The morning call., 1890-05-24
MARKET ATTRACTIONS.
Fine Fruit ON the Stalls-Cur.
rants and Raspberries.
The Display Superior to That in New York
Markets = The Price Of Meat, Fish,
Vegetables and Fresh Fruit.

WHAT'S that for?" asked a CALL reporter CT
a vegetable man, pointing, as he spoke, TO
small box covered with sheet OF glass set in a
frame, q" what's going Ia there?
That. young man." replied the greengr0cer,
" is the best proof that summer is here. We are
TO keep dates in that. III you notice that the
large glass showcase that does duty all through
the winter and early spring for dates, figs and
chestnuts has had 10 give place TO the fresh
fruit. or course, we have to keep some dates,
because we have customers who buy some every
day. Where in the world would we stow away
all the boxes OF Strawberries and cherries il we
did not make room on the stall? Look at the
display. l have often stopped to compare the
different appearance OF my stock at the different
seasons OF the year. At one time 1t will be
bright with the chrome tints of the oranges
and llghtened by the paler hUes OF The
lemons. Some fruiterers, II you notice, always
keep their oranges wrapped up in tissue paper /
Keep few In that STYLE but l think that fruit
man owes il 10 his customers, aud certainly 10
himself, If he wishes to sell anything by appeal
ing to the eye of the passersby, TO make q good
showing. There is simply no question as to
what loo the most attractive AT another time
in the season the stalls are banked high with the
bright green of cas- and beans and ornamented
with ariichok es and, as now for Instance, the
strawberries and The cherries give bright dash
boxes. l do not know now 1t may be now, but
when was In New York the marKets there SIM
ply could not compare with ours for profusiOn
ana variety OF fruit display. | remember one
thing about The strawberries They were always
sold In fancy little boxes and they never entered
the market with their stems on.
" But just look at the strawberries. they keep
getting larger and sweeter. They are In line
condition. The best are the Longworlhs. They
are lie small berries so much priced on account
OF their fine flavor. They cost from so TO 60
cents box. while the larger berries, the Queens,
are from 30 10 40 cents. All through The season
there is the same relative Inference IN their
price. While the Queen Is much the shower
berry, II is simply way on the true delicate straw
berry hayoF. Tue hOusekeeper who orders them
When ste wishes a strawberry shortcake evolved
from The Tecesses OF ner culinary domain Will
perhaps blame the cook because the cake Is
tdSleless, when in fact II could not be otherwise.
The smaller berries have the most juice, aud
therein lies The secret OF good strawberry short
caKe-a sweet juicy berr Y.
" RaSpberries have been in 4 few days aud are
80 cents box. pound box. Cherries be-
coming very plentiful ana have gone down In
price; tie finest black hearts are only bit a
pound. Then the inferior varieties are cheaper.
The cooking cherries are particularly fine this
year
ION Thursday the first currants of the season
made their appearance. They are the red ones.
The white variety VIII not be in until little
later. They are also BIT pound. Canddy
must say that OF all fruits think that the earli-
est cuTl ants are about the most unsatisfactory.
You see they are not like Strawberries cher
rles. or even like gooseberTes, where you can
PICK out the ripest ones If you like and let The
resi- 20. But tie ripe cutrantS, and the unrpe
ones, OF which IL is true there are bound TO be
good proportion, are strung along together
OH the same bunch and il would be lengthy
operation 10 attempt to cast aside all the hard or
tie unlnytlng looking currants So there is
nothing To do but totei them aiOue-tO swallow
them with the eyes Shut or TO do what great
many people do, and that i TO cook them. | may
nave an unreasonable prejudice in The matter,
but somehow 1t always seems 10 me like a waste
oil good material 10 go TO work cooking and stew
Ing up IFesn lfuil, ana as Tor taking nice ripe
Cherries and messing them into dripping mass
OF what IS dubbed a pie think It's shame 10
treat Ihe fruit In that style.
ITS all light whatever people may choose TO
DO with gooseDeIIies. | think that they are
nonsensical fruit, well named, and yet they
always IN great demand They are prime now
and Sell for 10 cents pound.
