WASHING AND BUNCHING 



287 



market, most vegetables must be free from dirt or other stains 

 at the time they are packed. In the case of vegetables that have 

 been pulled or dug from the soil, like root crops and celery, or 

 cut from close to the surface of the ground, like spinach, lettuce 

 and asparagus, washing with water is usually a necessary step in 

 the preparation of the products for market. In muddy weather, 

 tomatoes, melons, cucumbers, and eggplants may sometimes be 

 washed, though the usual custom is to merely wipe them off 

 with a moist cloth. Root crops and celery grown in sandy 



Fig. 173. — Bunch of kohlrabi, as marketed. 



soil are much more easily washed than those grown in the 

 heavier types of soil. 



Certain vegetables are usually tied in bunches when sent to 

 market. This is true of all root crops early in the season, radishes 

 (except the winter type) at all seasons, green onions, asparagus, 

 rhubarb, kohlrabi, parsley, leeks, celery, and sometimes leaf lettuce 

 and various other products (Fig. 173). Root crops may be washed 

 either before or after bunching, but can usually be more expedi- 

 tiously handled if bunched before the washing. Materials used in 



