Marjoram, Tarragon, Mint, Sweet Basil, Parsley,
Bay-leaves, Cloves, Mace, Celery-seed, and onions. If you will plant the
seed of any of the seven first mentioned in little boxes on your window
sill, or in a sunny spot in the yard, you can generally raise all you
need. Gather and dry them as follows: parsley and tarragon should be
dried in June and July, just before flowering; mint in June and July;
thyme, marjoram and savory in July and August; basil and sage in August
and September; all herbs should be gathered in the sun-shine, and dried
by artificial heat; their flavor is best preserved by keeping them in
air-tight tin cans, or in tightly corked glass bottles.

=Dried Celery and Parsley.=--If you ever use celery, wash the leaves,
stalks, roots and trimmings, and put them in a cool oven to dry
thoroughly; then grate the root, and rub the leaves and stalks through a
sieve, and put all into a tightly corked bottle, or tin can with close
cover; this makes a most delicious seasoning for soups, stews, and
stuffing. When you use parsley, save every bit of leaf, stalk or root
you do not need, and treat them in the same way as the celery. Remember
in using parsley that the root has even a stronger flavor than the
leaves, and do not waste a bit.

=Dried Herbs.=--When you buy a bunch of dried herbs rub the leaves through
a sieve, and bottle them tightly until you need them; tie the stalks
together and save them until you want to make what the French call a
_bouquet_, for a soup or stew. A _bouquet_ of herbs is made by tying
together a few sprigs of parsley, thyme and two bay-leaves. The
bay-leaves, which have the flavor of laurel, can be bought at any German
grocery, or drug-store, enough to last for a long time for five cents.

=Table Sauce.=--There is no reason why you should not sometimes have a
nice relish for cold meat when you can make a pint of it for six cents,
so I will give you a receipt for it. Get at Washington market at the
herb stand, a bunch of TARRAGON; it will cost five cents in the summer,
when it is green and strong, and not much more in the winter; put it in
an earthen bowl, and pour on it one pint of scalding hot vinegar; cover
it and let it stand until the next day; then strain it, and put it into
a bottle which you must cork tight. Either put more hot vinegar on the
tarragon, or dry it, and save it until you want to make more; you can
make a gallon of sauce from one bunch, only every time you use it you