considered best. Mussels are only eaten in the fall and winter months. They are very abundant and cheap; are best boiled and pickled. They are very substantial food, and are not easily digested by weak stomachs. Lobsters. The heaviest are the best. They are in season in all months except December, January, and February. It is said by scientists that more phosphorus is found in the flesh of lobsters and crabs, than that of any other fish or animal, and that it is in such a con- dition as to be easily assimilated. For this reason they declare that this sea luxury is very healthful for many people. In buying lobsters try if the tail be stiff and springy ; if not they are stale or watery. The male lobster is smaller, with narrower back part of the tail, and the flesh is firmer. The whole lobster is good to eat except the shell and craw, or stomach, which lies back of the head. Crabs. The crab is not as popular as the lobster, but its flesh is more MAKKETING. 49 delicate in flavor. One of the best of all sea luxuries is tlie soft ciab, or "shedder." Every year the crab sheds its shell, and if taken at the time, his delicate flesh is covered only with a thin skin. Solt-shell crabs are an epicurean dish. They range in price in mai-ket at from $1.25 to $3 per dozen during the summer and early fall months. Prawns and Slirlmp. Prawns, looking something like little lobsters, are brought here from Charleston, S. C. They are excellent. Shrimp are smaller, but very delicate in flavor, and are much used in making sauces. vegetabl.es. Vegetables must be made a very considerable portion of the human diet for the preservation of the health. It is an erroneous idea that medicines can of themselves cure dis- ease; at best they can only produce a favorable condition for nature to perform the cure. The proper use of vegetables as a part of the daily food keeps the system in a condition to resist disease and to ward off its attacks. Spinach, for instance, is said to have a beneficial effect in kidney complaints. The common dandelion used as greens is excellent for biliousness, and, like asparagus, exercises a purifying influence upon the blood. Celery acts admirably upon the nervous system and aids in the cure of rheumatism and neuralgia. Tomatoes act upon the liver; beets and turnips are excellent appetizers; lettuce is soothing to the nerves, and, like cucumbers, is also cooling. Red onions are diuretic in their effects, and white onions are recommended eaten raw as a remedy for insomnia or sleeplessness. In fact, garlic, leeks, chives, shallots, and the whole onion tribe, possess medical virtues. They tone up the circulating system and increase the flow of saliva and the gas- tric juices which promote digestion. A soup made from onions is regarded by the French as an excellent restorative in debility of the digestive organs. It would be easy to go through the whole vegetable list and find each one possessing some special mission of healthfulness, and it 50 MARKETING, will be plain to every housekeeper that a vegetable diet should be partly adopted, especially in the spring and summer. It vill surely be best for the health of the family. The Earliest Vegetables. The first spring crop which reaches New York comes from the Bermudas, a group of islands about 600 miles to the eastward of Charleston. About $400,000 worth of potatoes, onions, beets, and tomatoes reach us yearly from there. The season begins in March, and reaches its height in April and May. Soon after the first re- ceipts from Bermuda, Florida sends forward her potatoes, tomatoes, peas, beans, cucumbers, etc. A little later Georgia sends along her garden truck ; then in succession are received shipments from South and North Carolina, and soon Norfolk, Virginia, wheels into line with its immense production, and finally, our Long Island and home gardeners have their season. During all this time our vegetables on sale are improving in freshness as they are drawn from sources nearer home, and the prices are falling. The earliest new potatoes from Bermuda and Florida command at wholesale from $10 to $15 per barrel, and other vegetables in 23roportion_ The very early cucumbers, lettuce, radishes, etc., in market, are raised in hothouses in Massachusetts, New Jersey, etc. Cooking Vegetables, Cooks of experience declare, as a cardinal principle, that salt should be added to the water in which any kind of vegetables are to be cooked — say to the extent of a heajiing tablespoonful to each half gallon of water. They say also that all vegetables, excejit old potatoes, should be put into boiling water. The latter are apt, if put into boiling water, to become pulpy on the outside before the inside is soft. Potatoes. Potatoes with the American people rank next to bread as a staff of life*. There are many favorite varieties. Some are early but less mealy, while others are very prolific but less desirable in flavor; for these reasons the different varieties vary somewhat in price. In choosing a j^otato, it will always be found that the MARKETING. 