VEGETABLES
The term "vegetable," as here used, is applied to such plants (grains, nuts, and fruits excepted) as are cultivated and used for food. The use of a large variety of vegetables in our food assists in promoting good health. To get the best results, they should be judiciously combined with nuts, fruits, and grains. Green vegetables are rich in potash salts and other minerals necessary to the system, and in such a form as to be easily assimilated.
Starchy vegetables, as potatoes, supply energy and heat, and give necessary bulk to the food. Peas, beans, and lentils contain a large amount of proteid, used in building and repairing tissue, and are therefore used in place of meat. For weak stomachs they are more easily digested in the form of purees and soups, with the outer indigestible covering removed. All vegetables should be fresh; for in spite of all that may be said to the contrary, all vegetables, whether roots, leaves, or any other kind, begin to lose bulk and flavor as soon, as removed from the ground. The kind that suffer least in this respect are beets, potatoes, carrots, etc. Those which are most easily affected are cabbage, lettuce, celery, asparagus, etc.
Vegetables that have been touched with the frost should be kept in a perfectly dark place for some days. The frost is then drawn out slowly, and the vegetables are not so liable to rot.