Evening star., 1946-12-19

cTOm Wldt Saw ~ tAlc = LIZA aAlQ
K street market this morning you1l
be. able to get practically anything
you want for your Christmas dim
ner. The place was beehive Of
activity, with produce still coming
In. There were some nice strawber-
ries on the market and much
cheaper than . few weeks ago.
Fresh limas were being shelled out,
fresh peas, all kinds of greens,
plenty Of sweet fennel, broccoli,
green and yellow squash. escarole,
chicory, even cultivated dandelion
greens for the salad bowl. and new
Florida potatoes!
For the bowls Of fruit you usually
have sitting around at this season,
you'll find fancy MuScat cluster
raisins from California as well as
dates and figs from the same place.
The dates were plain or stuffed;
nice assorted packages, too, of dates,
figs and cherries, also some extra
fancy selected prunes-ready-to-eat
that have been cured and candied
with rich fruit juices.
Lines have been scarce for some
time, now, but I saw nice large
Persian ones from Florida, gorgeous
big California and Florida navel
oranges, and few bananas here
and there. The bananas were of
good size, but one dealer told me
they were scarce and high in price.
Grapefruit, of course, both pink and
white meated ones. Did you know
you can 60 to the market, select
your own basket and fill it with
your own choice of fruits and nuts?
The supply of fresh cranberries
seems to be ample-they're on the
expensive side, though. A good
quantity of shelled black walnuts
were around, also fresh grated COCO
nut and horseradish; in the dried
fruits 7 saw peaches, apricots,
prunes and pears.
AS for meats, they told me there
Is plenty of all kinds, all you need
is good fat pocketbook. Neverthe-
less, 1t is a welcome sight to see
the meat counters full again. There
were quite a few dressed rabbits
about; however, the good ones are
scarce.
OF course, the place was JAM
packed with Christmas trees,
wreaths and all the trappings. The
holly was lovely-bright and green
with lots of berries on it; you can
take your pick of wreaths made
from either hemlock, running cedar,
holly or blue spruce. Marsh ber-
ries made q gay splash OF color
everywhere. AS for the trees, you
can get them In all sizes; small
ones for the table to majestic big
ones that, reach the ceiling.
For the first time in five Christ
mas seasons you will be able to get
all the canned fruits you want.
Peaches, pears, apricots and fruit
cocktail are again in the food stores
in abundance. After the rich,
heavy fruit cakes and plum pud-
ding desserts Of the Christmas sea-
son, any one of the many canned
fruits will make an ideal change.
Serve them icy cold. A very Christ
mas-y affair is the fruit cocktail
mixture nodded in red fruit favored
gelatin. Try 1t nestled in bed OF
crisp green watercress. Pretty!
Before the final market list Is
made out be sure to include some
''quickies" to use as refreshments
on Christmas eve. You know how
it Is, after the last stocking is filled
and the last bit Of shiny tinsel is
hung on the tree-it's time for the
Santa Claus helpers to revive them
selves with q snack. Extra coffee,
maybe some date nut bread that
goes well with cream cheese for a
sandwich, potted meats, several
cheeses, crisp crackers and a plate
of your own Christmas cookies
and you're all fixed.
Here and There: OF interest
to dog and cat owners Is this news
from Production and Marketing Ad-
ministration, United States Depart
ment of Agriculture: From now on
pets food Is to be Government In
spected-just like that of the folks
who own them. It will be labeled
to show ingredients, protein con-
tent, minerals and thiamin. This
service applies only to canned wet
food for dogs, cats, and other carni-
vora" and not to old Rover's dog
biscuit. -. When you buy green's
for your salad bowls, remember to
include watercress. It's an ideal