14 



of low nutrient value. They have a good dietetic value, as the quantity 

 of water they contain is so large. 



Cucumbers. Are chiefly of value for the water they contain. 



Melons are also valuable for the amount of water they contain, 

 being- more of a drink than a food. 



Tomato, itself the "prince of salads," is never better than when 

 eaten fresh and raw. We have no other vegetable that is capable of 

 being cooked and served in so many ways. The tomato owes its pleasant 

 sour taste to oxalic acid, and on that account, like rhubarb, is generally 

 forbidden to those with gouty tendencies. Since oxalic acid forms in- 

 soluble salts with lime and magnesia, excessive use of rhubarb or 

 tomatoes tends to thin the blood, and produce outbreaks on the skin. 



Pickles. 



Chili Sauce. 18 large, ripe tomatoes, 6 onions, 6 small red peppers, 

 J cup sugar, 2 cups vinegar, salt to taste. 



Peel the onions and tomatoes, remove the seeds and core from the 

 peppers. Chop all very fine, add the sugar and salt, boil slowly until the 

 sauce becomes quite thick; then put away in well sterilized bottles. 



Spiced Tomatoes (Suitable for Game.) 



Peel and slice the tomatoes and put them in the preserving kettle 

 with sugar, (half as much sugar as fruit, by weight.) A quart of vine- 

 gar and x ounce each of ground mace, cloves and cinnamon. Mix and 

 cook slowly for three hours. Put in glass jars and seal. 



Roots and Tubers. 



Potatoes. The value of the potato as food lies in its starch. It is 

 very poor in nitrogenous material, and cannot be used alone in support 

 life. Its deficiencies material, and cannot be used alone to support life. 

 Its deficiencies in this respect are supplied by the more concentrated 

 foods, rich in proteids and fats, with which it is usually served. Potato 

 juice is acid containing many substances that tend to purify the blood, 

 but the wafer in which potatoes have been boiled is not wholesome. 

 That in which new potatoes have been boiled is especially so. Severe 

 diarrhoea has been caused by the indiscriminate use of potatoes con- 

 taining unformed starch an immature cellulose. Potatoes may be stored 

 in pits, or in a cool, dark, well-ventilated cellar ; light and frost both 

 being injurious to potatoes. The addition of a pound of lime to each 

 barrel of potatoes absorbs any unpleasant earthy odor. Exposure to 

 light makes potatoes green, bitter and unwholesome. Potatoes taken 

 too early from the ground are apt to heat and sprout when stored. 