51 finest, mealiest and most nutritious will be denser, and heavier than the waxy and soft ones. In a solution of salt, the best will sink and the poorer swim. This test is said to be unfailing; specific weight should therefore be considered in buying potatoes. Sweet Potatoes. There are two varieties in the markets, the red or purple and the white or yellow. The former come mainly from the more southerly states, but there is little difference in price. Ouious. This is one of the most wholesome and indispensable of vege- tables. There are many varieties. The white or silver skinned, yellow and red. The large Spanish onions are much milder than other varieties, and are largely eaten raw with vinegar. Garlic, Lieeksf, Cliives. Garlic is a pungent species of the onion or allium tribe, which is more used abroad than in this country. It is a fine vegetable for flavoring, and considered very healthful. Leeks also are an ally of the onion, with large leaves, a thick stalk and small roots. They come in July, and last all winter. Chives are a species of the leek, with small spine-like leaves ; only good while fresh, used as salads. Cabbage. A standard vegetable which may be had all the year round. The heaviest are the best. Among the varieties are the curled leaf or Savoy cabbage, which is a favorite with many. The red cabbage is largely used for cold slaw or pickling. Cauliflower. This is an aristocratic and delicately flavored member of the cab- bage family. It has been growing more abundant and less expen- sive of late years. It is to be had in market nearly all the year, being grown in hothouses in winter. It is best from April to De- cember. The large, creamy white, solid heads, are the best. If the leaves are wilted, or the head has dark or soft spots on it, the cauliflower is stale. 52 MARKETING. Carrots, Another wholesome and standard vegetable, to be had through- out the year There are different varieties and colors of carrots. It is much used for soups, stews, harricots, etc. Parsnip. Always to be had when other vegetables are scarce, and always nourishing and good. The choice are large, heavy and free from side roots. This is one of the vegetables which frost improves. Celery, A delicious and most healthful vegetable, a tonic for the nerves, and excellent for people troubled with rheumatism and neuralgia. It is sometimes bitter early in the season, but after frost comes it is better. It is in its prime and cheapest during the winter months, after which it becomes tougher and stringy. Bunches with solid, clean, white stalks are the most crisp and sweet. Celery makes a fine salad, and the trimmings go into soup. Asparagus. A choice, palatable and health-giving vegetable. The season begins in March, After the first of July it grows fibrous and poor. Some prefer the white, others the purple top. The heads of the stalks should be full and green. Cucumbers. A pleasant vegetable or fruit, but difficult of digestion and con- taining but little nourishment. They should be green and hard. If eaten sliced with vinegar, it is best to leave the slices a short time in well salted water, which is said to extract some of their deleterious qualities. They are largely used as pickles, and the riper ones are often fried and otherwise cooked. Tomatoes. Wholesome and palatable, excellent food for people with weak stomachs or liver difficulties. Good raw, stewed, baked or in soups. The best time to can tomatoes is about the last of August, when they are abundant and cheap. Millions of bushels are canned every year, and if properly put up they are nearly as good as the MARKETING. ^^ fresh article. The tomato has come into popular and extensive use during the present generation, but it could ill be spared, now that its excellent qualities are fully known. Turnips. The are several varieties which may be had throughout the year. The medium sized turnips are better, as larger ones apt to be *' corky." They are excellent with boiled mutton, etc. Beans. Undried beans may be divided into two varieties, the