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Guide to Marketing and Cooking

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Physiology of Taste

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Library of Cookery

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PURCHASE AND CARE OF VEGETABLES

PURCHASE OF VEGETABLES

20. As in the case of other foods, the purchase of vegetables in the
market requires special knowledge and attention in order that the best
value may be obtained for the money expended. The housewife who has a
limited amount of money to spend for food does not buy wisely when she
purchases vegetables out of season or those which must be shipped long
distances. On the other hand, it will be found that vegetables bought in
season as well as those which are plentiful in the particular locality
in which they are sold, especially if they are perishable vegetables,
are lowest in price and are in the best condition for food. Therefore,
whether the income is limited or not, it is wisdom on the part of the
housewife to buy vegetables that grow in the neighboring region and to
purchase them when they are in season.

21. A very important point for the housewife to keep in mind regarding
the purchase of vegetables is that their price is determined not by
their value as food, but by their scarcity and the demand for them.
Take, for example, the case of mushrooms. As shown in Table I, this
vegetable is low in food value, containing only 210 calories to the
pound, but, if purchased, they are always an expensive food. The high
price asked for mushrooms is entirely dependent on their scarcity. If
there is much demand in a certain community for a food that is not
plentiful in the market, the price of that food always goes up. As in
the case of mushrooms, many expensive foods add practically nothing in
the way of nourishment, their only value being in the variety of flavor
they supply.

22. Furthermore, in order to provide wisely, the person who purchases
vegetables for the family should be able to judge whether she is getting
full value in food for the money she invests. She cannot always do this
with each particular vegetable purchased, but she can buy in such a way
that what she purchases will average correctly in this respect. The
perishable vegetables should be bought as fresh as possible. No
difficulty will be experienced in determining this, for they will soon
wither or rot if they are not fresh, but the point is to find out their
condition before they are bought. The housewife should be ever on the
alert and should examine carefully the vegetables she buys before they
are accepted from the grocer or taken from the market. In the case of
certain vegetables, it is possible to conceal the fact that they are
stale. For instance, the outside leaves of a head of lettuce or endive
are sometimes removed and only the bleached center is offered for sale;
but this always indicates that the outside leaves were either withered
or spoiled or they would not have been taken off.

23. Much of the spoiling of vegetables can be avoided if proper
attention is given to them in the market. Food of this kind should be so
displayed that it is not exposed to the dirt and dust of the street, nor
to flies and other destructive vermin. The practice of displaying
vegetables on a stand in front of a store is gradually losing favor with
the housewife who understands the sanitary precautions that should be
taken with foods. On the other hand, housewives owe it to the merchant
not to handle the foods they are going to buy, for the handling of them
not only injures them so that they will not keep well, but renders them
unfit to be accepted by the next purchaser.

24. The manner in which vegetables are sold should also receive
consideration. It has been the custom to sell them by measure, but both
housewives and merchants have come to realize that it is fairer to sell
them by weight. Experience has shown that a pound is much more likely to
be always uniform than is a quart or a peck. This is due to the fact
that no two dealers are likely to measure in exactly the same way, even
though the measures they use are up to the standard in size. Then, too,
especially in the case of vegetables that are of various sizes and
shapes, it is impossible to fill a measure properly because of the shape
of the vegetables, and so either the housewife often receives short
measure or the merchant gives more than the measure requires. All
difficulty of this kind is entirely overcome when vegetables
are weighed.

 CARE OF VEGETABLES

25. PERISHABLE VEGETABLES, that is, those which spoil quickly, are
usually bought in small quantities, and so are used up quickly. However,
if they are kept on hand for only a day or so, they require a definite
amount of care in order to insure the most satisfactory results in their
use. To prevent them from spoiling or withering, they should be kept in
a cool, damp place until they are needed. The most effective and
convenient way in which to accomplish this is to store them in a
refrigerator or other similar device. If ice cannot be obtained, the
cellar should be utilized. Before vegetables of this kind are put away
after being delivered from the market, they should be looked over
carefully, and any that are spoiled should be discarded in order to
prevent others that they might touch from becoming tainted. As little
handling as possible, however, is advantageous, because when such foods
become bruised and are then allowed to stand they are likely to spoil
very quickly.

