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EXTENSION COURSE IN VEGETABLE FOODS. 39 
but 1s more often added to thin soups, as its mucilaginous nature 
serves as thickening, or with onions, carrots, etc., in making vegetable 
soups and in stews. 
EGGPLANT. 
This plant has long been known and succeeds well as a garden 
vegetable in many localities. It ships well and so is often found in 
market. It belongs to the same family as the potato and tomato—the 
nightshade family. As is the case with all succulent vegetables, its 
nutritive value is not high, but it is palatable and much liked by 
many, and should be better known than it is in some localities. It 
may be cut in two, stuffed and baked, or sliced, crumbed, and broiled 
or fried. To extract some of the moisture before frying, the sliced 
eggplant often is sprinkled with salt and a weight put on top of the 
pile of slices to press out the juice. 
TOMATO. 
The tomato is a native of America, but though known in Europe 
since the sixteenth century, was slow in coming into favor, no doubt 
because of supposed poisonous qualities. It did not become common 
as a vegetable in the United States until about the middle of the 
nineteenth century, though grown before that as an ornamental gar- 
den plant. It is now used very generally and has grown in popularity 
here and in Europe very rapidly. 
To this vegetable fruit we owe much in cookery. Though its food 
value is not high it is very palatable and refreshing and very useful 
as a seasoning for a great variety of dishes. Alone and in combina- 
tion it provides soups, sauces, and salads, and many relishes which 
make many mild-flavored materials appetizing. ‘Tomatoes are pre- 
served, made into pickles, and used in many similar ways, as well 
as raw and cooked as a vegetable. The tomato owes its flavor to 
special substances including citric acid. 
Except in the case of special varieties with tender skin (and these 
should always be washed), tomatoes when served raw should always 
have the skin removed. This is easily done if the tomatoes are 
plunged into boiling water for less than a minute, then drained, and 
chilled. They may be peeled when needed. Perfectly ripe tomatoes 
may be scraped with the back of a knife to loosen the skin, which then 
will peel easily, but this is less rapid than the scalding process. If 
cooked, tomatoes are to be strained. It is unnecessary to peel toma- 
toes for stewing, as they can be strained before use and the skin 
will remain in the strainer with the seeds. The very small red toma- 
toes which grow in clusters, known as cherry tomatoes, are often found 
in large markets and are very attractive for salads, and the yellow 
plum tomatoes are perhaps always eaten without peeling, and hence 
should be carefully washed. | 
