CHAPTER III 

 FACTORS INFLUENCING THE QUALITY OF VEGETABLES * 



A NUMBER of factors may influence the quality of vegetables 

 as they appear upon the table. The efficiency and training of the 

 cook who prepares and serves the vegetables are potent factors 

 in determining their palatability and wholesomeness. Cabbage 

 cooked by the ordinary hotel or boarding-house method is far 

 inferior in appearance, texture, flavor and digestibility to the 

 same vegetable cooked in a proper manner. There is also an art 

 in the cooking of carrots, parsnips, cauliflower, turnips and egg- 

 plant; and it is probable that these vegetables would rise in popular 

 favor if they were properly cooked by a larger proportion of the 

 people who try to serve them. 



The freshness of vegetables has a direct bearing upon their 

 quality, though this factor has a much more marked influence 

 in the case of some vegetables than others. Certain vegetables 

 lose moisture rapidly after gathering, and unless precautions are 

 taken to keep them fresh, they soon become so badly wilted that 

 their characteristic crispness is largely destroyed. Radishes and 

 lettuce lose their distinctive value as salad materials if they become 

 badly wilted. Summer cabbage, especially when used for slaw, 

 and string beans are more acceptable if used before they wilt. 



In the above-mentioned vegetables it is chiefly the texture 

 which is affected by the stateness of the product. In sweet corn 

 and green peas, however, there is a marked deterioration in flavor 

 if these vegetables are allowed to stand even a few hours after 

 gathering. To be of the finest possible flavor, sweet corn should 

 be served within an hour after it leaves the stalk. 



Strictly fresh vegetables of the most perishable kinds cannot 

 readily be obtained on the ordinary market. This renders it 

 imperative for the person who desires perishable vegetables of 

 high quality to grow them upon his own grounds. One great 

 advantage of the home garden over the grocer's stall as a source 

 of the vegetable supply lies in the superior freshness of the product 

 from the former source. 



* Synopsis of an address given by the author at the Fifty-third Annual 

 Meeting of the Illinois State Horticultural Society, December 18, 1908. 

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