Domestic science (1914 text-book)

This vegetable is grown in many forms and may give great variety to a meal. Cabbage may be boiled or fried, used as a mixture with other vegetables for salads, or used alone chopped fine. Sauerkraut is made by shredding and pickling cabbage. Digitized by Google Buy cabbages that are bright in color and crisp. If the head feels hard and solid, that is an indication of good quality. Fig. 85 Kale Cabbage There are two varieties — early cabbage and late cabbage. The late cabbage may be kept in cold storage, in pits, or in cold cellars till late in the winter. Kale is a variety of cabbage in which the leaves form open heads. They are often very curly and beautifully patterned. They are used chiefly as a garnish or for greens. Fig. 86 Brussels Sprouts Cauliflower Kohl-rabi Cauliflower is a kind of cabbage in which, by cultivation and seed selection, the flower buds and stalk have become enlarged so that it is a valuable vegetable. It is served chiefly as creamed Digitized by Google cauliflower or as a pickle. It is kept in the same manner as the ordinary kind of cabbage described above. Kohl-rahi is a cabbage with the stem just above ground thickened to about the size of a turnip. The leaves, when young and tender, may be eaten for greens. The thickened stem is peeled, sliced, boiled, and served with cream sauce. Brussels Sprouts originated in Belgium. It is one of the varieties of cabbage. It has a long stalk to which a number of small cabbages, about an inch in diameter, are attached. These sprouts are quite solid, but when cooked are tender and have a flavor somewhat like cauliflower. Salsify or oyster plant: This vegetable, when cooked, has a flavor somewhat Uke oysters. It is grown for its long, tapering root, which is white and fleshy and contains a milky white juice. All parts of the plant are edible. The young tops may be used like asparagus. The white part of the stem and top leaves may be used for salad, but the root is the part for which the plant is chiefly grown. This may be partly boiled, sliced, and fried in fat, or it may be stewed and creamed. Celery: Celery belongs to the parsley family. The long stem, which is blanched white by pulling the earth up around the plant while Fig. 87.— Salsify (Vegetable Oyster) Fig. 88.— Celery Digitized by Google Fig. 89.— Table Beets it is growing, is the part used for food. The stems when served should be white and crisp. Celery hearts are especially crisp and make a very delicate dish. The tops are used for garnishing and forflavoring broths. The region about Kalamazoo, Michigan, furnishes some of the finest celery that comes to the market. Celery may be kept for a month or more in a cool cellar if the plants are wrapped in paper; or it may be packed in boxes with the tops up and covered with moist sand. Beets: Beets are one of the most important root foods. The coarse mangel wurzel is used as a stock food. A large part of the world^s sugar is produced from the sugar beet. The small red table beet is used in making pickles, or is baked or boiled as a side-dish. Beets may be kept in a cool cellar or kept cool by covering them with sand. This prevents wilting and shrinking. Chard, Although the tops of beets may be used for greens when they are young and tender, the chard is a variety of beet that is grown for this special purpose. The mid-ribs are quite p thick and may be prepared and Mangel Wurzel, Beets, Chard used as asparagus. Digitized by Google Carrots: The carrot is a vegetable grown chiefly for its root. The small table variety is used as a side-dish and in giving color and variety to various vegetable salads. The larger, coarser varieties are used as feed for stock.