Evening star., 1901-10-02
TOMATOES IN LONDON
AMERICAN VEGETABLES IN FAVOR
IN BRITISH METROPOLIS.
The Growing of Indian Corn . New
Industry In
-.-
E.sex.
From the London Telegraph.

From the London Telegraph.
During the present week English toma-
toes of the finest descriptions have touched
| the lowest prices yet recorded in the histo-
ry of this most popular vegetable, and
| two pence a pound is all that their grow
ers have been receiving for them In the
wholesale markets. The fact Is notable. as
showing how the demand for this particu-
lar commodity has developed supplies both
from home and abroad, yet twenty years
ago scarcely any one ever thought of eat
ing a cooked, and much less raw. toma-
to. Now the Canary Islands and the West
Indies first, with Guernsey and Jersey to
| follow. and our own hothouses give us
sequence practically throughout the year.
to the great enrichment of our breakfast
and dinner tables. Similarly bananas have
created 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 gro
GERS shops offering, along with their pota-
toes and cabbages. many vegetable pro-
ducts which are slowly but surely winning
favor with fastidious palates. Every sea-
son witnesses some addition to market
quotations, and a consequent increase in
the variety of our dietary, which will do
more to lessen the present somewhat ex-
cessve consumption of meat than all the
preaching of ardent vegetarians. with
''lentil-steaks," "haricot-chops," or other
WeHu OASLeS VI Soil-
Indian Corn.
Perhaps the esculent that has advanced
most this season Is the green Indian corn.
Only a year or 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 gardeners
here have discovered that in an ordinary
summer the heads will develop quite suffi-
ciently for eating in the green stage. and
in delicacy 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
especially 1t is finding a growing demand.
The corn itself, with its tall stem, long.
| fag-like foliage and silvery fringe, is often
grown in country gardens for its decora-
tive beauty, though the cobs have been
neglected in their edible profitable pos
| sibilities. Nor do our cookery books as yet
include recipes for 1t. but nothing can be
| more simple than its preparation, for it
| needs only to be boiled in slightly salted
| water till tender. and served with plain
melted or oiled butter. Like the artichoke
or the asparagus, 1t demands the uncom-
| promising acceptance of the dictum that
fingers were made before forks" and it
| must be boldly held, while it is being con-
| sumed, by two rows at time. the hard
| interior core offering no attraction.
Another group which is coming to the
| fore consist of the aubergines which in
| clude the brinjals familiar to every Anglo
Indian and the eggplant of the home gar
| den. With two or three of these and
| few unconsidered trifies of tomato sauce,
mince. tiny slices Of cold ham, bread
| crumbs, other items that in themselves
have little worth, an inventive cook may
make numberlesS dainty little entrees quite
outside the everyday groove. Many gar
| deners are now raising the quantity shaped
| miniature gourds, which lend themselves
usefully when dried to Christmas decora-
4hA,, ,af +l.aea ha,-l
| culinary value, there are others which are
| excellent. Notable among them is the Jap
anese cucumber, which Is gorgeous in its
| livery and network Of green and gold. and
most admirable when cooked. The seeds
| of this are obtainable in this country. and
| it is already coming into cultivation. By
no means to be despised either is the Chi
| neSe artichoke (Stachys 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 a winter vegetable it
| has particular recommendations. inasmuch
| as it can be left in the ground. provided
there is some protection to the roots
against frost, and dug as required.
green grocers' shops, and can be obtained
| without great difficulty now. Satisfy for
a long time was difficult to procure, but
| that also is now winning recognition for
| its fine flavor, equally good when delicate
| ly fried or served with good parsley-and-
butter sauce.
Beans I'm Great Varieties.
Beans again are to be had in much great
| er variety than the ordinary and unobserv-
| ant 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 eter-
nal broad and French types though its pale
yellow color might lead the unknowing into
a belief that it was merely a perverted
| scarlet runner. The stringless beam equal
| ly admirable en- f1agelot or haricot is to
| be found by the diligent seeker, and is
grown by many amateurs At present,
| however, the edible podded pea is but little
known here, though on the continent 1t is
| largely cultivated. Asparagus kale though
| less grown yet than it deserves to be- is a
vegetable which some Of our greatest firms
| of seedsmen are bringing prominently into
| notice. 1t is form of cabbage and sends
| 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 vegetables, compares by no
! means unfavorably with it. Similarly the
couve tronchuda. or Portugal cabbage. of
| which only 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 1t comes to the metropolis
| by hundreds of tons, and doubtless the
| Swede top, which in the opinion of many
| rural epicures is vastly superior to it. will
| in due course find its way here also Leeks
may also rank among the newer claimants
| to the finished chefs attention and are now
4 much more largely grown than of yore
| Mushrooms, Of course. hold a conspicuous
| place in the cooks esteem. but there is no
| doubt that the cepe so widely grown round
Bordeaux is steadily making its way into
our own markets. Improved and cheaper
| means of transit are largely responsible
| for the much greater choice of vegetables
| now available. but enterprise and intelli-
| gent cultivation have done even more and
| it is impossible to overestimate the advan-
| tage to health and economy that we owe
| to the appetizing products of the garden
BOstOn's birthday.
From the Boston Post.