The national course in home economics

SUGGESTIONS ON THE COOKING OF VEGETABLES. The greatest care should be taken in preparing and boiling vegetables. If taken from the garden, they ought to be gathered in the morning while still wet with the dew and if from the market they should be put in cold water until crisp, before cooking. Never boil them longer than until just done. Put them on in an abundance of fresh water, slightly salted, that is just beginning to boil. Water that has boiled for some time is flat. Care should be taken that the water does not cease to boil until the vegetables are done; drain immediately after. For onions, cabbage, turnips, etc., it is best to change the water, especially when used during the winter, since the flavor, then, is much stronger. Dried peas, beans and lentils should be previously soaked and put on to boil with cold water. Boil spinach and kale in an abundance of water in an uncovered pot, to retain the color. Never thicken vegetables of any kind by adding flour mixed with cold water. Always put butter in a saucepan, to this add the flour, mix well, then add to the vegetables. This improves not only the looks, but also 29 453 the taste to such an extent that the little extra work will not be taken into consideration by those who believe in doing things right. The best water to use for the cooking of vegetables is pure well water. In cities where spring water cannot be procured, lake water will answer but should first be filtered to take out the sediment. TIME FOR COOKING VEGETABLES. Although no exact time can be given for cooking the various vegetables, as much depends upon the age and freshness, yet the following table will help, to some extent, the inexperienced cook. My advice is to test with a fork, or taste, and thus decide: Potatoes, boiled, twenty-five minutes Tomatoes, fresh, one-half hour. Potatoes, baked, forty-five minutes. Tomatoes, canned, one-quarter hour. Sweet Potatoes, boiled, forty-five minutes. Cabbage, three-fourths of an hour to an Sweet Potatoes, baked, sixty minutes. hour. Squash, boiled, twenty-five minutes. Cauliflower, one hour. Squash, baked, one hour. Dandelions, two hours. Green peas, boiled, twenty to forty min- Beet Greens, one hour. utes. Onions, one and one-quarter hours. Shelled beans, boiled, sixty minutes, Beets, two hours. String beans, boiled, one hour. Turnips, white, forty-five minutes. Green corn, boiled quickly, twenty min- Turnips, yellow, one and one-half hours. utes. Parsnips, one and one-half hours. Asparagus, fifteen to thirty minutes. Carrots, one hour. Spinach, one hour. Nearly all these vegetables are eaten dressed with salt, pepper and butter, but sometimes a small piece of salt pork is boiled with them, and seasons them nicely, HASHED BROWN POTATOES. Chop two boiled potatoes fine; take a large saucepan (an omelet pan is best); put in two tablespoonfuls of butter; when hot turn in potatoes, dust with salt and pepper and with limber knife pat down into a smooth sheet; stand pan over a moderate fire and cook slowly for ten minutes; now begin at one end of pan and roll over and pat each roll down until you get to opposite side of pan and potatoes are in the shape of omelet, put your serving dish over pan and turn up-side down; then they are ready to serve. Della Yeomans. HOLLANDAISE POTATOES.