The Value of Foods

  Those who are interested in dietetics, may wish to choose their vegetables on the basis of their food value.

 In terms of the calorie, the unit of energy as applied to food, it has been found that 1 ounce of dried beans (seeds) and 8 ounces of string-beans are required to produce a hundred calories. 

Of green maize 3.2 ounces are needed; 

Of potatoes, 5.3 ounces;

 Of onions, 8 ounces; 

Of beets, 9.6 ounces; 

Of cabbage, 13.3 ounces; 

At the end of the list comes celery, of which 23.7 ounces are required to produce a hundred calories. 

It is misleading, however, to take a list of vegetables with their caloric values and decide, that because 6.4 ounces of peas contain one hundred calories, while it is necessary to have 10.1 ounces of carrots to produce the same amount, nothing but peas shall be grown in the garden. 

The proper basis on which to make a decision along these lines is on the amount of calories that can be obtained from each square yard of ground. 

A considerable area is necessary for the production of a pound of peas, while a similar weight of carrots could be produced in a much smaller space. 

Furthermore, it must be remembered that the human system demands a certain amount of bulky foods, and these are supplied by vegetables low in caloric values.

There are a number of crops that can easily be preserved or stored for winter use, and this should be considered when deciding what kinds of vegetables to grow. 

String-beans are easily preserved by pickling them in vinegar, and there is no difficulty whatever in caring for the dry-shell beans when they are not infested with weevils. 

All of the root crops—carrots, beets, parsnips—can be easily stored in sand or soil in the cellar, and potatoes are one of the easiest of crops to care for.

 Onions easy carried over into the winter, all you need is a cool, airy room.  Note that all of the crops just mentioned are fairly high in food value.