THE Country Lady's DIRECTOR.
PART II.
Since I have publish'd the Receipts I gathered together, with regard to the several Preparations of the Products of a Farm, for the Table; entitled, The Lady's Monthly Director, &c. (now in its sixth Edition:) I have received a great number of Letters relating to many Improvements that may be made to it, and am desired to publish them, in order to render my first Volume more compleat. And, as I find they will be of public Use, I shall begin with one concerning the Preservation of Flesh, Fowls and Fish from Putrefaction, or Stinking; which is too often the Case, in Summer-time, when it is rare to find any sweet Morsels, although they have undergone the Discipline of Salting. As for the common Notion, that Women cannot lay Meat in Salt, equally with success, at all Times, it is false; it is the Manner of doing it, and not the state of the Women who handle it, that makes it right; there must be a right way of Management to preserve it, and render it fit for the Palate, as the following Letter informs us.
To Mr. Bradley.
Sir,
I have not only read your Book call'd, The Lady's Monthly Director, but have tasted many elegant Dishes of Meat, ordered by the Receipts in it; but I think, as you are a philosophical Gentleman, you should have taken a little more Notice of the preservation of Flesh from Putrefaction: For in many places I have set down to a Dinner which has sent me out of the Room by the very smell of it; even, though I am so much of the French Taste, that I can bear the Fumette. The Husband, in this Case, has blamed his Wife; and the Wife has taken the opportunity of whispering to her Husband, that the Maid was not in right Sorts when she salted the Meat: but I am sure, I shall set you to rights in that Point.
I have taken pains in my Family, which consists of thirty Persons, to have my Wife order the Experiment to be made, and I am satisfied from her Arguments, that there is nothing in the Notion above. But now to the purpose. Let your Flesh-Meat be fresh, and take all the bleeding Arteries from it; then sprinkle it with common Salt, and let it lie in the Air for twelve Hours; but salt the Places, where the Arteries were, more particularly: then wipe your Meat dry, and make some Salt very hot, over the Fire, then rub in the Salt very well, and lay the Pieces of salted Meat one upon another, and it will keep for several Months.
Or with common Salt, rub the several Pieces of Meat briskly with it, after the Blood is out, and especially in the hollow Places lay Salt enough. So will you be sure to have your Meat sweet, either Beef or Pork.
To send Venison Sweet in hot Weather.
Give it a little Salt, and have the Haunches parted, taking out the Marrow and all the Veins, as they are called, that bleed; and then wipe all of it quite dry after you have wash'd it with Vinegar, and then powder it with Pepper, and in an open Basket send it up to London.