Vegetables should be carefully cleaned from insects, and nicely washed. Boil in plenty of water, and drain the moment they are done enough. If overboiled, they lose their beauty and crispness. To dress them with meat is wrong, except carrots with boiled beef.

To boil vegetables green, be sure the water boils when you put them in. Make them boil very fast. Don't cover, but watch them; and if the water has not slackened, you may be sure they are done when they begin to sink. Then take them out immediately. Hard water, especially if chalybeate, spoils the color. To boil green in hard water, put a teaspoonful of salt or wormwood into the water when it boils, before the vegetables are put in.

Vegetable Marrow (to Boil or Stew)

This excellent vegetable may be boiled as asparagus. When boiled, divide it lengthwise into two, and serve it on toast accompanied by melted butter; or when nearly boiled, divide it as above, and stew gently in gravy. Care should be taken to choose young ones not exceeding 6 in. in length.

Spinach

Wash and pick your spinach very carefully; drop into boiling water and cook 15 minutes. Drain thoroughly through a colander, then chop quite fine. Return to the stove, add 1 tablespoonful of butter, pepper and salt to taste; put in a vegetable dish and garnish with hard-boiled eggs.

To Stew Celery

Wash, cut into neat slices, removing the green parts. Plunge into sufficient boiling water to cover it, adding salt in the proportion of a dessertspoonful to 2 qts. of water.

Stew until tender, serve in a dish with white sauce over. The celery may be stewed in stock if preferred.