Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-31
I 1OUSE=
TOLD
lINTS


require the willing spirit, level head and
then experience or practice to make per-
feet There is no royal road to housekeep-
Ing any more than any other science. 1t
requires study and hard knocks, though
some women adapt themselves to it more
readily than others. To live within her in
come is every womans duty. Otherwise
the wage earner-to quote the philosophical
"Richard'-may make up his mind "to keep
his nose to the grindstone all his life, and
die not worth groat at last In order to
live within her income the wage spender
must know what that income is. The wage
Garner has only himself to blame if he gives
his wife no idea of how the family finances
stand but allows her to run bills for him to
pay more or less grumblngly. The major
ity of women, given a certain definite
amount to eXpend, soon learn to make it
go much farther than man. A man hates
to be bothered with details. While the
American woman has not as yet equaled
the French housewife in guarding against
the smallest household leaks and stretching
the income so as to make every penny
count, she is gradually working up to it,
and in time will doubtless be able to give
points to the housewives of other nations.
One thing that the economical housekeep-
er has learned is that this is the best time
of the year to get the proper supply of
spices for the storeroom. closet. The spices
for the new year are usually sent to market
in late October and November. There is
vast difference between the fresh, new
spice and the old, from which all the es-
sential oils have evaporated. With a little
experience one can learn to judge pretty
accurately just how much will be required
1Or the year, so as to come out even. The
best way to insure having pure spices is to
purchase them whole and grind in a little
spice mill, as needed. Many people prefer
to grind their pepper in this way, as they
a nd for
tiny table mills are on sale. All spices
must be kept closely shut up in metal
boxes, to prevent the essential volatile oil
from evaporating.
New nutmegs may be distinguished from
the last years supply by scraping the
surface with the finger If new, the oil
Will moisten the spot at once
Mace. when new, is also oily 1t should
always be purchased whole and ground as
needed
Good cinnamon is thin and of light
brown The best cinnamon comes
from Ceylon and the supply is limited.
Many people prefer to use cassia buds in
spiced fruits, they can be more easily
obtained in good quality than cinnamon,
because there is less demand for them.
Gloves are less liable to deteriorate, and
can be usually obtained in good quality,
because little goes a great way. The
new cloves arrive in the fall along with
the other spices.
Ginger and pepper are both open to sus-
picion unless purchased of reputable deal
ers 1t is stated that there is factory in
Cincinnati which devOteS all its time to the
manufacture of nllers'' for use in mixing
with spices. These aduterantS, which are
sold to spice houses to be mixed with the
ground spices that are sold to the house
wife as pure" pepper, mustard, cinnamon
and ginger are conglOmeration of ground
peanut shells, cocoanut shells and colOred
flour or, as in the case of mustard, -four
and tumeric.
In buying ginger avoid the brownish vel
low dust. which comes from inferior black
ginger. The best ginger is the Jamaica or
white ginger, which is prepared from the
dried root freed from the thin skin which
covers it. White pepper is apt to be purer
than the black, which is largely admiX-
ture of pepper shells, pepper dust and other
authorizations.
Coffee is the easiest thing in the trade
to adulterate, even whole coffee being open
to suspicion. That which is sold ground
az forty cents a pound is frequently half
chicory, the latter being worth about eight
cents While chicory improves the flavor
OF coffee. according to most tastes, it de-
frauds the buyer in point of value. AS
the coffee bean improves with age it is a
good plan when sure of a pure, good arti-
Gle to buy in bulk, then roast and grind
as needed,
Tea, on the other hand deteriorates with
age and should not be purchased in large
quantities. Thanks to our own govern
ment however that guaranteed that from
May l. 1897, no tea unfit for use should be
allowed to enter our country, the housewife
may be reasonably sure that she cannot
have any adulteratiOn fOisted upon her
AS there is no duty tea, pure article
can be bought as low as twenty-five cents
per pound, in which there are 300 cups of
tea making the cost about twelfth of a
cent per cup Very few understand the
enormous varieties of teas-100 different
navors of Oolong alone being shown i'll
SAMPLES.
While a cheap grade of tea may be pure,
its very cheapness warrants the house
wife in buying the best qualities of tea.
AS a rule American women are not con-
noisseurs in tea. Almost any blend an
women" said tea expert lately, ARE
willing to pay for good food-and they will
pay for diamonds-but they will not pay
for good tea. If you want good tea go to
They will pay two or three times as much
for their tea as the Americans. Go to
Russia, where the people are notably poor,
or to the charwoman OF London, and you
will find good tea, but not here"
While to most women rice is rice, and
it makes but little difference from what
country their rice comes, to practiced rice
eaters the difference is very great. While
the statement is sometimes made across
the counter to a credulOuS customer that
the fancy imported rice is the best, this
is not true. The finest rice in the world,
excepting possibly Egypt, comes from
Louisiana and the Carolina marshes. The
Chinese in this country prefer the latter
saying that it has more substance. If
one can be sure of first-class article,
and then get the broken grains, which are
Just as nutritious, they may often be pur-
chased for very few cents per pound.
In buying olive oil get the best and
buy by the Navigation or gallon tin. In
the interests of good health abjure cot
tonseed oil. The best French oil, though
sweet and sound is apt to be diluted, so
that it is not economical There is an ex-
cellent Spanish oil which is heavier than
the French and goes further in salads,
while the California Oil, when purchased
from reputable firms, is the best known
to the experts of olive culture. AS proof
of it's purity, the California product is en-
ployed by all the Catholic churches through
out America in their minis IONS. Olive
oil should always be kept d cool, dark
place.
AS a rule the grocery is the best place
In which to buy the supply of hams, bacon
and other smoked meats. While: cheaper
meats may sometimes be purchased at
pork store, it Is a satisfaction to have the