The farm cook & rule book

Use 1% gallons of water to every 1 pound box of lye and 5 pounds of fat to every pound of lye. Dissolve the lye in the water. As soon as the solution boils, stir in the fat and boil until the mass becomes the consistency of honey when dropped from a stick. When almost done, a small portion should be placed in a saucer and if it solidifies, the mass should be re- moved from the stove, poured into wet molds and set away in a warm place to harden. 240 LAUNDERING RECIPES 241 Soap without Boiling Dissolve 2 pounds of soda lye in 6 quarts of water. When cool, add this to 14 pounds of melted, but not heated, fat. Stir the mixture until it resembles the consistency of honey and is creamy. Pour into granite-ware pans, wet first in cold water, or in pasteboard boxes. When almost hard, cut in squares. Pack it with open spaces between pieces and allow to dry for at least a month before using. This makes a hard laundry- soap. Soap Jelly for Washing Woolens Shave 2 cakes of any mild white soap in 2 quarts of water, add 1 cupful of borax and heat gently until the soap is dissolved. Pour this in fruit jars, cover and use as needed. Whitening Flannels and Silks If white woolen or silk garments, such as baby flannels, white serges, silk gloves and hose, become yellowed, they may be whitened with hydrogen peroxide. To every 10 pints of luke- warm water add 1 pint of hydrogen peroxide and a few drops' of household ammonia. Soak the clothes in this solution until they are white. Starch Making Mix % cupful of starch with i/4 cupful of cold water and add 14 teaspoonful of shaved white wax and 4 cupfuls of boiling water. Boil a few minutes, stirring to prevent sticking, and cool before using. This makes a thick starch. If thin starch is desired, add 4 cupfuls of cold water to the thick starch and stir until the mixture is smooth. Salt added to starch prevents it from freezing in clothes hung outdoors in cold weather. To a quart of cooked starch add 2 teaspoonfuls of salt. Gum arable may be added to increase the gloss and to provide stiffness. In fact, starch containing gum arable gives material the appear- ance and body that new fabrics have. To prepare the gum arable for use in starch dissolve 2 ounces of white gum arable in 2 cupfuls of water. Place the gum 242 THE FAEM COOK AND EULE BOOK arable in a fruit jar, add the water, cover tightly and shake until it is dissolved. After the solution has stood 2 days, drain through cheesecloth and bottle for future use. Just before tak- ing the boiled starch from the stove, add 1 tablespoonful of the gum arabic solution. Rice Starch Add 4 tablespoonfuls of washed rice to 1 quart of rapidly boiling water. Cook until the rice is a pulp, adding more hot water occasionally so the amount will remain the same. When the rice is cooked to a pulp, add 1 quart of boiling water and strain, without pressing, through a flannel bag. Use while hot, diluting with a little cool water if it is too thick. Tinted Starches A little tea may be added to the starch used with dark fab- rics and a few drops of bluing improve the appearance of the starch used with white and blue materials. Uncooked Starch To 3 tablespoonfuls of starch and 1 teaspoonful of borax add 2 cupfuls of tepid water. Stir and use immediately. Setting Colors