ng short weight,
etc., it seems plain that New England housewives did little home baking
in early days. The bread was doubtless of many kinds, as in
England--simnels, cracknels, jannacks, cheat loaves, cocket-bread,
wastel-bread, manchet, and buns. Pure wheaten loaves were not largely
used as food--bread from corn meal dried quickly; hence rye meal was
mixed with the corn, and "rye 'n' Injun" bread was everywhere eaten.

To the other bountiful companion food of corn, pumpkins, the colonists
never turned very readily. Pompions they called them in "the times
wherein old Pompion was a saint." Johnson, in his "Wonder-Working
Providence," reproved them for making a jest of pumpkins, since they
were so good and unfailing a food--"a fruit which the Lord fed his
people with till corn and cattle increased."

"We have pumpkins at morning and pumpkins at noon,
If it were not for pumpkins we should be undone."

Pompions, and what Higginson called squantersquashes, Josselyn
squontersquoshes, Roger Williams askutasquashes, Wood isquoukersquashes,
and we clip to squashes, grew in vast plenty. The Indians dried the
pompions on strings for winter use, as is still done in New England farm
communities. Madam Knight had them frequently offered to her on her
journey--"pumpkin sause" and "pumpkin bred." "We would have eat a morsel
ourselves, but the Pumpkin & Indian-mixt bread had such an Aspect."
Pumpkin bread is made in Connecticut to this day. For pumpkin "sause" we
have a two-centuries-old receipt, which was given by Josselyn, in 1671,
in his "New England Rarities," and called by him even at that day "an
Ancient New England Standing-dish."

"The Housewives manner is to slice them when ripe and cut them into
Dice, and so fill a pot with them of two or three Gallons and stew
them upon a gentle fire the whole day. And as they sink they fill
again with fresh Pompions not putting any liquor to them and when
it is stir'd enough it will look like bak'd Apples, this Dish
putting Butter to it and a little Vinegar with some Spice as Ginger
which makes it tart like an Apple, and so serve it up to be eaten
with fish or flesh."

This must be a very good "sause," and a very good receipt when once it
is clear to your mind which of them--the housewives or the
pompions--sink and are to fill and be filled in a pot, and stirred and
stewed and put liquor to.

In an old book which I own, which was used