Corn Salad Or Lamb's Lettuce

(Valerianella olitoria, Poll)

While this plant grows abundant and wild in Southern Europe, it is cultivated in the United States for an early spring salad green. It has little or no place in diet for the sick, it wilts quickly and unless carefully treated becomes indigestible.

Endive (Cichorium Endivia, Linn.)

The ordinary American endive makes a good fall and winter salad. Like chicory, the very tender middle shoots must be used. The outside bitter leaves may be cooked and served the same as spinach. It is said to be good in cases of chronic rheumatism or gout, or for people who have inactive or sluggish livers.

Imported Endive

The imported endive or Batavia, which is also grown in this country, belongs to the same family as our ordinary variety, but is treated in a different manner. The first leaves are cut from the roots, leaving a crown; the roots are buried in sand, and it is the second crop of leaves that are used for salads. It makes a most appetizing salad. If allowable, it may be served with mayonnaise, but as a rule French dressing is to be preferred.

Garden Cress Or Pepper Grass

(Lepidium sativum)

This resembles in flavor and slightly in appearance the ordinary water cress; it must, however, be used when very tender and young or it becomes pungent and bitter. It makes a better salad flavoring than a salad. A few leaves sprinkled over lettuce or over a well-made cabbage salad give variety to dinner salads.

Lettuce; (Lactuca Sativa, Linn.)

We have many, many varieties of lettuce in the market; all of them, when young, tender and crisp, are wholesome, cooling, palatable, and if thoroughly masticated, digestible. The cos or upright lettuce, known in the market as Romaine, served with French dressing, makes one of the most attractive of salads.

Stewed Lettuce

Wash thoroughly a fine head of lettuce; with a sharp knife shred it across the head, put it in a kettle, with a half pint of boiling water, and a half teaspoonful of salt; cover the kettle and cook slowly for at least three quarters of an hour, until the lettuce is perfectly tender. Drain, chop it very fine, add a little butter and it is ready to serve. Good for diabetic patients. Lettuce may also be stuffed with meat and served the same as savoy.

Mustard

The leaves of the young Brassica alba are sweet and bland, and may be served alone with French dressing as a salad, but are much better sprinkled over lettuce or cabbage or young chicory.

Water Cress (Nasturtium Officinale, R. Brown)

This plant grows wild over a number of our running streamlets. It must be well washed, the leaves broken from the stems, or very young shoots used. It is antiscorbutic and makes an excellent salad in chronic constipation. Many German physicians give it in cases of inactive livers.

All uncooked vegetables must be thoroughly masticated.