WATUUUVINHUIT OO000916165A SB 321 : iE -K3 Copy 1 UNIVERSITY BULLETIN LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY Published by the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College at Baton Rouge. Issued monthly except November and December. Entered December 22, 1909, at Baton Rouge, La., as second-class matter, under Act of Congress of July 16, 1894. VOLE V-—N:S. JULY, 1914 No. 7 The Vegetable Garden General Rules for Preparing and Cooking Vegetables. O OQO O COMPILED BY Miss EvizaBetH B, KEey, “a Miss OLA PowELL, Extension Department, Louisiana State University Geo. L. Tresout, Experiment Station, Louisiana State University APPROVED BY T. H. Harris, State Superintendent of Education O OQO O Mannceent(at 4 raph / ant Agricultural Extension Department, Louisiana State University r E. S. Ricwarpson, Director. W. H. Batis, Assistant Director; im charge of Hog Clubs. Miss R. M. Bruuines, State Supervisor Schools of Home Kew nomics. Miss Oua Powe tL, Assistant in Canning Clubs. J. A. RepHeEap, Assistant in Charge of Corn Clubs. M. G. Osporn, Secretary. ee Sy SaaS GARDEN PLOT. 33 feet a $ oH o Oo & + A nN oo fm oe=) <¢ an rt at ie. 4,3 Plot may be 66 feet square. Select a well drained plot. Plan the garden carefully. Measure the length and width of the garden. See plant table on last page. Mark a line for each row of vegetables and name the rows. Plan a succession of crops. Draw a working plan. . Put on the lines in the plan in brackets [ ] the names of plants which follow the first planting. Study catalog of garden tools. Plan for a hotbed and cold frame. Nw 4 GENERAL RULES FOR PREPARING AND COOKING VEGETABLES. Clean carefully, removing outer covering and bad spots. If not ready to cook immediately allow to stand in fresh cold water not longer than half hour. Cook until tender in freshly boiling water, add salt when vegetables begin to soften. Drain immediately they are cooked, otherwise they become soggy and water soaked. Important: Hot food is served in hot dishes, cold food in cold dishes. To keep vegetables warm put them in pan over hot water. Special directions for special vegetables may be found in following pages. COLLECTION OF HAND TOOLS FOR THE SCHOOL GARDEN. PLANNING FOR THE GARDEN. 1. Put all tools in order and if necessary buy new ones. 2. Buy light weight hoe and rake. 3. Fit up a convenient place to keep your tools. 4. Keep your tools well cleaned and they will last longer. 5. Plan for best crops by studying fertilizers. 6. Select the vegetables you wish to grow. Tomatoes Onions Pumpkin Eggplant Green onions from sets Melon Lettuce Potatoes Sweet potatoes Beets Beans Cauliflower Radishes Peas Brussels sprouts Cabbage Okra Kohlrabi Corn Squash Eloebs Carrots 7. Select fertilizers: (a) Barnyard fertilizers. (b) Phosphates. Most soils in Louisiana need both humus and phosphorus: Barnyard fertilizer at the rate of 20 to 40 tons per acre; acid phosphate, 200 to 600 lbs. per acre for garden purposes. 6 GENERAL RULES FOR CARE OF VEGETABLES. 1. The best time for picking vegetables is very early in the morning before the sun dries the dew and heats them, As soon as picked, vegetables should be cleaned and kept in a cool place until ready for use. 3. Lettuce and other green vegetables may be kept fresh and erisp by wrapping in wet cheese cloth and putting in heavy brown paper sack and hanging in the air. 4, All vegetables may be freshened by allowing them to stand in cold water, but they should not remain longer than a half hour. 5. Wilted green vegetables may be freshened by first cutting them while beneath the surface of the water, and allowing them to stand for 10 or 15 minutes in the water. Send for government bulletin, Dept. of Agriculture, Wash- ington, D. C. (No. 256). bo 7 JANUARY. YOUNG PLANTS IN COLD FRAMES. PREPARING FOR EARLY CROPS. Plant tomatoes, bell peppers, and