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In the vegetable kingdom the cereals form a very important part of our
diet, by supplying chiefly the carbohydrates or heat giving matter.
Another nutritious group termed pulse, are those which have their seed
enclosed in a pod. The most familiar are peas, beans, and lentils;
peas and beans are eaten in the green or unripe state as well as in
the dried. Vegetables included in the pulse group are very nourishing
if they can be digested, they contain a large amount of flesh forming
matter, usually a fair amount of starch, but are deficient in fat.
Peas and beans also contain sulphur and tend to produce flatulence
when indulged in by those of weak digestion. Lentils contain less
sulphur, and do not produce this complaint so readily.
The more succulent vegetables include tubers, as potatoes and
Jerusalem artichokes, leaves, stems, and bulbs, as cabbages, spinach,
celery, and onions, roots and flowers, as carrots, parsnips, and
cauliflower. These are very valuable on account of the mineral matter,
chief of which are the potash salts, so necessary to keep the blood in
a healthy condition.
Care should be taken in cooking vegetables not to lose the salts.
Steaming is preferable to boiling, by preserving the juices, though it
does not tend to improve the color of green vegetables. A little lemon
juice added to the water in which new potatoes are boiling improves
their color. Mint is sometimes cooked with new potatoes. To secure a
good color in vegetables when cooked, careful cleaning and preparation
before cooking is essential. Earthy roots, such as potatoes, turnips,
and carrots, must be both well scrubbed and thoroughly rinsed in clean
water before peeling. From all vegetables, coarse or discolored leaves
and any dark or decayed spots should be carefully removed before
cooking.
Potatoes should be peeled thinly, or, if new, merely brushed or rubbed
with a coarse cloth to get the skin off. Turnips should be thickly
peeled, as the rind in these is hard and woody. Carrots and salsify,
unless very old, need scraping only. After the removal of the skin,
all root vegetables (except those of the onion kind) should be put in
cold water till wanted. Potatoes, artichokes, and salsify especially,
must not remain a moment out of water after peeling, or they will turn
a dark color, and to the water used for the two last, a little salt
and lemon juice should be added in order to keep them white.
Root vegetables should be boiled with the lid of the pan on, green
vegetables should be boiled with the lid of the pan off, for the
preservation of the color.