2 BULLETIN 503, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUEE. 



for the lack of a more exact yet simple word, and is here used be- 

 cause of its convenience as a general descriptive term. 



As a whole, " succulent roots " and " starchy roots," ^ the two 

 great groups into which edible roots are commonly divided, together 

 constitute one of the most important sources of food. 



The succulent vegetables owe their popularity in considerable 

 measure to their good keeping qualities. After harvesting in the 

 late autumn, they will keep in a cellar, or other cool storage place, 

 for a long time in reasonably good condition, though as the season 

 advances they may become somewhat tough and strong in flavor. It 

 is a common custom in the Northern States to store such vegetables 

 in sand rather than in bins or boxes, and some sorts, such as parenips 

 and oyster plant, are frequently left in the ground and dug in early 

 spring. In the parts of the United States where the weather is mild 

 and yet too cool to permit growth, this is an especially common 

 method of keeping winter vegetables, for it is possible to dig them 

 at almost any time during the winter. 



Now that cold storage and improved methods of transportation 

 have made it easily possible to secure a greater variety of vegetables 

 at all times of the year than was formerly the case, the stored root 

 vegetables are relatively less important. This does not mean that 

 their use is likely to disappear, but rather that the northern markets 

 are being supplied also with more delicate varieties; for instance, 

 small tender beets, which many would prefer to the larger and 

 tougher ones commonly stored for winter use. In southern markets 

 one can obtain such vegetables fresh a good part of the year. 



The usefulness of root vegetables is not limited to their under- 

 ground portions, since in many cases the leaves and stems, when 

 young and tender, are good as potherbs. Most commonly used are 

 beet tops and turnip tops, but radish and horse-radish leaves also 

 make good " greens," especially for mixing with greens of milder 

 flavor, and occasionally carrot tops are also used for this purpose. 

 The careful housekeeper who buys beets and turnips by the bunch 

 will save and use the tops for greens. If she has a garden she will 

 use the young plants when they are thinned out, and may also often 

 get a dish of greens by picking tender leaves here and there from her 

 garden bed of beets or turnips. The young green tops of onions ar« 

 much used for seasoning and are also tender and palatable when 

 cooked as a vegetable. Celeriac tops, too, are useful as a seasoning. 



Most of the common succulent vegetables — ^turnips, beets, parsnips, 

 carrots, etc. — are biennial plants, and if by any chance the roots re- 



^The nutritive value and uses of starchy roots have been discussed in U. S. Dept. 

 Agr. Bui. 4G8 (lOlOj. Recipes for preparinj,' such vegetables for the table v^ill be found 

 In U. S. Dept. Agr. Farmers' Bui. 256 (1906).. 



