f ashes, and break away any cindery bits. Serve with new butter and
fresh buttermilk. This was sometimes the sole summer supper of very
great families in the old time. Beyond a doubt, ash cake properly cooked
has a savory sweetness possible to no other sort of corn bread.

_Mush Bread_: (Overton Receipt.) To a quart of very thick mush, well
salted, add three fresh eggs, breaking them in one after the other, and
beating hard between. When smooth add half a cup of rich milk, and half
a cup melted butter. Stir hard, then add one teaspoonful baking powder,
and bake quickly. Bake in the serving dish as it is too soft for turning
out, requiring to be dipped on the plates with a spoon. Hence the name
in some mouths: "Spoon bread."

_Cracklin' Bread_: (Pioneer.) Sift a pint of meal, add a pinch of salt,
then mix well through a teacup of cracklings--left from rendering lard.
Wet up with boiling water, make into small pones, and bake brown in a
quick but not scorching oven.

_Pumpkin Bread_: (Pioneer.) Sift a pint of meal, add salt to season
fully, then rub through a large cupful of stewed pumpkin, made very
smooth. Add half a cup melted lard, then mix with sweet milk to a fairly
stiff dough, make pones, and bake crisp. Mashed sweet potato can be used
instead of pumpkin, and cracklings, rubbed very fine in place of lard.
Folks curious as to older cookery, can even make persimmon bread, using
the pulp of ripe persimmons to mix with the meal--but they will need
the patience of Job to free the pulp properly from skin and seed.

_Mush Batter Cakes_: (For Invalids.) Bring half a pint of water to a
bubbling boil in something open, add to it a pinch of salt, then by
littles, strew in a cup of sifted meal, stirring it well to avoid lumps.
Let cool partly, then cook by small spoonfuls on a hot griddle very
lightly greased. Make the spoonfuls brown on both sides, and serve very
hot.

_Wafers_: (For Invalids or Parties.) Rub a cup of lard or butter,
through a quart of sifted flour. Butter will give enough salt--with lard
add a pinch. Mix with sweet milk, the richer the better, to a smooth
dough, not stiff nor soft. Shape into balls the size of a small egg,
roll out very thin, prick lightly all over, and bake brown--it will take
about five minutes in a quick oven. Cool on cloth and keep dry. Handle
delicately--if the wafers are what they should be; they break and
crumble at any rough touch.

[Illustration: _Saving Your Bacon_]