oured plate U.

VARIETIES OF SPINACH.--These comprise the Strawberry spinach,
which, under that name, was wont to be grown in our
flower-gardens; the Good King Harry, the Garden Oracle, the
Prickly, and the Round, are the varieties commonly used. The
Oracle is a hardy sort, much esteemed in France, and is a native
of Tartary, introduced in 1548. The common spinach has its
leaves round, and is softer and more succulent than any of the
Brassica tribe.

SPINACH DRESSED WITH CREAM, a la Francaise.

1156. INGREDIENTS.--2 pailfuls of spinach, 2 tablespoonfuls of salt, 2
oz. of butter, 8 tablespoonfuls of cream, 1 small teaspoonful of pounded
sugar, a very little grated nutmeg.

_Mode_.--Boil and drain the spinach as in recipe No. 1155; chop it
finely, and put it into a stewpan with the butter; stir over a gentle
fire, and, when the butter has dried away, add the remaining
ingredients, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Previously to adding the
cream, boil it first, in case it should curdle. Serve on a hot dish, and
garnish either with sippets of toasted bread or leaves of puff-paste.

_Time_.--10 to 15 minutes to boil the spinach; 10 minutes to stew with
the cream.

_Average cost_ for the above quantity, 8d.

_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.

_Seasonable_.--Spring spinach from March to July; winter spinach from
November to March.

[Illustration: SPINACH.]

SPINACH.--This is a Persian plant. It has been cultivated in our
gardens about two hundred years, and is the most wholesome of
vegetables. It is not very nutritious, but is very easily
digested. It is very light and laxative. Wonderful properties
have been ascribed to spinach. It is an excellent vegetable, and
very beneficial to health. Plainly dressed, it is a resource for
the poor; prepared luxuriantly, it is a choice dish for the
rich.

SPINACH.--This vegetable belongs to a sub-order of the
_Salsolaceae_, or saltworts, and is classified under the head of
_Spirolobeae_, with leaves shaped like worms, and of a succulent
kind. In its geographical distribution it is commonly found in
extratropical and temperate regions, where they grow as weeds in
waste places, and among rubbish, and in marshes by the seashore.
In the tropics the order is rarely found. Many of them are used
as potherbs, and some of them are emetic and vermifuge in their
medicinal properties.

FR