SHELLED BEANS.—­Shell, wash, drop into boiling water sufficient to cover, and cook until tender.  Let the water boil nearly away, and serve without draining.  Season with thin cream, and salt if desired.

STRING BEANS.—­Wash well in cold water.  Remove the strong fiber, or strings, as they are called, by paring both edges with a sharp knife; few cooks do this thoroughly.  Break off stems and points, carefully rejecting any imperfect or diseased pods.  Lay a handful evenly on a board and cut them all at once into inch lengths.  Put in a porcelain kettle, cover with boiling water, and cook from one to three hours, according to age and variety, testing frequently, as they should be removed from the kettle just as soon as done.  When very young and tender, only water sufficient to keep them from burning will be needed.  When done, add a half cup of thin cream, and salt to taste.  If the quantity of juice is considerable, thicken with a little flour.

THE ONION.

The onion belongs to a class of foods containing an acrid oil of a strongly irritating character, on which account it cannot be considered a wholesome food when eaten raw, as it so generally is.  The essential oil is, however, quite volatile, so that when cooked, after being first parboiled in two or three waters, its irritating properties are largely removed.  The varieties grown in warm climates are much milder and sweeter than those grown in colder countries.  The onion is valuable for flavoring purposes.  It may also be boiled and served whole with a cream sauce, or cut in quarters and prepared as directed for Scalloped Turnips, page 242.

CANNING VEGETABLES.

Most housekeepers experience more difficulty in canning and keeping vegetables than fruit.  This is frequently owing to lack of care to secure perfect cans, covers, and rubbers, and to cook the vegetables thoroughly.  Whatever is to be canned must be cooked sufficiently to be eaten, and must be boiling at the time it is put into the cans.  Care as to the cleanliness of the cans and their sterilization is also important, and after the canning process is completed, all vegetables put up in glass should be kept in a cool, dark place.  The general directions given for canning fruits should be followed in canning vegetables.

RECIPES.

CANNED CORN.—­Select corn just ripe enough for table use, and prepare as directed for stewed corn.  It will require from twelve to fifteen ears to fill sufficiently each quart can.  To insure success, the cans should be so full that when the corn is shrunken by the cooking, the can will still be well filled.  Pack the corn in the cans, working it down closely by means of the small end of a potato masher, so the milk will cover the corn and completely fill the can; heap a little more corn loosely on the top, and screw the covers on sufficiently tight to