Preparation of Vegetables in Small Town Families of Mississippi

i BULLETIN 449 JULY 1947 I Preparation of Vegetables In Small Town Families Of Mississippi By DOROTHY DICKINS MISSISSIPPI STATE COLLEGE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION RUSSELL COLEMAN, Director STATE COLLEGE MISSISSIPPI CONTENTS Page Methods and Scope of Study 3 Description of Families - 4 Who Prepared Vegetables and Source of Methods Used. - 4 Methods of Preparing Vegetables 5 Cooked vegetable dishes —- — 5 Fresh leafy vegetables 5 Fresh legumes 8 Roots and tubers - 10 All other fresh vegetables 13 Canned vegetables — 15 Dried vegetables 18 Frozen vegetables 19 Raw vegetable dishes 21 Storage From One Meal to the Next 21 Method of Preparing Vegetables Compared with Recommended Procedures 22 Cooked vegetable dishes 22 Fresh leafy vegetables 22 Fresh legumes „ 24 Roots and tubers 25 All other fresh vegetables 27 Canned vegetables 15 Dried vegetables . 29 Frozen vegetables „ X 30 Raw vegetable dishes - 31 Storage of Vegetables Compared with Recommended Procedures 31 Summary ' 31 Improving Vegetable Preparation 33 Appendix 34 Preparation of Vegetables in Small Town Families of Mississippi By DOROTHY DICKINS r This study reports methods used in sample, has the further advantage of be- preparation of 9,246 cooked vegetables ing less expensive. A large coverage of and vegetable salads by 844 families in families is important in securing infor- six small towns of Mississippi. Methods mation about preparation of particular used in preparation of vegetables are im- vegetables, since there are many vege- portant, since vegetables are an excellent tables used by only a few famihes. source of vitamins and minerals. Vita- The information of this study was se- mins can easily be destroyed by poor cured from three sources: (1) from rec- methods of preparation and storage. Min- ords kept one week by homemakers in erals can be lost by draining during 80 white and 80 Negro families in Acker- cooking or after cooking is complete. man, Eupora, and Marks. The families Methods of preparation in use will be were representative of the main groups compared with methods recommended by in which families in the survey study food and/or nutrition specialists. Sug- from which they were drawn had been gestions for improving vegetable prepara- classified.-^ (2) From schedules filled tion will be given. out by personal interview with homemak- Methods and Scope of Study ers in 145 white and 121 Negro families in Ackerman, Eupora, Marks, and Two methods of securing information Tunica. The families included consti- concerning vegetable preparation were tuted a random sample of families in the used in this study (1) the record method, survey towns not in the record study. whereby detailed day-by-day records of (3) From schedules filled out by per- steps in preparation of particular vege- sonal interview with homemakers in all tables served during the report week were eligible families (295 white and 123 kept by homemakers; (2) the schedule Negro) in Calhoun City and Friars method, whereby homemakers were in- Point. To be eligible for all of these terviewed with the use of schedules con- studies, the family must have been a cerning preparation of vegetables. housekeeping family with a female home- Both record and schedule methods maker and no more than one boarder. were used in securing preparation information since somewhat more accurate The two schedule studies were limited information concerning preparation can in the main to preparation of vegetables be obtained by the record method, but for which no preparation records, or only families willing to keep detailed day-by- a few preparation records, had been kept day preparation records have superior in the record study. There were a few practices.^ The schedule method, in ad- exceptions, since it seemed desirable to dition to giving a more representative compare preparation practices when the two methods of getting information were i/See "Some Factors Related to Food Prep- used. Information concerning prepara- aration," Dorothy Dickins, Miss. Agr. Exp. Sta. tion of new string beans, cabbage, and Bui. No. 433, p. 6. Irish potatoes, as well as preparation of -^For a discussion of the survey study, see string beans, cabbage, and Irish potatoes, "Changing Pattern of Food Preparation of Small was asked for, since in the survey men- Town Families of Mississippi," and "Tradition- tioned above, a number of homemakers al Food Preparation Rules," Bulletins 415 and 418 of Miss. Agr. Exp. Sta., by Dorothy Dickins. reported preparation rules concerning — 4 MISSISSIPPI AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 449 "new" vegetables (the first mess or mes- al values of $20.01 to $40.00, and 36 in ses), especially new Irish potatoes. In- houses of over $40.00. All Negro fam- formation secured was limited to vege- ilies resided in houses with a monthly tables ordinarily served by the