The Daily Alaska empire., 1938-08-24

Thanksgiving may have its roast turkey and cranberry sauce; Easter its baked ham or spring lamb; ane July Fourth its fried chicken anC watermelon. But late August is the open season for vegetable plates.
 True, vegetable plates are not g part of a hoary tradition. Common sense, not sentiment, prompts this custom Tired summer appetites ask for var iety, freshness, interest Stores and gardens are overflowing with the answer-vegetables.
 June and July have their veget- able specialties, but both months together cannot compete with the wide variety and large quantities offered in late August. In color alone, vegetables range from the deep crimson of the beet, through the golden yellow of sweet corn and the delicate green of the cucumber to the snowy whiteneSs of cauli- flower Heads. The large purple egg plant or huge, green head of cab bage is found next to a basket o1 Lilliputian black-eyed peas; ano straight, crisp celery stalks border on smooth, round, red tomatoes Perfect building blocks for a sum- mer vegetable plate. Taking it all and all it's more a question of where to stop than where to begin
 At other seasons. construction of a perfect vegetable plate may be a matter of training and expert skill In late August thoughtful planning and care in preparation are suf- ficient.
 Vegetable Plate
 We'll take the vegetable plate, as you like it-not for the sake of the vegetables, but of the man. And fol that reason we'll welcome striE or two of crisp bacon, a bit oi frizzled dried beef, few table spoons of zestful sea food, or a ham hook or fat back for season. ing. Vegetable plate isn't diet-its a meal.
 You will want to choose veget- ables at the height of their season, for then they are cheapest and best. You will want to make use of what your garden and store has to offer.
 Experts of the Bureau of Home Economics do not know your mar ket, nor your garden. But through crop and weather reports from the U. s. Department of Agriculture they are able to make an intelligent forecast as to what may be plen- tiful in various sections of the country.
 Four good vegetable plates are suggested. Among them they are designed to fit the garden condi- tions of the country as a whole. Each of the four has dozen or more possible variations. The thou sand and one possible pleasing com- binations make vegetable plate planning most fascinating.
 Plate No. I. Starts with corn-on- the cob, chevy" juicy, sweet. Next a baked, stuffed tomato-red, tart, easy to eat. Stuff with what you will. The men folks may like we'll seasoned hamburger, or diced pieces of yesterdays roast. Macaroni and cheese is another favored possibil- ity. Use plenty of very dry bread crumbs so the tomato juices won't ooze out all over the plate. Next come shredded green snap beans, topped with sliced of hard cooked egg. Spinach doesn't have mon- opoly on egg slices. The flavor of the beans may be- enlivened by cooking with a little finely minced onion. Or perhaps you will prefer buttered onions as a fourth veget- able.
 Sweet corn, always at it's best when fresh from the garden, should be simmered but a short time, sell dom longer than 10 to Is minutes, for the greatest tenderness. Shred the beans before cooking. A shredder is handy, but the sharp point of pairing knife also will make fine cuts Don't use soda in the cooking water as it's destrutive to the vitamin content of the beans and makes surfaces soft and mushy. It's best to depend upon short cooking time in an open kettle, to retain satisfactory color.
 Plate No. II. This time let's start with shelled beans or black-eyed peas cooked with handbook or fat back. Along side of the peas or beans add a serving of fried okra, which has been banned in little fat, but without water, and comes