1810 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HOllTICULTURE 



artichoke. Tlu> ttowor buds must be used 

 before they open. The edible portion con- 

 sists of the thickeneil portion at the base 

 of the scales and the receptacles to which 

 the leaf-like scales are attached. In 

 cookery books the receptacles are always 

 spoken of as the bottoms. The parts of 

 the flower in the center of the bud are 

 railed the "choke" and must always be 

 removed. 



When the artichoke is very young and 

 tender the edible parts may be eaten raw 

 as a salad. When it becomes hard, as it 

 does very quickly, it must be cooked. 

 When boiled it may be eaten as a salad or 

 with a sauce. The scales are pulled with 

 the fingers from the cooked head, the base 

 of each leaf dipped in the sauce and then 

 eaten. The bottoms (receptacles), which 

 many consider the most delicious part 

 of the artichoke, may be cut up and 

 served as a salad, or they may be stewed 

 and served with a sauce. To prepare the 

 artichoke remove all the hard outer 

 leaves. Cut off the stem close to the 

 leaves. Cut off the top of the bud. Prop 

 the artichokes into boiling water and 

 cook until tender, which will take from 

 30 to 50 minutes, then take up and re- 

 move the choke. Serve a dish of French 

 salad dressing with the artichokes, which 

 may be eaten either hot or cold. Melted 

 butter also makes a delicious sauce for 

 the artichokes if they are eaten hot. 



.lernsalein Artielioke 



This tuber is in season in the fall and 

 spring, and may be cooked like kohlralii 

 and served in a white cream or sauce. 

 The artichoke may also be cooked in 



milk. 



When this is done, cut the washed and 

 peeled artichoke into cubes, put in a 

 stewpan, and cover with milk (a generous 

 pint to a quart of cubes). Add one small 

 onion and cook twenty minutes. Beat 

 together one tablespoonful of butter and 

 one level tablespoonful of flour, and stir 

 this into the boiling milk. Then season 

 with a teaspoonful of salt and one-fourth 

 of a teaspoonful of pepper, and continue 

 the cooking half an hour longer. The 

 cooking should he done in a double boiler. 



The artichoke also makes a very good 



soup. 



ASPARAGUS 



This delicious spring vegetable should 

 be treated very simply, yet carefully. 



Cut off the woody part, scrape the 

 lower part of the stalk. Wash well and 

 tie in bunches. Put into a deep stewpan. 

 with the cut end resting on the bottom of 

 the stewpan. Pour in boiling water to 

 come up to the tender heads, but not to 

 cover them. Add a teaspoonful of salt for 

 each quart of water. Place where the 

 water will boil. Cook until tender, hav- 

 ing the cover partially off the stewpan. 

 This will be 15 to 30 minutes, depend- 

 ing upon the freshness and tenderness 

 of the vegetable. Have some slices of 

 well-toasted bread on a platter. Butter 

 them slightly. Arrange the cooked as- 

 l)aragus on the toast, season with butter 

 and a little salt and serve at once. Save 

 the water in which the asparagus was 

 boiled to use in making vegetable soup. 



Another method of cooking asparagus 

 is to cut all the tender part into short 

 pieces. Add boiling water enough to just 

 cover the vegetable and place where the 

 water will boil. Cook until tender (about 

 fifteen minutes), season with salt and 

 butter, and serve in the greater part of 

 the juice. 



If preferred, a cream dressing may 

 be served with asparagus. 



BEANS 



To Blaiicli Green Beans 



Green beans should always be blanched. 

 To do this drain them from the cold 

 water and put them into water that is 

 boiling rapidly, allowing a teaspoonful of 

 salt to two quarts of water. Boil rapid- 

 ly, with the cover partially off the sauce- 

 pan, for twenty minutes. Turn into a 

 colander and let cold water run upon 

 them. They are now ready to be finished 

 in any manner you like. The blanching 

 can be done in the morning while the 

 fire is good and the beans be finished 

 for dinner at the proper time. 

 Green Beans, Plain 

 One quart beans, one-half pint water, 



