Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1915-04-02
TG!PREPARE AND
j USE VEGETABLES
AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT
EXPERTS GIVE RESULTS OF
STUDY AND EXPERIMENT..
USING FLOWERS AND FRUITS
Certain Species Are Eaten as Vege-
tables-Garden Flowers for Cook
ing Purposes-Stale Cuoumbers
Are Bad for Dig stion.

prepared by the United States Depart
ment Of Agricultural
1t is not generally realized that
there are certain flowers and fruits
that We prepare inc eat as vege-
tables. One example is the portion of
the c~aulifowcr We eat, namely he
flower head, and the globe arti-
choke (quite a different plant from
the Jerusalem artichoke which yields
edible tubers) is. another. Capers, cas-
STA buds and cloves are uneXpanded
flower buds. Among the fruits that
we use as vegetables may be men,
toned the pumpkin, squash, cucum-
Der, peppers, okra, eggplant and to-
mato, and very often the banana and
more commonly the apple, for in
stance, in the old-fashioned fried ap-
pies often served with meat.
Picked Nasturtium Buds.
Some of our popular garden flow-
ers occasionally have been used for
cooking purposes. Nasturtium buds
are sometimes picked, and as their
flowers have a flavor like water cress,
they are sometimes eaten in a salad.
Orange flowers are wciikno"n III
gradients of cakes, cream and confec-
tionery, being added for the flavor
which they impart. Saffron and mari
gold petals once were considered i'm
portant adjuncts in cookery, chiefly
for the yellow color they impaired, and
are often mentioned in old recipes for
soups, etc. Saffron is still a staple
article in use by professional cooks.
In southern Europe squash blossoms
and the tiny squash to which the
blossom is attached are dipped in
batter and fried, and locust flowers
also are used for ~fritters in France, as
are elder blossoms in Germany.
Cooked squash flowers may be folded
in an omelet. But such things have
little food value in themselves. though
they help to give variety to the diet.
Sometimes rose petals, violets, and
mint leaves are candied, but are used
more for garnishing than for food
purposes. Rose petals are used in
the Orient for making a very sweet
preserve.
Violets are used in cookery for i'm
parting a purple color. while a num-
Der of other colors are made from
blossoms or leaves, the more common
being spinach. Some highly-prized
fiavoring extracts are made from
flowers; for instance, rose extract,
orange flower water, and a strip of vio-
lets. Nasturtium flowers are used like
tarragon f1avoring vinegar.
Valuable Vegetable Fruits.
Tho dic4ip cfio,, botwooD q fruit and
a vegetable is not always easily made
On the borderland between the two
are a number of valuable food plants
which have appropriately been called
vegetable fruits" Members of the
gourd family have already been cited.
This family furnishes the largest
fruits of any known plants, some be-
ing over eight feet around and weigh
ing more than two hundred pounds.
The squash, both winter and summer
varieties, vegetable marrow, cucum-
Der, and melons, belong to this family.
Careful cooking will make a great
deal of difference in modifying the
texture or flavor of squashes or pump
kins. The best of these. are heavy in
proportion to their size. having thick
rather than thin flesh. Where he
fbers are coarse, long cooking and
| straining will reduce them, and an
excess of water may be e~vaporated.
| Where the shells are hard, bake or
steam and then scrape out and mash
the flesh. Baked in the pan with roast
beef, mutton or other meats they gain
an added flavor.
The cooked, strained pulp of squash
or pumpkin, in addition to its use for
pies. Is sometimes combined with milk
or stock for soups, or Is added to
coughs like those of corn bread or
mullins, or may be cooked with sugar
and spices for marmalades.
The summer squash is not always
fully appreciated because often allowed
to grow too large. Either variety, crook
neck or turban, should be SO tender
that the seeds and skin are edible
when cooked. Summer squashes may
be cut in slices and fried. though they
are most commonly boiled. When
fully grown they may be used like
winter squash, skin and seeds being
removed. -.
Stale Cucumber Bad for Digestion.
Many people do not eat c%ucumbers,
because they fear they may cause indi-
gestion. This is often true IL the, GU
cumber is stale, wilted or overgrown.
A fresh young specimen, thoroughly
peeled and left in cold water (some-
times salted) before serving, loses it's
bitter juices and is a palatable and
usually healthful relish.
The cucumber may be served as a
salad by itself or to accompany fish or
meats, or may be grated to add to
rich auces Cut in strips it may be
cooked, and served on toast Ike as
paragus, and cooked in many other
ways. The skin and seeds may be re-
moved and the firm flesh used as a
case for salads u, like pepper and
tomato, filed with forcemeat and
baked. A little onion cooked with
creamed cucumber improves Il for
many.
The tomato is a vegetable fruit to
which cookery owes much, although
for many years it was supposed t o be
poisonous. 1t has been used in this
country for less than a century, but
its growth in popularity has been
rapid. Tomatoes are used in many