LEAVES AND STEMS WE EAT 



and leaves together as a pot herb when less than 

 fully grown. Some strip the stalks, boil them in 

 convenient lengths, and serve like asparagus. 

 Sometimes the leaf blades are boiled as a separate 

 dish, or served cold in a salad. The stalks are 

 white in most species. 



If the roots are undisturbed, and only the outer 

 leaves taken off, chard plants will continue indefi- 

 nitely to form new leaves. When other vege- 

 tables take the place of chard, or the family tires 

 of pot herbs, the wisest course is to keep the plants 

 and harvest the leaves for the chickens. Little 

 and big, they all eat the succulent food eagerly, 

 and thrive on it as a green ration with their dry 

 grain foods. 



CRESSES 



The pungent watery juice of the cress group, 

 and their cross-bearing flowers at time of bloom, 

 prove that the Mustard Family embraces them 

 all. There is a strong family likeness, especially 

 when one nibbles first one and then another of 

 these related plants. 



The leaves of cresses are the principal edible 

 parts, though tender stems are good, too. They 

 are eaten as a salad or minced in soup, or merely 

 garnish meats on the platters. "Small salads" 



