Venison.
TRY the haunches or shoulders under the bones that come out, with your finger or knife, and as the scent is sweet or rank, it is new or stale; and the like of the sides in the most fleshy parts: it tainted they will look greenish in some places, or more than ordinary black. Look on the hoofs, and if the clefts are very wide and tough, it is old; if close and smooth, it is young.
The season for venison.
THE buck venison begins in May, and is in high season till All-Hallow's day; the doe is in season from Michaelmas to the end of December, or sometimes to the end of January.
Westphalia hams and English bacon.
Put a knife under the bone that sticks out of the ham, and if it comes out in a manner clean, and has a curious flavour, it is sweet and good; if much smeared and dulled, it is tainted or rusty.
English gammons are tried the same way; and for other parts try the fat; if it be white, oily in feeling, does not break or crumble, good; but it the contrary, and the lean has some little streaks of yellow, it is rusty, or will soon be so.
To chuse butter, cheese, and eggs.
WHEN you buy butter, trust not to that which will be given your to taste, but try in the middle, and if your smell and taste be good, you canot be deecived.
Cheese is to be chosen by its moist and smooth coat; if old cheese be rough coated, rugged, or dry at top, beware of little worms or mites. If it be over-full of holes, moist or spungy, it is subject to maggots. If any soft or perished place appear on the outside, try how deep it goes, for the greater part may be hid within.
Eggs, hold the great end to your tongue; if it feels warm, be sure it is new; if cold, it is bad, and so in proportion to the heat and cold, so is the goodness of the egg. Another way to know a good egg is to put the egg into a pan of cold water, the fresher the egg the sooner it will fall to the bottom; if rotten, it will swim at the top. This is also a sugre way not to be deceived. As to the keeping of them, pitch them all with the small end downwards in fine wod-ashes, turning them once a week end-ways, and they will keep some months.
Poultry in season.
JANUARY. Hen turkeys, capons, pullets with eggs, fowls, chickens, hares, all sorts of wild fowl, tame rabbits and tame pigeons.