family rent or rental value of $20.00 and under. when in season. Families in the record and schedule Forms used in the record and schedule samples differed in certain respects. The studies are shown in the Appendix. main occupation of families in the record sample was somewhat more likely Description of Families to be professional work or business own- Median size of families in this study ership, somewhat less likely to be v/age was three members. It was the same for work (table 1 in Appendix). Home- Negro as for white families. Home- makers in the record sample in famiHes makers in white families had completed with rent or rental value the same, were a median of 12 grades; in Negro families, younger than those in the schedule sam- a median of 6 grades. (By median is ple. Record-keeping Negro homemak- meant that there v^ere as many families ers had completed a median of 8 grades with more than three members as with as compared with 5 grades for non-rec- less than three members; as many white ord keepers. There was no difference in homemakers with less than 12 grades of the median grade completed by vv^hite schooling as with more than 12 grades homemakers in the record and schedule of schooling. The median is the mid- samples. point.) Who Prepared and Source of The main occupation of 374 of the Methods Used 844 families included was unskilled, semi- Information as to skilled, and skilled wage work in non- who prepared and source of the in use se- agricultural pursuits. In 145 families, methods were in record the main occupation was white collar cured from homemakers the work; in 130 famiHes, professional work study. Eighty-nine percent of the vege- or operation of independent businesses. table dishes for which preparation rec- One hundred and eight families were ords were kept were prepared by the farmers (owners, renters, croppers or homemaker. per- wage workers). Eighty-seven families Methods used in preparation of 70 had no occupation, but were living from cent of the cooked vegetable dishes were mother. dependency allotments, pensions, relief reported as those taught by The and/or investments. source of the method used in about 10 The main occupation of relatively two percent of the cooked vegetables was times more Negro than white families stated as unknown. In about 5 percent was wage work and farming. The oc- it was said to be original. cupation of white famiHes was much In a previous study of this series in more often white collar work, profes- which 1,158 homemakers had been ques- sional work, and business ownership. tioned about new vegetable dishes tried Only 17 of the 324 Negro families in- during the past year and source of recipe, cluded had these as main occupations. friends were the source most often men- study, About the same proportion of Negro as tioned.-/ However, in the record of white families had no occupation homemakers were asked to keep records 11 percent as compared with 9 percent. of dishes ordinarily prepared, when the Five hundred and fifty-four of the 844 food was in season, and most of the pre- families resided in houses with monthly -^-/"Changing Pattern of Food Preparation of rent or rental values of $20.00 or less, Small Town Families of Mississippi," Dorothy 254 in houses with monthly rent or rent- Dickins, Miss. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bui. 415, p. 10. PREPARATION OF VEGETABLES IN SMALL l^OWN FAMILIES IN MISSISSIPPI 5 paration records were of boiled ;,triiig The majority of leafy vegetables used beans, butter beans, field peas, and Irish by the families were reported as usually potatoes or vegetable dishes prepared in home produced. One exception was cab' homes of parents and grandparents of bage. About 50 percent in both the rec- these homemakers. The fact that cook- ord and schedule groups reported that ed vegetable dishes for which records they purchased cabbage. were kept were traditional dishes would The usual procedure followed was to account for the large number being re- wash leafy vegetables several times in ported as learned from mother. cold water. However, collard, turnip, Source of the recipes for raw vege- and mustard greens were rather frequent- table dishes (vegetable salads) most oft- ly washed in soda water by Negro wom- en mentioned was original (or made it en. About one-third of the Negro wom- up). Mother was not so often the source en interviewed in the schedule study of information as for cooked vegetables. reported that they washed collard greens in soda water; one-seventh reported they Methods of Preparing washed turnip greens in soda water, and Vegetables one-tenth that they washed mustard Ninety-three percent of the reports with greens in soda water. which this bulletin is concerned are re- Homemakers in both schedule studies ports of cooked vegetable dishes. Seven were questioned about practices concern- percent are reports of raw vegetable ing use of stems and midribs of greens.

Load more