26. The less perishable vegetables, commonly called WINTER VEGETABLES
because they may be kept through the winter, may be bought in quantity,
provided proper storage facilities to prevent them from spoiling are
available. Potatoes, in particular, are usually purchased in this way,
for, as a rule, they may be obtained at a better price than when bought
in small quantities, and then, too, they are a vegetable that most
families use nearly every day. If they are bought in quantity, they
should first be thoroughly tested, for often a potato looks very well on
the outside while its texture and flavor may not be at all in accordance
with its appearance. Great care should also be exercised to see that
this vegetable, as well as carrots, turnips, parsnips, etc., has not
been frosted, for frost ruins them as to texture and keeping qualities.

All such vegetables as these, provided they must be stored for any
length of time, keep best in a cold, fairly dry atmosphere. To prevent
them from sprouting, the storage room should, if possible, be kept dark,
but in case they do sprout, the sprouts should be removed as soon as
they are discovered. The best receptacles for the storage of these
winter vegetables are bins, a convenient type of which is shown in
_Essentials of Cookery_, Part 2, and the most satisfactory place in
which to put such bins is a cellar that has a dirt floor rather than a
board or a cement floor.

 CLASSIFICATION OF VEGETABLES

27. Because of their difference in physical structure, both as plants or
parts of plants, and their variation in chemical composition, it is a
rather difficult matter to classify vegetables. The vegetables that are
discussed throughout these Sections are therefore not included in any
classes, but are arranged alphabetically, a plan that the housewife will
find very convenient. However, there are a few general classes whose
names and characteristics should be known by the housewife, for an
understanding of them will enable her to make a more intelligent use of
this food. These classes, together with a brief description of the
features that characterize them and the names by which the principal
varieties are known, are here given.

[Illustration: FIG. 1]

28. SUCCULENT VEGETABLES are those which are generally eaten for their
appetizing effect and their value as a source of mineral salts and bulk.
These vegetables, which get their name from the fact that they are juicy
in texture, include the greens, such as spinach, Swiss chard, dandelion,
lettuce, etc., also celery, asparagus, cabbage, and all other plants
whose green leaves and stems are edible. Succulent vegetables may be
cooked, but they are often used as cold relishes or in the making
of salads.

29. ROOT, TUBER, and BULB VEGETABLES form another class. Examples of
several well-known roots are shown in Fig. 1, which from left to right
are salsify, carrots, turnips, and parsnips. The varieties included in
this class are closely related as to food value, and on the whole
average much higher in this characteristic than do the succulent
vegetables. Irish potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes are examples of
tubers; sweet potatoes, beets, radishes, etc., in addition to the
vegetables shown in Fig. 1, belong to the roots; and onions and all the
vegetables related to the onion, such as garlic, shallots, and leeks,
are illustrations of bulbs or enlarged underground stems.

30. FRUIT and FLOWER VEGETABLES form a third class. They present great
variety in appearance, structure, and composition. To this class belong
cucumbers, eggplant, winter and summer squash, vegetable marrow,
tomatoes, peppers, and okra, which are in reality fruits but are used as
vegetables. Flower vegetables include California, or French, artichokes,
and cauliflower, all of which are in reality the buds of flowers or
plants and are eaten for food.

31. LEGUMES form a fourth class of vegetables, and they include all the
varieties of beans, peas, and lentils. When these foods are mature and
dried, they have the highest food value of all the vegetables. Among the
beans are Lima beans, kidney beans, navy, or soup, beans, soy beans, and
many others. The peas include the various garden varieties that have
been allowed to mature, cow-peas, and many others, some of which are not
suitable for human consumption. The lentils occur in numerous varieties,
too, but those commonly used are the red, yellow, and black ones. To
legumes also belong peanuts, but as they are seldom used as vegetables
in cookery, no further mention is made of them in this Section.

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