" Green peas are plentiful and sell four pounds
FOR quarter. We nave the TWO varietes-the
maiTowiat and lie sugar pea-tlIe latter. how
ever, is not coming in in any quantity.
"ArtichoNes are IN splendid condition. / tell
you Too lew people appreciate the beauties OF
the hrst cousin to the thistle. Did You ever eat
artichoke salad? Well, If not. you had better DO
so tile first time you get a chance. II Is made or
the cold hearts OF the aftichOke carefully scrapcd
free from all the hne little leaves OF the art-
choke, which tradition has always declared 10
be poisonous These hearts are Then sliced up
ana stfyvd WIN may onnalse dressing. It's
nhe. low much are artlchokes? Only 80
cents dozen. And speaking OF salads. let me
tell you Of a strange dish. You see the fresh
Almonds over there in their green wraps? Well,
they have no meat III them, and they are served
as salad with dressing poured all over them
They are in great demand in French restaurants,
They 25 cents pound.
String beans are plentiful, and the Fountain
bean, that IS the best, is a bit pound. Some
not quite so choice sell for cents Those pale
yetlowish beans over there the wax bean;
they are 10 cents pound. They are cooked In
the same way that The string bean ls, but they
have a very different flavor, aud are sought for
more by foreigners than by my American Gus
toners.
Summer squash is 10 cents a pound. 1t Is not
yet at Its best regarding size but II soon Will be-
come more uniform than IL Is AT present Rlu-
bal ID Is still IN the market. and IL be bOugnr
Tor cents pound. Green peppers have gone
down little, and instead Of being 81 pound
10 cents Is the price now asked.
Spinach Is three pounds Tor % cents; great,
new onions, 9 cents pound. Extra choice
cucumbers are 20 cents each, smaller ones three
Tor quarter. Root vegetables are at their usual
summer price, 20 cents a dozen. Letluce aud
salads OF all kinds are very choice, but II people
would only learn 10 immense The heads of lettuce
into a pail OF cold water, aud let 1t stand there
all day-ln the shade, OF course-it would aston
ISL sOme of them to see what a different thing
The lettuce is from what has been put In water
only Tor an hour before II Is served. But the one
who serves 1t should take great precautions to
carefully drain all waller rom each leaf, wiping
II dry, II necessary Win towel, because nothing
Is more detrimental to the success OF a salad
than to have the dressing diluted with water;
you Know ii IS an art to make a salad.
" lhe price OF meat is about the same" said
the amable butcher. business Is not nearly so
brisk as il ought TO be; but in this hot weather
and buy more fruit. OXtals are three for
quarter, or, IN great quantity, cents each"
"
said the courteous hsh-dealer, and prices are
not high, either. Shad is a oil pound; so are
kIngfsn, sturgeon, sole, founders and surf perch.
The last are caught quite in shore, IN The
breakers. Smells are growing a little less plen-
tiiui; they are 10 cents pound. Tumeod has
come back az Iu; II Is 20 cents pound. Barra-
coudI is here in profuSion Ii is caught In Mon
terey Bay aud sells for 20 cents pound.
That's no price at all for the oeIlcacy that some
consider barracuda. HaliDut is % cents,
salmon 10 cents; so is rock-cod; fresh
COZ tile same. What makes the difference
ia the color OF the cod?'. Why, take they
their hue from the color OF the rocks from which
they get their food. Haven't you seen bright
green rocks In the water, aud quite near 1t an
other rOck that WAS red? II you want a deli
cacy, and one that you feel you are paying a
delicacy pIice Tor. lake one OF these salmon
trout II ON the Sac amentO River. They weigh
fIom four 10 six pounds aud cost 81 each.
"a few soft she'll crabs are to be found al 60
ceuts dozen. Don't you know what they are =?
Why, they are the hard shell crab while lie i,
shedding his shell. They caught 10 the bay"
"Chickens are sim scarce" said the poultry
man. "B oilers briug from 4 10 bits, hens 6 or
BITS. roast chickens 81 20, squads 81 a dozen,
spring ducks 81 10 each or 81 IA pair. Spring
geese are 81 20 OF 81 80"