eggplant seeds in drills in hotbeds three inches apart and about one-half inch deep. Plant cabbage and lettuce in cold frames. Plan the spring garden carefully. Select a well drained sandy loam soil if possible. Remove from garden all rubbish that will not decay. Prepare the soil by plowing and harrowing. The best soil is the best foundation for the best garden. . In Southern Louisiana sow beets, radishes, spinach, mustard, turnips, and parsley if weather permits. The best results will be obtained from a well pulverized soft bed for the baby seeds. Ne oe oO fe 8 SPECIAL RULES FOR POTATOES. Pare thinly to avoid removing most nutritive portion. Boil slowly so the potato cooks evenly. After draining, shake the potatoes gently in the pan in which they were boiled over the heat to dry them. . Serve always in an uncovered dish. Baked potatoes: Scrub potatoes well and bake in hot oven or hot ashes, crack the potato open just as soon as soft to allow the steam to escape and keep the potato from being heavy and soggy. 9 FEBRUARY. A FIELD OF RADISHES. LAYING OFF AND FERTILIZING THE GARDEN; TRANS- PLANTING AND SEEDING IN THE OPEN. 1. The vegetables will get more sunlight if the rows run north and south. 2. Mark the distance apart the plants should stand when trans- planted. See plant table of last page. 3. Transplant cabbage and lettuce from cold frame to field in rows 3 feet apart for cabbage and 18 to 24 inches apart in rows, lettuce in rows 12 to 15 inches apart, 8 to 10 in the rows. 4. Transplant plants from hotbed to cold frame, usually set- ting 4 inches apart each way. 5. If the soil is properly fertilized plant beets, radishes, tur- nips, peas and Irish potatoes. Notice table in back of book. 6. If soil has not been properly fertilized spade under barn yard manure about 2 to 4 loads to 1-10 acre. 10 SPECIAL RULES FOR STRONG FLAVORED VEGETABLES, SUCH. AS CABBAGE, TUR- NIPS, ONIONS, CAULIFLOWER, ETC. . All strong flavored vegetables should be cooked in a large amount of water and cooked without a lid. . Onions should be peeled under water and water changed twice while cooking. . Special rules for green vegetables: Use as little water as possible and cook gently. 1] MARCH. A COLLECTION OF VEGETABLES READY FOR MARKET. GENERAL PLANTING OF THE GARDEN. 1. In Southern Louisiana all the available space in the garden should be filled this month. 2. Plant bush and pole beans, squash, cucumbers, melons, okra and sweet corn as soon as the soil is warm and mellow and works well. See table in back of book. 3. Transplant tomatoes, eggplants and bell peppers in the garden after the danger of frost is over. See table in back of book. 4. Look out for cut worms; they hide in the earth around the base of the plant. 5. Do not spread stable manure on the land just before trans- planting tomatoes. To kill eut worms: Mix 1 cupful wheat bran with molasses to hold it together, adding 14 teaspoon paris green; make into smal] balls and drop around plants. 12 SPECIAL RULES FOR TOMATOES. 1. If you are cooking the tomatoes to serve as a vegetable, cook in uncovered vessel. If you are cooking tomatoes for a soup, cook them covered. 3. Special rules for cooking rice: Wash rice through at least six waters, or until all cloudiness is removed. Drain thor- oughly. Bring to the boiling point three brimful cups of water. Add the salt and a tiny bit of lard. When water is boiling briskly add the rice gradually, so as not to stop the boiling. Don’t stir. The grains should be kept moving by the boiling water. Cook about fifteen minutes, during this time the cover pushed to one side. At the end of the fifteen minutes the grains should be soft, not the least gritty. Re- move the cover and at the same heat let dry out for five min-’ utes. If cooking on gas stove, at the end of five minutes lower gas and let the drying out process continue for twenty to thirty minutes longer. If cooking on a wood or coke stove, at the end of the five minutes place cooked rice on back of stove or in oven to dry out. When cooked each erain will be puffed to almost three times the size of the un- cooked grain. Always cook rice with a lid over the flame. On gas stoves an asbestos lid is recommended. Never stir rice while cooking. If lard is objected to it can be omitted. It lends a brillianey to the cooked product. BAKING POWDER BISCUITS. 