The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-09-01

we have to pay the cost of packing and
freight on 20 pounds while in the sec
ond we have to pay on 125 pounds
which of itself will make a great differ
ence in the cost to the consumer in ia
vor of dried fruit. The cost of drying
fruit is also much less than that of
canning. 1t does not require as ex-
pensive a plant as canning, nor as
much capital to operate with.
Dried fruit is destined to become
more popular article of diet than at
present. 1t will be better appreciated
when people have learned how to pre-
pare it properly. 1t should be soaked
in cold water for from Is to 30 hours
before cooking, so that it will absorb
all of the water it lost in drying and
regain it's natural size. If this is done
it will take but a short ime to cook it.
Fruit prepared in this manner is SUI
perior to that which is placed in water
on the stove and allowed to cook and
soak at the same time. In fact, with
first-class article Of dried fruit proper
ly cooked, it is difficult to tell it from
the canned. Many people are learning
the superiority of our dried fruit-peo
pie who, from their experience with the
| indigestible, stringy dried fruit of their
forefathers, have not considered it de-
sirable, have had to change their opin-
ion after trying our fine sun-dried
fruit. 1t will take time to introduce it,
especially in some sections, but when
people have once laid aside their pre-
JUDGES we need have no fears as to the
future. of our dried fruit market
There are two methods of drying, viz:
| Sun-drying and eVaporating; in this
bright and sunny climate we do not
have much use for the latter. In fact,
our Sun-dried fruit sells for eVaporated
in the east, consequently 1 will confine
!
! produce a fine article of dried fruit it
] is necessary to grow only first-class
fruit. The trees should have been prop
/ erly cultivated and pruned, and, in
most locations, irrigated and the fruit
| thinned out 1t is a prevailing idea
! that any fruit is good enough for dry
ing; there are altogether too many
4 half-ripe and half-grown culls dried.
Fruit that is not fit for canning or eat
/ ing fresh is often dried, and as a con-
/ sequence there is a good deal of poor
fruit that finds its way to the market
! to the detriment of the trade. I have
/ heard people say what a pity to dry
such fine fruit" on beholding fine fruit
being dried. The phrase should be re-
versed to read what a pity there is
SO much poor fruit dried"
Size is more important with dried
| fruit than canned or with fresh fruit
for shipment. You cannot produce a
/ fancy article of dried fruit without
large fruit to make it from, and as a
rule the largest specimens of any given
variety are best in quality. 1t also
makes a great difference in cost of
picking and cutting, while there is also
relatively less waste in the pits of large
fruit than small.
1t is necessary to bleach fruit with
fumes of burning sulphur in order to
| secure as bright an article as the trade
demands; some fruit really requires it.
The peach will burn if dried in the sun
and retain decided burnt taste unless
it is sulphured. However, in most
cases it is used only to improve the
color and to reduce the risk of fruits
becoming wormy.
Fruit should at first be graded into
two or three grades as 1t comes in from
the orchard in order that the fruit on a
tray may dry evenly and all of it be
ready 20 move at the same time. After
it IS cut into halves and spread on
trays it is then treated to sulphur
fumes. L allow about two or three
pounds of sulphur to 300 pounds OF
fruit, allowing it to remain in the sui
phur boxes about three hours. 1t is
very important to have bright fruit
for no matter how good otherwise, ii
will not bring a good price unless it is
bright, therefore do not be afraid tt
use plenty of sulphur A wooden frame
covered with building paper makes &
very. handy sulphur box; make it large
enough so it will fit over a stack of II
or 20 trays. If a person has "a large
sulphur house with compartments in
which to run truck loads of trays. The
burning sulphur should have some ali
in order to secure proper combustion