Part 26

RADISH (Raphanus sativus. Cruciferæ).

The earliest radishes may be sown in a frame in January. A light, mellow soil is desirable, and if the slight bottom-heat of a nearly exhausted hotbed be available, the radishes will be all the earlier. For anything in the nature of forcing or framework it is important to select a quick-growing, forcing variety with a strong tendency to the formation of root rather than top, such as Early French Breakfast or Wood’s frame varieties. Plenty of moisture and plenty of air during non-frosty days are the secrets of growing radishes in a frame.

Later sowings of radish, beginning in March, may be made periodically, according to the demand, as catch crops beneath a warm wall or fence, then among early peas and in similar situations, and in summer in a cool spot, with plenty of moisture available.

A radish must grow quickly and evenly, or it will be worthless. Therefore they must have plenty of moisture, and not be crowded; half an inch apart is quite near enough to grow them, whether sown broadcast or in shallow drills.

Winter radishes may be sown in July or August in drills six inches apart, the plants thinned to three inches in the rows. These form a pleasant addition to winter salads, and are pulled as wanted, peeled and sliced, much in the manner of cucumbers. The best variety for winter salads is perhaps Large White Winter Spanish; we have also grown the Chinese Rose Radish with success. Winter radishes are apt to be rather strong and pungent, and it is largely on account of its flavour we prefer the first named.

RAMPION (Campanula Rapunculus. Campanulaceæ).

This biennial native plant is not much used in the kitchen. Two sowings may be made of it, one in May, the other six weeks later. Seed should be sown very thinly in drills nine inches apart, and the plants thinned to three inches distance in the rows. Rampion requires a plentiful supply of water, and a fairly rich soil.

The roots will stand in the ground all the winter, and may be dug for use as needed from October onwards.

The roots and leaves are used either raw in salads, or the roots may be boiled and used after the manner of beetroots, or cooked and served as a vegetable, like parsnips.

RHUBARB (Rheum. Polygonaceæ).

As this is a permanent crop the ground should be deeply trenched and well manured for its reception. It prefers moist, cool soil, and is extremely hardy. It is best propagated by division of the root, a good crown bud with each root division.

February is the best month to plant, just before the roots in the open would be naturally starting into growth. The distance between the plants will depend both upon the variety selected and the nature of the soil; they can be advantageously planted more closely in a dry, thin soil than in a deep, cool loam, where they will naturally attain a much larger size. For the small garden a small early red variety is recommended, as this is a garden product well worth growing for an early crop of well-flavoured produce: eighteen to thirty inches distance should be allowed between the plants, according to circumstances. A shady situation among fruit-trees will do well for rhubarb.

The plants must not be pulled from the first year, and should have a mulch given towards the end of May to tide them over the summer. Late in January, or in February, boxes or pots should be placed over some of the crowns; or a tripod of stakes may be placed over the crowns, and loose litter shaken over. We dislike rhubarb forced by means of hot manure, and think this method completely ruins the flavour.

Through the summer the plants will be none the worse for a very occasional watering with weak liquid manure during showery weather. As the leaves die down during autumn they should be cleared away, and all made tidy for the winter.

RHUBARB DISHES.

=Rhubarb Jam.=--Peel the sticks of rhubarb, cut into short lengths, and weigh one pound of preserving sugar; put the rhubarb in a bowl and spread the sugar over, let it stand all night. Next day strain off the juice and put in the preserving pan with half a teaspoonful of ground ginger to each pound of rhubarb, adding the finely grated rind and juice of three lemons; put the pan by the side of the fire, stir as it comes to the boiling point, and then add the rhubarb. It should boil from thirty to forty minutes. Fill jam pots, and paper over while hot.

=Rhubarb Fool= is made like gooseberry fool, and tarts also are treated in the same way.

=Rhubarb Wine.=--Wipe twenty to twenty-five pounds of rhubarb with a damp cloth, but do not skin it; cut it into lengths, and crush it well in a wooden or earthenware vessel; pour over it three to five gallons of cold water, to each gallon of liquid add three ounces of good preserving sugar, and the finely peeled rind, and juice of a lemon. Let it remain for ten days covered, but stirring it a little every day. At the end of ten days strain the liquid into another vessel, stirring till all its contents are dissolved; then put it into a small cask, adding one ounce of isinglass dissolved previously in a little warm water, cover well the hole, and leave it for ten days; then cork it well, and do not disturb the cask for about a year, when it will be ready to bottle.

=Stewed Rhubarb.=--Take a dozen sticks of early red rhubarb, wash it and trim the ends; cut it with a sharp knife into two-inch or three-inch lengths; put it into a stew jar in which there is already a syrup made from a quarter of a pound of lump sugar, and half a pint of water; let this syrup cook for a quarter of an hour, then drop the pieces of rhubarb into the boiling syrup, and cook slowly until tender, basting it, and being careful the pieces do not break; less sugar may be needed. A piece of thin lemon rind and a teaspoonful of lemon juice may be cooked with it. Serve in a glass dish, with whipped cream over, or Devonshire cream in a bowl, or custard in cups.

SAGE (Salvia officinalis. Labiatæ).

Sow in spring or early autumn in any good garden soil, either in the herb bed or as an edging to a pathway.

The leaves may be used fresh or dried as a seasoning.

SALSIFY (Tragopogon pœrifolius. Compositæ).

Sometimes called “The Vegetable Oyster,” salsify is a delicacy not too often seen in English gardens, yet it is easy to grow, very hardy, and a welcome addition to our winter list of vegetables. It should be sown in April, in ground without a trace of manure in the top spit, but with some well-matured stuff buried deeply. The drills should be a foot apart, and the seed sown thinly, yet, as it sometimes comes up rather irregularly, not so thinly as for some root crops--parsnips, for instance. Early in May the plants may be singled in the rows, and three weeks later thinned to four inches distance. Through the summer the Dutch hoe should be kept at work between the rows to kill weeds and prevent evaporation.

The roots may stay in the ground through the winter in a well-drained soil, and be dug as wanted.

Very early in spring the flowering shoots push up, and may be gathered and cooked in the way of asparagus; gloves should be used for gathering these shoots, as they exude a juice that stains. In the small garden, however, it is hardly worth while to sacrifice roots and space for this extra crop. It is said that, like raw tomatoes, the taste for salsify is an acquired one. It is worth acquiring.

DISHES.

=Boiled Salsify.=--Wash the salsify, put in clean water and scrape it, being very careful to keep it under water or it will be a bad colour, and immediately put into cold water to which two tablespoonfuls of vinegar have been added, this will blanch it; be sure the salsify is covered by the water. Put into a saucepan of boiling water with a tablespoonful of salt for one hour, more or less, according to the size of the roots. Place neatly on a drainer, and cover with good white sauce (see Sauces). Or it may be served with maitre d’hotel, Hollandaise, onion or Italian sauce. Be careful not to leave the salsify exposed to the air or it will blacken.