FIELD FOR PROFIT

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 27, 31 July 1937, Page 19

FIELD FOR PROFIT

BUYING VEGETABLES

There is no field of marketing in which the housewife can profit more by making her own selection than when she is buying vegetables and fruit, states an exchange. In this sphere it is very poor economy to buy damaged fruits and wilted vegetables, because so much must be discarded in preparing them for the table. Sometimes difficulty is experienced in determining whether fruit is ripe or has just passed its prime. First of all, be sure that the fruit is free from blemishes; both apples and pears should be unbruised and without specks. Examine Die stem of a pear to determine its ripeness, because it first rots at the core.

The secret of success with apples is to know your varieties and buy according to your needs. Don't expect that a good eating apple will of necessity be a good cooking apple; it is unlikely that it will. You can determine the ripeness of an apple quite easily if the stem is still attached. Try and split the stem with your finger-nail, and if the apple has been freshly picked then the stem will be soft and full of sap. If it is hard and brittle, then the apple has been picked some time. The citrus fruits, oranges, and grape-fruit should be heavy in proportion to their size.

Then the vegetables. The outstanding rule in buying green vegetables is that they should be green and crisp. Brussels sprouts, for instance, should have firm, fresh heads and be brightly coloured; so should cabbages. In lettuces, however, though the outer leaves should be bright green, the heart should be a little bleached. Cauliflowers, too, should have crisp, bright outer leaves,-and the flower should be full, white, and compact, almost hard in fact. A moderate size in cauliflowers is recommended —the very large head should be regarded with care before purchase. French beans should be firm and crisp and green; certainly no limpness about them. In

choosing peas an infallible guide to freshness is to cut the pod with a finger-nail—that unlacquered fingernail of Henri Carpentier appears again —and if there is sap in the wound, then buy the peas.

As far as root vegetables are concerned, these should, in accordance with a general rule, be smooth-skinned and firm-skinned. It is best to buy those that are medium sized, and to see that they are of equal size, and to see that they cook evenly. The majority of cooks remember this point when preparing potatoes for cooking, but forget it when cooking other vegetables. Celery should be firm and compact, with crisp stalks and fresh leaves, while carrots, when freshly pulled, will break crisply. And a final word in regard to the buying of vegetables—avoid those which appear to have been dipped in water.. This has probably been done to .revive them, and so indicates that they are no longer really fresh.