The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-01-04
what Foods are MOST ReonomIoali

What Foods are Most Rconomicalf
With an advance of twenty to 100 per
cent, and more, in the price, of staple
.oous, the above is now 8 most iu1oor-
ant question to, over forty millions of
our people, and one of much interest to
seven or eight millions more. Probably
there are not two millions who. take M, M,
thought or care as to the cost of their
daily diet. Meats, flour, potatoes, corn
meal, and milk are the main articles of
sustenance for the great masses, Fish,
nee, beans, and oat-meal (recently),
with lesser amounts of some. other arti-
cles, are consumed; but these alto
gether do not. we Judge, constituts
one-tenth of the food Of the entire
people, perhaps not more than I've or
SIX per cent. :,
Dried or smoked beef, ham and cheese
rank high, but dried fish. outranks all
others. The nutritive value of dried
Goldfish is remarkable, and it deserves
special attention, 100 lbs. of it supply
ing as much nntriment as 81 lbs. of
beefl IL is cheap and abundant every
where, because very portable, aud easily
kept. II yields labor sustaining aiiment
at from one-third down to one-finth Of
The cost of beef in different sections of
the country. 1t is easily digestible, and
If properly freshened and cooked, it can
be made palatable and acceptable, to q
very large class needing to practice
economy. nu eri
0fthe relative value of potatoes, -four.
and eorn-meal, we speak elsewhere. At
the average price of leans, these are
The cheapest self-sustaining of all direct
prodacts of the soil, If not charred or
hardened in baking. The drought has
greatly diminished the yield, and the
present price Is high, but they are still
comparatively economical.
The occupation of any class of persons
has much to do with deciding the most
economical foods. 1t is estimated that,
in a temperate climate, an average man
needs, each twenty -four hours, Simply
TO sustain life without increasing his
weight, about eleven and q half ounces
OF heat-producing, and four and three
quarters of fesh-forrning foods. Labor
ers, and those putting forth much exer-
ton, need most of the fesh-forming
food, such as lean meats of all kinds,
eggs, cheese, fish, beans, peas, oatmeal,
bread, cabbage, roots, etc.
Those exposed to cold need more of
the heat-producing foods, as fat meats,
corn-meal, and generally those articles
containing large amounts of oil or
starch or both. of sugar, etc.
Those working hand, in cold weather,
need much of both kinds combined, as
In pork and beans. aeai
Wheat contains about sixty-nine per
cent of heat-prodacing, and eleven per
cent of fiesh-forning elements Indian
corn about seventy per cent of heatspro-
ducing starch and oil, and nine per cent
of fesh-formers. Beans and peas about
fift5-two per cent of heat-producing oil
and starch, and twenty-five per cent Of
flesh-formers.
Milk admirably combines flesh-form-
ing curd or cheese, and the heat-pro-
ducing oil (bltter) and sugar. All kinds
of cheese, including the cottage or sour
milk cheese, are excellent strength-giv-
ing food. All skinned milk may be
very economically used in supplying
cottage or soft cheese as strength-gfv-
ing human food. This soft cheese is, in
utility and value, very like lean meats.
Maccaroni makes an excellent variety
in the scarcity of vegetables, and should
be much better known, and more used
by the masses here. Ii is the staple
food of the common people in Italy, in
deed of most classes. 1t is made of
strongly glutinous wheat flour; hence
is fiesh-forming, while its starch sup
plies heat. 1t may be cooked tender In
boiling water, seasoned with salt, and
eaten with or even without cream sauce,
or milk or butter. After boiling il can
be put in q pudding dish, with about q
quarter of its weight of grated cheese
sprinkled over it. and lightly baked.
The addition of cheese makes this diet
about equal to lean meat as = flesh
former.
Ripe peas should be more commonly
used. A bowl of good pea soup is as
satisfying as q hearty dinner on a cold
day To make q gallon of it, wash q
pint of peas and soak them over night;
then boil in five pints of water, gently
simmering three hours. or so, until
thoroughly soft. With q potato masher
rub the soup through colander or
wire sieve. A pound of beef or ham
bone may be boiled with the peas. The
soup may be seasoned in various ways
with onions, cloves, pepper, sugar, any
or all of them, to make them most pala-
table. Bean soup may be made simil-
arly.
Stewed carrots are a far more nour-
ishing and economical human food than
is generally known, and they should not
be mainly left for animals Scrape the
roots, chop into small pieces, and stew
in water until very tender. They may
he seasoned with dour-and-butter sauce
AL the better with cream added-and
in various other ways. Some ike them
made piquant with a dish of cayenne
.-4,7ericaB 1gricsslturist.