Prepare them for cooking as follows : Potatoes, scrub, and pare when necessary. Parsnips, scrub till white, trim off the fine roots. Carrots, scrub, and scrape off the thin outer surface. Turnips, scrub out in slices, and pare.

Beets, wash carefully, for if the skin be broken the sugary juices will escape.

Cabbage and cauliflower, trim and soak top down to draw out any insects.

Celery, wash, and scrape off any rusty portions.

Spinach and other greens, pick over and wash in several waters.

Onions, peel and soak.

Green corn, husk with clean hands, but do not wash it.

Peas and beans, shell with clean hands and wash quickly.

Soft-shell squashes, wash, pare, and cut as desired.

Hard-shell squashes, wash, split, and cook in the shell.

Asparagus, wash and break off the tough end, tie in bundles, or break into inch bits.

String beans, strip off the ends and strings on each side, cut or break into small pieces, and wash.

Fresh vegetables do not require any soaking in cold water, and it is better not to prepare them until you are ready to cook them. But if they be wilted, soaking will freshen them; and if they must be prepared long before cooking they should be covered with cold water to prevent them from wilting or from becoming discolored.

Put vegetables into freshly boiling water, slightly salted, and cook quickly until done. The time will depend upon the age or freshness of the vegetable.

With green peas, shelled beans, green corn, asparagus, celery, and spinach, use as little water as possible, and let it boil away, leaving just enough to moisten, and thus save all the desirable soluble matter that may have been drawn out. Do not salt until nearly done.