1. 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 4 teaspoons baking powder, 2 tablespoons lard, 1 cup of milk. Mix and sift dry ingredi- ents, cut in lard with two knives, add gradually enough of the fluid to make a soft dough (it is impossible to determine the exact amount of liquid owing to difference in flour), toss on a floured board and roll lightly to a half-inch in thick- ness, cut with a biscuit cutter, place in a pan and bake in a hot oven fifteen minutes. Caution: Handle as little as possible. GLOBE OR BUR ARTICHOKE. CULTIVATING THE VARIOUS CROPS. In North Louisiana the tender vegetables, such as beans, cucumbers, etc., may have to be planted during the early part of this month after a severe winter. Keep the garden well worked with prong hoe. Cultivate often; no weeds or grasses should appear in a well kept garden. Train the tomatoes to stakes and prune them by pinching out the suckers which appear between the main stalk and leaf stem. STRAWBERRIES. CULTIVATION CONTINUED. . Work with all your might; keep down weeds and grasses. Ground from which crops have been harvested “may be planted to okra, butter beans, corn and sweet potatoes. See table in back of book. . Watch for worms and bugs; kill them. Catch a toad and keep him in your garden; insects taste good to him. . Let no weeds go to seed. FOR A DELICIOUS STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE. . Use biscuit dough baked in cake tin, split through the center, butter well, add sweetened curshed strawberries, sprinkle top with powdered sugar and decorate with whole berries. This may be served with plain cream or whipped cream. . Artichokes. Serve with mutton or as a salad. A FIELD OF CABBAGE. HARVESTING AND CANNING. 1. Get the canning outfit in readiness to take care of your sur- plus crop. 2. As soon as the crops are harvested clean the ground and get it in readiness for the summer planting. 3. Spread well-rotted stable manure over the vacant SBBER and work into the soil thoroughly. 4. Clean and burn diseased plants and weeds. bo 16 COOKED MAYONNAISE DRESSING Yolks 2 eggs 1 teaspoon mustard 1 tablespoon flour 1 cup milk 1 tablespoon sugar 2 tablespoons melted butter 1 teaspoon salt 1, eup hot vinegar Mix dry ingredients, mashing lumps smooth with back of spoon. Slightly beat the yolks and mix in the dry inyredients, add 2 tablespoons of melted butter, beating all the while, add 1 cup of cold milk, stir well and cook over a pan of hot water very slowly until the mixture coats a spoon. Now add the 1, cup of hot vinegar and take from the fire; if the mixture should curdle, add 2 tablespoons cold water and set pan into cold water and beat until it becomes smooth. Fresh dressing Oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Shake all well in a bottle. 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons vinegar 14 teaspoon pepper 4 tablespoons olive oil uff JULY. SUMMER SQUASH AND SWEET CORN. PREPARING AND PLANTING THE FALL GARDEN. 1. Two hundred pounds of a good brand of cotton fertilizer or a \ mixture of equal parts of cotton seed meal and acid phos- phate to one-tenth of an acre may be necessary on soils of average fertility. 2. Begin to plant for fall garden. 3. Plant cabbage, cauliflower and tomatoes in hills in the gar- den. See table in the back of the book. PEANUT BUTTER. 