Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1915-04-16
ITO PREPARE AND
USE VEGETABLES
AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT
EXPERTS GIVE RESULTS OF
STUDY AND EXPERIMENT.
NUTRlTlvE VALUE IN SEEDS
One Of Most Important Food Groups
Man EnIoys-Long Soaking Of
Beans and Peas Necessary
Food Value Of Peanut.
prepared by the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture)

SEEDS constitute one OF the most 1In-
portant food groups that man enjoys.
Besides the cereal grains, there are
such seeds as beans, peas and cow
peas, the oil-bearing peanut which is
closely related to the bean, such oil
bearing seeds as the cottonseed, rape,
and sesame.
ALI these seeds, however, are not
always considered as vegetables, but
the bean, lentil, and pea are so consid-
cred, and have been recognized in all
lands as possible substitutes for both
bread and meat. The principal objec.
ton to the more general use of these
particular seed vegetables is that their
flavor does not appeal to all. There
fore 1t is often wise to remove por-
ton of the taste, even If this means
loss Of substance. BY occasionally
changing the water in which the beans
are soaking or during the early stages
Of cooking, their natural flavor may be
toned down. A more desirable flavor
sometimes may be impaired in cook
ing by the use of mint, parsley, onion,
tomato, peppers, bayleaf, nutmeg, or
other herbs, and spices. The spices,
however, must always be added spar
lngly.
The Importance Of Long Soaking for
Beans and Peas.
The long soaking of leguminous
seeds is an important factor in their
cookery. 1t took long time for the
seed to ripen and dry in the pod on
the vine and 1t loses rather than gains
water when kept In the store and
house. Therefore it is understandable
that considerable time will be required
to fill again with water the cells of
such dense substance. Where there
is no danger of fermentation or sour
ing" beans, ETC., may be prof1tably
Pick over, wash well, add nearly one
quart of water for one cupful of beans,
and set in the refrigerator or other
cold place. The water may be
changed. If convenient, after ~ or "a
hours. This serves to remove any
rank flavor. 1t is said that in eastern
countries lentils are soaked a long
| Ilnn6 lot LnlS purpose.
After this complete filling of the It's
sues with water the time required for
cooking will not be much longer than
for shelled beans fresh from the gar
den. True, there has been some loss
Of substance, but g corresponding
gain In palatability. Soft water is pre-
ferable to hard, both for soaking and
cooking.
Such beans as the navy bean and
lima bean contain relatively little fat.
They do not grow rancid SO easily
as some grain products, but the old
er they are the harder it is to make
them palatable and soft and the longer
must be the processes of soaking and
cooking.
Since the proper preparations of leg
umes Is long process, 1t Is well to
cook enough to serve in two or more
fashions. Thus the baked beans often
are reheated or served cold. and the
remainder used in soup. So, too, the
dry limas or red kidney or any va
riety may appear first as plain but
tered beans, further portion pre-
pared at the same time, may
be used for salad or croquettes, and
the left-overs to be utilized as a soup
Leftover red kidney beans wher
cooked like meat loaf with cheese
bread crumbs and such seasoning al
is desired make very palatable meai
substitute. Cowpeas, valuable leg
ume better known in the southern
than the northern states, may bG
cooked in the same ways as the navy
bean.
Lentils are not as generally used II
this country as they deserve to be
They may be found in the markets o
foreign sections of large cities and IL
the larger groceries. Their price Il
about the same as that Of dry beam
and peas. They may be served lik.
peas or with a seasoning of friet
onions. They make a satisfactor.
soup or PURGE.
The use of fresh, young peas, beam
and eowpeas is extensive, the seed
being sometimes served alone, ant
often in the case of beans and COW
.
ing them. The pods of peas are ord
narily discarded, but sometimes the,
are cooked for while, and then tn
water in which they were boiled
used for cooking the peas themselves
There are also edible podded beans.
String" or snap" beans. II youn
and tender, may be cooked quickly
II old and well grown they need long
, er cooking. II overgrown they wi
be improved by parboiling for a fes
, minutes in water to which soda ha
been added, about one-fourth leve
teaspoonful of soda for two quarts c
water. They should then be draina
and cooked In fresh water To be 8
their best in flavor, as we'll as colo
. string beans should be cooked onl
7 long enough to make them tendel
, They are most delicate II cooked /
: sailed water. drained. A combinatio
r of string and shell beans is a pleasin
change from either alone. Strin
beans, It has been claimed, are les
likely to cause digestive disturbanc
: II cooked uncovered.
t The large green pods Of the red Z
+ cranberry beans remain tender unit
: the seeds are nearly full grown. mai
r ing them among the best types I
string beans.
In the southern states eowpeas {
field peas have been grown for man