Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1915-05-05
TO PREPARE AND
USE VEGETABLES
AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT
EXPERTS GIVE RESULTS OF
STUDY AND EXPERIMENT.
ON CHOOSING AND CLEANING
Care Must Precede the Process Of
Cooking-Try combinations-Som
Suggestions on the Proper
Way of Serving

| prepared by the United States Depart
| ment of Agriculture.)
| Careful choosing. sorting and clean
/ ing of vegetables must precede any
process OF cookery. Medium-sized vege-
tables are always to be preferred to
the overlarge. Food plants retarded
in normal growth are liable to be
tough and corky, while those having
abundant moisture and sunlight and
making normal growth are crisp, ten
der and well favored.
The shorter the time and journey
| between garden and table the better
| for green plants. II is wiser not to
gather vegetables while wilted or
otherwise showing the effects OF the
| midday sun, but rather to pick them
after the dew has evaporated in the
morning, or In the cool OF the late
| afternoon. Wilted vegetables can
never be wholly satisfactory, but may
be improved by careful washing and
| removal OF inferior portions. and then
soaking in cold water. or with salad
plants by wrapping in a damp cloth
and keeping in a cool place
The soaking of vegetables in cold
| water to freshen them probably ex-
tracts n little OF the valuable salts
which they contain. When they are
blanched in hot water or parboiled
still Iaore mineral matter is lost. If
boiled in considerable water of which
no use is made, some OF the soluble
saline matter is extracted and wasted.
This waste may be avoided by using
! the water for soup, etc.
Often it is convenient and wise to
| cook a double portion of a vegetable
and serve part of Ii a second day in a
different form. This should not be at
tempted in warm weather unless n re-
trigerator is available, as the vege-
tables may spoil. Ordinarily a vege-
table well sailed while cooking and
Trained and cooled quickly and kept
covered in cold place will keep "a
or AZ hours in cool weather
Enough potatoes may be cooked to
serve as plain boiled or mashed to-
day. while the frmer ones can be re-
served to broil or grill in slices, fry.
| or cream the next day. When gas Is
the fnei this is worth while. for it
takes 20 minutes to boil a pot OF fresh
potatoes and only ten minutes to re-
heat them
Most vegetables are lacking in fat.
so we add fat in the form OF meat. but
ter, oil or cream when preparing them
for the table. or we serve them with
fat meats. etc. AS far as the need
or the human body goes, IL makes lit
tie difference whether this fat is in
cheap or in expensive form, whether
the vegetable is cooked with fat or
| dressed with butter. cream or salad
oil. Good olive oil and thick cream
cost about the same, but the oil keeps
better. and hence always may be
| available. Better results often are OBJ
tanned by combining cream with vege-
tables than by using butter and milk
| costing quite as much.
whenever n vegetable dish other
than dried beans. peas. or other
| legumes. cooked I'm some form. is to be
the principal part of a meal, it is easily
! possible. as well as reasonable to in
crease its protein food value by the
4 addition or milk. cheese, or eggs.
Skim milk may be heated uncovered
until considerable water has evapo.
needed for soup or cream sauce
made with it.
Do Not Hesitate to Experiment With
Combinations.
Though only Il few are common on
most tables. there are many combi-
nations OF vegetables which have
| proved satisfactory. and no one need
/ hesitate 60 experiment with others
| In general, 10 Is safe to combine a
/ starchy vegetable with a succulent
one. or one lacking in flavor with an
other that will give relish
For example. cooked celery is
/ agreeable when mixed with creamed
I potato
Green corn with potatoes and onion,
/ with the addition Of milk, etc. makes
| a chowder which many consider as
| good as fish
! Potatoes boiled and cut in slices or
! cubes may be used to extend more
/ expensive or more highly favored
! vegetables In salads. For instance.
outof-season string beans or out.of-
/ season rev celery
Potatoes with onions or white tur.
| nips make more agreeable soup for
some palates than the stronger vege-
1 tables alone.
| Carrots often are more paiataoie
| cot IN dice ana blended with green
peas than served alone.
Large white beans may be served
| IN tomato sauce with onion and
| green or red sweet peppers or both.
Mini pargIov evpoof pauuore or,ic~,g
etc. may be added in small portions
~ many vegetables TO give a new
flavor when the usual methods or serv-
! ing have become mOnotonous
While overdono vegetables are not
! desirable underdone ones are often
! even les anneiizInp. Ihnrnfnrn ~ 10