shelled and the string beans. The former embraces the lima sorts, etc.; of the latter the Neapolitan or snap bean is considered the best and crispest. The potato lima is said to yield, when shelled, almost a half more than the common lima. Peas. There are many varieties of this fine vegetable. The smaller are the most desirable. Peas should be purchased in the pods, which should be cool, green and dry. If the pods are turned to a lighter shade or look rusty, the pea will have a black spot upon it, which - indicates that it is too old to be at its best. In some markets quan- tities of dried peas are sold soaked, to look like the fresh article. The best canned peas are put up in France— one can for six per- sons. Squasli. The summer squash is in market from April to the last of August, when the winter squash is in season; the latter is less delicate but more substantial. Green Corn, The first comes from the South in May. The home supply lasts until October. It should have well filled, milky ears, but if too old it will be hard, and no amount of boiling will make it tender. Tt is made into the excellent Indian dish succatash, into fritters, puddings, etc. Salsify or Oyster Plant. This vegetable has a grassy top and a long, tapering, white root, somewhat resembling a carrot, and suggests in eating it the flavor 54 MARKETING. of oysters. The young tops are sometimes used as greens, and tlie root makes an excellent winter dish. Egg Plant. This vegetable, called guinea squash at the south, should be firm, hard, and rather under ripe. Cut into slices and fried, it has somewhat the taste of an oyster. They are also eaten plain boiled and in soups and stews. The large, purple, oval-shaped are the better variety. Radish. Said to be difficult of digestion of itself, but helps to digest other food. There are two kinds — the small bulbous or round, and the long. It is a fine spring relish. Articliokes. Pickled, used as a salad, and also served as a vegetable. There are two varieties, the Jerusalem artichoke being best known in this country. It is a tuber, like the potatoe. Pumpkin. The season begins in Septemljer and lasts until January. There are several varieties, most of which make excellent pumpkin pies. Rhubarb or Pic Plant, An excellent, cooling and healthful vegetable, much used for sauces, jiies, etc. The leaves are said to contain oxalic acid and must not be used as greens. Okra or G^umbo. The green seed pods of this plant are much esteemed for soups and stews, especially in the South. The long green variety is considered the best. SAIiADS, OREEIVS, ETC. liCttuce. This unrivaled salad plant may be had throughout most of the year iu the cities, being raised in hothouses through the winter months. There are many varieties, but one called Roman lettuce MARKETING. 55 is especially recommended by cooks and caterers. It is evident that lettuce should be green, tender, and crisp. Spinaoli. A staple, hardy, and excellent plant, always in season. The best varieties are the broad leaved, curled leaved, and the prickly- leaved. It is used only as greens. Brussels Sprouts. A plant of the cabbage species, producing numerous small bunches or heads on the stalk. They are used as greens, and are tender and esteemed. They are in season through the fall and into the winter. Kale. The parts used are the tender tops, which should be well boiled. In season when frost comes, and continues good all winter. Beet Greens. The young beet plant makes delicious greens. They are best in May and June. Other Plants Used as Greens. The leaves of the young dandelion make excellent and healthy greens and salads; best in March and April. The older plants are bitter. This plant and the leaves of the narrow leaved dock, which also make tender greens, are considered excellent for the liver and for purifying the blood. Cavish is a common field plant, also used for greens. Purslain.— This common weed has round, thick, tender leaves, and is used as greens and as salad, and is also pickled. Other plants used as greens and salads are endive, cardamums, fetticus, cresses, nasturtium leaves, poke weed, rape, sorrel, shepherd sprouts, white mustard leaves, milk weed, chickory, horseradish leaves, etc. Horseradish. An excellent, pungent root, eaten with meats; said to be very healthful and a preventive of paralysis. 