Part 9

For autumn use sow Autumn Giant in a frame and treat as prescribed for Brussels sprouts. A sowing of a quick variety in heat in February will give heads in summer; they need to be kept growing all the time, and never to be checked by drought or cold or allowed to flag for want of water.

=Brussels Sprouts.=--In the judgment of many this is the finest all round winter vegetable, and it is worth while going to considerable trouble to grow it well. It needs good soil, plenty of nourishment, and a long growing season to bring it to perfection. Ground which has been trenched and heavily manured in the late winter will grow the best sprouts, and in large gardens it is well worth while to reserve a plot for them, off which possibly spinach, or some quick crop such as lettuce or radishes, may be gathered before May. But well consolidated rich soil is necessary to the growth of sprouts.

Where there is space and it is desired to have Brussels sprouts as early as September, a sowing should be made in mild heat at the end of January. The plants should be pricked out in a cold frame early in March and planted in their permanent position by the end of the month, choosing a well sheltered sunny bed.

There is no doubt, however, that Brussels sprouts should have a frost on them before they are really fit to eat, and the vegetable cannot, normally, be had in perfection before the middle of October. For this crop and the main crop generally sow in a frame about the second week of March, prick out four inches apart into boxes which have an inch layer of old manure at bottom and three or four inches of light rich compost on top. Harden these off gradually, keep them growing on in the open, never letting them get dry, and plant out at the end of April or the beginning of May, thirty inches apart in every direction. Beyond keeping them free from weeds, nothing more is needed, and this sowing will keep the gardener going until February, for short-jointed, well-ripened Brussels sprout plants are among the very hardiest of our winter vegetables.

If late sprouts are required, a sowing out of doors early in April will give the necessary plants for a late succession, but it is a crop that cannot be hurried or forced; Brussels sprouts must have a long growing season.

In the small garden the March sowing will be sufficient, and the plants may be put out between the rows of early potatoes. With care, we find this extremely good practice, especially if the potato ground has had a good preparation with kainit as well as manure. If the potato haulm gets too vigorous and shows signs of smothering the sprouts we lay it by hand along the ridge tops, and when the potatoes are lifted we give a dose of nitrate and tread the ground as recommended for broccoli. A further sprinkle of nitrate is given during showers in August.

BORECOLE or KALE (Brassica oleracea acephala).

This is a section of extremely hardy cabbages well calculated to withstand the hardest weather, and to provide winter greens in abundance, as well as the most delicious sprouts in spring. Indeed the side shoots which sprout forth in March are perhaps the most precious part of the yield of these subjects.

Cottagers, Scotch and Dwarf-curled Kale are perhaps the most useful varieties. The first two are taller and require more space than the last. The sowing time for all is in April; they should be sown out of doors, pricked out in a nursery bed as soon as large enough, and planted out as ground comes vacant from summer crops. The taller sorts should be put thirty inches apart, the dwarfer kinds may be in rows two feet apart and the plants twenty inches in the row, but in strong soils two feet should be a minimum distance.

The cabbage tops of the kale can be gathered at any time during the winter, and if the stumps are left in the ground many dishes of side shoots will be gathered in March.

=Couve Tronchuda= or =Portugal Cabbage=.--This is a most delicious variety, and should be sown in early April, and planted in rich soil as soon as large enough; the plants should stand at least two feet apart. Much depends on continuous growth; the plants do not come to great perfection if they suffer an undue check. In the autumn the head makes a first-rate cabbage, and the thick midribs of the larger leaves make an unusual and excellent dish if thoroughly cooked (an hour at least) and served with white sauce in the manner of seakale. This subject does not stand frost well and should be cleared off the ground by Christmas.

SAVOY CABBAGE (Brassica olerata bullata).

Savoys should be sown out of doors in April and treated as autumn cabbage. They are nearly allied to the Brussels sprouts and require some frost to bring them to perfection; they may be considered early winter cabbage.

CABBAGE DISHES.

=Baked Cabbage.=--(1) Boil cabbage till tender in two waters. Drain and set aside until cool, then chop finely. Mix together two beaten eggs, two tablespoonfuls of cream, a saltspoonful of salt, and a dash of paprika. Stir this into the chopped cabbage and put it into a buttered pudding dish, sprinkle bread-crumbs over the top, and bake until brown.

