The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1897-12-02
DRYING VEGETABLES.
A New Industry of the Pacific
Coast.
Potatoes, Onions, Carrots and Other
Vegetables as Treated for Use
in the Mining Re.
gions.

a new and important industry has
come into existence in Santa Clara
county, which bids fair in time to rival
the fruit drying. This is the prepara-
tion of dried vegetables for the mar,
ket, which at present is generally con-
fined TO the short season at the dr1ers
between the ripening of the different
fruits. just lately the vegetables have
been usurping the place of the aprieots,
but they have now already begun TO
give way in turn to the prunes.
On approaching drier Il does not
take one long to decide whether fruit
or vegetables are being prepared. for
in the latter case pungent odor
rushes out to sting ones eyes and
crawl uncomfortably up ones nostrils
for the trail of onions is over the land
Within lively scene is presented. Men
are hurrying TO and fro bearing traps
and boxes, while long rows of women
and children sit busily peeling pota-
toes and carrots, which, together with
the onions, form at present the staple
product When boxes of potatoes or
carrots are filed. they arc poured into
large hopper, and from there fed to a
machine with rotating knife-blades,
which cuts them up into small slives
q quarter of an inch thick. The fur
ther process which the potatoes under
20 is simple, and for carrots and the
other minor vegetables il is practically
the same.
After being sliced the tubers are
slightly sulphured in a chamber built
of wood Here great discrimination
must be used, for, if they are sulphured
too much, the potatoes viii taste OF
the fumes; if too little, they will not
contain enough antiseptic property
and bacteria attracted by the starch will
develop. Moreover, little sulphuring
is necessary to preserve the color OF
the vegetables as far as possible and t.
! prevent decay
After this process the potatoes are
! not spread out in the sun, but put into
au evaporator. The latter looks like
a small Ferris wheel, and is inclosed il
| a sort of brick oven with glass windows
| Within this it revolves close to hot-aii
| pipes for few hours When the mois
4 ture is sufficiently evaporated the car
/ of the wheel are emptied through tht
windows, and their contents are nov
ready for shipment in sacks
When this stage is reached the sliceC
potatoes resemble dry chips, and i
takes six or seven pounds of the fresl
| to make one pound of the dried.
BY their pungency onions possess tn
power of warding off bacteria, and are
therefore, only slightly sulphured t
preserve their color. They are next eyap
Grated until one third of the moisture i
| expelled, and then placed in trays il
the sun, just as is done with fruit. Ih
driving process shriyels the onions s.
much that it takes 20 parts Of the fresl
to make one Of the dried, While tn
onions are being cut up the moistur
coming from them is very disagreeabl
and hard on the eyes of the employees.
When carrots are eyaporated il take
about nine parts of them to make ON
dried part Perhaps the drying process
/ uSeu IN llle case VI pptu ttll l''N ~
potatoes might be improved upon wer
steam employed, BY using the latte
the starch in the potatoes would be par
ly cooked and sterilized, and after hi
the tubers could be eyaporated in
chamber similar to the one above dt
scribed. In this way the potatoes eoul
be rid of sulphur, well dried and yt
capable of being quickly soaked, an
there would be no chance for bacteri
to develop.
Other vegetables than these mel
toned are at present in proceSs OF d
velopment; but so far the industry hi
proved very profitable, as evineed b
the increased demand for dried veg
tables all over the country, but esp
cially in the mining regions.-San Fra
niSpo Call