EXTENSION COURSE IN VEGETABLE FOODS. ot 
understand the effect of heat and moisture upon such foods. In older 
vegetables of this type large amounts of woody fibers or cellulose 
will be found, which does not soften readily when cooked. 
Plants of this class have long been cultivated by mankind and are 
used in great quantities, though less dependence is placed on them in 
winter than was the case before improved transportation made a 
greater variety possible. 
BEETS. 
The beet gives a good illustration of the difference between the 
young and old plant. When young, the whole plant, leaves, leaf- 
stalk, and root, may be cooked for greens (see Lesson III), but by 
the time the beet is as large as an egg, the leafstalk is too fibrous to 
use and the leaves are becoming tough; later only the root can be 
used. The bunches of beets from warmer climates found in northern 
markets in the spring usually have leaves that may be cooked and 
served for greens with the sliced roots, and heat and moisture (cook- 
ing) will make them tender in half an hour. Large winter beets 
which have been out of the ground for months have lost moisture and 
become woody and may require four hours or more to make them 
eatable. Pickling in vinegar must often be resorted to before such 
beets are really tender. 
Beets contain a larger proportion of sugar than most vegetables, 
and to retain as much of this as possible, should be baked or steamed. 
At all events, they should be cooked in the skins, and the tip of the 
root and a portion of the leaf stems should be left on until after 
cooking. Even so, some color and sweetness are lost in the water 
in which they are cooked. Canned beets are generally preferable to 
fresh ones when the latter are large or withered. 
TURNIPS. 
Many varieties of turnips are cultivated, but those used for human 
food fall into two main classes, mainly white-fleshed sorts and those 
with yellowish color and called rutabagas or “Swedish” turnips. 
The first are used more commonly in summer and the yellow in winter 
since they keep better. The pungent flavor of turnips, like that of 
cabbage and radish of the same group of plants, is due to sulphur 
compounds. Turnips may be boiled whole and mashed, or be cut into 
cubes before cooking. In the latter way they lose more of their flavor. 
KOHL-RABI. 
The kohl-rabi, which belongs to the same family as the turnip and 
the cabbage and combines characteristics of both, has been described 
on page 17. This is cooked and served like turnip. 
