St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1878-06-29
Drying Figs.
From the New Orleans Times

Ac this is the season when figs are be-
Ginning to ripen, it may not be out OF
ulacc to say something concerning the
adyis,i biilty Of farmers making the at
t,tupt TO dry, and thus save for future
use, that part Of their crop which they
do nOt sell OF consume in their fresh state.
Fix dry tug has been pursued Tor seV-
tIni years il Florida quite successfully,
and PERSONS who have attempted it have
totnG IL not only ii very simple process
h;tl quite prUtittthie-;is there is always
d reilly sale tor dried figs, not only at
home but abroad. In this State, We are
sorry t" sly few have ever made the
| til u, and those few, either from want
OF the necessary information orFatIclct,
haze failed. Consequently, it is sale TO
Say tilL thousands Oi bushels Ut spitu-
did figs are allowed to rot annually,
which, if proper effort was made, could
| be saved.
Dr. Lelotes H. Mason, in q paper read
! by Linn before the Florida Fruit Grow
ers' Association, in speaking Of prepar-
ing he fi5 for market, says:
Ihis is so simple that any family
| having the trees may succeed. lhey
require TO 5n gay or Syrup-as the fruit
| drtcS it forms it's own sugar. Inc great
est amount OF Labor and trouble IS Ill
gathering if picked by hand it will be
! found tedious process. The best plan
| is to hold sheet under the trees, then
shake the limbs hard enough to make
the ripe fruit fall. Do not place the
sheet upon the ground, as the ripe figs
will burst open and be ruined for dry
! ing. Prepare d; bath OF strong lye,
made rom potash, such as will swim IN
egg have this boiling hot ; put the figs
in basket and dip in the I've for two
minutes, than dip them in clear water !;
let them drip short time and they are
ready for drying. The reason why they
are placed in the boiling I've is to destroy
the acrid gum in the skin, and to des-
troy the color of the purple fig.
If dried in the open air, hurdles should
be made with narrow Stats upon which
to place the fruit. Keep them in the
sunshine as much as possible to facill-
tate rapid drying. The second day you
can tlatten the figs by pressing them
with the hand. The hurdles with the
fruit on them must be placed under
shelter at night, or when it rains.
The objection to drying in the open
air is, that a fly lays its eggs in the
fruit, and in short time they become
worms; this can be obviated by heating
them in all oven or stove, just hot
enough to destroy the vitality of the
egg, but not hot enough to candy the
fruit. 1t requires a little practice to
know when the fruit is dry enough
they should be soft enough to pack close
in box with moderate pressure, and
they keep better when packed close
and are freer from the attack of insects
: The boxes should contain from ten to
fifteen pounds, as in masses OF this size
they are not likely to become dry and
iusipid. In making the boxes, use oak,
cypress or gum; but do not use pine, as
it will impart turpentine flavor to the
figs.
The best and most expeditions plan
is to erect a dryinghouse, the size OF
which will depend upon the orchard
, When plank is scarce, logs can be used
One five feet by ten feet, and six feet
high, will hold large quantity Of fruit
) In cutting The logs, face both sides OF
} the ten feet logs, so as to leave d space
of three inches between each wher
) they are put in place. Let these spaces
= begin two feet six inches from the bot.
! tom. Make an arched clay or brick
= Hue through the house lengthwise, hav.
/ ing it unka-tight, aud have the chin
n-y at the end, outside. 4 thick stove
pipe can be Used for tiue, but the nea
: W III no. Uc 50 uElI'lul. W S-tlS AL o>s
, ;he euils and centre of the house t,
! support the drying frames. Make
+ frames half the width of house, to fl
the openings in the logs. Across thu
buttOtns of these frames or drawer
make lattice of split canes Or SOM
f other strong inodorous twig. Upo1
! these place the figs, and slip tie draw
ers in their place. Keep up a moderate
tire, and in twenty four or thirty-si,
hours the fruit will be dry enough. B.
| careful not to have too great a heat, 70
!, if will darken the fig, give it a syrup,
taste, and lessen its market value. Il
building the house put on a light root
and daub all the lower cracks with clay.