The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1894-08-25
FRUIT DRYING.

Only perfect fruit, neither unripe nor
overripe, should be selected. Huokle-
berries and currants need no farther prep
aration than washing and picking over.
Cherries and plums need to have their
pits removed, aud peaches require, in
addition to be pared aud quartered, while
the other fruits need 30 be pared, cored,
aud cut into quarters or still smaller
divisions.
The old fashioned II ethod of threading
the quarters of apples or pears upon
stripgs, to hang in long festoons on the
sunny side OF the house or against the
kitchen wall, had many Disadvantages.
In the first plaoa the drying was necss-
sarily so slow that some parts of the
fruit were almost sure to become in q
measure decomposed before the drying
was completed, and in the second place
the festoons were exposed TO the attacks
OF hosts Of flies; and at the present day
we know that it vas no. without reason
that the ancient Philistines named their
Spirit of Evil, "Beelzabub, god of the
| flies, for there are no more industrious
disssminators of disease than they. The
fly which hss come from putrid otAl 10
| alight upon some scratch or pimpio may
DE instantly brushed away, bat perhaps
not before be has had time to deposit
the blood poison which may produce the
dreaded oartunoie, or even the almost
surely fatal malignant pustule; or by
alighting upon articles Of food, it may
| bring infections which produce many
sorts Of stomach trouble or even typhoid
| fever and cholera.
Tin dishes or fiat sheets of tin are
| most convenient for this use, but are apt
to impart i disagreeable flavor. Thin
| boards of some odorless wood answer q
good purpose, but it is not easy to so
place them that the oven may hold many
at time. There Is no danger OF their
| burning, for the oven that is hot enough
to burn the wood is quite too hot for the
| fruit, which would be cooked instead of
| dried. The best way is to have a SGT Of
agate ware or porcelain lined dripping
pans kept for this purpose only. In each
| spread 2 single layer of the fruit. Place
| the pans in the oven in pile, one above
the other-not in such a way as to make
| closed dishes of them, but 'cIiss-3rOss
50 that the hot air may have free access
| to the fruitful the oven will hold no
more. In this way coed deal Of fruit
may be done at one time. The heat of
| the oven may be first tested by putting
in small portion of the fruit 20 ba
| dried, as not only do different fruits
| require a different temperature, but even
various sorts OF the same fruit; {. good
deal depending upon whether the season
has been vet or dry, that winch is gath
cred in dry season demanding not only
a lower degree Of heat, but a shorter
| time than that gathered in q wet season.
| All varieties of even the same fruit are
not equally good for drying As a rule
the more acid the fruit the better will it
preserve it's qualities. The old fashioned
of the country as the Eng lish'-is far
better for drying or preserving than
any of the sorts which are much more
delicious when eaten fresh. Tie same
is true of the damson plum, though
almost all plums dry well.
Comparatively few sorts Of pears are
good for drying. The sweetest and
juiciest sorts, like the Bartlett, Virgalieu
and Ssckel, being almost worthless. But
there is a nameless sort, a hard, green,
sour thing, rot worth gathering for any
purpose save picking, which is perfectly
delicious when dried and stewed
A most all old fashioned orchards coz
tain one or two trees Of this kind prob
ably allowed to remain because they are
very prolific, and country house wives
know their virtues. This pear is the
only fruit we know OF which is benefited
by the use of sugar in drying. If abou t
a table spoonful OF graduated sugar in
sprnklsd over each quart Of the fruit,
and allowed to stand upon it for an hour
or two before being put i'll the oven, a
rich syrup is drawn out in which the
pears may be dried. When done they
should be Immediately packed tightly in
stone jars aud sealed, otherwise they
attract both ants and les.
Fruits which are dried without sugar
are best kept in sealed paper bags, and
hung in dry cool store room until
needed for use
Unlike the sour pears, ounces, though
equally tart, would be injured by sugar.
Every one who has preserved ounces
knows that they must be cooked until
quite tender before the sugar is added
for from that moment no amount Of
cooking will have any other effect than
to harden the fruit. Ounces for drying
slices the round way of the fruit, pared
and cored. When cooking the dried
fruit. remember to add no sugar until
the ounces are as tender as desired, and
The last should be remem bered in regard
to all fruits. The less sugar psed the
better both Cor the flavor of the fruit
and the health of the person eating it.
Dried fruits should be carefully aud
quickly washed before cooking; quickly
because none of the flavor should escape
to be thrown away in the washing water
Then the fruit should be put into cold
water, and allowed to soak until it be gins
to plump cut into somathiDg resembling
its original proportions. Then put into
q preserving kettle, set upon the fire,
after which 1t may be set back from the
fire to where it will just simmer till done
Perhaps one of the chief reasons why
dried fruits are SO healthful is that they
cannot be used without a great deal of
cooking. This destroys the tendency to
fermentation, which is the bane of fresh
fruits, especially those which have had
to come far to market. If sugar is to be
added it may be done a few minutes
before removing from the fire. or wait
until it is brought to the table, wheIe
each person may suit himself as to quail