The Hawaiian gazette., 1915-12-28
many VEGETABLES
| AT CHRISTMAS Time
Survey Of Market Yesterday
Showed Surprising Variety
Of Good Sorts "

| S"yJ III Wiucr range IMAM
usual, because the last three months
have been excellent good weather. -.
Asparagus might be mentioned first,
because 1t begins with an a." and
also because il looks like an Al mr..
ticle. 1t is grown by an enterprising
Chinese gardener who finds ready mar.
ket for his wares and thus far has n
monopoly also. Asparagus is largely
grown by the florists for its decorative
effects, but few have tried to compete
with the cold storage stuff sent in from
California. There is no doubt that as
paragus can be grown for the home
market, because at least one gardener
Is doing it, and making success Of
the business.
Cabbage, carrots, corn, cress and
cucumbers were in good supply on all
the stands. Imported cabbages seemed
firmer than the homegrown, but the
latter is sweet and better favored.
The cucumbers would have looked bet
ter had they been graded. The Jap
anese and Chinese like theirs cooked.
and so the cucumbers that come into
this market are ripper than most white
customers would wish. Not one in fifty
Of what was offered for sale showed
the marks of the melon fly, so it may
be that the parasites are getting busy.
Uncommon Garden Truck
Rhubarb and summer squash, of the
turban variety, were on sale at few
stands, both grown right here in Homo
lulu-and one man had a dozen pars-
nips and some horseradish. Rhubarb
used to come here from Hoopuloa, a
homesteader located up in the fern
| forests above 1000 feet having discov-
cred that he could grow better product
than California. However, it is a long
time since the homegrown article has
been for sale.
The Oriental gardeners grow good
| summer squash the year around, but
here again they do not know the haole
taste-all were too ripe. No turban
squash is fit to be eaten after the rind
hardens. The parsnips and horseradish
were probably accidental, as both are
far out of their range in this latitude,
but they were on sale yesterday and
that proved they can be grown.
Seven Kinds Of Greens
Four kinds of spinach, including the
genuine European, the New Zealand,
and two of the pig-wecd sorts; the
edible chrysanthcn.um; young taro tops,
or luau, and some young beets at the
pepcil-root stage were on sale as
"greens.' One grocer had purple top
turnips and round whites, grown near
home. Two varieties of kOhlrabi, the
white and the red, were offered.
Chinese market gardener tried to
sell The AHVnrtiSpF 3,
young peas, which he called "Japancse
beans" Here again the Oriental
gardener had not grasped the idOa.
HaOle Gust omers would buy green peas
in large volume if only the gardeners
would let them gc9 bigger than pin
heads.
Green peas, yellow beans, radish"s,
lettuce and beets are daily commodity
all the year through. The lettuce at
the market was of several varieties,
Boston market, eos, and tho curly
leaf bitter, black seeded sorts. A very
fine lot of head lettuce was displayed
yesterday. Tomatoes ara off season, but
some small, well.shaped ripe ones were
displayed.
Not Well Graded
Peppers of all varieties thrive, and,
of course, the eggplant. II the
gardeners would plant better seed of
the latter, more could be sold. Ila-
waian SOIL or climate, or both rob
thin vegetable of its bitter acrid prin-
ciple and hence this is very common
vegetable in the Honolulu markets.
few bags of fair quality new po-
tatOes were on sale, but their looks
condemned them. The spuds were dirty,
(red dirt it was, toO), and they should
have been graded. New clean potatoes,
all of IA size, put up in fve-pound
splint baskets, would have sold at seven
or eight cents per pound. These went
begging at two dollars a bag.
Red, yellow and white sweet potatoes
were in good supply. Here once more,
better prices would obtain if the tubrrs
were graded The white trade wants
small potatoes, all of one size, and
sweet when cooked. The sweet potato
grows so well here that it seems strange
that so many poor ones are sent to
market.
Daikon, Gobo and Lotus
Taro, DaikOn and "Chinese cab
bage" were in good supply. Gobo, the
long brown roots of cultivated strain
of burdOck, always on sale at all sea-
sons, cannot be distinguished from
satisfy, or vegetable oyster, when
cooked. When housekeepers discover
how good it is more will be sold.
Other vegetables noted yesterday
were winter squash, lecks, fresh ginger
root, and a Japanese squash that has
never got farther than being called by
its Latin name, BenincaSa. What it
tastes like can only be discovered by
trying it, and that applies to the bun
dies of lotus roots, also.
Imported Vegetables Not Plentiful
Imported vegetables offered literally
yesterday were: celery, Brussels
sprouts, caulifOwers, onions and old
crop potatoes, but with so many other
good things to eat they did not appear
to be moving rapidly.
The imported green goods and vege-
tables always look the best because
they are cleaned, graded, wrapped and
packed; and their fine appearance sells
them. Hawaii can grow its own food
supply, but when it comes to selling
hnn ha