LIMA BEANS.

These are generally considered the finest of all beans, and should be
gathered young. Shell them, lay them in a pan of cold water, and then
boil them about two hours, or till they are quite soft. Drain them
well, and add to them some butter and a little pepper.

They are destroyed by the first frost, but can be kept during the
winter, by gathering them on a dry day when full grown but not the
least hard, and putting them in their pods into a keg. Throw some salt
into the bottom of the keg, and cover it with a layer of the bean-pods;
then add more salt, and then another layer of beans, till the keg is
full. Press them down with a heavy weight, cover the keg closely, and
keep it in a cool dry place. Before you use them, soak the pods all
night in cold water; the next day shell them, and soak the beans till
you are ready to boil them.