1. Shell freshly roasted peanuts, remove the skin; now grind : the nuts and work to a smooth paste, adding enough salt to ' season. 2. Sometimes when the nuts are not vily enough a little butter or olive oil is worked into the paste. 18 AUGUST. YOUNG PLANTS IN OUTDOOR SEED BED. PLANTING OF FALL CROPS CONTINUED. 1. This is the time when most of the fall garden is planted. 2. Plant radishes, beets, turnips, bush beans, lettuce, mustard, cabbage, fall Irish potatoes, shallots and onion sets. See the table in the back of the book. 3. Cabbage worms should be hand picked or noiaened with powdered arsenate of lead by dusting lightly from a cheese cloth sack. GENERAL SUGGESTIONS FOR CANNING VEGETA- BLES. Most people believe there is some mystery about canning, The secret of canning all vegetables, first, is absolute cleanliness and sterilization. To begin, good fresh vegetables are necessary ; withered vegetables do not make a good canned product. Cans should be scalded, jars must be covered with cold water, allowed to boil fifteen minutes, filled with clean vegetables or fruit, ster- ilized and sealed air tight. This done, there is no danger of your product not keeping. Follow recipes in government bulletins Nos. 521, 359, 203. Different vegetables and fruit have to be sterilized or proc- essed for different length of time. 19 SEPTEMBER. DRY ONIONS PROPERLY TRIMMED AND READY FOR MARKET. PLANTING HARDY VEGETABLES FOR THE WINTER GARDEN. 1. Sow onion seed after September 15 in Southern Louisi- ana for spring crop or green onions for late winter. 2. Plant all vegetables mentioned for August except Irish pota- toes and bush beans. 3. Plant lice should be killed with a whale-oil soap spray; about 1 pound to 8 or 10 gallons of water. 4. Set strawberry plants during this month. ‘. 20 CREAMED ONIONS. Put onions in cold water, remove skins while under water, drain, put in boiling salted water; boil 5 minutes, drain and again cover with boiling water; cook until soft but not broken; drain and cover with a thin white sauce. ' White Sauce.—Melt 2 tablespoons butter and add 114 table- spoons of flour, 44 teaspoon salt and a few grains of pepper; then add gradually the cup of scalded milk, adding about 1% at a time, stirring until well mixed, then beating until it thickens and is smooth, Pickled Onions.—Peel small white onions, cover with brine, allowing 114 cups salt to 2 quarts of boiling water, and let stand 2 days; drain and cover with more brine and let stand 2 days and again drain; make more brine and heat to boiling, put in onions and boil 3 minutes, put in jars, with bits oi mace, white pepper, corn cloves, bayleaf and red peppers; fill jars to over- flowing with vinegar scalded with sugar, allowing 1 cup sugar to 1 gallon. Cork while hot. 21 OCTOBER. BEANS READY TO PICK FROM AUGUST SOWING. HARVESTING THE SUMMER PLANTINGS. . Any available space in the garden may be filled with root crops, such as turnips and radishes; also spinach, lettuce, etc. Cabbsge may also be planted in South Louisiana. In North Louisiana build a cold frame. Select a protected spot for the cold frame. Put a 1x 12-inch plank 10 to 12 feet long on edge, supporting it with pegs. Four or five feet in front of this place a 1x 6-inch plank of same length. Board up the ends, making a box. About every 2 or 3 feet nail a narrow strip from the back to the front to hold up the cloth covering. One edge of this cloth should be tacked to the back of the frame, the other edge extending several inches over the front. It is a good plan to hem the front edge and place a pole through this hem. This pole will serve to weight the cloth down when the cold frame is closed. It will also be convenient to roll the cloth on in ventilating. 22 NOVEMBER. MEMBER OF BOYS’ CORN CLUB IN HIS CORN FIELD. PREPARING FOR WINTER. 1. In North Louisiana onions and cabbage seed should be plant- ed in cold frames for transplanting during the winter. 