The Washington times., 1901-10-06
NEW ENGLISH VEGETABLES.
Nearly All of London's FavOrites Are
Familiar to Americans.

I During the present week EHBHsH "
matoes of the finest descriptions have
touched the lowest prices yet recorded IN
the history of this most popular vegeta-
BILE, and twopence a pound is all that
their growers have been receiving for
them in the wholesale markets. The fact
| is notable, showing how the demand
for this particular commodity has devel-
oped supplies both from home and abroad,
| yet twenty years ago scarcely anyone
ever thought of eating a cooked, much
less raw, tomato. Now, the Canary ISL
| ands and the West Indies, first, with
| Guernsey and Jersey to follow. and our
| own hothouses give us sequence pracu-
| cally throughout the year. to the great
| enrichment of our breakfast and dinner
| tables. Similarly, bananas have created
a new taste, which has extended down to
| the humblest classes. and there are not
| wanting indications that the next year or
| two will see the average green grocers'
| shops Offering. along with their potatoes
and cabbages, many vegetable products
which are slowly but surely winning fa-
vor with fastidious palates. Every season
| witnesses some addition to market quo
| tations, s,nd consequent increase in the
| variety of our dietary, which will do
more to lessen the present somewhat ex-
|
preaching of ardent vegetarians, with
''lentil-steaks," "haricot-chops," or other
weird dishes of the sort
| Perhaps the escuient that has advanced
| most this season is the green Indian corn.
Only year of two ago the cobs sold in
| London to meet the wants of Canadian
or American visitors, came from across
| the Atlantic and were preserved by means
| of cold storage. But astute market gard
| eners here have discovered that in an
| dinary summer the heads win develop
| quite sufficiently for eating in the green
stage, and in deIicacy of flavor will fully
rival those grown in the Dominion or
| the United States. Whole fields are now
| devoted in Essex to- growing maize to be
| cut early. and at the. large hotels of the
West End espeeially-it it is finding its tall
stem, long. fag-iike foliage, and silyery
fringe. is often grown in country gardens
for its decorative. beauty, though the cobs
have beEnr neglected in their edible or
profitable possibilities. Nor do our cook
cry books include recipes for 1t, but moth
ing can be more simple than its prepara-
| ton, for it needs only to be boiled in
slightly salted water till tender and serv-
ed with plain melted or oiled butter. Like
the artichoke or the asparagus, it de-
the dictum that fingers were made be-
fore forks, and it must be boldly held,
while it is being consumed, by two rows
at time, the hard interior core Offering
no attraction.
Another group which is coming to he
fore consists of the aubergines, which in
clude the brinjals familiar 10 every Anglo
Indian and the eggplant of the home
garden. With two er three of these and
a few unconsidered trifies of tomato
sauce, mince, tiny slices of cold ham,
bread crumbs, or other items that in
themselves have little worth, an inventive
cook may make numberless dainty little
entrees quite outside the everyday groove.
Many gardeners now raising the
quantity shaped miniature gourds, which
lend themselves so usefully when dried to
Christmas decorations, and though many
of these have no culinary value. there are
others which are excellent. Notable
among them is the japanese cucumber.
which is gorgeous in it's livery and net
work of green and gold, and most admi-
rable when cooked. The seeds of this are
obtainable in this country, and it is al
ready coming into cultivation. BY no
means TO be despised either is the Chi
nese artichoke (Staehys tubifera), with
its curious shell-like spiral white tubers.
Eaten raw, it somewhat resembles a rad
ish and may be cooked by boiling, steam
ing or roasting. AS winter vegetable
1t has particular recommendations, mas
much as it can be left in the ground, pro-
vided there is some protection to the
roots against frost, and dug as required
This is gradually finding its way into the
green grocers' shops, and can be obtained
without great difficulty now. Salisfa for
a long time was difficult to procure, but
that also is now winning recognition for
it's fine flavor, equally good when deli
cately fried or served with a good pars-
ley-and-butter sauce.
Beans again are to be had in much
greater variety than the ordinary and un-
observant buyer imagines, and here once
more American influences have had their
effect The golden wax podded butter
bean is a most welcome variation upon
our own eternal, broad and French types, |
though its pale yellow color might lead
the unknowing into a belief that it WAS
merely perverted scarlet runner The !
stringless beam, equally admirable en- |
flagelot or en- harioot. is to be found by |
the diligent seeker, and is grown by many |
amateurs. AT nreseHt. however the edi- |
BILE podded pea is but little known here |
though on the Continent 1t is largely cul- |
tivated. Asparagus kale, though less |
grown yet than itIdeserves to be, is a |
vegetable which some OF our greatest |
firms of seedsmen are bringing promi- |
nently into notice. cit is a form of cab |
bage and sendsu out in early spring long |
green shoots, which, when dressed with |
the same care as that bestowed on what |
many people consider the king of vege- |
tables, compares by3no means unfavora- |
bly, with it. Similarly the couve tron- |
ra If y.bip oh
the ribs of the leaves are eaten, bears a |
distinct resemblance to sea kale. Even |
products more generally associated with |
sheep or cattle have been tried and not |
found wanting as vegetables.
A few years since the turnip top was |
never seen In London. Now it comes to |
the metropolis by hundreds of tons, and |
doubtless TIM Swede top. which in the |
opinien of many rural epicures is vastly |
siIDerior to II, will In due course find its |
way here also. Leeks may also rank |
cd chefs attention and are now much |
more largely grown than OF yore Mush- |
ICONS. of course. hold conspicuous place /
In the cooks esteem, but there is no |
doubt that the cepe so widely grown |
round Bordeaux is steadily making its |
Wav into our own markets. Improved and |
chCaDer means OF transit are largely re- |
sponsihle for the much greater choice of |
Vegetables now available, but enterprise |
and intelligent cultivation have done even |
more and II is impossible TO overestimate |
the advantages to health and economy |
that we owe TO the appetzing products of |
the garden.-London Telegraph.