While the food value of a green salad is not high, the salts they contain are valuable and the oil used in the various dressings supply the nutriment, making them a wholesome food. In almost any climate some green salad vegetable may be obtained all the year round, and with cooked or canned vegetables an acceptable salad can always be made. There are certain things essential for a good salad. First, it should be cold; if a green salad, it must be crisp; the dressing ingredients must be carefully proportioned and blended so the salad will be neither oily nor acid, and the whole well mixed. In using French dressing there should be just sufficient to cover the vegetables when mixed, and none left in the bottom of the bowl after mixing.

If the greens are prepared several hours before wanted they may be placed (after drying) in a tightly covered pail and set in a cool place until needed, when they will be very crisp, fresh and cool. Never cut up lettuce, but break the leaves, if necessary, to the desired size. Dressing should never be added to a green salad until time for serving, otherwise the salad greens will become wilted and lose the desired crispness. Always remove the skin from tomatoes. A tomato salad is quickly prepared, served skin and all, but the skin is indigestible.

An easy way to remove the skins is to put the tomatoes in a basket or colander and plunge them into boiling (not just hot) water and let them remain 1 minute only; then plunge into cold water. The skins may then be easily removed. Set aside to chill before slicing. When stuffing raw tomatoes for salad, remove the skin, cut a slice off the stem and scoop out the centers, sprinkle with salt and invert to drain and chill. Just before serving fill centers with the prepared filling and set on lettuce leaves.

Another method but not so quickly accomplished, is to rub each tomato over the surface with the blunt edge of a knife, then peel.

Cooked vegetables for salads should be thoroughly drained and quite cold before using. Turn artichokes upside down so that all the moisture will be drained off.

Cabbage should be shredded very fine with a sharp, long knife rather than chopped. After shredding let the cabbage stand in cold water to become crisp and drain well before using.

Peel cucumbers and cut off a thick slice from each end; soak in cold water until ready to serve, then cut in thin slices. Never soak cucumbers in salted water, for then they become tough and wilted, besides increasing their indigesti-bility. Green peppers should be scalded for about 5 minutes, when the outside skin may be rubbed off. Cover with cold water until ready to use. Parsley should be kept in a glass of cold water, wetting only the roots. In this way it will keep fresh several days.

If using canned vegetables, such as peas, lima beans, asparagus or string beans, open the can at least half an hour before wanted and drain off all the liquid. Cover with cold water until ready to use. Treated in this way they will taste more like the fresh vegetable.

When making a salad of cooked vegetables it will be found an improvement to mix with a French dressing and allow to stand or marinate in a cool place about an hour before serving. With a green salad the dressing should never be added until time to serve, as the dressing causes green vegetables to become wilted.

Meat and poultry should be freed from skin and gristle and cut in small cubes. Fish should have all the bones and skin removed and pulled apart or flaked with a fork. All left-over vegetables, fish or meat can be utilized in salads, and almost all combinations of cooked or green vegetables make a palatable one.

A combination of fruits makes a pleasant change from the plain fruit itself and offers a good way to add the different helpful salts and acids into the system. Containing iron, tartrates, gum, pectin and fruit sugars and other saline qualities, a mixture of fruits is a very desirable dish. Use only good, firm fruit for salads and either fresh or cooked fruit will give equally good results. The flavor of a fruit salad is improved by using lemon juice instead of vinegar in the dressing. Almost any combination of fruits will be acceptable for a salad.

The requirements for a good salad consists in having all ingredients cold, the greens crisp and dry. For French dressing select a good oil - olive oil has the best flavor. Do not use too much dressing; there should be just enough to cover each bit of the ingredients, no more. Meat, fish and cooked vegetable salads may stand an hour in French dressing before serving. This is called a marinade and will improve the flavor of the salad. When ready to serve pour over any desired dressing regardless of the marinade. Much of the flavor of all salad dressings depends upon a good quality of both vinegar and oil.

The following rules govern generally in regard to the serving of salads.

1. Vegetable or fruit salads, with a simple dressing may be served with a meat course.

2. More elaborate fruit and vegetable combinations should accompany light meats as chicken, fish, tongue, etc.

3. Meat or fish salads with mayonnaise or boiled dressing may be used in place of the meat course.

4. Never repeat in a salad a vegetable used in a previous course.

5. Hard cooked eggs combine well with fowl, fish and vegetables.

6. Cream cheese combines with vegetables and nuts and with some fruits, pineapple preferred.

7. Eggs, cheese and nuts should not be used in salads to accompany a meat course.

8. Starchy salads should not be served when the menu contains much starchy food.