Every good housekeeper will supply her table with a variety of
vegetables all the year round. One can hardly think of a vegetable,
either fresh or canned, that cannot be had in our markets at any
season. The railroads and steamers connect the climes so closely that
one hardly knows whether he is eating fruits and vegetables in or out
of season. The provider, however, realizes that it takes a long purse
to buy fresh produce at the North while the ground is yet frozen.
Still, there are so many winter vegetables that keep well in the
cellar through cold weather that if we did not have the new ones from
the South, there would be, nevertheless, a variety from which to
choose. It is late in the spring, when the old vegetables begin to
shrink and grow rank, that we appreciate what comes from the South.
Buying Vegetables.
If one has a good, dry cellar, it is economy to procure in the fall
vegetables enough for all winter, but if the cellar is too warm the
vegetables will sprout and decay before half the cold months have
passed. Those to be bought are onions, squashes, turnips, beets,
carrots, parsnips, cabbages, potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes, all of
which, except the first two, should be bedded in sand and in a cool
place, yet where they will not freeze. Squashes and onions should be
kept in a very dry room. The price of all depends upon the supply.