2. In South Louisiana keep all ground busy growing the hard- ier crops, such as lettuce, spinach, radishes, mustard, turnips, carrots, ete. 3. Try to give all the land a dressing of manure and commercial fertilizer at least twice a year. COMBINATION. RICE, TOMATOES AND BELL PEPPER. Use deep baking dish, well greased; cover the bottom with about 1 inch of cooked rice; above this put in a thin layer of tomatoes; season well with butter, salt and bell peppers cut in small pieces; continue a layer of rice and a layer of tomatoes until top is reached; cover top with layer of bread crumbs; bake. Top may be sprinkled with cheese before bread crumbs are added. 23 BLACKBERRY JAM. Pick over blackberries; mash a few in the bottom of a pre- serving kettle, using a wooden spoon or a potato masher, and) continue mashing until fruit is used; heat slowly to boiling point and add gradually ‘an equal quantity of heated sugar. Cook, slowly 45 minutes; put in stone jar or tumblers. Blackberries and raspberries are fruits most often used for making jam and both require equal weight of sugar. MAYHAW JEULY. Follow recipe for apple jelly. Wash, remove stem and blos- som end. Put in granite or porcelain preserving kettle and add cold water to come nearly to top of apples; cover and cook slowly until apples are soft; mash, draw through a coarse sieve; avoid squeezing apples, which makes jelly cloudy. Then allow juice to drip through a double thickness of cheese cloth or jelly bag. Boil juice 20 minutes, add equal quantity of sugar, boil 5 min- utes, skim and if a spoonful will jell when tried in a cold saucer, turn it into glasses. Put in a sunny window and let stand 24 hours; cover and keep in a cool, dark place. (Mayhaws may be left whole.) ; 24 DECEMBER. GROUND AROUND EVERY SUCH TREES. HOUSE SHOULD BE SHADED BY MAKING OUT YEARLY REPORT. Prepare a record of your year’s work. vy: yi 2. You should have grown two or more crops on the same land during the year. 3. Take good care of your plants in the cold frame in North Louisiana, airing them occasionally. 4. Plan for the hotbed and cold frame in South Louisiana. 25 PLANT TABLE FOR HAND CULTIVATION. Name of Vegetables Width Apart of Rows Distance Between Plants in Rows PROMS LOGS! eve ccs ce acres Cabbage ... Egg plant...... 40 HSGULUCE (NCA)... s.< sence IP2EuS) So aS 6c COO Om REECE cts sieiinic evelelcs «eis Ont, Edo gkoneienponUboS SIPS Tae DBE SOO ECE 5 PRUE RCAT s ra,s cs 0'si0 eos aE J ao Soe eo beo OG 4 Sweet potatoes........ Cauliflower «002.6000. Kohlrabi .... : Brussels sprouts....... LUGS! oto dOOROBOUOE COED “18 inches 2 to 3 fee i “ p) “ 26 3 « 10 “ 12 inches 4 “ 6 feet Thin “ 2 inches 1. Sethe Thin “ 2 inches 96 3 « PRN noe XG 1 foot 4 “ 6 inches 12) Coes 2 Seu tean 2 “ 3 “ cas 4 Ad 12 “ 15 inches 2 feet 4 “ 6 inches 1S: S524 Gi rE ee 26 TIME FOR PROCESSING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES. ASPARAGUS. No. 2 cans, 18 minutes, at 232 degrees, 7 pounds pressure No. 38 cans, 25 minutes, at 232 degrees, 7 pounds pressure BEETS, No. 2 cans, 20 minutes, at 228 degrees, 5 pqunds pressure No. 3 cans, 25 minutes, at 228 degrees, 5 pounds pressure BEANS. . 2 cans, 20 minutes, at 235 degrees, 8 pounds pressure No. 3 cans, add 380 minutes to time given for No. 2 cans No. 10 cans, cook 60 minutes longer than No. 2 cans CAULIFLOWER. No. 3 cans, 35 minutes, at 240 degrees, 10 pounds pressure CARROTS. cans, 20 minutes, at 240 degrees, 10 pounds pressure Z 9° bo CORN. cans, 40 minutes, at 250 degrees, 15 pounds pressure Z 9 bo PLAIN HOMINY. No. 2 cans, 35 minutes, at 250 degrees, 15 pounds pressure HOMINY WITH TOMATO SAUCE. No. 3 cans, 55 minutes, at 240 degrees, 10 pounds pressure OKRA. No. 2 cans, 10 minutes, at 212 degrees No. 3 cans, 15 minutes, at 212 degrees PEAS. Early June, 20 minutes, at 240 degrees NEW POTATOES. Potatoes, medium size, 15 minutes, at 232 degrees SWEET POTATOES. Use No. 3 cans, 60 minutes, at 240 degrees, or 10 pounds pressure SAUER KRAUT. No. 3 cans, 30 minutes, at 240 degrees, 10 pounds pressure No. 10 cans, 1 hr. 30 min., at 240 degrees, 10 pounds pressure No. 10 cans should contain 4% lbs. of kraut (solids) SUMMER SQUASH. 