❤️Health & Nutrition❤️
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Home Remedies & Natural Medicines

THE best of all beauty-making foods are fresh fruits and vegetables. Though they contain very little nourishment, they possess extraordinary value as health-givers.

In the days of our grandmothers a spring tonic was always resorted to so as to thin the blood after a winter's steady diet of heat-producing foods. These tonics contained iron, phosphoric acid, and similar drugs, all of which we are learning are contained in vegetables; in fact. as the animal kingdom draws its nourishment from the vegetable kingdom, so does the vegetable kingdom obtain its nourishment from the mineral kingdom.

The medicinal value of fruits and vegetables is therefore inestimable. So, if "in spring the young man's fancies turn to love" the thoughts of the feminine aspirant for lasting beauty must flit to the nearest vegetable patch.

The first fresh vegetable to make its appearance in the early spring is the spinach. Of course, hot-house radishes and "young" onions are seen throughout the winter, but with the first signs of spring spinach comes on the market in great quantities The dandelion, also, when gathered before the flower bud has attained any size, makes tender greens, and is greatly liked by many people because of its pleasant bitter flavor.

As a food, spinach has little value, but its refreshing and slightly laxative qualities make it a valuable adjunct to the more substantial foods. It contains little starch and only a suggestion of sugar, and is therefore one of the vegetables that physicians include in the bill of fare of many invalids who require a diet without these carbohydrates.

The native country of spinach is not known, but is believed to be some part of Asia, as the plant was introduced by the Aarbs into Spain, and thence diffused over Europe. It seems to have been known as a kitchen vegetable in the fourteenth century, though it does not appear to have been grown in English gardens before the sixteenth century. It soon won high favor, and Gerard said that "of all the pot herbs it maketh the greatest diversitie of meats and salads."

Like most other vegetables, it is rarely cooked to perfection, and yet it is not difficult to prepare. Except for special reasons, the simplest methods are the best for this vegetable.

But no matter how cheap the raw spinach may be, it is always expensive in two things: labor and butter. It takes a good deal of time, water and patience to wash it clean; and no other vegetable requires so much butter if it is to be at its best.

To clean the spinach, cut off the roots, break the leaves apart and drop them into a large pan of water. Rinse each portion well and put them in a second pan of water. Continue washing in clean waters until there is not a trace of sand on the bottom of the pan in which the vegetable has been washed.

If the spinach is at all wilted, let it stand in cold water until it becomes fresh and crisp. Drain from this water and blanch.

For one-half peck of spinach have in a large saucepan three quarts of boiling water, and let it boil ten minutes, counting from the time it begins to boil. When it begins to bubble then draw the cover of the saucepan a little to one side to allow the steam to escape. At the end of ten minutes pour the spinach into a colander, and when the water has passed off pour cold water over it. Let it drain well and mince, coarse or fine as is suitable for the manner in which it is to be served.

Spinach on Toast

Boil tender and drain well; season with melted butter, salt, pepper and lemon juice; form into oblong shapes and stand on buttered toast with a piece of hard-boiled egg or top of each form.

Spinach Croquettes

Take two pounds of boiled spinach, strain and chop up fine; put it into an earthen pan with four ounces of butter, some sweet marjoram chopped up, sugar and grated lemon peel. Mix well over the fire. Then put in one tumbler of milk, and when it boils add two beaten eggs

When thick and cold roll up into croquettes. Meanwhile make the following batter: two handfuls of flour, one tablespoonful of good olive oil, one-half glass of white wine and a little salt, well mixed together. Roll croquettes in this and fry. Serve hot.

Spinach with Cheese

Clean and wash eight bunches of spinach. Cook them in salted boiling water and then set aside to cool. Dry well and chop up very fine. Place all in a saucepan, mixing well with four ounces of butter, eight ounces of fresh curds (out of which all the water has been pressed), two tablespoonfuls of grated Parmesan cheese, and yolks of three eggs.

When cold make small balls or rolls of the spinach, flour well and throw them into boiling water. As they rise to the surface pick them out with a strainer, pour melted butter over them, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and serve at once.

Spinach Pudding with Mushrooms

Wash a sufficient quantity of spinach well, boil it in salted water for a few minutes, drain and squeeze out water thoroughly. Then pound it in a mortar and finally rub it through a sieve.

Put it into an earthen pot with a good-sized piece of butter and a few drops of lemon juice. Allow it to boil for a short time, then empty it into a dish-and when cold add the yolks of two or three well beaten up eggs.

Place all in a well buttered mould, leaving an empty space in the middle; cook slowly in a Bain-marie for one hour, with fire above and below. When cooked, pour out on a platter, filling the empty space with small mushrooms cut up into little pieces.