For
instance, very early in the season, long before it is possible to have
beans, peas, and other vegetables in the North, they are shipped from
the extreme South, and as the season advances, they mature farther and
farther north. Therefore, they may be constantly supplied to the
northern markets until the time when they mature in that locality.
8. In order not to waste vegetables and to have them in the best
possible condition when they are desired for preparation, every
housewife should realize that the selection and care of vegetables are
also important matters to consider. The selection must be learned by
familiarity with them, as well as practice in buying, and the housewife
must be guided by the suitability of the vegetables and the money she
has to spend for them. The care that must be given to them is determined
by the kinds that are purchased, some requiring one kind of care in
storage and others entirely different attention.
STRUCTURE, COMPOSITION, AND FOOD VALUE
9. STRUCTURE OF VEGETABLES.--Although vegetables vary greatly in
composition and consequently in food value, they are similar so far as
physical structure is concerned. In general, they consist of a skeleton
framework that is made up of cellulose. Their digestible part is
composed of tiny cells having thin walls that confine the actual food
material in the form of a liquid or semiliquid. As the vegetables grow
old, the cellulose material and the cell walls gradually toughen, with
the result that old vegetables are less easily made tender than young
ones and are not so agreeable to the taste as those which have not grown
hard.
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