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Show r- " " 1 Vegetables at Their Best ' h5 Ja."rlJ' , i, ,0 a '4tK?! Photo Courtesy Ferry-Morse Seed Co. Real enjoyment of your home vegetable garden depends largely upon proper preparation of the vegetables for the table. 1 Gather leafy crops early in the morning, if possible, before the sun wilts them. If they are to be kept until a later meal, wash and cover them and place in the refrigerator. Pick peas and sweet corn within an hour of getting them ready for the' kettle; if gathered very long before cooking, they lose both sweetness and flavor. Gathering any vegetable vege-table too long before using causes loss of vitamins. Scrape or peel vegetables thinly; valuable minerals are just beneath the outer skin. Young carrots, beets, and summer squash should merely be scrubbed and not peeled. Neither should vegetables be soaked in water before cooking. This, too, causes loss of minerals. Cook vegetables quickly and only until barely tender. ' Usually they taste better if slightly undercooked than they do if soft and mushy from overcooking. In boiling, use only a small amount of water, saving whatever liquid remains when the cooking is finished. If there is too much to serve with the vegetable, keep it to add to soup. In boiling vegetables make sure the water is really boiling before adding them. If put over the fire in cold water, vegetables lose color, flavor, texture, and much of their food value. Vegetables fresh from the garden need very little dressing up to make them deliciously appetizing. Simple methods of cookery are best with the simplest of seasonings added. Until you have eaten vegetables fresh picked from your garden and properly cooked, you do not know the taste of vegetables at their best. |