A new FREE special report has been posted on our homemaking group. It is called “10 Ways to Cook Your Meals.” If you are not already a member of the group, you can join here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/home-making/

Adapted from “The Modern Priscilla”, September 1919

In our zeal in planting, cultivating, and harvesting our vegetables during the summer, let’s not lose sight of the aim of it all – their enrichment of the family table.  Vegetables don’t have to be boring, and they are very nutritious.  So we want to put as much thought and care into serving them as we did in gardening them.  Here are a few suggestions to make your harvest vegetables tasty and appealing.

First, consider the cooking methods.  Have all vegetables as fresh as possible.  Cook them in enough freshly boiling water to keep them from burning.  When planning your meal, allow just enough time for vegetables to cook so they don’t have to “stand”.

Next, season your vegetables carefully.  Some vegetables, such as squash, corn, and peas can have a tiny bit of sugar added to them.  It is not enough to make them sweet, but to subtly enhance their natural flavors.  Old time cooks used real butter and cream to flavor some of their vegetables.  This is a personal preference according to taste and health concerns.  Many of us much limit the animal fat that is in real butter and cream.  Add just enough salt and pepper to achieve the flavor you want.  I have used evaporated milk to cream vegetables such as corn or even green beans.

Fresh herbs or spices can give a delicious taste without adding extra sodium to the vegetables.  Experiment with them or find a chart that gives information about which herbs and spices go best with certain vegetables.

Use some creativity and imagination to find different ways to flavor and serve vegetables.  That way, your family will not get tired of them, and will be more likely to eat these foods that are so important to good health.

Fritters are served as a vegetable or a sweet, for a lunch, dinner, or supper, according to the ingredients used in making them.  Whether sweet or plain, the foundation batter is much the same.

A fritter batter which is to be used as a medium for whole or sliced fruit should be quite thin, as it is to serve as a cover for the fruit.  When chopped fruits or vegetables are stirred in, or the batter is to be used plain, it should be thick enough to retain its shape when dropped by spoonfuls into the frying kettle.

The fat should be deep enough to cover the fritters, and it should be smoking hot when used.  Each fritter will at first sink to the bottom of the kettle; then, as the heat starts the baking powder into action and the dough begins to swell, it will rise to the surface, and should be gently turned, the turning to be repeated, until the fritter is finely colored.

Most fritters are done within 5 minutes, the time needed to cook them being determined by one which should be cooked as a tester.