As we are writing for English readers, and for Eng-
lish dinner-tables, it may be as well to begin at once
with the famous saying of the old cookery book,
' First catch your hare.' The great thing is first to
' catch ' your vegetable ; and sometimes this is more
easily said than done, for the greengrocer's bill is
a horror to think of, and vegetables in our ungenial
climate are by no means what they are in France.
They are often, if not actually hard and stringy, at
all events very little nutritious, and in Scotland it
may be noticed that the leaves of the spinach are as
unsatisfactory as the radishes that have their eatable
part in the earth.
Vegetables grown for the London market are
full in form and fibre, but they are apt to be
bleached, and sometimes to taste of the manure of
the garden, or of the baskets of the market gardener.
Altogether, vegetables, whether raw or cooked, leave
a good deal to be desired, and they will continue to
do so till the unsavoury slovenliness of the English
market-places is remedied, till there are more cloches
used to protect the crops from our cold spring winds,
3IO VEGETABLES.
and till the cooking ceases to be left to the tender
mercies of the kitchenmaids.
Vegetables are notably among the things that are
better managed in France ; and we may remark in
passing, that the firm of MM. Vilmorin-Andrieux, of
4, Quai de la Megisserie, Paris, supplies garden seeds
of the very best quality. Their catalogues will
introduce to the owners of rectory gardens and the
like many articles of garden growth which would form
a crood addition to the table, such as the indche salads,
and the many excellent gourds which they advertise.
This firm accepts payment in English stamps, to say
nothing of a post-office order, and the tariff for the
carriage or postage of seeds from Paris is very
moderate.
All vegetables have an effect on the chemistry of
the body, so that we cannot speak too highly of their
importance at table. We will mention a few of these
matters first, and dispose of this aspect of the subject,
so as not to seem to mix the pharmacopoeia with
the kitchen. Asparagus is a strong diuretic, and
forms part of the cure for rheumatic patients at
such health resorts as Aix-les-Bains. Sorrel is
cooling, and forms the staple of that soupe aux herbes
which a French lady will order for herself after a
long tiring journey. Carrots, as containing a quantity
of sugar, are avoided by some people, while others
complain of them as indigestible. With regard to
the latter accusation, it may be remarked in passing
that it is the yellow core of the carrot that is difficult
of digestion — the outer, a red layer, is tender enough.
In Savoy the peasants have recourse to an infusion
VEGETABLES. 311
Page 125
Presented as published in 1882. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
As we are writing for English readers, and for English dinner-tables, it may be as well to begin at once with the famous saying of the old cookery book, ' First catch your hare.' The great thing is first to ' catch ' your vegetable ; and sometimes this is more easily said than done, for the greengrocer's bill is a horror to think of, and vegetables in our ungenial climate are by no means what they are in France. They are often, if not actually hard and stringy, at all events very little nutritious, and in Scotland it may be noticed that the leaves of the spinach are as unsatisfactory as the radishes that have their eatable part in the earth.
Vegetables grown for the London market are full in form and fibre, but they are apt to be bleached, and sometimes to taste of the manure of the garden, or of the baskets of the market gardener. Altogether, vegetables, whether raw or cooked, leave a good deal to be desired, and they will continue to do so till the unsavoury slovenliness of the English market-places is remedied, till there are more cloches used to protect the crops from our cold spring winds,
and till the cooking ceases to be left to the tender mercies of the kitchenmaids.
Vegetables are notably among the things that are better managed in France ; and we may remark in passing, that the firm of MM. Vilmorin-Andrieux, of 4, Quai de la Megisserie, Paris, supplies garden seeds of the very best quality. Their catalogues will introduce to the owners of rectory gardens and the like many articles of garden growth which would form a good addition to the table, such as the indche salads, and the many excellent gourds which they advertise. This firm accepts payment in English stamps, to say nothing of a post-office order, and the tariff for the carriage or postage of seeds from Paris is very moderate.
All vegetables have an effect on the chemistry of the body, so that we cannot speak too highly of their importance at table. We will mention a few of these matters first, and dispose of this aspect of the subject, so as not to seem to mix the pharmacopoeia with the kitchen. Asparagus is a strong diuretic, and forms part of the cure for rheumatic patients at such health resorts as Aix-les-Bains. Sorrel is cooling, and forms the staple of that soupe aux herbes which a French lady will order for herself after a long tiring journey. Carrots, as containing a quantity of sugar, are avoided by some people, while others complain of them as indigestible. With regard to the latter accusation, it may be remarked in passing that it is the yellow core of the carrot that is difficult of digestion — the outer, a red layer, is tender enough. In Savoy the peasants have recourse to an infusion