Reasons for not serving any particular vegetable at all

Table 7 shows clearly that the main reason for not serving a vegetable is that the informant actually dislikes the taste of it - or has heard that the taste is unpleasant and therefore will not try it.

That price is mentioned here as a deterrent by relatively few housewives must be seen in its right context. Housewives were asked why they never served a particular vegetable. It is very likely that housewives would serve an expensive vegetable which they liked less often, or in smaller quantities, rather than never serve it.

Not many housewives think vegetables bad for the digestion. Only Brussels sprouts (by 1% of housewives) and celery (by 3% of housewives), are considered as unsuitable in this respect,

Miscellaneous reasons for not serving particular vegetables are given by a few housewives (less than 1% in most cases):

Marrow used only for chutney or jam; 'can’t get lemon flavouring for it now’; ‘too much bother to cook’; ‘and boils down to nothing’; 'don’t grow them'; 'like it stuffed'; and' can’t get onions for stuffing when marrow is in the shops‘.

About watercress , it was said 'too much bother to cook'; 'not always clean'; 'not worth buying for one person'; 'don’t grow it'; 'don’t dislike it but never want it'.

For turnips the miscellaneous reasons were: - 'not in garden, so don’t buy them'; 'lot of waste with them'.

One reason for not buying beetroot was that it was only bought pickled and was difficult to get. And for cabbage the excuse was that it was rarely in the shops.

In a few cases, beans, beetroot, Brussels sprouts, celery and leeks were cooked only when husband was on leave.

In a few odd cases no vegetables of any description were bought, e. g. a man of 65 who had no one to shop or cook them for him, and a housewife who lived alone and was ill in bed.

Where no % figure is given the number of housewives giving this answer amounts to less than %

Miscellaneous answers were included with no answers, as in no case did the proportion of housewives who mentioned miscellaneous reasons amount to more than 1.6%.