56 MARKETING. Muslirooius. This edible fungus is as delicious as it is dangerous. While it is quite easy to distinguish them from the poisonous toadstools, mistakes often occur in gathering them, through ignorance. They are very plentiful in some parts of the country, growing wild in the fields. They impart a unique flavor to meats and sauces, and are also eaten as a relish or entre. The top of the young mushroom is white, the under portion loose and light red ; as it matures, the top changes to a brown color, and the under part to a dark red. The stem, which is white and round when young, also grows dark with age. Eatable mushrooms have a decidedly pleasant odor, and are never slimy. The following has been proposed as a test for mushrooms : "Sprinkle salt on the under or spongy part, and if it turns black the mushroom is good; if yellow, it is poisonous. Time should be given for the salt to act. The French canned mushrooms are safe and not very expensive. A forty cent can will make sauce enough for ten people. Truffles. Epicures pronounce the flavor of the truffle to be the most delicate and delicious of any vegetable production. It improves everything it touches in the culinary line. It is about the size of an Qgg^ rough, warty, and almost black. Pot Herbs. Among the herbs used for culinary purposes may be mentioned sage, thyme, summer savory, tarragon, anise, balm, bay leaves, basil, boneset, caraway, coriander, dill, hyssop, tovage, sweet marjoram, mint, etc. MEIiONS. Muskinelons. A good muskmelon is known by its color and odor. It gen- erally has nine ridges which are rough and separated by narrow strips of smooth skin. If the latter is green the melon is unripe. When ripe the rough skin is brownish gray, and the smooth skin greenish yellow. If the melon appears nearly or quite ripe all over> MARKETING. 57 it is over ripe and decomposing. If it has no odor the melon is only fit for cattle. The stronger the musk odor, the finer it is. It should be emelled at the "far end," or the one opposite the stalk end. Watermelon. If pressed anywhere near its center it should yield a little, and the indentation disappear when the finger is removed. If no in- dent can be made the melon is too green. If the depression remains, the melon is over ripe. Our main supply of watermelons comes from Georgia and North Carolina. They are picked a little before they are ripe, and will keep from fifteen to twenty days. The Kolb gem is perhaps the favorite at present. Sometimes as many as 175,000 melons reach New York from the South in a single week. They are wholesome and palatable. DOMESTIC FRUITS. The constantly increasing variety, excellence, abundance and cheapness of fruits and berries in this country, is full of promise for the health and vigor of the American people. Fruits are necessary for the physical health. They are cooling, healthful . and nutritious. As desserts they are far better for young and old than pastries or sweetmeats. Apples. This noble fruit is to be had in market all the year. It will be impossible to^me the many varieties. We have the Southern apples as early as April. These are followed by our own early summer and autiunn apples, and from October to March we have the winter varieties. It is needless to enlarge upon the many uses to which this well known fruit is put in the household. Apricots, A fine, small-skinned fruit, which ripens before the peach in July. The California apricots are much esteemed. Cherries. A grateful and acceptable fruit, the earliest of which reach us from Southern points in May. There are many varieties. 58 MARKETIFG. Nectarines. Fine and well flavored, but not very abundant. They come about August 1, and continue until October. Peaches, A standard fruit, and one of the most tempting and delicious l^roducts of the earth. The raising of j^eaches has now become a great industry in certain sections, and the supply is abundant and cheap. The height of the joyful peach season is from the first of August until about the twentieth of September, during the latter half of which time they should be secured for preserving, etc. fears. Another of the royal fruit family, which has many luscious vari- eties. The best come in August, Sejjtember, and October. Among the choicest are the duchess, Bartlett, and virgalieu varieties. California sends many large and exquisite pears to Eastern markets, and there is a hopeful prospect that such ship- ments will continue to increase. There are several fine varieties of winter pears. Plums. Among the varieties of this fine fruit are the green gage, white and purple damsons, red, white and frost gage, magnum bonum, egg, etc. They ripen in August and are in full season until Octo- ber. The California j)lums are also very fine. The prune plum also flourishes bountifully on the Pacific coast. Grapes, There are many popular varieties of the fruit of the vine which are abundant thoughout the fall. Among them may be mentioned the exquisite Muscat and other grajDes of California, the Isabella, Concord, Catawba, black Hamburg, etc. Besides these, a single firm in New York imports every year more than half a million bar- rels of the hardy and cooling white Almeria grapes, which were formerly a costly luxury, but are now abundant and cheap. Quince. A finely flavored fruit, which is never eaten unless cooked ; is MARKETING. 