HOME HEALTH GLIDE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 26 April 1943, Page 6

HOME HEALTH GLIDE

VEGETABLES FOR VITAMINS. AVOID SODA IN COOKING. (By the Health Department.) With oranges in short supply, and fruits and vegetables on the expensive side, the family who has taken the time and trouble to cultivate its own vegetables has made not only a considerable saving in the household budget, but has made a substantial contribution to the health of its individual members. With fresh greens and fresh root vegetables available outside the back door, the head of the family will have little anxiety about the children’s teeth and gums, their resistance to infection, and general healthy growth. But there’s a danger that the value of those vegetables, with their splendid supply of vitamins, may be wasted ,if they’re not cooked properly. In fact, the method of cooking may render them almost useless as a food. Green vegetables, if not eaten raw, are best boiled, and here are some rules about it: Use fresh greens. If they have to be kept after cutting keep them in a cool, damp place. If they need to be freshened, soak them in salt water (2 teaspoons of salt to one pint of water). Always prepare the vegetables just before they have to be cooked, not hours before. Put them at once into a very little boiling salted water, and cook as quickly as possible with the lid on. On no account use soda. Serve when drained. And don’t forget that vegetable water left after cooking. Use it for cooking other vegetables, in gravy, in sauces, for soup; or if you fancy it, simply drink it.