GATHER YE ROSE-HIPS WHILE YE MAY

New Zealand Listener, Volume 6, Issue 137, 6 February 1942, Page 18

GATHER YE ROSE-HIPS WHILE YE MAY

(Written for "The Listener" by DR.

MURIEL

BELL

Nutritionist to the Department of Health)

S already indicated, the fruit of A roses heads the list for its richness in Vitamin C, a food constituerit which appears to assist in combating illnesses. Now it is of interest that not as much actual destruction of this vitamin occurs during the process of cooking as we have previously imagined. It is thus possible to preserve rose-hips as a con‘serve, or a jelly, or a purée. Recipes for these will appear at the appropriate time, probably through the medium of the Plunket Nurses, who are vitally interested in this subject — they have been worried enough even during the past year by the shortage of oranges for babies. When the wild rose-hips are ripe, the Plunket Society may ask that collections of the berfies should be made by children and brought to each local branch of their society.

Tomatoes and Swedes In addition to black currants, tomatoes should be preserved, the juice of both being suitable for babies. Swede juice is also being used in England, but we in New Zealand feel that we should like to give more Vitamin C than can be given in the form of swede juice without upsetting the baby. However, if we are prepared to give swede juice up to the limit of what is comfortably tolerated by babies, we shall be able to make up with,. say, half rations of orange or black-currant juice, Instructions regarding these will also be obtainable through the Plunket Society. You are urged, however, to grow swedes in readiness for your home use, With adults, it is possible with care and with some re-adjustments in our habits to secure an adequate ration of (Continued on next page)

GATHER YE ROSE-HIPS WHILE YE MAY (Continued from previous page) Vitamin C through taking increased quantities of green vegetables, provided that by the processes entailed in their preparation and cooking the vitamin is not destroyed or thrown away. During the summer and autumn, there are usually plentiful supplies of fruits and greens, and there are new potatoes (more valuable than old potatées for their Vitamin C content). You must be prepared, however, for the winter, with supplies of Brussels sprouts, cabbages, cauliflowers, spinach, preserved tomatoes, and gooseberries. We women will have to be extra busy "making hay while the sun shines" this year, what with making preserves, doing the extra gardening while the men are away, in addition to our more assiduous darning of stockings! New Recipe for Beauty We are fortunate in our supplies of apples, for some of those that come in

during jthe winter are quite valuable sources of Vitamin C. What a piiy that blackberries are not very useful in providing C-for then so much use might be made of those two blackberry bushes that grow on the West Coasi, one on either side of the railway. line! If Brussels sprouts are cooked in the proper way, eight sprouts will supply about one-third of your day’s need; but about half its original Vitamin C is extracted into the water in which the green vegetable is cooked. The losses are greater the larger the quantity of cooking water used. Added to this, they lose in value if they are given prolonged steaming or ke@ping hot. The housewife scarcely realises how much value she is losing from those costly items in the household budget by inattention to the details of correct cooking. It would be a good thing if we had a slogan to the effect that you can tell from her beautiful complexion that she drinks her vegetable water! NEXT WEEK: "The Fly Nuisance," by DR. TURBOTT).