59 made into preserves, sauces, etc. They come in October The smooth large ones of the apple quince variety are the favorites with many. TROPICAL. FRUITS. The multiplied and improved facilities of the last few years, and the better knowledge of the people in regard to the excellence and healthfulness of these fruits, have contributed to widen and vastly increase the popular demand for them, which has been met by a correspondingly increased supply. They are now sold in full variety and at very moderate prices in almost every town and city in the land, and are looked upon as articles of almost daily neces- sity by thousands who formerly regarded them as costly luxuries. Oranges, Owing to the excellence and increasing supply of this fruit from Florida and California, importation from the Mediterranean has declined somewhal, but still, a million boxes are annually received in New York. Havana oranges, which were formerly considered the best, have deteriorated in quality of late years. Last year about 20,000 barrels of Havana oranges were received in New York, and a similar quantity from Jamaica. The Florida crop was about one and a quarter million boxes, and that of California half a mil- lion boxes. Mediterranean oranges are thin-skinned and juicy, and they are hardy and keep better. But the oranges of Florida are richer and better flavored. One of the choicest varieties is the seedless navel. Many of the sw^eetest Florida oranges are covered with a sort of rust, which, while it does not impair the flavor, renders them less sightly and handsome. liCinons. About a million and a half boxes of lemons are sold yearly in New York, at least four-fifths of which comes from Sicily. Florida has begun the lemon culture, but her contribution has not yet exceeded fifty thousand boxes in the year ; but the pro- duction is increasing. Lemons vary much more in price than oranges ; a long spell of hot weather or unusual sickness being among the numerous causes that advance the price. 60 MARKETING. Bananas. The consumption of this most nutritious fruit is rapidly grow- ing in the United States. There are two varieties — the red from Barracoa, Cuba, and the yellow from Jamaica and the Spanish Main. The yellow are decidedly the better. Two and a half million bunches of bananas were received at the port of New York last year. Bananas are in market all the year, but the height of the season is from March to August. Cocoaniits. This rich nut is largely used for cake, pies, etc. It is delicious in flavor, but should be avoided by dyspeptics, about twelve million cocoanuts arrrived last year at New York. Pineapples. This exquisitely flavored fruit is very desirable sliced for the tea table. The season is from May to August; large quantities are brought here by steam and sail from Florida, Jamaica, etc. Prices averaged last year, at wholesale, sixteen to eighteen cents, for good merchantable pines. BERRIES. Strawberries. The strawberry season formerly lasted but two or three weeks, while now, strawberries grown in the open air may be found in our markets half the months of the year. The earliest of the season come from Florida about the last of February, and are sold as high as a dollar per quart. Shipments follow from along up the coast, and from the interior states like Tennessee and Kentucky, and finally end up with berries from the extreme northern limit of the country. There are many varieties, and the exquisite berry is too well known to need description. Raspberries. In favorable seasons these pleasant berries come into market early in June, and continue until about the first of August. There are several excellent varieties. MARKETING. 