(2) Boil the cabbage until tender, changing the water once, drain, cut it finely, season with salt and pepper. Butter a baking dish, put in a layer of cabbage, and cover with cream or tomato sauce. Sprinkle with crumbs on the top, and bake for half an hour.

(3) Trim and quarter a head of cabbage, boil until tender in salted water to cover. Drain thoroughly, and put into a baking dish. Pour over a cupful of cream, a tablespoonful of butter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Make a hollow in the centre and break an egg into it. Bake in the oven until the cabbage is brown and the egg set.

=Steamed Cabbage.=--Wash and chop up a cabbage, put it in the boilerette with salt, pepper, and an ounce of nutter. Steam for two hours.

=Fricassé of Cabbage.=--Boil and chop, as in the last recipe, and keep hot while you cook together in a saucepan a tablespoonful of butter and a tablespoonful of flour, stir in a cupful of hot milk, stir to a smooth sauce, when it bubbles turn into this the chopped cabbage, cook for a minute, season and serve.

=Shredded Cabbage.=--Cut a cabbage into shreds and put it into boiling salted water until tender, drain, and stand in a heated colander on the side of the range. Cook together two tablespoonfuls of butter and two heaped tablespoonfuls of flour, season with salt and pepper, and stir in three heaped tablespoonfuls of grated cheese, and cook, stirring constantly for just one minute. Turn the cabbage into a deep vegetable dish and pour the cheese sauce over it.

=Cabbage Cream Salad.=--Prepare as in the preceding recipe; after boiling cut the shreds into lengths before dropping them into cold water. Beat half a pint of cream very stiff, drain the cabbage, sprinkle lightly with salt, and stir it into the whipped cream, turning and tossing until it is thoroughly coated with the white foam. Serve at once with crackers. The cabbage should be tender and crisp for this dish.

=Cabbage Soup.=--Take a small onion and a little parsley and a sprig of rosemary, chop all very fine and put in a saucepan to brown, with one ounce of butter. Have ready a cabbage washed and cut finely, put the cabbage into a saucepan, add three pints of water or vegetable stock, and season with pepper and salt, and let all stew together for an hour. Boil for a quarter of an hour before serving, add one ounce of grated Parmesan cheese. Serve with croûtons of bread.

=Hot Cabbage Slaw.=--(1) Chop half a cabbage finely; after boiling pour over a tablespoonful of melted butter, and put into the oven. Beat together one teaspoonful of mustard and one tablespoonful of olive oil, one tablespoonful of sugar and one egg well beaten with three-quarters of a cupful of cream. Bring to the boil, season with salt and pepper, pour over the hot cabbage, and serve.

(2) Bring a cupful of vinegar to the boil, add a teaspoonful each of butter and sugar, half a teaspoonful of made mustard, salt and black pepper to taste. Pour over the cabbage which has been shredded very finely after being boiled; heat thoroughly, and serve.

(3) Boil a shredded cabbage until tender in salted water to cover. Drain thoroughly, pressing out all the liquid. Bring to the boil half a cupful of vinegar, half a tablespoonful of butter, salt and pepper to season highly. Pour over the cabbage, mix thoroughly, and serve.

(4) Mix together the beaten yolk of an egg, a saltspoonful of pepper, a cupful of cream, a tablespoonful of sugar, a teaspoonful of mustard, and one tablespoonful of lemon juice. Heat thoroughly, and when smooth and thick heat the shredded cabbage in the sauce, and serve.

=Cold Slaw.=--(1) Shred a white cabbage fine, and soak in ice water. Make a dressing of the whites of two hard-boiled eggs, one yolk of egg well beaten, half a cupful of olive oil, the juice of a lemon, and mustard, salt and pepper to taste. Drain the cabbage thoroughly, mix with the dressing, and serve very cold.

(2) Mix together one saltspoonful of salt and a teaspoonful of dry mustard, one tablespoonful sugar, one yolk of egg lightly beaten, three tablespoonfuls of melted butter, and three cupfuls of cream. Cook over boiling water, add gradually a quarter of a cupful of vinegar, stirring constantly, then put it by to cool. Soak the shredded cabbage in cold water until crisp, drain, dry thoroughly, mix with the dressing, and serve very cold.