Vegetables are very wholesome and nutritious and have many medicinal qualities. As a race, Americans eat far too much meat and too little vegetable food. The legumes (dried peas, beans, etc.) contain almost double the amount of muscle-making food to be found in beef, at a far less expense. Of course, vegetables must be properly cooked and properly combined with other foods to be at their best.

Dried or old vegetables require slow, long cooking; most of the young or green ones should, be boiled only until tender. They should be put into boiling water, salted, and boiled, not too fast. Use only enough water to cook them, as many of their useful salts are wasted when there is much water left to "drain off" when the vegetables are served. Soft water is preferable to hard, and the very nicest way to cook them is to steam them.

The starchy vegetables, as the potato, rice, etc., are heat producers; the legumes, flesh and muscle builders; while the green vegetables, such as spinach, cabbage, young peas, etc., are useful for the salts they contain and furnish necessary bulk. Their medicinal properties are important. For instance, spinach affords relief in kidney troubles, asparagus purges the blood, celery acts on the nervous system, lettuce is cooling in its effect, etc. In arranging meals starchy vegetables must be combined with watery ones, legumes with food containing fat or oil, etc. For instance, potatoes supply carbon, in which beef is deficient'; there- fore, potatoes and beef form a rational combination. The turnip and carrot contain a large amount of water, and should be used with glutinous foods. The tomato contains a useful acid, but care must be taken in combining it with other acidulous vegetables or fruits. Many vegetable and fruit acids cannot be used together, but vegetable acids usually combine well with citric acid, as contained in oranges, lemons, etc.

Slow, long cooking improves some vegetables and makes them more digestible. Beans, dried peas and lentils should be cooked slowly for six to eight hours, and the skins should be removed. Turnips, carrots, parsnips, in short, all-old tubers, should be so cooked.