61 Blackberries. These wholesome and favorite berries ripen from the first to the tenth of July, and there are several choice kinds. The best are the fully ripe and freshly picked berries. Cranberries. The Eastern markets are mainly supplied from Cape Cod and the state of New Jersey. They sell at about fifteen cents per quart in market, and are considered an almost indispensable article, being made into sauce, jelly, tarts, etc. The sauce is an excellent adjunct with many kinds of meat. The new fruit comes into market about the first of September. They are very healthful. The largest and darkest are the best. Currants. Another useful, wholesome and cooling berry; used both green and ripe. There are several varieties and colors, both red, white and black. They ripen in July, but will cling to the bushes until September. Gooseberries. These are also largely used green. They are to be had red, yellow, green and white. The best are of medium size and free from rust. CONTENTS. MISCELLANEOUS. Page Loss by i snoraiit buying and bad cooking 5 Comparative prices of meats 5 A National dish 6 Soups and Stews J Table economies 7 Which are the best cuts? 7 Loss in cooking meats • - • • • I Proportion of water in various foods o Force in food ° Digestion of food » Jpg^^g O Best age and weight of food animals 9 BEEF. , . . Q Grass and grain fed animals 9 Ripening meats 9 Spoiled meats |J^ How to judgeof good meats I'J A bad habit | J A good butcher \j^ Diagram of a Beeve, with cuts |^ Cutting up Beef jj Latest modes of cutting (with diagram) j* First, second and third cuts in a side of beef lo Quality of the cuts |^ Suggestions of butchers ^^ Salted meats and corning pieces ij The brine ;••:•••;•••; Beef's heart, kidneys, liver, palates, suet, tails, tongues, tripe ^^ COOKING MEATS. ,„ .„ Boiling, broths, roasting, steaks i», ly MUTTON. .q How to select f^ Diagram of cuts and quality of the cuts '^ LAMB Source of supply. Spring lamb and its cost. English and Scotch mutton. To choose lamb. Lamb fries ^1 How to select good pork. Mode of cutting (with diagram.) The cuts: spareribs, tenderloins, etc. ; lard, sausages, hams, bacon, shoulders 22 and 23 VF 4 T The four grades of calves. "Bob Veal." To select veal. The cuts (with diagram.) The cuts— how used; sweetbreads, calve's head, kidneys, haslet, brains 24, 25, 26 Great difference in quality. Honorable butchers. A good plan. Street venders 27 POULTRY. . ^ c . Rapidly increasing supply. How to select. Spring chickens, capons, turkeys, guinea fowls, tame pigeons and squabs, geese and duck 28, 29, 30 EGGS. . . - „„ The various kinds compared. How to judge of good eggs. . . . dO 64 INDEX. GAME. Venison, rabbits, squirrels, bear 31 WILD FOWL AND GAME BIRDS. Canvasback ducks, red head, mallard, black duck, wood duck, widgeon and other varieties 32 Woodcock, quail, partridge, prairie chicken, snipe, wild turkey, plover, doe birds, reed birds, wild pigeon, black birds, other birds, imported game birds, birds not eaten. 33, 34, 35 FISH, (SALT WATER). Cod, haddock 36 Hake, pollock, halibut, blueflsh, weak fish 37 Shad, Salmon 38 Mackerel, Spanish mackerel, sheepshead, pompano, sturgeon. 39 Striped bass, sea or rock bass, black fish, sword fish, bonito, Tom cod or frost fish 40 Smelts, butter fish, herring, porgy or scup, flat fish, flukes. . . 41 Red snappers, black perch, white sea perch, whiting, king fish. Mullet 42 Gar or sea pike, white bait, eels, menhaden 43 FISH, (FRESH WATER). White fish of the lakes, muscallonge, speckled trout, lake tiout, rainbow trout 44 Yellow, blue and sauger or gray pike, pickerel, black bass, ciscoes or lake herring 45 Yellow perch, sucker, catfish, sunfish 46 TURTLES. Diamond back and Southern terrapin, snappng; soft shelled; logger head and hawk's bill turtles, green turpies, etc. 46 and 47 Frogs legs 47 SHELL FL--H. Oysters 47 Clams, scallops, mussels, lobsters, crabs, prawns, shrimps 48, 49 VEGETABLES. Excellent for the health. The earliest vegetables. Cooking vegetables 49, 50 Potatoes. Sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, leteks, chives, cab- bage, cauliflower 50, 51 Carrots, parsnip, celery, asparagus, cucumbers, tomatoes 52 Turnips, beans, peas, squash, green corn, oyster plant 53 Egg plant, radish, artichokes, pumpkins, rhubarb or pie- plant, okra, or gumbo 54 SALADS, GREENS, ETC. Lettuce, spinach, brussel sprouts, kale, beet-greens, dande- lion, cavish, purslain and many others 54, 55 Pot herbs 56 Horseradish 55 Mushrooms 56 Truffles 56 MELONS. ^ Muskmelons, watermelons 56, 57 DOMESTIC FRUITS. Apples, apricots, cherries, nectarines 57 Peaches, pears, plums, grapes, quince 58 TROPICAL FRUITS. Oranges, lemons, bananas, cocoanuts, pineapples 59, 60 BERRIES. Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cranberries, currants, gooseberries 60, 61