Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-02-02
Answers Some Questions

If you will look on your map you
will see that I live in the exact
northwest corner of Alabama. Col
bert county is mountain or valley,
and the valley is the sort of soil
t., stays wet until late in the
spring and is slow about warming
up" Consequently, the people who
want vegetables must can in sum-
mer and plant root crops. And I
am going to tell how we keep our
Irish potatoes. We plant them in
early July, the Lookout mountain
kind, and we never dig them ex-
cept as we need them for the table.
When a white potato freezes, 1t
lis a dead proposition for MASKING.
cellar has never been a sue
cess, for the Wa er rises all winter,
Ind I can only take care of a half
bushel of potatoes when freezing
time comes.
Our Porto Rico potatoes are gath
cred carefully with a hoe, or SHOW
ell, and after they dry out, under
shelter they are covered with old
sacks and left as long as it is safe
and then wrapped in newspaper and
! 1t in barrels, al1' lined with pa
per. Thus far, none have rotted.
The farmer takes that job on him
self. He does it at odd times and
then he knows no bruised or cut
ones are put in the barrels.
Our carrots are nice and sweet, so
are the turl1ips. Many people 90
not eat carrots because they do
not relish the white sauce, or just
butter on them. Try cooking them
just as you do your turnips, with
a nice piece of pork boiled with
them. I have introduced" them to
a number of people who fancied
they were eating rutabaga turnips.
It is such a healthful vegetable that
tie children should be encouraged
to eat them frequently. Eaten raw
they aid digestion and are espe-
cially good for school children and
office workers.
The farmer has just begun to
smoke his meat. Some of the read
ers of thi paper have written to
know how we keep our meat from
the little black bug. Those who
signed their names have received
answers to their letters. l wish all
my correspondents would bear In
mind the fact that I never use a
real name when requested not to;
on the other hand, can do nothing
with letters not enclosing the real
name. But to return to the little
black bug. The meat is hung a."
soon as it has been packed in salt
three weeks Then allowed to drip
several days and then smoked with
hickory chips until reddish brown.
Now, here is where the little black
bug must be considered. I've seen
beautiful bacon and + ms taken
down and rubbed with sugar and
black pepper, and a little borax
This keeps off bugs, but makes the
meat harder and not SO sweet 1t is
then put down in corn meal.
We rub our hams and shoulders,
the cut places, with plenty of black
pepper and wrap securely in news
papers, then slip each one in a
bag made of a good quality cheese
cloth. these bags last for years,
if taken care of, and here is where
you must be careful-the bag must
be tied tight, or the little pests will
find a wrinkle to slip through. After
the bag is tied, another string is
used to hang it, one that does not
go inside. We have just finished a
ham that was fixed in January r.
last year. and not one skipper was
on it and the flavor was fine. If
you want to treat the bacon that
way, dip it first in hot water and
rub we'll with sugar and black pep
per; then wrap in newspapers. or
just hang them again. We are 60
i:-g % have a corner screened like
a safe just as soon as prices get
normal and hang our bacon. The
cost will not be much and think Of
the difference. AS it is we pack
the hams and shoulders in the big
box we salt it in, and shut it up.
The middlings keep wrapped and in
another box, though some are left
hanging. By using that meat first
wa get the streak O'1ean and fat