Left-over foods and how to use them

by Elizabeth O. Hiller

Food is at its best when in season. The price is at its minimum and the flavor and quality all that can be desired.

Out of season, all food becomes a luxury and is lacking in flavor as well as quality. The provident housekeeper will take advantage through the year, of fruits and vegetables, when seasonable, beginning in the early spring to put away her stores for the following winter. To these she may add dried and canned fruits that have proved by use to be most wholesome and palatable.

Care of Vegetables, Fresh Fruit, etc.

Fresh vegetables should be cooked as soon as possible after being taken from the garden. Where it is necessary to keep them, all wilted leaves and unsightly portions should be removed and vegetables spread out in a cool, well ventilated place. If placed in the refrigerator, first prepare them for cooking, then fold them in cheese cloth, wrung from fresh cold water, and place them on the top shelf of the refrigerator. The leaves of such vegetables as lettuce, endive, cress, dandelions, etc. may be kept fresh and crisp. After picking them over wash and drain, put them in a covered lard pail, and place in the refrigerator. Wilted vegetables may be restored by soaking in fresh cold water. Cucumbers may be pared and thinly sliced, placed in a fruit jar, closely covered, and kept crisp and fresh in the refrigerator for several days.

Fresh Fruit

All fruits may be kept in fine condition where the luxury of a large cold storage room is installed. Where a refrigerator is used, great care should be exercised in placing fruits and vegetables in their respective places. (See frontispiece, [page 2]).

There are some fruits, owing to their strong odor, that should never be placed in the refrigerator; these include, bananas, musk-melons, canteloupe, etc. Other food will soon become flavored from contact with such fruits when confined in the refrigerator or even in a store-room. Milk, cream, butter and other fats most readily absorb flavors when exposed to odorous fruits, flowers, etc. The greatest care should be given the left-over food. It should be put in small vessels (jelly glasses) with closely fitting covers, then placed in the refrigerator; there will then be little danger of contamination.

Over ripe vegetables (especially tomatoes) and fruits should not be kept in the refrigerator. Berries should be carefully picked over, and washed, when necessary, before putting them in the refrigerator. Strawberries may be picked over, placed in a colander or a croquette basket and cold water poured over them before removing the hulls.

Potatoes

Potatoes keep better and are lower in price before they have been stored. It is therefore economy for the large consumer to buy them, early in the season, when they are most plentiful. They may be kept in barrels or bins, raised three inches from the floor, in a cool dry room or cellar. For the small family, where space is a consideration, it is more economical to buy not less than a peck at a time. They may be kept in a box lined with heavy paper in a cool dry place.