Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-01

through it: scant fat, yellow and SOFT,
shows age or an ill-conditloned AMI
NAL.
Its age can be closely determined oy
the small bone at the lower leg joint:
re this bone breaks easily Just above
the Joint, the animal is still lamp. II,
instead, it breaks at the joint, IT Is
no longer lamb, but mutton, Tor the
leg bone becomes too strong to break
after q years growth.
The Butchers Test.
The butchers test for the age OF
beef is by the gristle ends OF the
backbone, or "feather-bone," as he
calls it, If the animal is under three
years, the end of each vertebral bone
is white, and soft. As the animal
grows older, this becomes harder ana
dark in color, and there is little white
gristle left when the animal is four
years old and over:
When buying dressed poultry the
buyer must depend mainly on the APP
flesh should not be stiff or flabby. but
should give gently when pressed.
Cold-storage birds are usually packed
so close that the wings remain tight
ly pressed against the. body. even
after being unpacked some time. This
squeezed look will distinguish them
from freshly killed birds. When too
stale. the flesh turns dark and green
ish, the eyes shrink and the feet be-
come dry and hard. The skin should
be clear and light yellow. free from
pin-feathers.
The pliability of the end of the
breast bone is a very common test
for the age of a chicken. In a young
bird, or broiler, this end bone will
still be gristle or cartilage. and bend
very easily. In a bird year old it
will be brittle. and in an older bird
too tough and hard to bend.
A capon may be distinguished by a.
plumper. larger and rounder body
than the ordinary fowl, and IL the
head is left on, it will be smaller and
with. pale, withered comb. The feet.
If left on, furnish a good test for
age. In a young bird they are soft
and smooth. with claws short and
hard and rough, with long. blunt
claws The spur above the foot is
scarcely apparent in a broiler, but it
becomes long and straight at a year.
and in the old bird long and crooked
at the end.
Turkeys feet are black until the
birds are one year old. From that
time until the age Of three years they
are pink, after that gray and dull.
Pigeons feet are red when the birds
are old. In squads and young pig
cons the breast meat is whitish; it
becomes more or less purple with age.
Pork. Beef or Chicken Scrapple.
Any of these scrapples have the
virtue Of making small amount OF
meat go long way The cereal ele-
ment in scrapples gives bulk as well
as nourishment and also helps to
overcome the common tendency to
eat too much meat.
Pork. scrapple is usually made of
the head Of the Hog, but many of the
expert makers of scrapple use also
lac heart and the shank. which is |
very rich in gelatin like the head. !
HE shank should always be skinned
before it is cooked. Heads are |
great deal cheaper than other parts |
Of the hog.
he eyes, ears, snout and brains, but
Keep the tongue. Soak the pieces
overnight in strong salt water to
iraw. out the blood, then skin them
With "a sharp knife and,wash and
slean them thoroughly. Also scald |
and then. skin 1t. Put al!
It the pieces on the steve in cold
water and let them boil until the |
neat is tender and the bones will
slip out easily. Remove them from
he broth and when they are cool
hem through the meat chopper. Cool
he broth and remove from the top all |
at, which should be saved for bak- |
ing purposes. To. every quart Of |
chopped meat allow one and one-half |!
quarts of liquid! adding water to !
he broth if necessary. A smaller pro- /,
portion is likely to make the finished !
neat less easy to fry firm and crisp. !
Bring the broth. to a. boil and stir in |
,ornmeal as II you were making or
binary mush-about a cup Of meal to |
aquart OF broth. Let the mixture !;
/ quart Of broth. Let the mixture |
chopped meat. season with salt and |
let it simmer until it is well blended. |
As soon as it is done turn it into |
shallow pans to harden.
When you are ready to use the
scrappie cut 1t into half-inch slices. |
dip it in -four and fry 1t crisp and
very hot skillet. The meat will keep
Tor weeks in a cool place and is i'm
proved by freezing.
Good Substitutes.
An excellent substitute for head |
,crapple can be made in small guam |
,ity with a pound of pork sausage.
Make a mash with one and one-half
quarts Of slightly sailed boiling
water and two scant cups Of corn
neal in a double boiler. Cook it
half an hour stir in the sausage,
,ook it twenty minutes longer. sea-
son it to taste, put it into shallow
oans and use it like other scrapple.
A shank or shin Of beef can be
.reated i'm the same way. Have il
sawed into three or four pieces,
wash It and boil in slightly sailed
water until the meat drops from the
zones. then remove it from the broth
and proceed as in making pork scrap
Die. This scrapple may be fried like
pork scrapple. or is good sliced and
eaten cold. If you wish to make
pressed meat from the shin. put the
chopped meat into a pan or crock
and pour over it the stock. which
must be reduced SO that it will form
ielIy when cold. Season it to suit
the taste and serve cold in slices. 1t
makes an excellent luncheon for
school children. A.. little vinegar.
onion or lemon juice added to the
hot stock gives variety in flavor. A
shank made into pressed meat fur
nished eight meals for family of
three. 1t would have given several
more had it been made into scrapple.
To make chicken scfapplc boil the
disjointed fowl in sailed water until
it Is very tender, then remove the
bones and put the meat through the
of two cups to cup of
meat, and proceed as for pork
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