Beans, peas, and other vegetables, which are difficult of digestion, are less indigestible if eaten in the form of purees. Green vegetables should be freshlj- gathered, thoroughly washed in cold water, and cooked in freshly boiling salted water. It is impossible to give a definite time for cooking, as much depends upon their age and the time they have been gathered. Wilted vegetables require a much longer time than fresh. All vegetables should be cooked until soft and tender, and no longer. This is better ascertained by watching them carefully and piercing with a fork than b}^ depending upon any time-table. Veg- etables which are eaten raw and are liable to ferment in the stomach are usually dressed with some condiment, — oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Every green vegetable keeps its color better if it be boiled rapidly and uncovered. Many use soda for the same purpose, but unwisely. 292 The Boston Cook Book, Potatoes. The potato is more generally used than any other veg- etable. It combines with other foods — meats particularly — to give the desired elements. But it should not be used alone, or in too great a proportion, as it gives very little flesh-forming material. When taken exclusively, such a large bulk of it is required for sustenance that it results in increased size and prominence of the stomach, which sometimes amounts to deformit}'. Potatoes are three fourths water. The solid matter consists largel}^ of starch, with a small quantity of albumen and mineral matter held in solution in the juices. The quantity of starch increases during the autumn, and remains stationary during the winter. In spring, when germination commences, the starch is changed to gum, and renders the potatoes mucilaginous. The sugar formed from this gum renders them sweeter. Potatoes which have been frozen and thaw«d suddenly are sweeter and more watery than before, because on exposure to the warmth and air the starch is changed to sugar. They should be kept frozen until ready to use, or used immediately after thaw- ing in cold water. The sprouts on potatoes should be removed as soon as they appear, since, if they are allowed to grow, they exhaust the starch, and render the potatoes unfit for food. Potatoes should be kept in a dry, cool cellar. Botanicall}^ potatoes belong to the same poisonous order as tobacco and deadly nightshade, and contain an acid juice which is unpleasant to the taste and often renders them indigestible. This lies in and near the rind of the potato. It is drawn out by heat. When the potatoes are baked it escapes in the steam, if they are opened at once ; and when the}' are boiled, it is absorbed by the water. It is not wasteful, tlierefore, to peel pota- toes before cooking, or to take off quite a thick peel, as they are thus rendered more wholesome. Taste the water in which potatoes have been boiled, and jom will have no The Boston Cook Book. 293 desire to use it in your yeast, bread, or stews. Potatoes when first peeled are white, but turn brown on exposure to the air. For this reason the^^ should be covered with cold water as soon as peeled. New potatoes are watery, as the starch is not fully formed. They have a very thin skin, which may be rubbed or scraped off.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Beans, peas, and other vegetables, which are difficult of digestion, are less indigestible if eaten in the form of purees. Green vegetables should be freshly gathered, thoroughly washed in cold water, and cooked in freshly boiling salted water. It is impossible to give a definite time for cooking, as much depends upon their age and the time they have been gathered. Wilted vegetables require a much longer time than fresh. All vegetables should be cooked until soft and tender, and no longer. This is better ascertained by watching them carefully and piercing with a fork than by depending upon any time-table. Vegetables which are eaten raw and are liable to ferment in the stomach are usually dressed with some condiment, — oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Every green vegetable keeps its color better if it be boiled rapidly and uncovered. Many use soda for the same purpose, but unwisely. The Boston Cook Book, Potatoes. The potato is more generally used than any other vegetable. It combines with other foods — meats particularly — to give the desired elements. But it should not be used alone, or in too great a proportion, as it gives very little flesh-forming material. When taken exclusively, such a large bulk of it is required for sustenance that it results in increased size and prominence of the stomach, which sometimes amounts to deformity. Potatoes are three fourths water. The solid matter consists largel}^ of starch, with a small quantity of albumen and mineral matter held in solution in the juices. The quantity of starch increases during the autumn, and remains stationary during the winter. In spring, when germination commences, the starch is changed to gum, and renders the potatoes mucilaginous. The sugar formed from this gum renders them sweeter. Potatoes which have been frozen and thawed suddenly are sweeter and more watery than before, because on exposure to the warmth and air the starch is changed to sugar. They should be kept frozen until ready to use, or used immediately after thawing in cold water. The sprouts on potatoes should be removed as soon as they appear, since, if they are allowed to grow, they exhaust the starch, and render the potatoes unfit for food. Potatoes should be kept in a dry, cool cellar. Botanically potatoes belong to the same poisonous order as tobacco and deadly nightshade, and contain an acid juice which is unpleasant to the taste and often renders them indigestible. This lies in and near the rind of the potato. It is drawn out by heat. When the potatoes are baked it escapes in the steam, if they are opened at once ; and when the}' are boiled, it is absorbed by the water. It is not wasteful, therefore, to peel potatoes before cooking, or to take off quite a thick peel, as they are thus rendered more wholesome. Taste the water in which potatoes have been boiled, and you will have no The Boston Cook Book. desire to use it in your yeast, bread, or stews. Potatoes when first peeled are white, but turn brown on exposure to the air. For this reason they should be covered with cold water as soon as peeled. New potatoes are watery, as the starch is not fully formed. They have a very thin skin, which may be rubbed or scraped off.

Mrs. Lincoln's Boston cook book