COLLECTING, STORING, AND PACKING VEGETABLES. 
kitchen than are those that have been cultivated 
in trenches and duly soiled up to effect stem- 
blanching. Roots should be trimmed off, the tops 
considerably reduced, and each Leek be washed 
with the heart downward. ‘They are perfectly 
hardy, and ought to be dug only as they are re- 
quired. In the spring what remains of the crop 
may be lifted and heeled in on a north border, 
this prolonging their season. Leeks will stand 
rough treatment as regards packing. Those sent 
to the market are tied together in bundles. 
Lettuces.—This salading, to be good, ought 
to be grown quickly, well-blanched hearts being 
required. Opinions vary as to the superiority 
of either Cos or Cabbage varieties, some con- 
noisseurs preferring the solidity, crispness and 
sweetness of the former to the softer Cabbage 
sorts, which are apt to become quickly flabby in 
er out of salads. Lettuces ought not to be cut 
long before they are wanted for use, and any 
that have to be sent to a distance should not be 
exposed to winds and sunshine longer than is 
necessary. They keep fairly well for a few days 
if drawn from the soil and arranged with their 
roots in pans of water under cover of a cool 
shed. Late in the autumn those with hearts 
already formed may be lifted and replanted 
close together in frames, and, if protected from 
frost, will carry on the supply till midwinter. 
The early Lettuces grown under glass, and 
more especially the Cabbage varieties of the 
early Paris Market type, are very tender and 
must be packed with more than ordinary care. 
Very few of the outer leaves should be removed, 
and those reserved ought to be made to enclose 
the hearts thoroughly, packing all on their sides 
closely in boxes, which in their return may be 
enclosed in the hamper of- mixed vegetables. 
Those grown in the open may be packed closely 
in the topmost layer. For the market, house- 
and frame-grown Lettuces are packed in various 
kinds of baskets, the Cos varieties on their sides 
and the Cabbage varieties heart upwards. 
Maize or Indian Corn.—During very hot 
summers Maize succeeds best with us, when the 
popular Peas often fail; the time may therefore 
yet come when it will be more generally culti- 
vated as a vegetable than at present. Many 
who have grown Indian Corn failed to give it 
a second trial partly because of the common 
mistake of gathering and cooking the “cobs” 
before the grains had really developed, the soft 
young grains tasting like so much slightly- 
sweetened water. It is just as reasonable to 
Vou. IL. 
565 
cook Peas when about one-third grown. The 
other extreme, or nearly ripe corn, should also 
be avoided, the fully-developed yet compara- 
tively tender grains being tender, sweet, and 
juicy. The later supplies keep best on the 
plants, which may be lifted and stored out of 
reach of frost in the autumn. Pack the ears of 
corn just as they are gathered, as in this state 
they are enclosed in wrapper-like sheaths. 
Mushrooms.—“ Buttons”, or those not un- 
folded, are appreciated for some purposes, but 
the nearly or quite fully-developed Mushrooms 
known as “broilers” are more nutritious and 
richer in flavour. It often happens that some 
of each are attached to the large clusters of 
Mushrooms that have to be twisted out of the 
beds, and these are usually packed separately 
by those supplying the markets. Every care 
should be taken to keep the gills of the de- 
veloped Mushrooms perfectly free of soil and 
grit. The stalks ought to be shortened only, 
cooks having a use for these as well as the tops. 
Under no conditions do Mushrooms long re- 
tain their freshness, the gills quickly becoming 
soft and changing from pink to black. Small 
quantities may be packed in a shallow, paper- 
lined box, two layers deep and all stalks down- 
wards, and if there are not enough to fill the 
box, fine wood-wool should be employed both 
above and below the Mushrooms, as loose pack- 
ing may result in much injury to the contents of 
the box. Market-growers either pack in 1-pound 
punnets, these in their turn fitting tightly in 
boxes large enough to hold either six or one 
dozen punnets, or, in the case of heavy consign- 
ments, quarter-sieves and handled baskets are 
used. As before stated, they are well graded, 
while the baskets lined with paper are closely 
filled, all the Mushrooms being packed stalks 
downwards, not only to keep the gills clean, but 
also because they are less liable to break up than 
they would be with their stems upwards. The 
ends of the paper, purposely left over the sides 
of the baskets, are turned tightly over the Mush- 
rooms, and stringing completes the process. 
Mustard and Cress.—This small salading, 
to be at its best, must be grown quickly and 
in the dark till the stems are from 1 inch to 
13 inch high, as unless so grown up to within, 
say, two days of cutting, the stems are apt to 
be short and green, whereas they ought to be 
blanched and long. Both leaves and stems 
ought to be perfectly free of grit, rinsing not 
easily clearing produce not previously kept free 
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