Vegetables are plentiful in our country. There is no time of the year when vegetables cannot be found in the markets. There is no reason why vegetables should not be included in our daily meals.

Vegetables should be eaten everyday. The substances, which are found in them, are needed and used by the body everyday. They are needed for health and growth. Vitamins are not stored in the body. Only a small amount of Vitamin B is stored in the body. To keep the body well supplied with vitamins, vegetables should be eaten everyday.

Always choose fresh, crisp, newly harvested vegetables. They look better and they taste better than wilted ones. Wilted vegetables lose some of the vitamins they contain. Fresh vegetables should be cooked the day they are harvested or bought. Do not keep them several days before cooking.

Leaves like pechay, mustard, lettuce, kulitis are best eaten when they are young and tender. When leaves are full grown, they become tough. The flavor is no longer agreeable. Cut the leaves with scissors from the home garden for cooking as needed instead of waiting to harvest and pull the whole plant.

Stems of leaves of even as small ones as camote or kangkong meanwhile are of very little value. Stems, unless very tender are mostly cellulose. Cellulose is the woody part of the plant. The leaves are the nutritious parts.

Root and fruit vegetables like carrots, radish, green pepper, okra and eggplant should be firm and crisp when they are used.

Selecting
1. Use fruits and vegetables that are in season. They are more economical, and because they are still fresh.
2. Handle fruits and vegetables with care to avoid bruising them.
3. Choose the ones without signs of decay, wilt and worm injury.
4. Select leaves and other vegetables that are whole.

Preparing
1. Wash fruits and vegetables before peeling, cutting and slicing. Use running water to wash tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables that have to be eaten raw.
2. Cut or slice fruits and vegetables just before cooking.
3. Peel fruits and vegetables as thinly as possible.
4. Sprinkle calamansi or pineapple juice over cut or sliced bananas or apples to prevent browning.
5. Avoid squeezing vegetables such as labanos, ampalaya, etc. and soaking them in water to remove bitterness or unpleasant taste.

Storing
1. Wash all fruits with running water before storing.
2. Keep root vegetables in a cool dry place.
3. Discard decayed fruits and vegetables to prevent contamination.

Cooking
Vegetables are cooked to soften the fibers or cellulose. Cooking makes vegetables more tasty and easier to digest. We should know how to cook vegetables properly. Overcooked vegetables become tasteless. They appear unappetizing. Color and flavor ar~ lost. Minerals and vitamins are lost too.

Properly cooked vegetables retain their shape, natural color and flavor. The vegetables are tender but not soft and mushy. It is best to cook vegetables with the skin on whenever possible. Vitamins and minerals are not lost then.

1. Cook vegetables as quickly as possible. Put them in when water is already boiling. Use low heat when the water is already boiling with the vegetables in. This will help to keep the vegetables from getting out of shape.
2. Some vegetables have to be covered while cooking so that the food value will not be lost. Strong flavored vegetables should be uncovered part of the time. Cabbage, mustard and radish are examples of strong flavored vegetables.
3. Unless the cooking water is used for food, vegetables should always be cooked in a small amount of water. Much cooking water wastes the vitamins.
4. As much as possible, avoid stirring vegetables during cooking.
5. Utilize the water in which vegetables have been cooked for soup or sauces.
6. It is good practice to cook the vegetables with other foods as in sinigang or guisado recipes because the water or broth in which they are cooked are served and eaten too. Legumed root vegetables, fruit vegetables and leafy vegetables like beans, gabi, patola, pechay and peas may be cooked with fish, meat or poultry.

Serving
1. The best way to serve vegetables so that all vitamins and minerals are not lost is to serve them raw. They may be eaten when still whole.
2. Serve vegetables immediately after they are cooked. The flavor is best at this time when the food is still hot. Serve fruits and vegetables hot if cooked and cold, if raw.
3. Vegetables that can be made into salads are carrots, celery, radish, cucumber, lettuce, cabbage, tomato, onion and pepper. Raw, crisp vegetables give variety to our meals. When preparing raw vegetables for salads, all spoiled parts should be removed.