Camping and woodcraft - Scoutmastercg.com

jBEVERAGES AND DESSERTS 379of cheesecloth, tie it up in loose bag form, and leavesome string attached to remove it with.A good deal of the aroma escapes from a teapot,but little from a covered pail.If tea is left steeping more than five or six minutesthe result is a liquor that would tan skin intoleather. To boil is — well, it is like watering arare vintage. You know what tlie old Colonelsaid: " My friend, if you put water in that wine,God'U never forgive you I"Chocolate.— For each quart of boiling waterscrape up four tablespoonfuls of chocolate. Boiluntil dissolved. Then add half a pint milk. Stirwith a peeled stick until milk has boiled up once.Let each man sweeten his own cup.Cocoa.— Follow directions on can.Desserts.— Dried Fruit.— Evaporated or driedapples, apricots, peaches, prunes, etc., are misprized,under-rated, by most people from not knowing howto prepare them. The common way is to put thefruit on to stew without previous soaking, and thenboil from one-half hour to two hours until it ismore or less pulpy. It is then flat and insipid, besidesunattractive tothe eye.There is a much better way. Soak the fruit atleast over night, in clear cold water — just enoughto cover — with or without spices, as you prefer.If time permits, soak it from twenty-four to thirtysixhours. This restores the fruit to its originalsize and flavor. It is good to eat, then, withoutcooking. To stew, merely simmer gently a fewminutes in the water in which the fruit w^as soaked.This water carries much of the fruit's flavor, andisinvaluable for sauce.California prunes prepared in this way need nosugar. Dried apples and peaches have none of therank taste by which they are unfavorably known,but resemble the canned fruit. Apricots properlysoaked are especially good.Jelly from Dried Fruit.— I was present when aSouthern mountain woman did some ** experi-