EXTENSION COURSE IN VEGETABLE FOODS. 59 



little thickening and more seasoning will be needed, while with celery or onion 

 more thickening and less added flavor will be required. 



Exercise. — Make two green-pea soups, using for one the dry split green peas 

 at about 14 cents per quart, and for the other canned green peas at the same 

 price per can. Count cost of materials, time, and fuel in each case. 



REVIEW QUESTIONS, LESSON XL 



1. Briefly describe the principal processes of cooking which are applied to 

 vegetables. 



2. What general preparation would be common to all methods? 



3. When may it be advisable to cook a double portion of any vegetable? 



4. How shall it be decided what materials to add to a vegetable in its 

 preparation for the table? 



5. What types of knives are most helpful in preparing vegetables? Describe 

 different processes requiring different motions. 



6. Some vegetables should be scraped ; others pared. Give examples. 



7. Describe several utensils helpful in preparation of vegetables. 



8. Suggest combinations of vegetables and explain why they are acceptable. 



9. Give general plan for making soups from one kind of vegetable. Mention 

 combinations that might be used in the same way. 



10. Describe process of making croquettes or some scalloped vegetable. 



LESSON XII. DRYING, EVAPORATING, AND SALTING VEGETABLES. 



Most foods are best when fresh, but since they can not always be 

 had in this condition some means must be found for preserving them. 

 Decay in fruit or vegetables changes texture and flavor and is caused 

 by the development of bacteria, spores, molds, and other low forms of 

 life. Methods of preserving are simply means of checking their 

 growth. The first step should be to protect the material from unnec- 

 essary contamination from them, but since they are everywhere 

 present in the air even the most scrupulous cleanliness is hardly suffi- 

 cient alone. 



Most of these microorganisms grow only in the presence of mois- 

 ture, and this fact explains the method of preserving by means of 

 drying. 



DRYING AND EVAPORATING FOODS. 



The drying of foods has been practiced by primitive people from 

 the beginning of civilization and is only aiding nature's processes. 

 The seeds dry as they ripen and berries dry on the bushes. The 

 Indians preserved blueberries and other fruits in this way. Pumpkin 

 was often dried in strips by the early colonists, and sections of apple 

 were strung and hung where they would dry readily. The bulk and 

 weight of such foods is much less than in the natural condition, hence 

 less room is required for storage and much less labor is involved in 

 transporting them from place to place. 



Herbs and spices were gathered, dried, and used to aid in the 

 preservation of other foods. There was a right time for gathering 

 each plant, it was believed, and in this lore ancient housekeepers 

 were far more interested than modern ones. 



