EXTENSION COURSE IN VEGETABLE FOODS. 27 



kets prefer a dry, smooth, yellow type, while in the South the moist 

 varieties showing more sugar when baked are the favorites. They 

 may be kept in a dry place at a temperature of 50° to 65° F., and are 

 sometimes canned and often dried like fruits for family use. A flour 

 is also made from the sweet potato. 



Because their sweetness is to some extent lost in water they are 

 better steamed than boiled, and baking is the favorite method. 



After cooking they may be pressed through a sieve and used in 

 puddings or pies like squash or added to breads. (See Lesson VII.) 



In southern homes it has always been customary to cook sliced 

 sweet potato (often first parboiled) with sugar, butter, and other 

 seasoning. Such dishes, under a variety of names, are now general 

 favorites. 



When the tubers are baked the process should not be too rapid, but 

 should continue for an hour, until the skin separates from the pulp, 

 and in the case of the varieties moist when cooked, until the sirup 

 condenses and the pulp grows moist. The negroes in the Southern 

 States bake them in the ashes in the fireplace and as soon as one meal 

 is over put in those needed for the next. 



JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE, YAM, CASSAVA, AND OTHER STARCH-BEARING TUBERS 



AND ROOTS. 



The Jerusalem artichoke is a kind of sunflower which has a thick- 

 ened rootstalk valuable for food. The carbohydrate material in the 

 tuber is like gum rather than starch, which gives a peculiar texture 

 after cooking. The tubers were more popular before potatoes came 

 into general use. They are crisp in the spring before they begin to 

 grow and may be cooked like creamed potatoes, served raw as a salad 

 like radishes, or pickled. They are common in many rural regions, 

 are found in city markets, and are not expensive. 



Yam is a name carelessly applied to some types of sweet potato. 

 The true yams belong to another variety of plants and include many 

 species abundant in the Tropics, some of which may also be grown 

 in temperate regions. Many are grown in the West Indies and 

 Florida. They are rich in starch, though lacking the sugar of sweet 

 potatoes, and the flavor is pleasant when they are boiled or cooked 

 in other ways. 



Many of these tubers are most satisfactory when baked, but, like 

 the potato, they may be prepared in other ways. 



A new tuber which has attracted much attention is the dasheen 

 from tropical countries. The dasheens may be served like potatoes, 

 boiled, fried, creamed, etc., but to many are, like potatoes, most 

 acceptable when baked. They have a rough outer coating, which 

 may be partially removed before cooking. If entirely pared there is 

 a tendency to discolor, as with potatoes. 



