dessertspoonfuls of pounded white sugar, 1/4 pint of vinegar.
_Mode_.--Wash the mint, which should be young and fresh-gathered, free
from grit; pick the leaves from the stalks, mince them very fine, and
put them into a tureen; add the sugar and vinegar, and stir till the
former is dissolved. This sauce is better by being made 2 or 3 hours
before wanted for table, as the vinegar then becomes impregnated with
the flavour of the mint. By many persons, the above proportion of sugar
would not be considered sufficient; but as tastes vary, we have given
the quantity which we have found to suit the general palate.
_Average cost_, 3d.
_Sufficient_ to serve with a middling-sized joint of lamb.
_Note_.--Where green mint is scarce and not obtainable, mint vinegar may
be substituted for it, and will be found very acceptable in early
spring.
[Illustration: MINT.]
MINT.--The common mint cultivated in our gardens is known as the
_Mentha viridis_, and is employed in different culinary
processes, being sometimes boiled with certain dishes, and
afterwards withdrawn. It has an agreeable aromatic flavour, and
forms an ingredient in soups, and sometimes is used in spring
salads. It is valuable as a stomachic and antispasmodic; on
which account it is generally served at table with pea-soup.
Several of its species grow wild in low situations in the
country.
MINT VINEGAR.