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To conserve the minerals and vitamins, vegetables should be put to cook in water already boiling. Use only enough water to cook the vegetables without allowing them to scorch, and continue cooking only until the vegetable is done.

The more color of the vegetables that can be preserved, the more attractive and appealing they will be to the appetite, especially when teaching young children to enjoy vegetables. Try to keep the white of onions, cauliflower and cabbage; the green of “greens;” the yellow of carrots; the red of beets.

The white vegetables should be cooked only until they are tender. Cabbage can be cooked in twenty minutes, or fifteen if it is young. Pressure cooking will reduce the time still more. Hard water, that is, with much minerals, will discolor vegetables more than soft water.

During the first few minutes of cooking, vegetables gives off a volatile acid. This acid will darken greens to dirty brown if the pan is kept covered. By leaving the pan uncovered the acid is allowed to escape and green color will not be greatly changed.

The yellow color of carrots, squash and kamote is not easily destroyed. But still we need to think of preserving their food value. baking is best for kamotes and squash; carrots can be steamed.

The red color of beets and red cabbage is easily lost. Beets should be cooked whole. They can be pared or cut later. Adding a little lemon juice to red cabbage will help retain the color. use about one tablespoon of juice to the cup of water you cook the cabbage in.

Do not throw away the water in which vegetables are cooked. It is rich in vitamins and minerals. It can be used in soup, or served with vegetable, or drink as you would with fruit juice.