Elements of the theory and practice of cookery

376. Rhubarb, though not strictly a fruit, is so like fruit in composition that it may be classed with it. It can be had in the spring before fruit is plentiful, yet when we crave vegetable juice and acid. Rhubarb Sauce Steamed. — Cut off the leaves. Wash the stalks, and cut them into one-inch lengths. To each pint of rhubarb add one cupful of sugar, and cook it in a double boiler till soft. Add more sugar if it tastes too sour. Do not stir it. The pieces of rhubarb should be unbroken. Baked. — Prepare and sweeten the rhubarb as for steaming. Cook it in a deep dish in a moderate oven until tender and deep-red in color. ACID AND SALT SUPPLYING FOODS 235 377. Imported dried fruits are usually dirty. Dates and figs need rinsing with boiling water, and are better if steamed or stewed in a little water till tender. Stewed figs with cream are delicious. Select shrivelled, dry- looking prunes ; plumper ones have been soaked to make them look well, and the purchaser pays for the water they have absorbed. Dried apples, peaches, and apricots, after soaking for several hours in water, are cooked like fresh fruit. Stewed Prunes Prunes, 1 pound. Sugar, 2 tablespoonfuls. Lemon, 1, sHced. Wash the prunes, and soak them for several hours, or over night, in cold water enough to cover them. Add sugar and lemon, and cook them thirty minutes, or un- til soft. Or omit the sugar, and cook by moderate heat one hour or longer to develop the natural sweetness in the fruit. Reading. — "The Cape Cod Cranberry" (illustrated), in Har- per's Weekly, Vol. XLI, p. 1012, October 9, 1897 ; " The Grape In- dustry," in the Chautauquan, Vol. XXIV, December, 1896 ; Foods and Beverages, pp. 169-214; Food Products of the World, Chapter XXIV, pp. 217-233. Section 2. Vegetables The common growth of mother earth suffices me. — Wordsworth. The secret of the cooking of vegetables is the judicious production of flavor. — Ellen H. Richards. 378. We eat as vegetables the fruits, or seed-vessels, of some plants ; of others the root, the leaves, or some other part. 236 THEORY AND PRACTICE OF COOKERY Vegetables, like fruits, contain mineral salts impor- tant to health. What salts are found in potatoes? Vegetables valued chiefly for these salts are frequently eaten raw ; to this class belong lettuce, celery, cucum- bers, and all ''salad plants." Many vegetables, how- ever, require cooking. If we analyze one, we shall see why. Study of a Carrot 379. Examine and analyze a carrot just as you did the potato, and make a table showing its structure and composition. Is it a root or a tuber ?i Where is it most woody ? In the spring you may be able to get both young and old carrots. Compare them. Which has the thicker skin? The more cellulose? The cen- tres of very old carrots may be too hard to eat. Do carrots contain starch ? Do you know or can you tell from their structure and composition which will take longer to cook, a potato, or a carrot of the same size ? Carrots contain more water than potatoes do ; why are they not good baked? 380. Foodstuffs in carrots. — Carrots contain sugar, gum, and about one-fourth as much starch as potatoes do ; of the mineral compounds in them the most impor- tant are potash salts. (For percentage composition of carrots and other vegetables, see table on pp. 319-326.)