30 minutes, at 232 degrees, or 7 pounds pressure SPINACH. 20 minutes, at 240 degrees, or 10 pounds pressure 27 SUCCOTASH. ‘lo. 2 cans, 65 minutes, at 250 degrees, or 15 pounds pressure STANDARD TOMATOES. No. 2 cans, 20 minutes, at 228 degrees, 5 pounds pressure No. 3 cans, 28 minutes, at 232-235 degrees, 7 pounds pressure No. 10 cans, 60 minutes, at 240 degrees, 10 pounds pressure BLACKBERRIBS. No. 2 cans, 5 minutes, at 8 pounds pressure 2 No. 3 cans, 12 minutes, at 8 pounds pressure STRAWBERRIES. No. 2 cans, 5 minutes, at 228 degrees, 5 pounds pressure APPLES. No. 2 cans, 4 minutes, and No. 10 cans, 6 minutes, in boiling water. Be sure that the water is at a jumping boil every minute of the time. APRICOTS. No. 3 cans, 4 minutes, at 240 degrees, 10 pounds pressure No. 10 cans, 10 minutes, at 240 degrees, 10 pounds pressure FIGS. No. 2 cans, 20 minutes, at 235 degrees, pounds pressure No. 38 cans, 30 minutes, at 235 degrees, 8 pounds pressure No. 10 cans, 45 minutes, at 235 degrees, 8 pounds pressure ao GRAPES. No. 3 cans, 10 minutes, at 240 degrees, 10 pounds pressure No. 10 cans, 20 minutes, at 240 degrees, 10 pounds pressure PEACHES. No. 2 cans, 6 minutes, at 285 degrees, No. 3 cans, 8 minutes, at 235 degrees, No. 10 cans, 20 minutes, at 235 degrees, pounds pressure pounds pressure pounds pressure om oO PEARS, No. 2 cans, 12 minutes, at 232 degrees, 7 pounds pressure No. 3 cans, 15 minutes, at 232 degrees, 7 pounds pressure No. 10 cans, 25 minutes, at 232 degrees, 7 pounds pressure PLUMS. No. 3 cans, 4 minutes, at 240 degrees, 10 pounds pressure PINEAPPLES. No. 2 cans, 8 minutes, at 240 degrees, 10 pounds pressure No. 3 cans, 10 minutes, at 240 degrees, 10 pounds pressure KUMQUATS AND LOQUATS No. 2, cans, 20 minutes at § pounds presesure, or 1 hour in boiling water. QUINCES. No. 2 cans, 6 minutes, at 240 degrees. 28 YEARLY REPORT. Cost of Plowing Cost of Pulverizing Soil Cost of Seeds and Plants Cost of Fertilizer Amount of Fertilizer Kind of Fertilizer Cost of Staking and Pruning t Cost of Gathering Fruit Number of Cans Bought Number of Glass Jars Bought Cost of Canning Supplies Cost of Canning Labor Receipts from Fresh Vegetables Value of Vegetables Used at Home Value of Canned Vegetables Value of Other Products of 1-10th Acre Total Value of All Products Total Expenses ee eee eee Net Profit i 29 FORM FOR MONTHLY RECORD Name of Vegetable Record these items |. 2 6 each time in proper PN ht 3 g 2 place, giving date hess oe g 4 is) of each. fa z, e S | Rent of land........ Quantity)... s.|( COs: oa!) s.cs2:cccssececk | Saacceaccepenen | Meee ecmeeteeeeee || meee ereeseeeee | eeceneoe (in sq. ft.) Soil preparation..... ELON TS eteleia ete COS toss] ss cacacccc ee | een tece rene | eee eee ene eee a IEEDUTCLere = = cress «cise Gina bey ue | OSE es fees toee csc) eee a | ee Se | | (tons) | Commercial fertilizer) Quantity....|Cost.. (pounds) (22 Sone cocoa pOeee Quantity..../Cost.. (pounds) Planting seed....... ELOuTSi 2s meice Cost. . TE arWIlhS 6 5 aoe Oe Quantity..../Cost.. (number) Transplanting plants.| Hours....... Cost.. Cultivation.......... Hours....... Cost.. Pruning.........-.- LOUIS etesyele hae ae eee SHSIN ESS Go DOO Cacroerars Hours....... Cost.. Gathering........... ELOUES#s erelercre Cost. . WLGG ls Sapo ecaoneigIad Quantity....|Cost.. (pounds) | | ! | Wreshs products sold.| Quantity... .|Value.|_ aan |en.----cecan2-| ccsccenseneneceezse| |=rcenecnnnnennes soos (pounds) | | f fpemmproducts used! 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